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!

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!!!

Oxygen Spa (Deira, Dubai) and random...

Hello folks! I have just been a lazy bum and have not posted anything in a long time. I haven't tried any new recipes which are worth mentioning here.

Hotmail is now appearing as Outlook and it is soooo slow.

The other day we watched Jack the Giant Slayer and it didn't live up to my expectations. It could have been saved with a whole different cast.

Hardees has an awesome Cheese Steak Burger for AED 20 when you are hungry and low on cash. Take that with some chilli fries and you are set. They also serve fresh orange juice for AED 6.

The Oxygen Spa in Deira (Marriott Executive Apartments, Tower B) is amazing. I tried out their deal for Microdermabrasion on "Hit the Deals" for AED 99 and was totally satisfied. The deal is still on so HURRY! They have another deal for Coconut and Coffee Spa which I have bought and can't wait to try. They are also nice enough to give you the same rate if you haven't had a chance to purchase the deal. Call first to make an appointment (00971 4 2222920).

Let me know how it goes :)

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 =)

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!

 

 

Snails at St Tropez Bistro, Century Village, Dubai

Anyone tried snails?

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" :( 

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.

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.

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...

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!

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 ... ;)

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.

Browniz - Muscat

A cozy cafe located very close to Grand Hyatt in Shatti Al Qurum. If you sit outside you are facing the beach. I went for lunch with my colleagues yesterday. It was a bit sunny but just the perfect weather for snoozing under a tree :) The menu is quite extensive than what I thought it would be. They have cold and hot coffees, fresh juices, burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, fish and chips, crepes, brownies, cheesecakes and some other items which I can't remember. The food is not overly priced and you may end up sepnding RO 4.5-5 for a yummy and filling sandwich and dessert/juice/shake.

One thing I noticed was, the server asked me if I would like honey or sugar in my juice and when I said sugar, she asked me if I would like less or just normal. It shows that they are aware that people might be health conscious. The watermelon juice I ordered came out just the way I wanted with very less sugar. I had ordered a steak sandwich which I could not finish on my own :) I ended up taking it home with me. I didn't try their coffee but I am sure going there again to try some!