Xiao Wei Yang - Part 2 (Al Rigga, Dubai)

I have blogged about Xiao Wei Yang before and this is now part 2. Xiao Wei is definitely my favourite hot pot restaurant in Dubai (not that I have eaten at all of them but just saying). Hot Pot is also known as Shabu Shabu which I learnt from Wikipedia means thinly sliced beef boiled in water or stock along with vegetables.

So if you read my earlier blog it explains what the whole concept is and what you should do in such a restaurant etc etc. The earlier blog talks about the joint in International City but this time we tried the one just outside the Salah El Din metro station.

In this post I am just going to add a few pictures and also mention about the spicy prawns which you must order on the side (didn't mange to take a photo). Unfortunately you have will have to put in a little effort in taking off the shells but it's worth it.

Note: you might have to specify that you want bowls instead of plates (just easier to slurp all that delicious stock from).


 For all that good stuff that you can see in the photos (excluding the spicy prawns) plus 2 bottles of iced teas we paid a total of AED 160 (good for 2-3 persons).

So I suggest you stop reading this and be on your way to this little heaven of a place.

NB - no prior reservations required.

Chimes Restaurant (Al Barsha, Dubai)

Located in Seven Sands Hotel, Al Barsha is a little Chinese/Thai restaurant called Chimes. Serving a variety of interesting dishes like Duck Kuey Teow soup, Singapore Chilli Crab, Peking Duck,Nasi Goreng, this menu has something in it for everyone. We sampled the Tom Yum Talay soup for starters which was not too hot and just rightly spiced.





For the main course we had Singapore Chilli Crab and Thai Style Fried Rice.


The crabs come with plastic aprons so don't be afraid to get messy.










All three dishes were good though I hoped to see more seafood in the soup.





Our friends ordered the Kung Pao Prawns which also looked pretty good and a chicken dish whose name I cannot remember. It had roasted or fried peanuts in it which were yummy if you like peanuts.




The total bill for 5 main course dishes, 1 starter and 1 large bottle of water came up to AED 270. I will definitely be going back there the next time to sample other dishes on their menu like the Peking Duck.

Hope you are having a good weekend!

Moroccan Bath at the Gallery Salon, The Hyatt Regency, Deira (Dubai)

I recently bought a voucher online from Huckel Buckel for a "Moroccan bath with blowdry" at the Gallery Salon in Hyatt Regency Hotel, Deira. The deal cost me AED 89. It started with a hair wash after which the therapist applied conditioner and then covered my hair with a shower cap. After the hair wash you proceed to the steam room where the Moroccan bath procedure is carried out. After you have showered you can change back in to your clothes and you proceed to get you hair done. I got mine blow dried by a male therapist, however my friend had her hair ironed and she was not sure why. I was happy with the treatment as I do not know any better. It was my first Moroccan bath ordeal. My friend claimed that they should have used Moroccan herbs instead of soap (the deal says it was Moroccan soap) and a loofah. Anyway for AED 89 I thought it was worth it. The therapist was sweet and she offered me coffee/tea when I entered (not many salons/spas do that). She also came in to check on me when she left me in the steam room as I am a bit nervous of being left alone in a steam room and I feel a tiny bit claustrophobic.

I recommend this deal in spite of what my friend says. I guess the whole idea of this ritual is to be scrubbed and that is what I got.

I feel clean and ready to face the long week ahead!

Cheap Indian Food at Pingara,Karama (Dubai)

Well we all know that there are a countless Indian food joints all over Dubai serving a variety of North Indian and South Indian dishes. Famous breakfast hangouts include Puranmals (Oud Metha next to Hot Breads) -try their "medu vada", Sind Punjab in Karama - try their "kheema with paratha",Bombay Chowpatti in Lamcy, Karama -try their "Lassi".

A not so well known eatery located in Karama next to MMI building (close to Marlin Furniture) is a restaurant with a brightly coloured board outside which says "Pingara". Due to the dim lighting you can hardly see inside. As you enter there are a few tables and the kitchen but head up to the first floor and you will find it spacious. The restaurant seems to go with a jungle theme with birds chirping in the background and everything covered in jungle green and brown. Do not expect tip top service, as here you pay for reasonably priced good food. So don't feel shy if you have to call out to the waiter to bring you a menu card which he will with a smile. The menu has a variety of Indian and Chinese dishes but their seafood dishes are what you should go for. Try their chicken drumsticks (specify with gravy and not dry), "neer dosa", fish curry, squid chilli fry, prawns "sukka" or basically ask them what's good and they will tell you. An average of 3-4 items and 2 drinks will close you around Dhs 100.

You can check out their full menu on zomato or just head there sometime and have a look for yourself. For better service go on a weekday when it's not a full house.

Have a good Saturday all! 

Xiao Fei Yang Retaurant or Little Fat Sheep (International City, Dubai)

Feel like sharing? Then head over to Xiao Fei Yang.in International City (Cluster B/Chinese Cluster). The concept of the restaurant is different from any I have seen in a long time. If you go on a weekend the place is quite busy so I suggest you either go early or go late. The first thing you will see is a big pot on every table, or most tables, and people all happily dipping their food into it. Now don't be nervous and ask the waitress to find you a table. Each person gets a small bowl and a pair of chopsticks (you can ask for forks too).

So here how it goes - you can choose any item from the menu and they bring it to you raw and you basically dump it into a big pot of hot broth which continues to boil right in front of you. There are a few tables where you can have your personal hot pot. If you are feeling selfish by all means go for those. The broth comes in spicy and non spicy (go for the spicy!). The pots are divided in half so you can have spicy on one side and non spicy on the other. The menu includes items like noodles, mushrooms, fish balls, variety of leafy vegetables, chicken and beef strips, crab sticks etc.

Each item that you pick can be shared between 2-3 people. After you have placed your order, head over to the sauce section where you can mix and create your own sauces. The sauces include - chilli sauce,  peanut sauce, soy sauce with garlic, satay sauce, chilli oil and some others which I cannot recollect. Then there are bowls of crushed garlic, crushed peanuts, coriander etc which you can add to the sauces. Feel free try all their sauces, they are unlimited.

Oh and try the plum juice, it's yummy. The whole affair can get messy so be prepared! Do visit this place, if you are feeling bored of your usual hang outs.

Have a good weekend!

BBC (Belgian Beer Cafe at Crowne Plaza, Dubai Festival City, Dubai)

This weekend hop on over to the Belgian Beer Café and sample some of their delicious beers. If you cannot make up your mind, they also have a sampling tray pictured on the left. Excuse the picture quality as it has been taken from my mobile phone. If you do make it there you can also try the Belle-Vue Kriek (Fruit Beer which tastes like cherry) and mussels either in a plate or a pot. And you can take part in their contest - "pop in before 14 June 2013 and tell the manager how to pronounce the new chef's name (Stijn Surinx) and you will get into a draw to win dinner and drinks for 8". For more information visit their website which has other offers too http://www.diningdfc.com/.

 Cheers!!!

Coffee and Coconut Spa Review at Oxygen Spa (Dubai, UAE)

So in my previous post (http://oopssorrywrongblog.blogspot.ae/2013/03/oxygen-spa-deira-dubai-and-random.html) I mentioned that I was dying to try out their coffee and coconut spa. The name itself sounds delicious. The spa includes a full body massage, body scrub, hair mask, milk body wrap, honey facial and blow dry for AED 169 in all (we had purchased the vouchers beforehand via "Hit the Deals").

The aromatherapy massage was just perfect for me. However the rest of the spa was not as expected.

So here goes - My friend and I were seated together in a big room with 2 stone/granite tables in the middle. We were seated on a bench which was attached to one wall.  

A therapist entered and sprayed me with a hand shower, then rubbed some shampoo on my hair rather quickly and washed it off. I realised at that time that my friend and I would be sharing the same therapist for reasons unknown. Anyhow , following  the vigorous hair wash she then put some conditioner and washed that off too and then added a hair mask. All this was probably done in a span of 5mins. She then did the same for my friend.

Then came the process of the scrub. We were made to lie down on the stone tables. The therapist started with me first and applied milk and honey on my entire body and proceeded to scrub me with the coconut and coffee scrub (which were actual coconut shavings and coffee powder). This process was not very soothing and it somehow seemed like she was in a hurry. She then applied some honey on my face which was supposed to be the "facial" bit of the spa. The scrubbing process was also done in a span of 5-10 mins. She then repeated the procedure on my friend.

We were then left in the room with steam rolling in for about 10 minutes, after which it was just too steamy and suffocating. We had to call her to turn it off.

We were then given some soap and told to wash ourselves off. We were given robes and told to go for the massage. The body massage was heavenly (remember to take the towel off from your head before you go in for the massage  I stupidly didn't).

The blow dry which followed later was relaxing. The hair stylist was a very sweet woman and if anyone deserved a tip, it was her (unfortunately I don’t recollect her name).

Oh and the masseuse too was very good. My friend was very pleased with her massage too.

After the spa treatment I felt very very very clean and thoroughly scrubbed, down to the last coffee grain. But if you are looking for something more relaxing then I suggest you opt just for the massage. The whole spa deal can also be quite scandalous and you have to be prepared to bear it “almost” all! We definitely weren’t expecting to be put in the same room…lols

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....

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!

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

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