Sharjah24: Between the magical pages of books and the lively workshops at this year’s Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF), there’s another delightful world ready to be explored – the food!
If you didn’t know – the 12-day annual festival being held at the Sharjah Expo Centre until May 4 is serving up an incredible variety of flavours that reflect its global spirit, from the cobbled streets of Istanbul to the bustling alleyways of Seoul, to the warmth of a traditional Emirati kitchen.
Turkish treats at Hakiki: Ice cream, baklava and theatre!
As you walk past the main corridor, the first thing that will attract your immediate attention is the cheerful call from the brightly coloured Hakiki, where vendors, not always in Ottoman garb necessarily, playfully serve up stretchy Turkish ice cream. Alongside the famous cones, there’s a pile of baklavas so delicate that they flake at the slightest touch, and a range of Turkish delights including the good old classical simit - with or without cheese (Dh25). But it’s the baklava with ice cream at Dh30 that takes the crown. Wash it down with a steaming cup of Turkish tea (Dh5) or coffee (Dh15) and you have the right kind of energey to start your SCRF adventure.
Crunchy Korean coins
Across the hall meanwhile, another crowd gathers at The Bank of Korea—but it’s not for currency; it's for Korean coin snacks with a creative twist.
You would see kids and adults alike munching away on Crunchy Coins (Dh30) that come with fillings like Nutella, Pistachio, and Lotus. There are cheesy coins too—classic cheese for Dh25, or adventurous versions with zaatar or even Oman chips for Dh30.
“I loved he crunchy coins — they were warm and sweet,” said 12-year-old Lana, a hardcore fan of Korean pop culture. “It’s amazing to find something with a Korean twist here at SCRF and I had to try it anyway.”
Meanwhile, for her friend Rose – also from Palestine – it’s a cup of Korean coffee (Dh5) that adds a perfect jolt to the sweet feast. “It was my first time trying Korean coins and I absolutely loved it but the coffee made the experience even better,” said the 13-year-old.
Classic comforts: Ice cream, saj, and cookies
For the purists though there are the usual suspects – Mini Melts and Baskin Robbins – that keep things cool with their rainbow tubs of ice creams making it a colourful stop perfect for a hot festival day.
For something savoury, visitors are queuing up for freshly made saj wraps, choosing between brown or white 30cm bread. There’s zaatar with vegetables, labneh and veggies for vegetarians, and beef shawarma for meat lovers. If you’re feeling extra hungry, Chicken Francisco is the hearty, cheesy wrap to grab.
Nearby in Hall 6, Bakery House – true to its name – is offering gourmet cookies that look like they belong on a New York dessert menu. A must-try? Jan Boone — a 100g cookie filled with Biscoff cream and chunky Biscoff biscuits, crispy on the outside and gooey within, as reads the menu. Not your type? You could try other favourites like Drama Queen, Snicker Doodle, Hello NYC, or the intriguing Matcha Strawberry — with prices ranging from Dh25 to Dh30.
"The cookies are huge and worth the price they command!" said Ahmed, who was still deciding between Matcha Strawberry and Hello NYC. “I wish I could eat them all!”
And what goes best with cookies? Coffee, of course and there’s plenty to sip beyond the classics too — different kinds of drip coffees are available across the festival grounds, offering rich, aromatic brews for those who prefer their caffeine the slow, artisanal way.
For those wanting even more indulgence, there’s a Dutch pancake booth that’s offering pancakes, churros and crepes with every filling you can dream of: Pistachio, Kinderjoy, Cheese, Biscoff, and Honey. All starting from Dh25.
Homegrown flavours at Mami Food
But no food tour at this SCRF is complete without a stop at Mami Food, where Emirati grandmum Salwa Al Jalla is dishing up steaming plates of home-cooked Emirati and Arabic comfort dishes.
Their menu is a hearty hug: Chicken Biryani Arabic style (Dh35), Bechamel Pasta (Dh35), Koshari (Dh25), and Sheikh el Mehshi (Dh40). There’s even Musakhan for those craving Levantine flavours.
"I’ve been coming to SCRF for years and we are the only that’s serving this kind of food at this festival," said Al Jalla, beaming behind the counter. “We want to bring a taste of home to the festival – meals that are full of love, just like the stories being told here.”
And whether it’s the crisp snap of a churro, the rich flavour of baklava, or the homey smell of biryani, every meal, as you will find out, indeed tells a story – one bite at a time.
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