I came across this hip and artsy location while I was on my daily morning routine, scanning my emails which are generally boring. I mostly receive spam aside from the occasional interesting ones from several sites I have subscribed to. So when I saw a feature about this ‘culture and arts hub’ I did not hesitate to badger Mat that we should go and check it out. 😛

Disclaimer: We are in no way an artist or something of that sort. I’d describe us as ‘lurkers’. Hehe! But we have always been interested in these kind of things. 

So, after all of our Friday chores, off we went to Alserkal Avenue. The place is a collection of warehouses converted into creative spaces located in Al Quoz.

Enclosed by concrete walls, the facade seemed uninviting. But as they say, do not judge a book by its cover. What is inside will often surprise you, and surprised we were!

 

There were chic cafes, workshops, novelty stores, and galleries.

But the highlight for us was Mirzam, one of Dubai’s leading artisan chocolate makers.

 

Their production area is housed in transparent glass where you can see the entire process from roasting to wrapping.

The beans are sorted by hand and made in small batches ensuring the quality and taste of every chocolate bar and treats that come out of the production area.

They have a display of their single origin and spiced chocolate bars where you can sample the rich flavors of hand crafted chocolates.

 

Mirzam offers chocolate making and tasting workshops for free! You may check the schedule and how to book a slot on their website. We haven’t been to one yet but we’re very eager and excited to join in one of the workshops soon.

Another space that caught our attention was M.A.D (mechanical art devices) Gallery. An art gallery that exhibits mechanical and horological pieces.

According to Merriam Webster, Horology is 1 – the science of measuring time, 2 – the art of making instruments for indicating time. No wonder they had a lot of displays with clock mechanisms!

 

We had a great time marveling at the different pieces. Every item on display manifests the creator’s great attention to detail.

 

These are just some of the interesting spaces (I dunno how to call them haha!) inside the compound and believe me there are a lot more to explore.

Situated in an unlikely place, an industrial area dominated by warehouses, showrooms and factories, Alserkal is a gem. It’s a refreshing place to hang out and is definitely worth a visit. Alserkal also hosts the coolest events so make sure to check their website to see what’s up.

 

*Please note that I am posting this more than a year after we went there so other galleries and shops might have closed or transferred or new ones could have opened. All the more reason to check it out! 🙂

---

How we got there:

The nearest metro stations are Noor Bank and FBG (now FAB) but the latter is more convenient as you don’t need to transfer to a different bus.

Take Bus 12 (Al Qouz Bus Station) at FGB Metro Station Landside, then get off at Kanoo Machinery Company 2 stop.