How much UAE Filipinos spend on food?

Majority of Filipinos in the UAE would willingly spend up to Dh40 for a meal, with over 40 per cent favouring a concept that involves grilled meat and rice wrapped in banana leaf, according to a survey in the UAE by Al Ahli Holding Group.

The first-of-its-kind survey on food habits of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), commissioned by the 40-year-old UAE-based multi-diversified international conglomerate, found that over 40 per cent of the respondents were willing to pay up to Dh40 a meal; 30 per cent would spend up to Dh50 a meal; and only four per cent would pay over Dh100 a meal.

The survey has also shown how Pinoys love grilled chicken as 44 per cent of respondents preferred Binalot, a concept that serves grilled meat and rice on banana leaves, and 34 per cent voted for Jay-J’s, a restaurant that serves its signature Chicken Inasal (roast chicken with unique, local marinade).

Filipino expats also expressed how much they miss the tropical shakes in the country as 20 per cent  preferred Fruitas, a common fruit shake stand found almost anywhere in Manila.

Little Manila opened on September 14, at K6 Building on Al Muraqqabat Street in Deira, and a whole host of Filipinos who have caught word on the street are all eager to revisit the home-like feeling that the restaurant is offering, along with the delectable food.

“The idea behind Little Manila was to give the third largest expat community in the GCC an exposure to experience the flavors of their home country while staying in the Middle East and to give them a chance to come together as a community to call a place their own,” said Parvez Naqvi, International Business Development Head for Al Ahli Holdings Group.

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