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!