Tony Roma's - Festival City, Dubai

Looking for some good service and juicy succulent steaks? Head in to Tony Roma's at Festival City.

 We went there for dinner a few days ago wanting to try out a new joint. We started off with a platter of quesadillas, buffalo bites (balls), onion rings and potato skins with cheese and bacon bits served with  sour cream, ranch dressing, salsa and barbeque sauce. Of course the platter had a name which I cannot remember. A regular size costs AED 50 (and with my type of appetite it can feed at least 3 people). Everything on that plate was delicious. They also gave us complimentary nachos with salsa along with our drinks. I had a lemonade and my hubby had an iced tea.

For the main course I had a steak combo (Special-cut, 6 oz. New York Strip with Grilled shrimp). I chose shrimp but you can substitute it with any of the following - grilled chicken, fried shrimp, chicken tenders or fried fish fillet. I chose garlic crusted beans and mashed potatoes as my sides. My hubby also had steak and both of us were tummy full and satisfied. The steaks were cooked medium rare just how we liked it and the mashed potatoes were not bland at all and the beans were crunchy flavorsome and yummy even if you don't like beans.

The total bill was around AED 255. They also serve ribs which I would like to try next time =)

Merry Christmas everyone Ho ho ho

Merry Christmas one and all!

Body Shop has some nice gift hampers of body wash, perfumes, lotion etc (ranging from AED 99 to 200 something) and Nine West has a cool sale on handbags (around AED 200) :)

But just step into any mall and I'm sure you can go crazy....

My dad's recipe for ribs....rib-i-licious ;)

On my trip to the supermarket I saw a packet of ribs and I instantly knew what I wanted to do with them.

My dad had cooked chops while I had been home on holidays and I simply loved them. So I’m sharing the recipe with you all. Try it and let me know how it goes.

Marinade

1kg Ribs

1tsp Cumin powder (Jeera)

1tsp Red Chilli powder

1tsp Coriander powder (Dhaniya)

1tsp Black Pepper powder

1/2tsp Turmeric powder (Haldi)

1/2cup Yoghurt (or a little more but enough to cover the ribs)

1/2cup soy sauce

2tbsp Tabasco sauce

Marinate the ribs with the above ingredients and keep overnight in the refrigerator.

1) Take a pressure cooker. Add some oil and fry about 4 cloves of garlic, 2 cloves, ½ inch cinnamon stick and 1-2 green chillies (for a little heat).

2) Add the ribs and fry them just for a minute.

3) Add a little water in the cooker so that it won’t burn. The soy sauce should provide the liquid component but in case your pressure cooker is a big one then you may need to add a bit of water too.

4) Wait for about 5 whistles before turning it off.

5) In a plate, mix barbeque sauce  (HP Sauce) with equal parts of honey (if you find it too sweet then add more of the sauce and less of honey). Wait for the ribs to cool and then dunk them in the mixture and finally fry them for a minute or two on each side just so that they become crispy on the outside.

Voila – serve them with mashed potatoes and stir fry veggies and you are good to go!

Persian khana anyone? HATAM (Dubai Mall)

Hatam is a Persian restaurant located inside Dubai Mall in the 2nd floor food court area.

 

We went on a Friday for lunch and it didn't seem to be crowded at all. We sat in one of the booths near the windows so that we could get away from the freezing cold air inside the mall.

 

We started off with hummus (AED 16). They also brought some Arabic bread/naan and a plate consisting of salad, olives, cheese and pickles. For the main course we shared - Rice with slow cooked lamb (around AED 35) and a plate of Kababs cooked in yoghurt with French Fries(around AED 40). We also ordered 3 fresh strawberry juices (AED 18 each). The number of items we ordered seems less when we were three of us but the tall glass of strawberry juice along with rice just filled our tummies and I'm glad we didn't go overboard. In fact we still had some left over rice.

 

I would definitely go there again for some of their tender juicy lamb. Yum yum yum!

 

 

Finally some news on Bangkok...

I know I know I promised to write about my trip to Bangkok. Things have just been in full swing ever since my hubby and I returned from our holiday.

Instead of writing a day to day summary of what we did in Bangkok (which wasn't much apart from eating and getting massaged... :)... ), I thought I'd write a brief on the restaurants and spas around ploenchit road/chidlom where we were put up for 8 glorious days.

 

We stayed at the Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel located right next to the Chidlom skytrain stop. The room was spacious with an attached bath which was all glass! I later figured out how to draw the blinds.

 

Breakfast was a complimentary buffet which had dishes like fried rice and pork! This was definitely unusual for us but a nice change and my hubby couldn't resist the dim sums and Thai pancakes. They had the usual fare too which included American and Indian breakfast dishes.

 

The hotel seemed to be a full-house. Considering we went in the middle of October I guess they get a lot of tourists as the rainy season comes slowly to an end.

 

But a lot of the guests seemed to be there on business trips more than leisure so I guess either way it does pretty well. The hotel also has a swimming pool and gym neither of which we used (yup we are very lazy!).

 

So that's the hotel. Stay tuned for the Floating Market and Tiger Temple reviews!!

watchout for my post on Bangkokkkkkkkkk :)

 

Driving License driving me mad...

Yayyy I got my first 1000 views to my blog and I'm so excited!!

I just gave my driving test a few days back so I thought what better to write than the whole drama of driving in the Gulf. I speak for Muscat and Dubai as these are the places I have had to learn so far.

In Muscat the whole process is quite straightforward. You get a no objection letter from your sponsor and then enroll with an instructor and voila he does the rest. I think you have to go in person to get your learner's license (I can't remember what I did). Anyhow, the procedure in Dubai is unfortunately not that simple.

 

Note - The below steps may or may not be in their correct sequence.

 

Step 1) Enroll

 

I enrolled for my 40 classes - you can't take any less if you don't have a license from another country which is valid for more than 2 years. So 40 it is. I asked for the total cost and was told it was AED 2,400 for 40 classes. I now proceed to the cash counter and pay AED 2,400 and am given my receipt. I notice it is split into lectures, signal test and books. So I presume that the 2,400 covers all this (40 classes and lectures etc). I was just too naive. I thought when I enquired about the cost of the classes they would give me the wholeee cost. So well I just found out 2 weeks ago that the 2,400 I paid did  not cover everything. They deducted a part of it for a few classes and as I said the remaining was for the lectures etc. So I had to pay some more for the remaining classes and by some more I mean AED 1,800 including 2 road test fees (assessment and final tests).

 

Step 2) Decide if you want the weekend or weekday class

 

Oh and since I enrolled for Friday classes I am now paying AED 80 for each class (20 mins) which is otherwise AED 60 for 30 mins. You have to take 4 classes on every Friday.

 

Step 3) Female or Male Instructor

 

I go for a female because I figured I would be more comfortable. I didn't know that the Friday female instructors are high in demand.

 

Step 4) Lectures/Tests

It's preferable to get the lectures out of the way before you begin driving classes. It can last a whole day if you opt for it as you can complete all the lectures in one day (which I did). You can now proceed to take the signal test (you can mug the stuff up from the books). Get this out of the way too. 

 

Step 5) On the road and missing classes due to emergencies or sickness

 

Sorry you are  not allowed you to skip any classes - if you do, you are considered absent and you have lost the money you paid for those classes. If you also by chance mention you need to miss a day they immediately pounce on you telling you that your instructor will be assigned to another eager student (because apparently you are not that eager otherwise you would not be missing).

 

Step 6) Pray that you finish the classes and all the tests in one shot

 

There is 1 signal test as I mentioned earlier. You will have to do it a small room with a few computers. It is mostly multiple choice and not that difficult to clear. After a few driving classes you can give the parking test which includes parallel parking, angle parking, garage parking, slope and emergency brake. Then comes assessment road test (taken by internal instructors) and finally the main road test (taken by RTA).

 

If after all this you have passed you should treasure your license and maybe even frame it on your wall.

 

 

Tea Junction (Oud Metha, Dubai)

Tea Junction is a cozy spacious tea house in Oud Metha and is very close to the Movnenpick hotel. They have upstairs seating which is perfect if you are a big group of people. They also have a carrom board and Uno cards so after a heavy breakfast you can sit down to a good game of carrom. They don't hint at you to leave like many places do and you can sit there from morning to evening if you wish.

I went there for breakfast and ordered "the full house" which consisted of sausages, beef bacon, scrambled eggs, grilled mushrooms, baked beans and toast. The full house was AED 26 (I think). They also have variety of teas and coffees and I had the "spicy chai" which was milky tea with a touch of spice (cloves and cinnamon?). They also had "cutting chai" which is a specialty of Mumbai and other teas like Moroccan Mint tea, Zaafrani Chai etc. Other items on the menu included omlettes, crepes, subs, sandwiches, mocktails and desserts. The service was good and the only odd thing was that the tables were too low. I guess it was designed as a cafe (obvious from the name) but it was a bit uncomfortable to lean forward each time to take a bite. What would be ideal was if they had a mix of high and low tables. There was 1 high round table which could only seat 3 people so that was of no use to us as we were around 8 of us.

I recommend going there to try out their tea and coffee and I think it's a nice place to hang out with friends and family and the carrom and uno cards just bring back good old memories of family re-unions. :)

Snails at St Tropez Bistro, Century Village, Dubai

Anyone tried snails?

Chicken and Palak Curry Recipe

Here is to my best friend - my recipe for Chicken and Palak curry!

Step I

Stir fry a few cloves (5-6), peppercons (5-6), cinamon stick (half inch), dried bay leaf (1-2), methi/fenugreek seeds (half tsp), dhaniya/coriander seeds (half tsp), kashmiri chilli (1-2), onions (2-3 small or 2 medium - sliced), tomato (1 - chopped) and salt (as per taste).

Step II

Blend the above fried spices with a little water to make a paste. I added 2 tsps of yoghurt as well (which is optional).

Step III

Now fry the paste in a little oil and add 1 tsp of chilli powder, half tsp of haldi/turmeric powder and half tsp of jeera/cumin powder. Fry for a minute and add the chicken pieces. Now add chopped palak/spinach. (you can also blend the palak with the spices in Step II but i prefer not to). Add around a cup water and let it all come to a nice boil.

Enjoy with hot rotis!

Note - This curry serves around 3-4 people. If you wish to make more just double the quantity of the ingredients mentioned in Step I.

Anyone needs a drink?

This is a page from a menu at our local shawarma joint -

Wild Ginger - Deira City Centre, Dubai

Hey folks! Wild Ginger offers unlimited sushi on Sunday evenings! Head out there to satisfy your sushi cravings. The variety is not much. Below is a pic of what you get and then basically you can keep asking the hostess to refill your plate!

Personally, one round was more than enough for me small tummy. This unlimited platter costs AED 79 per person and "no sharing allowed" :( 

Lip Gloss - Bath and Body Works

Here is to all my girly girlfriends.

Check out this yummy minty lip gloss from Bath and Body Works.

Originally AED 35 but I got it on sale - 2 for AED 35.

Chicken Curry Recipe

Last evening I tried out a chicken curry recipe which my aunt had given me when I got married. I tweaked it a bit.

1 medium chicken  (800 to 900 gms)
3 medium onions roughly sliced
1 medium onion finely sliced
1 tablespoon whole jeera
6 black pepper corns

5 cloves

1 two inch cinnamon stick
2 clove garlic
2 teaspoons chilli powder (or as per taste)
half teaspoon haldi powder
Small lball of tamarind (marble size) soaked in water
salt to taste
oil/ghee for seasoning

Method:

Clean and cut the chicken into medium pieces.

Roast the 3 roughly sliced onions in a frying pan with 1 teaspoon oil till the onions become pinkish and keep aside in a blender.  Dry roast the jeera (cumin), pepper corns, cinnamon and cloves and 1 clove of garlic. Then put the dry roasted spices and tamarind in the blender along with the onions, which were kept earlier, and a little water and grind to a fine paste (“masala”).  Take 3 tablespoons of oil/ghee in a saucepan and fry the finely sliced onion till golden brown.  Add the cut and washed chicken pieces and fry for a couple of minutes.  Add the ground masala and fry another two minutes.  Add water if necessary (depending on the gravy required). Lastly add some salt (I usually add around 1 small teaspoon). Boil a few roughly chopped potatoes separately (I boiled them in some left over ground masala so it adds a little flavour to the potatoes. Alternatively you can also boil them in a little chilli powder, haldi (turmeric) powder and a pinch of salt). Lastly, add the boiled potatoes to the cooked chicken curry.  Eat with pulao or rotis.  Bon Apetit!!!!!

Black Canyon (Dubai Festival City)

A few days ago my hubby and I celebrated our 6 month anniversary. To celebrate, we thought of catching a movie and dinner. Spiderman was on at 8.30 at Dubai Festival City so we decided to have dinner at the Black Canyon Restaurant before the movie.

Black Canyon serves basically Thai food. Here are my ratings on food, ambience etc…

Food ***** (We absolutely loved all the dishes we ordered)

Service ***** (The servers were very helpful in choosing the right dishes and ensured we were comfortable at all times)

Ambience *** (I didn’t find the place too clean)

Price *** (I think the food was worth its price as it was quite yummy but it wasn’t that cheap)

For starters we ordered a Tom Yum soup which we shared. For AED 15 they threw in some seafood (fish/squid) which otherwise came with just prawns and mushrooms. The good part was that the mushrooms were not the tinned ones which I really dislike.

For the maincourse we had a voucher from Gulf News which was buy one and get one free. My hubby ordered a salmon dish and I ordered stir-fried seafood and a plate of rice. What disappointed me was that none of the seafood had mussels in them L

For drinks we ordered a lemon mint frappe which was quite refreshing and a small bottle of water. Overall we paid approximately AED 170 (keeping in mind we got one maincourse free).

We didn’t order any dessert as Spiderman was waiting!

Anyone catch the new Spiderman? I thought Toby Maguire did some better acting.

Spa-tacular at Tulip Spa (Satwa, Dubai)

Has anyone tried the Spa deals at Cobone? My friend and I found an interesting one recently - diamond and crystal facial along with aromatherapy massage for AED 188 at Tulip Spa (above Baskin Robins in Satwa).

Unable to resist, we purchased the vouchers and booked our appointment. The day finally arrived and we reached the Spa at 8.50am. Our appointment was at 9, but we were kept waiting till about 9.20 or so since they had another customer. Apparently the cobone stuff is working out great for this Spa.

We started out with full body massage. After the 45 mins massage we went in for our facial which lasted for a good 90 mins or so. Both of us were really impressed with it. The whole process involves cleansing, exfoliating, steaming, blackhead removal and crystal dermabrasion ending with a face mask and diamond dermabrasion (I am not sure if I have all the terms right). The results were pretty good. My face was itching throughout the day though, so I suggest you do it on a weekend and don't step out!

The owner of the Spa was trying her best to get us to buy the "package" which involved 14 sittings of AED 285 each. Well you can do the math, but 14 sittings of this facial is really not something I can afford. She also offered to throw in 2 body scrubs and warts removal for free. It seemed pretty tempting..

Well this was definitely an experience and I wouldn't mind going for it again. I'll be keeping my eye on Cobone :)

Bistro Madeline (Intercontinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City) and Citymax Hotel Friday Brunch

I received a promotional email saying Bistro Madeline (Intercontinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City) was serving a platter of seafood for AED 160 per person.

Tempted, we went over on Thursday evening but instead there was a buffet running (I didn’t ask if À la carte was an option because the buffet looked so good). The servers were extremely pleasant and took us around the buffet explaining the various dishes. I really cannot describe the dishes because I don’t remember any of the names. From what I remember the buffet consisted of the following - salads, stew (seafood, chicken and beef), salmon, various cheeses and desserts (crepes, apple tart, chocolate mousse cake, crème brûlée, fresh fruits, caramel etc). There was a separate corner for the pork and cheese.

The buffet with unlimited soft drinks was AED 185 per person (with unlimited wine was 40 bucks more). My hubby and I absolutely loved the food. I recommend the chocolate mousse cake which was heavenly. My hubby loved the roast pork.

On Friday afternoon we met up with a few friends for brunch in Citymax (Bur Dubai). We first headed to Times Café which was too crowded and then opted for Citymax which was spacious and bright (unlike Times which is dimly lit). The brunch was AED 79 with 2 fosters and AED 59 with 2 soft drinks (or unlimited – the server was thoroughly confused and she couldn’t remember the prices/options of the buffet). Anyhow, the food was pretty good and included items like roast turkey, oven roasted potatoes, cauliflower au gratin, pasta, stir fried noodles, seafood stew, fish in garlic sauce, stir fried vegetables and a few Indian dishes. Desserts included strawberry mousse, chocolate mousse, rabadi (Indian dessert), some sort of kheer (I am not sure whether it was an Indian or Arabic dessert – nonetheless it was salty), caramel and fresh fruits. The mousse was yummy but I can’t say the same for the rest of the desserts.

On Saturday afternoon we went for lunch to Lamcy Plaza. We tried the fish and chips from Salt n Vinegar at the Food Court. It was nothing fantastic but fish deep fried in batter and chips. I couldn't eat it all as the deep fried batter was kinda heavy.

All in all one tummy filling weekend!

Assia in Wok, Dubai Mall

It seems like all my hubby and I do is eat. Well that is true because I loveee eating so here is my take on Assia in Wok at Dubai Mall.

We went on a weekday and well, it wasn't really crowded except for the regular mall-goers. So anyway, I was tempted when I saw dumplings on their menu which is why we opted for this joint. Unfortunately the dumplings were not available as their steamer was not working or something like that. Too lazy to pick another place we ordered chicken red curry, a fish dish and 2 iced teas (yes we love iced tea and are searching for the perfect one - we got lipton cans so the search is still on).

So, the chicken was just ok and I didn't like it too much. There was a very strong flavour of something like fennel seed. I couldn't make out what it was but it was just too strong.

The fish on the other hand was pretty good.

Both main courses were served with rice.

Oh and we also ordered chicken satay and I must say they give you the tiniest bits ever. Seriously guys! could have been more generous with the chicken. The peanut sauce was yumm and I ended up eating it with the rice since I didn't like the red curry.

We spent about AED 150 or so which I didn't think was worth it considering we were eating out of a food court. The sticky rice with mango looked like a good option for dessert but since I was disappointed with the taste of the red curry and the portion of the chicken satay I opted to go for no dessert and gulped down the tea instead. I would suggest trying out the dumplings which I couldn't.

Cactus Cantina - Dubai

Located inside Rydges Plaza in Satwa, Cactus Cantina is a cozy mexican restaurant/pub.

My hubby and I went on a Friday as it was "buy one get one free on any mexican dish" night. I liked the look of the place - had a sort of old and rustic charm to it. The servers were freindly and we opted to dine in the non-smoking area. As soon as we were seated, our server brought us a bowl of nachos with salsa.

There was a different menu for the buy one get one free option and I went for enchiladas with tacos combo, and my hubby with beef burritos. Both were served with a side of mexican rice (not very tasty), chickpea salad and beans.

I must say I was disappointed with both dishes. I went with beef too and honestly the burritos, enchiladas and tacos all tasted the same to me as they all had beef mince. I also didn't like the enchilada tortilla/pastry  and I wasted half of it. I finished the tacos and my hubby also somehow gulped down his burritos.

On the other hand we ordered a non-alcoholic pina colada and an iced tea both of which were lovely.

Of course these are my views and maybe we were just unfortunate to pick the wrong dishes. As I said we have many more places to explore and I have heard Billy Blues (opp Cactus) serves amazing ribs :)

For the main course and drinks we paid approx AED 100.

how to make chicken biryani when you have no idea how to...

I recently tried my hand at biryani. You can use any meat – chicken, fish, prawns, lamb. I did it with chicken.

I used 1 small chicken which looked enough for 6 people. I cut the chicken into medium sized peices and marinated them with around 4 tbsp of biryani masala (you can get this at Lulu) (you can put more masala if you wish as long as all the chicken pieces are coated thoroughly), 2 tsp chilly powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder (haldi), 1 tsp cumin powder (jeera) and 1 tsp coriander powder (dhania), 1 tsp salt (or less if you prefer), 0.5 tsp of pepper powder and a little water. You may wish to add some yoghurt (around 2-3 tbsp) to the marinade but, as I did not have any that day I substituted for water.

For the Rice - I used 2 full cups of rice and it was enough for 6 people. You may wish to add more or less depending on the quantity of rice you need. If you use more rice then you probably need more chicken as well. Wash the rice well and drain it completely off water. I fried the washed rice with 2 tsp of oil, 1 small bay leaf, 3 cardamom pods, 3 cloves, 4 whole black pepper, 0.25 tsp of turmeric powder for colour and 0.5 tsp of salt. You can also add 1 cube of chicken stock (I did not use this as I didn’t have any). Stir for a minute or two and then add 2 cups of water (it should just cover the rice as we don’t want it to boil completely, it should only be half boiled). Don’t stir the rice around too much when you add the water as it makes it mushy. Leave it untouched and once all the water evaporates you can just run a fork through it.

For the Masala – I first fried couple of cardamom pods, 2 dried bay leaves, 0.5 tsp of whole black pepper and a couple of cloves. After a minute I added 2 onions (chopped fine); 2 tomatoes (chopped very fine); 1 tsp ginger garlic paste; 0.25 tsp salt; 0.25 tsp of chilly powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and biryani masala; 0.25 tsp of whole cumin (put this in last as it tends to burn). Fry this for a good few minutes till the tomatoes are all mashed up and oil starts to float on top. To this I added the marinated chicken and chopped up potatoes and fried for around 5 mins. Then add some water to the chicken (around quarter of a cup).

Finally – I added the half boiled rice on top of the chicken and covered it with a tight lid (I put a kettle on top of my lid just to make it stay tight) and cooked it for 15-20 mins on a very low flame.

Voila – the biryani should be ready. Garnish it with golden fried onions, boiled eggs (cut in halves) and some fresh coriander leaves.

Thai Terrace - Dubai!

My hubby and I are sort of on a mission to try out different cuisines. So after finger licking French our next stop was tempting Thai. After reviewing a couple of places online we opted for Thai Terrace (For Delivery - 050 939 2497, Karama - 043969356, Knowledge Village - 043658442).

Located in Karama the restaurant looks pretty much average from the outside. When we entered, we were greeted by our hostess who showed us to our seats. The restaurant didn't look anything fancy from the inside either but had a few touches of Asian decor (or what I think it was). It was a Thursday evening and there were a few people besides us. While reviewing the menu the manager came over to tell us that a single portion was large enough for two. It was decent of him as sometimes we tend to over order thinking portions will be small.

So here is what we ate with the respective prices in AED.

Starters

Tod Man Pla (Spicy Fish Cakes) - 52 the fish cakes weren't anything special, it tasted mainly of lemongrass but the accompanying dip was amazing - it had peanuts and cucumbers!

Main Course

Ph Taek Haeng (Stir Fried Spicy Seafood) small - 52 consisted of tiny crabs, mushrooms, squid, prawns - was spicy and had a very different flavour to it, which both my hubby and I liked..

Gai Phad Prik Pao (Chicken with Chili Paste)  small - 48 yum yum yum - the sauce in which the chicken was cooked was amazing...apart from the chicken there was babycorn and cashew nuts and lots of green and red peppers...

Khao Phad Prik (Spicy Fried Rice) small - 53 not much to say about the rice except that it had decently sized prawns in it :D (I was expecting the tiny frozen prawns)

Drinks

2 Iced Teas

We didn't have any dessert as we were just too stuffed. The mango sticky rice looked like a good option though.

Overall we were very impressed with the food. The servers were friendly. The restaurant itself does not have a very great ambience but the food is worth trying. I would definitely love to go back but we have many more eateries to explore.

BEWARE - if you tell them to make your dish spciy they actually listen to you and make it spicy with lots of red chillies!

Our total damage was approximately AED 250.

Chan chob...

Honey in my hair!

In one of my previous posts I did say I would blog about the goodness of honey. So here is something that I tried last evening.

I made a mixture of coconut oil (home made by my sister's mom-in-law - you can use any oil), lime juice (1 whole lime) and 2 tsps of honey. I applied it on my scalp and hair left it on for about an hour. I washed it with little shampoo and then applied some conditioner on my hair (not scalp) and left it for about 5 mins and then washed that off too. I can really tell the difference it made to my hair. It's so soft and shiny today :) I did however hear that honey makes your hair turn grey. Check out this answer -

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_honey_make_hair_grey

Apparently it does not turn hair grey or white - well I'll let you know in a couple of weeks...

Have a sweet weekend =)

Haircut at Juice!

I was dying to have my hair cut for a few months now. I told my hubby that after we were married in Jan I would do something dramatic with my hair. I have had long hair since a few years now and I just couldn't resist going short. Someone I know had a nice hair cut so I found out through a friend that she went to Juice Salon +971 (0)43988731). I called Juice, fixed an appointment and voila I have short hair now and I'm absolutely loving it.

St Tropez Bistro, Dubai

My hubby took me out on a romantic dinner a few days ago. St Tropez Bistro (+971 (0)42869029) is a small French restaurant/bistro at Century Village - Garhoud. I simply loved the ambience. At first I thought we would sit inside but the host said there was going to be live music so we were better off seated outside which infact was a better idea. It felt like a fairy tale as there are trees all lit up around you.

Here is what we orderd along with their respective prices in AED -

Starters

Frog Legs - 46 (It was our first time with frog legs and they tasted pretty much like chicken with lesser meat. It was cooked in a batter with lime or something which was not too overpowering and had just the right amount of tanginess.)

Main Course

Rib-Eye Steak - 99 (My hubby just loved this - it was almost 300 gms i think and he ate IT ALL.)

Duck Leg - 75 (I liked this but duck meat is a bit tough for my taste even though it was cooked very well. I had ordered it with a side of spinach and I felt the spinach had too much butter in it which was too rich for me.)

Dessert

Chocolate Fondant - 40 (Anything with chocolate is usually always amazing :) )

Lemon Sorbet - 33 (My hubby ordered this and it was very very sour and too lemony.)

Drinks

2 iced teas - 34

Our total damage was AED 359.70 including 10% M fees (I don't know what "M" stands for). On the whole I thought the food was ok but a bit pricey. I would recommend it for a nice little place to have dinner with friends/family and enjoy some nice live music. The servers are extremely friendly so I would give it plus points for that too.

Bon appetit!

Hunger Games

I had no idea of what the movie was going to be like because I hadn’t read any of the reviews before going. I, infact, like doing that because you never know what you are going to expect. On the whole the movie was a bit depressing. It still kept me glued to my chair. It makes you wonder if this is what the world is going to be like in the near future.

In short a man and a woman (tributes) from 12 districts are chosen every year to compete in what is called the Hunger Games. The games are showcased live on television. The tributes are some sort of sacrifice that the districts have to make. By competing they basically have to kill each other and be the last man/woman standing. In the end the only prize the winner seems to win is that he/she is alive. So they basically compete for their lives. On one hand the districts seem to be starving and on the other the audience who watch the games are floating in and around goodies. It appeared as if the world was just divided into the rich on one hand and the starving 12 districts on another (I just confirmed on Wikipedia and well yes the nation was divided into the Capitol and 12 districts). I won’t go into the story line as you must watch it for yourself. It definitely gets you thinking!

the bento box...

On Monday evening my hubby and I met my cousins and the four of us went out for some sushi at the Sumo Bento in Tower Centre. The restaurant is an open space and the servers greet you warmly when you enter. We paid a total fo AED 300 approx and here is what we ordered -

                                      

Starters                                  AED

Gyoza                                     20
Pan-seared and simmered
chicken dumplings - was just ok

Main Course

Salmon Lovers Bento               49
A combination of your favorite salmon
sushi and sashimi selections - my hubby's favourite

Nigiri Sushi Combo                 42
2 pieces of fresh tuna, salmon and
red snapper nigiri and 4 pieces of
the California roll - everything was good except the crab which I felt was a bit odd in taste

Spicy Tekkadon                       42
Sliced fresh tuna mixed with spicy
seasonings over a bed of sushi rice - it had too much rice

BBQ Beef Bento                      38
Thinly sliced beef sautéed in
Sumo’s very own spicy BBQ sauce - the beef was a bit sweet but tasty nonetheless

Tempura Bento                       38
Tempura shrimps and vegetables - the prawns were too oily and again it had too much rice

Drinks - 4 Ice Teas                 15 (approx)

Although a few of the dishes were a disappointment I would still recommend Sumo Bento for some good sushi. I don't think you can go wrong with salmon and tuna. You might want to stay off the crabs.

Go Sumos!!

not blue nor yellow nor grey..it's RED lobster...

that's where I was on Saturday 24th March 2012 - on my birthday. It's basically a seafood restaurant and I found one steak option which of course we didn't try considering we were there for seafood. So here is what we tried -

Starters

Stuffed mushrooms with crabs - Dhs 30, Peach smeared scallops - Dhs 32

Main Course

Seaside shrimp trio - Dhs 75, Lobster Grill, shrimps and scallops - Dhs 99

Drinks

I ordered an iced tea with cranberry flavour - there was no cranberry in it at all and the tea was very mild in flavour. My hubby ordered a lemon mint drink which was too rich and my sister-in-law ordered a mango mocktail which tasted like cough syrup.

The food all in all was a bit bland and the only dish memorable enough was the peach scallops. The lobster was good too but all I can remember now is the taste of pepper my hubby sprinkled on it :) It came with a side of broccoli (other options being mashed potatoes, fries etc) and butter sauce (which was melted butter-yikes) The shrimp trio was too much shrimp...haha - I'm not a fan of shrimps so I didn't quite like it except the shrimp pasta.

Something that caught my attention is that our server remembered what each one of us had ordered which is recommendable as I have been to many restaurants where they don't really remember who ordered what drink.

For the 2 starters, 2 main courses and 4 drinks we paid a total of Dhs 300 which was okay considering we were all stuffed. Oh and they also asked us to complete an online survey after which we would get 50 Dhs off on the next visit. I wouldn't particularly go back to the Red Lobster unless it was for the lobsters only or the STEAK ... ;)

Dubai!

Dubai! land of sand dunes, malls-where you actually can get lost, crazy drivers, malls-where women dress like they’re at a club, sexy cars, malls-where you find snow in a desert, Burj Khalifa, malls-where you find lots of people who don’t seem to have day jobs, Dubai Shopping Festival, malls-which can make you broke overnight, Ferrari World, malls-well that’s enough malls for the moment!

I’d love to see them all as of course being a woman I love shopping and eating out and that’s something that will probably occupy me for most of my life here in Dubai, however long or however short.

It’s starting to grow on me. It’s different from Muscat where I couldn’t do without a/my car but here the metro network is amazing. It’s clean, punctual and not overly crowded. Getting around is so easy here. The cab drivers are usually chatty and I try to avoid too much conversation –I’m new in Dubai and I don’t want to give that away. I pretend like I know where I’m going. So... transport-check, entertainment-check…oh and I started working…office politics-check J

Vil Uyana - Srilanka

I totally forgot to mention that we honeymooned in Srilanka. Check out this link http://www.jetwinghotels.com/jetwingviluyana/.e We spent 5 nights at Vil Uyana in Sigiriya and absolutely did not want to leave. Service was fantastic, food scrumptious, wildlife plenty.

Our bedroom -

The Jacuzzi -

One of our many neighbours -

By the 2nd day we were thoroughly relaxed. For the meals we went with breakfast, lunch and dinner at the hotel as we didn't want to step out.

Besides, the hotel was almost a km away from the main road and another 2-3 kms to the nearest market. Transport was not easily available and to rent something from the hotel cost a bomb so we were content with staying in. On the first day eating all 3 meals was a bit much and we were stuffed like little piggys. But by the 2nd day I guess our stomachs sort of expanded and then there was no turning back. The menu was set, with options in every course. I tried something different each day including the local srilankan cuisine.

We did decide to go out on one day and went on an elephant ride which lasted for 30mins or so. It cost us $60 for the 2 of us. Check out the hotel as it's a perfect getaway for some peace and quiet.

Ayubowan!

Coming to Muscat...and P.F. Chang's!

I'm leaving for Muscat tomorrow night by road. I won't be driving - a good friend of mine has agreed to give me a ride. My hubby is on duty so won't be able to join me, I'm hoping I won't have any visa issues at the border as I still have my Muscat visa.

A few days ago we went for Dinner to P.F. Chang's (American Chinese Food) at Mall of the Emirates. I cannot give a full review because I didn't really note down anything but from what I can remember the food was quite good, portions healthy and all in all we paid 210 Dhs. We ordered a noodles dish, a beef main course, a chicken main course, 2 soups, 3 drinks. And we got 3 portions of rice (they come with each main course). All their drinks (mocktails) looked lovely. I wanted a peach ice tea which they didn't have so I ordered a lemony drink with vanilla ice cream and even though it was served in those small margarita glasses it was too sweet for me and I had to force myself to finish it. It was meant to be had as an after dinner drink. My hubby ordered the regular ice tea which was just ok.

I recommend PF Changs for some quick chinese food (though you may have to wait for a table if you go on a weekend) and some very very good service.

Chicken Pie

A few days ago I tried my very first Chicken Pie. I am not an expert cook so I may not be able to describe the recipe very well but here goes...

Mix some regular all purpose flour with butter. I had used 1.5 cups of flour and I had put enough butter to form a crumbly texture. Add a little salt.

Add a few tsp of cold water and knead to make a dough (I have read that too much kneading is bad so keep it minimal). Now keep this dough in the fridge until you cook the chicken.

For the chicken - I stir fried an onion with 2 cloves of garlic and small piece of ginger. After a few mins I added the chiken cubes and some beans and chopped boiled eggs (you can add any other vegetables or meat). I added a few tsp of soy sauce, half a tsp of chilli powder, little salt, some chilli flakes and some dried herbs (you get them in small ready to sprinkle bottles at any store these days).

Next I took out the dough from the fridge and separated it into 2 halves, one of which I returned inside. I rolled out the other half into a big enough circle to fit the pie dish I had. In between the rolling you might have to return the circle of dough back to the fridge as it tends to melt. Also add a lot of flour onto the surface so that the dough does not stick to it. If you do return it to the fridge then take out the other half and start rolling. Keep doing this until you have both the halves big enough to cover the pie dish.

Sauce - Mix 2 tsp of butter with 2 tsp of flour and cook for a minute. Add half a cup of milk or more depending on how much sauce you want. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, cheese, any other herbs. Cook till it is nice and creamy. Pour it over the chicken.

Now transfer one half of the dough to the pie dish, layer the chicken on top and cover it with the other half. Make a few holes in the dough with a fork and brush some milk on it. Bake it in the oven for about an hour at about 180. Keep checking in between as this is what I did. Once the dough starts turning a light brown it is more or less ready.

Enjoy!!

Jobs oh jobs...give me one please!

So I'm back to that phase where I have to hunt for a job.

It can be confusing - the ones you want don't call and the ones you don't, call quite promptly. The only thing worse than hunting is sitting for an interview. Some interviewers can be really creepy. Some of them don't want to pay and some ask you questions which make you wonder if you are applying for Nasa or the likes. They are also highly interested in your marital status. Then comes the trick question about salary. Sometimes I wonder if I should quote a really high figure and other times I want to just get away with a modest figure so I hope I land the job. Jobs in the gulf are also all about multi-tasking. You are never doing just one thing. It's always marketing added to administration or reception duty added to secretarial. The other day I got a call for an interview where I gathered up some courage and said that I wouldn't do the interview unless I was getting paid xx. Later on I wondered if I had made the wrong decision, but then I feel I deserve xx and I'm not going to settle for less!

Good luck to me...