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...

I'm back!

I'm posting after a long time - the reason being I JUST GOT MARRIED and I am no longer in Muscat but I will still keep on visiting :)