To hype or not to hype: Meat Me There

I know you've seen those sesame seeded buns sprawling on your Instagram feeds. Fess up. You've seen them haven't you? So did I. A few too many times. And since I have a weakness for burgers, I said it's time to try these lil' sesame bad boys out. Let's be honest, they do Instagram very nicely ;)

If you don't know the new 'Souk' mall that they're located in, chances are you might be a little lost like my sister and I were today. I wish they added their GPS coordinates on their Instagram bio. I love when all basic info is laid out for new places. It just makes for easy access.

Once you do get to it, it's one those burger 'shack' type places, a few indoor tables, simple & short menu, you're in-and-out-before-you-know-it sorta thing. I personally like these places. I don't always want a big restaurant with long waiting time for food. Sometimes you just need to grub you feel me? 


Let me say, the outdoor seating was great. So so so glad the weather is getting better. I get so excited when it does in Dubai. I love to be outside as much as possible so whenever the weather allows, I'm a small kid jumping for joy!

The menu has 3 burgers, 'Me Burger' - usual toppings hold the cheese (I will never understand why people hold the cheese on burgers. Never), 'Meat Me Burger' - usual toppings with the cheese (boom) and 'Juicy Double' - a double patty version of the meat me burger (double boom). Toppings included onions 4 different ways - caramelised, roasted, crispy, raw. A bit of an onion obsession going on at this joint, I'm not sure why. For fries, you get normal 'Me', 'Paprika' or 'Chizu'.

We got one single and one double burger along with paprika and chizu fries.

Besides the burger hype, I've seen a ton of hype on the chizu fries so we were pretty excited for those. The burger itself was so juicy but not greasy which we loved. The duo colored sesame seeds gave a nice dimension of texture and you could taste each and every topping inside. Points to that. I don't like burgers that taste like mush in your mouth. Burger down, we were super pleased.

As for the fries, we did enjoy the paprika dusted ones. The chizu however, was meant to have gruyere, american cheddar, parsley, spring onions and green onions. Let me tell you. There was barely a pinch of cheese or parsley. Personally more concerned with where the cheese was. Not happy. It was a little too onion-y for us and I generally like onions. Downside to both fries was they were both heavily salted and I also generally like my fair share of salt. We were a little too thirsty after. If I go back I'll get the normal or paprika fries (ask for less salt).


Is this place worth the hype? Hmm... Burger was really good. Fries had issues. Place was cosy but music was a bit of a roller coaster - they should just keep it chilled. I may have to say (burger aside!) it's not worth the hype for a few reasons. One, it was over priced for what it is. You get more fries in other gourmet burger joints and topping variety was pretty much onion variety. For the single patty, the meat wasn't substantial enough to complete the burger. You needed two patties to balance out the bun & toppings. Third, fries were too salty.

So verdict is, burger aside - not worth the hype. Does that even make any sense for a burger place verdict?? Ok I've given you the low down. You decide! Comment below, to hype or not to hype?

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Frioul - Bistro de Luxe: A new concept of 'luxe' in Madinat Jumeirah

Last week I had the chance to try out the new Frioul Bistro de Luxe in Madinat Jumeirah in their soft opening stage.

My first impression was that it reminded me a bit of La Petite Maison, which I think their food is 
delicious. Granted it's on the pricey side, I truly think their quality and flavor pays off. So with that in mind, I was pretty intrigued.

We were greeted to the soulful sounds of the live jazz singer which I loved. Very spacious, the interior was very clean in color with everything mainly in white with subtle warm tones. I also loved the large open kitchen where you can see the chefs cooking the dishes flying out the pass. The dress code didn't seem as formal as LPM, the crowd was a mix of formal and smart casual which I liked.

Aside of the airy dining area, the other two parts were part lounge and part mural/painter-in-action area. I haven't seen this concept before. I'm not sure if this was part of the opening or if this is an ongoing thing they'd be doing. I sure hope they do. It gave the place a sense of character and edginess which a lot of bars/restaurants in Dubai can lack.

I'm going to be honest and say service was a little shaky which is why soft openings are there. Another thing I've realised is since I now work and understand more about the restaurant industry, I sympathise a lot more with restaurants especially new ones when they have their mishaps. It's really not as easy as some might think. Disclaimer over but just thought you should know.

A friendly server came round with assorted breads and dips. As a group of 4, we were all not too impressed with this. The bread didn't taste too fresh or warm and the dips were lacking in seasoning.

On to the the menu, it had French flair with majority of seafood items along with the classic duck, frog, steak, etc. I personally would have liked to see snails on the menu.

On to the real 'feast' for the night, we ordered bits and bobs off the menu.  We were noted that their concept is a 'sharing' concept, especially for mains. Interesting... Here's my picture diary of the night. Please mind the weird lines in the photos from the lighting, I noted it to the restaurant as well.

Starting off with tapas of 'frog legs, parsley, garlic puree'...

My first time trying frog actually. It tasted a lot like chicken. Didn't taste much of the garlic puree but the parsley flavor was very strong. This was alright, I believe it could have had a little more seasoning and maybe a bit of tang to counter off the overpowering parsley. I have a very thin line when it comes to parsley.

Next up was the 'poached lobster, heirloom tomato, peach salad'.

The lobster was cooked very well and tasted fresh. I loved the medley of tomatoes. I wish the peaches were a little cooked as they were a little hard to cut into. Other than that, I really enjoyed this. Highly recommended.

We followed with the 'red prawns, chilli, mango, mint'.

This was just eye candy for you. The colors were gorgeous! My favorite dish of the night. I love mango with prawn and this was a delight. If you want to try a less pricey version, try the 'kataifi phyllo wrapped prawns' at Markette in Dubai Mall. Similar flavors and has an addition of crunchy phyllo pastry wrapped around the prawns. Deelish if I do say so myself.

'Steamed cod, fricasee of vegetables, lemongrass' was next.

This was pretty good. Buttery cod, cooked very well, al dente vegetables with a hint of lemongrass. My sister and I really enjoyed this one even though the rest didn't. I would've liked a touch more of salt.

I really enjoy when fish is cooked 'en papillote' so we ordered the 'seabass, lemon, fennel, radish'. Sorry there's no image for this one. We didn't think the fish was juicy enough and quite honestly, it was a very thin piece of fish. I think they needed to add a lot more substance to this dish. The flavors were alright but I was pretty bothered at how small it was. When ordering sea bass at other high end restaurants, you always get a more substantial piece of fish.

At this point we were still somewhat hungry so we opted for the 'cured salmon, sweet & sour shallots, leek, camembert pizzetta'.

Came out a little smaller than we had hoped. We all thought it was a little dry and the shallots were very overpowering. It wasn't a very memorable pizza.

We decided to end the night with two desserts, first was the 'salted caramel sachertorte'...

Second was 'chouquettes with chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream'.

The sachertorte didn't taste much of salted caramel which was a little disappointing because who doesn't want to taste salted caramel? Am I right or am I right? Also wish there was more sauce at the bottom of the plate. The mini puff 'chouquettes' were simple and tasty. You just can't go wrong with eclairs filled with creamy custard dipped in chocolate sauce.. I mean come on. No further comments.

I really liked the space and I'll come back for the lounge and drinks area and maybe a few nibbles. I do think they need to up their quantity in food per dish and maybe edit the message of "sharing concept". Other than that, the music was great, the space was lovely and service was good with few mishaps.

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Rated: Tasha's

When I hear The Galleria, I instantly think of Home Bakery and their addictive chewy melt cookies. And that my friends, are exactly what they are. But let's not get into that right now.

Now we're talking about Tasha's, the new South African export recently opened at The Galleria. I saw a few posts here and there on Instagram but had no idea how popular this new gem was until I got there.

It was a late dinner on a Friday night and we were told there was going to be a 45 minute waiting list. My friend and I were eager to try it so we waited it out. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do you know what I mean? Honestly, even parking was a struggle. I accidentally parked in what I thought was the "extended" parking of the mall but later on that night, the kind Dubai Police told me I was parked in their authority parking! Whip out a little Arabic with these bad boys and no biggie ;)

Back to Tasha's!

Finally got a table and it was jam packed but still cozy. It was a mix of warm, honey interiors with pops of color from the exposed fruit and dessert counters. Furniture was a blend of textures with hints of leather couches, wooden and crisp white chairs. It felt like a homey-elegant-deli-cafe type feel if that makes any sense.

Our server, Caroline was the best! One of the best servers I've seen in Dubai. She took care of us the entire night and gave us honest suggestions which I loved instead of the usual "Everything is good." answer. 

The menu has something for everyone. It ranges from delish-looking breakfast options, sandwiches & flatbreads, salads and sharing platters and even a 'healthy appetite' section. There's global hints all over the menu from a 'Tabbouleh & Halloumi salad' to a 'Shnitzel Sarnie'.

We decided to start off with the wagyu beef carpaccio, served with rocket & shaved parmesan, caper berries and truffle.

This was delicious! Alongside were these holed out sliced bagel like crisps to prepare the perfect bites with the beef. Super delicious, would definitely have this again. Only downside is there was some mayonnaise in the dish that wasn't necessary. It was sort off odd to see mayonnaise on a beef carpaccio.

For mains, we shared the salmon flatbread and chicken milanese. The flatbread had classic flavors that pair so well together. Listen to this, smoked salmon, avocado, mascarpone, chives, seaweed caviar and dill... Now I know this sounds super simple but sometimes restaurants here forget that you have to be good at the simple stuff. Man was this good! Great quality salmon, beautiful medley of fresh salad and scoop both on the crispy, fluffy flatbread and you're in business! I'd order this again.

Chicken milanese was huge! Enough for 2 if you're sharing and 3 if you've ordered starters prior. Two crispy pieces of chicken breast cooked to perfection topped with a fresh salad that I loved! Fennel, cherry tomato, rocket, red onion and a punchy dressing to balance with the crispy chicken.  Also served alongside was a side of mash potato. This was pretty good too although, very very filling. Definitely share this one. In general, the majority of dishes flying out of the kitchen were on the larger side. Ain't no complaining bout that. Side note, I've just checked online and can't seem to find this dish on the menu... not sure why that is :(

We were super stuffed but decided to still indulge in dessert since we were in it to win it. We ordered the highly recommended doxas chocolate cake served with vanilla bean ice cream.

It's pretty simple. The ultimate bite involves a scoop of the ice cream with a slice of the cake topped with the caramel sauce. Decadent and delicious. Loved the crunchy candied pecans too! So so so good.

Overall food, service and ambiance are all a winner! I'm pretty excited about this place - it's been a while since I've experienced such a hit with a newbie in town. Small note is it is on the pricier side but that doesn't seem to be slowing this place down whatsoever.

I've rated Tasha's 4.5 out of 5!

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x

To hype or not to hype: Qbara

So it's been one of those weekends where I haven't moved out of my bed. Not because I'm lazy but since there's been a coughing-sneezing-blockage-stuffiness-headache-the-works-type-of-situation. Oh yeah. Fab combo. 

With that beautiful image in mind, I've been meaning to try this place for a long long time but that applies to a lot of places and keeping up can be a tad bit difficult.

I've heard a lot about Qbara! From the dishes to the atmosphere to the music, pretty much everything has been very positively 'hyped'. The other day, I got around for a quick Saturday night dinner with a friend. I'm sure you already knew that from my Instagram ;)

Here's my take on whether Qbara lives up to it's hype.

I really liked the fact that Qbara was located somewhere a little different. Super easy to find when you're in the wafi/pyramids area.

The venue itself was gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous. Beautifully warm dim lighting, cool light projections against a huge wall, amazing music with remixed slow jams... just what I like. The place itself wasn't busy so a heads up for you, we were notified Tuesdays & Thursdays are the busiest so plan in advance if you're heading on those days.

We were seated upstairs. On the way to our table, we passed by the wine bar, enjoyed the glass window edges overlooking the downstairs seating area and the hues of purple/blue/pink light projections on the giant wall.

I've heard a couple of recommended small dishes so without any time to waste, we ordered the 'Crispy soft shell crab "saj", garlic & harissa and the 'Lobster kibbeh with fresh herbs, avocado labneh'.

Soft shell crab was amazing! Seriously good. The crab meat tasted really fresh and tender. The texture resembled a falafel because of the crunch factor. The harissa was the perfect added kick - not too spicy, I actually could have had it a little spicier - but can definitely suit all. The garlic wasn't overpowering either, and trust me, I love me a hit of garlic. Also, great portion. Highly, highly recommended.

Kibbeh was good. I am a huge fan of kubba (how we pronounce it in Iraqi). I always remember my grandma hand making her delicious kubba, which nothing can beat, even Qbara - sorry :) Anyways, these were crunchy, had a decent amount of lobster - not dry at all, and that avocado labneh was yummy! If you know me by now, you know I love me some avocados. It's hard to ignore it on any menu I see. The labneh was creamy with chunks of avocado and swirled in olive oil. Nice topping to the kibbeh.

Our main was a shared pot of "Chicken tagine, preserved lemon, apricot & walnuts" with a side of (I don't remember the exact name but this is what it was) Spiced brown rice with puy lentils & fried onions.

Delicious! Succulent generous portions of chicken, balanced flavors of spices, fruits, nuts and a delightful addition of cooked quinces (similar to pears)! The rice went so well with this dish. I highly recommend this combo if you are looking for vibrant flavors with a twist but keeping true to authentic Moroccan palette. I absolutely love dishes with fruit, nuts and spices - have grown up eating such types of dishes and can't get enough.

Although I regret it now, we were just way too full at the time to order any dessert. Another excuse to go visit Qbara now :)

As for the service, it was great. Food came really fast and all the waiters were quite knowledgable of the menu.

For good quality food with generous portions, great service & music, and a clear concept of original dishes with an added twist, let the hype continue about Qbara!

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Rated: Nay Restaurant & Lounge

I heard about Nay from a couple of friends and decided to try it out for a weekday dinner a little while ago. Positioned as a Lebanese restaurant, the menu has a tendency to twist the flavours and dishes of authentic Lebanese cuisine (such as a traditional Lebanese white cheese starter served with an oriental ratatouille sauce). It's always interesting to see modern chefs putting spins on traditional dishes.

Situated in DIFC, it's a perfect central spot for post-work dinner and sheesha. The venue itself is huge. and I mean huge! It hosts a lovely outdoor seating area (unfortunately the weather now is slowly eliminating that option) and the indoor seating has an Arabic singer at night. Since it was a huge space and it was still in it's opening month, when my friend and I arrived, the ratio of people to chairs was quite low (aka a little on the empty side). I feel like it can look like that anyways since the place is really big and can accommodate a large number of people.

Our server was very friendly and explained some popular items on the menu for us. He complimented us with a crispy strip of bread topped with olive oil, sesame seeds and zaatar with a garlic-flavoured dip. So so so good! Ordered for another round in seconds.

For starters, we chose one of their spins on hommos which was 'Hommos Green Rihan' (literally translates to Hommos Green Basil). This was delicious! Basil is also my favorite herb so maybe this could have been an easy win for me? I don't know. Balance of the added basil while maintaining authentic hommos flavor was ticked! My hopes were super high right now since bread and hommos were both spectacular.

'Hommos Green Rihan'

Our second starter was the "Nay Labneh" - again another twist. Although this sounded fabulous - labneh mixed with confit sun dried tomatoes, thin garlic crisps & fresh thyme - the taste did not live up to it. The issue was the oil from the sundried tomato which was a little too acidic overpowered the whole dish.

'Nay Labneh'

Our third starter was 'Hommos Sorra', roasted Arabic bread filled with beef, served with hommos and pine nuts. Unfortunately this was more about the presentation rather than the taste. The beef-stuffed bread or what I like to call them the Arabic-looking "money-balls" tasted old and very dry. This was not a winner.

'Hommos Sorra'

For mains, we ordered 'Shish Taouk' and 'Kebab Mushroom'. I know Shish Taouk can be a boring choice sometimes but most restaurants don't get it right. It usually comes too dry and tasteless. This one shamefully fell into that same category of restaurants. The chicken was way too dry - almost rock hard. The fries were very good as well as the vegetables. I really liked the presentation of the veggies on the metal skewer. Pickles & garlic sauce were delicious. Only downfall, well, the main thing: the chicken. As for the Kebab, not too sure why it was called 'Kebab Mushroom' since there was no taste of mushroom whatsoever. The kebab was alright but nothing special. Also the spicy tomato sauce on the side didn't add much to the dish as well.

We were too full to order dessert since portions were very generous. I would come back for good service, good portions and try our other main dishes. Also that basil hommos got me sucked in! Need to come back for more.

Total price breakdown below (for 2):
1 x 'Hommos Green Rihan' = 28
1 x 'Nay Labneh' = 28
1 x 'Hommos Sorra' = 36
1 x 'Shish Taouk' = 58
1 x 'Kebab Mushroom' = 58
1 x Large Lebanese Mineral Water = 20Total (AED) = 228

I've rated Nay 3 out of 5!

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Rated: Elia

I know, I know, 2 Greek restaurants in a row? Sue me why don't you! but hey, the way I look at it is I'm discovering the Greek food around Dubai for YOU. See? This is all for YOU. Not me. Just YOU. Geez, be thankful. Kidding.

I was quite surprised that this place had been around for a whopping 6 years and I've never heard of it. I guess that was the beauty of it. Tucked away in the 3rd floor of Majestic hotel in Bur Dubai, Mankhool area, this place escapes from the loud and noisy Dubai.

And so our "Greekilicious" night began at Elia...

Upon entering, you see a mixture of a crowd from couples, seniors, families and friends dining and chit chatting their way through their meals. The Greek music in the background was a perfect mood setter and the place itself has a cute, rustic meets modern take on European style (much like their menu). The ambiance and look & feel already made me escape from Dubai's usual settings and took me to a European escapade - along the lines of Greece. My friend and I decided to sit in their glass terrace area which was beautiful. So homey and inviting and surrounded by trees and minimal views of buzzing Bur Dubai.

I know that Greek food traditions are similar to Arabic and so mezze was a must. You muzt mezze. Was that funny or plain cheesy? Now while we're on the topic of mezze and this is where you're wondering what we ordered & I was wondering what to order, this pops up on our table --> 

Eggplant salad, marinated olives with fresh baked bread. Okay let me break this one down for you. The eggplant dip was so smooth, full of flavors dancing in my mouth like olives, eggplant, garlic - just yummy. The olives were sitting in rosemary & garlic infused olive oil and the fresh bread had an assortment of carob (not pictured since this pic is the second round of bread), sesame crusted and olive sourdough. This was so good we had to tell each other to stop and save room for mezze.




Since we're on the topic of mezze, here's what we got:

We ordered the Tomato Kefte and Cheese saganaki. Looking at the kefte, I was afraid they were going to be flavorless or bland but one bite of this, and YUM. Super super crunchy (best part about it) and filled with delicious and simple flavors of herbs that go so well together. Doesn't need any sauce and was not one bit dry. Now I have never tried graviera cheese and was pretty excited about this one. I also appreciated the hefty portion they give you (since it is AED67!). The cheese itself was super tasty - salty, flavorful and delightfully crispy on the top from being baked. I also loved the balanced flavors of the tomato, garlic and pepper sauce that it sat on. Both these starters, I will definitely go back for.

At this point, we've done two rounds of breads and dips and two starters and I have to say we were 60% full. Note to self, eat less bread next time (let's see how that goes!).

So far so good. Here's where things started to fall a bit. We waited around 15-20 minutes for the main courses after our starters which meant we were getting even more full. We also mentioned it our waiter and the manager took note of that.

Once our mains did come, this is what we were about to tuck into:

Since the menu was split up into two: one being traditional Greek food and the other authentic with a contemporary twist, we decided try one from each section. I'm going to leave it to you to guess which one ;)

The chicken was cooked well and had flavor. The downside was that it was heavily coated with dried mint and was borderline bitter. The pita bread it was served on top of was too oily to eat. On a positive note, the crunchy onions went well with the chicken sewers as well as the tzatziki. The stuffed capsicum with tomato and rice was yummy and reminded me of homemade dolma. I prefer Iraqi dolma over this since I love the additions of meat in the stuffing and the sweet pomegranate syrup it's cooked in.

The second was a sea bass spring risotto with egglemon/'avgolemono' sauce. I didn't know what that was until I checked and it's pretty much the same meaning as it's name - a thickener consisting of egg and lemon. The sea bass was cooked well, however, the risotto was under cooked. Although the dish had good flavor and was almost there, the under cooked rice left you with a chalk-like taste. It's kind of surprising since the mains did come late. Since I ate the best sea bass risotto of my life last weekend (read about it here), that was the reference I was comparing this to and it was in two different playing fields.


We were super full by the end of our meal but the manager came
round and delightfully complimented us with two dishes of their milk pie dessert ('Galaktompoureko') as a sign of courtesy for the earlier delay. Although we were full, doesn't mean we don't taste right? :)


The texture was great since the outer filo pastry was crispy and browned with sugar while the inside was creamy and milky.

Their service, aside of the slight delay, was great and we were very pleased that the manager reconciled our slight issue with a complimentary dessert.

I am definitely going back to Elia to try out more dishes and absolutely love their getaway location and ambiance!


Total price breakdown below (for 2):
1 x tomato kefte = 23 
1 x cheese saganaki = 67 (A bit too pricey)
1 x chicken souvlaki = 56 
1 x sea bass risotto = 69
1 x large water = 15
Total (AED) = 230

I've rated Elia 4 out of 5!

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Rated: Eat Greek

I'm sure you've all been to the new area, The Beach, of JBR where there's a full new strip of restaurants alongside the gorgeous beach filled with elements of art, sand sculptures and even work out stations. I love this area. Only downside is the traffic (for parking & people in general) but hey, nothing new there about JBR so just accept it!

One of the restaurants on my radar was 'Eat Greek' since I rarely ever eat greek food in Dubai. There aren't that many that I know of (have only heard of El Greco and Elia - have yet to try either). If you know of any good Greek restaurants that ought to be tried, please let me know below.

Now since it was a Friday, there was a waiting time to be expected of 20-30 minutes as described by the hostess. However, I must admit they did only call me after 40-45 minutes and at this point, our hunger levels were somewhat soaring through the roof.

We were seated outside (as requested) and the weather was gorgeous! Pure bliss. Our waiter was so energetic & friendly from the start, that he put us in a great mood to start. Whilst we look around our menus & try to figure out what to eat, their fresh piping hot bread basket arrives and this is what happens. Suddenly we're just distracted...

I told you we were hungry. But in all serious note, their bread was delicious. It had a crispy crust and airy filling and was topped off with olive oil, salt and herbs. Two more baskets coming right up, please. Thank you.

On to the starters! For cold, eggplant "salad" & giant beans "plaki" and for hot, baked feta cheese (after Foodiva's enticing picture on Instagram - could not let that one go), greek salad (of course) and roasted beetroot salad.




I thought the eggplant salad would be something similar to a baba ghanouj (arabic eggplant mezze) but it wasn't at all. I would say it's a much brighter & fresher version of baba ghanouj which was quite tasty. It was very simple and focused on the true flavors of eggplant seasoned with citrus and herbs.


The giant beans were a win! Baked lima beans in tomato & herbs - pure yumminess. Spoon that over with the baked feta on their fresh bread - you will be super happy! That baked feta was just melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. Pretty much devoured in seconds. Trust me when I tell you try this combo out!

The Greek salad was fresh, simple and perfect portion. My best Greek salad was in Greece itself but this was still very tasty. The roasted beetroot salad with yogurt, walnut, apple & croutons was alright. I thought there was too much yogurt on the beetroots & took a way from the roasted flavor. I also didn't think there needed to be croutons on the dish.

For the mains, we ordered the Moussaka burger, 'Kleftiko' roast lamb, Greek eggplant Bayildi and a couple of pita lamb gyros.

The burger was moist, juicy and had sweet taste from the caramelized onions (if you don't like a sweetness in your burger at all - this is not for you). I'm pretty sure there was honey in there with the onions - which I liked. If you're thinking that this is going to be a typical "burger" taste, I'd think again. I really enjoyed it as it was quite different but the downside was it was too messy and sort of collapsed as I was eating it. Also, you couldn't taste the grilled eggplant that much because it was such a thin piece. They had chip/fries on the side which were pretty yummy! The eggplant 'bayildi' is a great vegetarian option. I really loved all the Mediterranean flavors singing in my mouth and the sweet kick of honey it made it that much more interesting & harmonious. As for the lamb braise, ooh-wee!, this was tender, fall off the bone, melt in your mouth, sort of meat. It was delicious and quite a hefty portion. It did have quite a lot of fat to discard but it added flavor during the cooking process for sure! As for the 'gyros' sandwich, I myself wasn't the biggest fan however, my family members did enjoy it. I found it to be too heavy and in a sandwich form, I wasn't that comfortable to have that much fat on my meat. It made the process of eating a little less enjoyable. Try it out for yourself as my family did say it was delicious :)

We were too full to try out any desserts and decided that a walk around the beach was much more suitable :)

Total price break down below (for 6):
1 x eggplant salad = 15
1 x giant beans "plaki" = 25
1 x baked feta cheese = 45 (this is overpriced!)
2 x greek salad = 35 x 2 = 70
1 x roasted beetroot salad = 30
1 x "moussaka" burger = 50 
3 x pita lamb gyros = 45 x 3 = 135
1 x "kleftiko" lamb braise = 100
1 x greek eggplant "bayildi" = 50
2 x large local water = I forgot this one but you can take an estimate of what a local water bottle costs :)
Total (AED) = 520

I've rated Eat Greek 4.0 out of 5!

I would definitely return and try out some other dishes and I particularly enjoyed their mezze (or starters) the most! The ambiance was also great in terms of music, service and overall vibe. We also had THE coolest waiter in town! (check him out on my Instagram). I read that the Eat Greek in Australia (the original one) does traditional live entertainment and dish breaking on the floor - would have been great if we had that!

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Rated: La Brioche Cafe

I haven't really heard much of this cafe but I was in the mood for a dessert the other day (#mustsatisfycravings) and remembered this place was nearby on Jumeirah beach road.

I didn't actually know there was valet parking available so we parked in the normal pay parking (will definitely keep that in mind next time).

Upon entering the cafe, we heard a beautiful "Bonjour!" from the staff. Now this might sound cheesy but it felt so refreshing to hear that. I rarely ever hear the traditional greeting or "hello" of a country or cuisine of a restaurant that you visit in Dubai. Regardless of whether or not the staff is from that country, it was a nice touch.

As for the cafe, I loved the openness of food placed everywhere around the restaurant. Walking in, you have a dessert glass closet filled with chocolate goodies and near the purchasing area there is fresh beautiful smelling french bread, croissants, pastries, cakes... pretty much all food candy for your eyes to gaze at. Hence, I had a hard time choosing what to have since my mind escaped and took me to back to the boulangeries (bakeries) in Paris.

After many questions & recommendations from the staff (who are very much helpful and friendly), I opted for the carrot cake with a side of jasmine green tea.

Carrot Cake

The carrot cake was well spiced and had a good carrot flavor. As for the frosting, it wasn't too sweet which I liked. I personally enjoy a carrot cake that has nuts but that was yummy nonetheless. I wish there was more to the presentation though - I wasn't the biggest fan of the sugar carrot on top.

My friend ordered "La Tarte Chaude" which is basically any of the fruit tarts served warm with a scoop of ice cream (flavors included pistachio, strawberry, coffee, chocolate & vanilla to name a few). So one pear tart with coffee ice cream was put to the test!

Pear Tart with Coffee Ice Cream

I tried this one too and the pastry is quite delicious. there were a few pears which was a shame but the flavor was great. The coffee ice cream was good with a good hit of coffee flavor which I love. I like the stacked presentation too.

Total price breakdown below (for 2):
1 x "La Tarte Chaude" = 25
1 x Carrot Cake = 15
1 x Jasmine green tea = 17
1 x Sparkling water = 14
Total (AED) = 71

If I would like to have a quiet breakfast/lunch/tea/dessert/dinner, I would come back here. I really enjoyed the fact that it was not heavily packed since nowadays a lot of places are with the ever-growing Dubai (not complaining but just saying!) So this was a nice french escapade from all of that.

I've rated La Brioche Cafe 4 out of 5!

Have any of you tried La Brioche? What do you think?

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Dubai Food Festival brings Beach Canteen to life!

Beach Canteen at Kite Surf Beach

With the Dubai Food Festival, comes more food related events, activities and experiences. The beach canteen is a new concept that is currently running across the 3 open beaches on Jumeirah beach road and I got a chance to check out the Kite Surf Beach Canteen on day 1 of opening.

The concept itself stood out to me because a) I love being outside (especially since we have to appreciate it the most during the cooler months when living in Dubai), b) I love the beach, c) I love trying new experiences and d) sounded like a great setting to have an early evening walk to with my parents.

I must apologize from now as the 'blogger' in me was not prepared to take pictures and hence the quality is smart phone and somewhat shaky. #shameless

Any who, here's a couple of snaps of our experience there...

Several restaurants/cafes temporarily set up pop up versions of their services with a selected menu for the Beach Canteen. Some restaurants featured were Loca, Extreme Shawerma and Seaview restaurant.

Seaview had their daily locally caught fish on display for purchase as well as their offered dishes. Their prices were very affordable as the fish was very fresh!

I wonder who the man looking at the menu is... :)

Intrigued by the idea of a fish shawerma, we decided to grab one and try it out. The hammour fish was very tender and the sandwich was quite yummy. Served with a side of fries for AED10 while listening to the lounge music being played on speaker with the cool breeze and ocean serene sounds - we were quite blissful.

We decided to finish off the night with a couple of rounds of foosball (or baby foot) and let's just say... I did not win at all (thanks Dad). The added complimentary games of foosball, volleyball and ping pong make this place great for families with children and just plain old adults for a little fun!

You should definitely check out at least one of the 3 beach canteens available till March 9th - great place for family, friends, kids with beautiful weather and affordable prices!

Have you been to any of the beach canteens? Share your experiences in the comments!

"Sha3bi Shop" - Chili's Za3beel

This was the place that my entire idea of Sha3bi Shop began with. 

If you have grown up in Dubai or know anyone who has lived here for quite some time, then you would definitely know about Chili's Za3beel. I was introduced to this place years ago when I was in school and have since called this a little hidden spot only for true "Dubaians".

Prior to this year, it was actually just a small takeaway hut or "dukan" as it is termed in Arabic (meaning shop) in Za3beel area near world trade center. It had no name, no branding and I only learned the name of it from friends who were used to eating there from their childhood days. A small takeaway hut deserted by sand in Za3beel's residential area, it included one or 2 cooks working there. 

This year, it received a little makeover and is now branded as Oyoun Al Reem Cafeteria situated in a small plaza with a few other cafeterias. It looks similar to all other cafeterias in Dubai now. Still the same takeaway concept - or more like park and eat in the car because nobody waits to take these babies home. It's the best when it's hot. 

The original and best sandwiches that this place has to offer are simple and just so darn good. You choose your bread, either paratha (Indian bread) or regular "samoon" bread (toasted hot dog bun) and choose your filling of eggs or hot dog or mix - all come with a tomato-ish sauce . The special additions of kraft cheese spread on the bread/bun and crumbled Oman chips on top of your sandwich with hot sauce (not actually hot, just gives a kick in flavour) takes these sandwiches to a whole new level. Sounds so simple but trust me you're gonna have to try these. Yumm.

My personal favorites are hotdog with paratha:

 

 And eggs & hot dog mix on regular "samoon" bread" (added bonus - they toast this one!):

Have any of you guys tried Chili's Za3beel? What's your favorite sandwich?

Rated: Mom's Food Restaurant

Photo credit to Mom's Food Facebook Page

I've heard about Mom's Food Restaurant and drove by every time I left from JBR but haven't had the chance to try it until a couple of days ago. It's situated right next to Park Island Residence on the street behind JBR - The Walk.

We made a reservation for 6 outside as the weather is getting nice and cool in Dubai. Once we arrived, our table was ready and staff was very accommodating (I don't know if it's just my mom but whenever we go out, regardless if we have a reservation or restaurant is full, the mission or hunt I should say, for the best table begins: which view should we look at, what's the best noise level, will the staff see us from this table and the list goes on... Maybe this is where I get my critiquing/reviewing skills - hmm).

Ok. Back to the review!

The first thing I do usually is evaluate the overall concept of the restaurant and if it's really aiming for what it's communicating in terms of cuisine, ambiance, music, decor etc. Mom's Food message is home-style cooking with Mediterranean cuisine. However, the restaurant did look like pretty much any Lebanese restaurant - Nancy Ajram playing in the background, the sheeshas and the menu includes 90% Lebanese food with the occasional Seafood Paella, Greek Moussaka and Quattro Staggioni "Saj". That was a little bit confusing.

On to the food, we grabbed an array of Mezzas (or Arabic starters for anyone outside Dubai). We chose tabbouleh, fattoush, baba ghanouj, Mom's kubba, hindbeh and Mom's hommos. The starters were served with fresh baked bread which was nice and hot and assorted pickles & olives. I have this thing wherever I go that if hommos is served, I have to try it. I have to always try the hommos. I don't know why but I have to compare it and see if it's good. Once I saw that they served a "Mom's hommos", I thought I should definitely give it a try. 

The starters came pretty fast which left a good impression of the promptness of service for the rest of the meal. The baba ghanouj, kubba, hindbeh and Mom's hommos were very good. The hommos was topped with fried almonds and cumin (Although it did say parsley as well in the menu but I guess they were out of parsley?) The only thing I would add to it is one more drizzle of olive oil as it needed a little more smoothness to garnish but nonetheless, still munched it down. Also, make sure to order extra pomegranate syrup to top off your baba ghanouj - takes it to a whole different yum level.  Since I am quite a fan of tabbouleh, I've had a couple of them in my day and I have to say that their's is not the best and did lack some seasoning. Fattoush was also a little dry.

Mom's Hommos 

Tabbouleh and assorted pickles & olives

Left-right: Baba Ghanouj, Fattoush, Hindbeh

Mom's Kubba

When ordering the main courses, I was eyeing the Sea Food Moghrabeah which was explained to me as fresh shellfish and hamour with wheat dough mini balls - sounded interesting. However, after I was ready to order it, the waiter noted that they top it off with cheese. Then I got turned off. The idea of cheese melted on seafood doesn't sound quite right to me. Anyways, our waiter also pointed out that dishes served in pots are good for two so we decided to order one Chicken Bil Hommos Fatteh and one Chicken Barley Bake as these two come in pots as well as two Sheesh Tawook. I'm quite glad we were informed on the portion sizes as the mezzas were already leaving us almost full.

The main dishes came out pretty quickly like the starters which was positive. Our Chicken Fatteh was quite disappointing as it was drenched in oil and was too heavy to eat after 3 bites. Also, the chicken was very dry and rubbery. If you're planning to try the Fatteh, I suggest trying it with the meat. I can also recommend that this dish could be for 3-4 people especially after having starters prior to it. For the Chicken and Barley Bake, it was quite tasty and had a sweet kick to it as there was a strong cinnamon flavor to it. If you don't enjoy sweet with savory food and need sauce in your meal, then this isn't for you. The sheesh tawook were very good and fresh. The chicken was quite tender so it was a little frustrating why the chicken in the Fatteh was very hard. I would recommend for future to go for the Lebanese grills as I think that's more of their specialty.

Chicken Bil Hommos Fatteh

Chicken & Barley Bake

Grilled Shish Tawook

 After being very much stuffed, we decided to end the night with a fruit platter instead of desserts and a pot of Moroccan tea. I have to say that a lot of the time when I see fruits at restaurants, even high-end buffets, their fruit are always colorless and not ripe. This platter however was so vibrant and sweet - the mangoes literally melted in your mouth. Wash it down with a cup (or three) of Moroccan tea in the breezy weather and you're good to go.

Fruit Platter

Morrocan Tea Pot

Total price breakdown below (for 6):

1 x Tabbouleh = 20

1 x Baba Ghanouj = 20

1 x Mom's Hommos = 24

1 x Fattoush = 20

1 x Hindbeh = 20

1 x Mom's Kubba = 28

2 x Sheesh Tawook = 46 x 2 = 92

1 x Chicken Fatteh = 25

1 x Chicken and Barley Bake = 50

1 x Fruit Platter = 30

1 x Moroccan tea = 22

1 x Large Still Water = 10

Total (AED) = 361

All in all, the outdoor seating was nice, majority of food was good at decent prices and they have great service. I'd probably go back there again and try out some other dishes!

I've rated Mom's Food a 3.5 out of 5!

Have any of you tried Mom's Food? What would you rate it?