Ripe - Organic Farmer's Market!

I went to my first farmer's market visit in Dubai - so exciting! I've been to a couple in Europe during travelling but haven't had a chance to check the ones that are in Dubai. Ripe is an organic farmer's market at Dubai garden center which carries fresh and local produce.

Here's my picture diary to take you along...

Walking in to hear beautiful music by the saxophone player made the mood very much chilled and also fun!

Is there anything honestly better than the smell of freshly baked bread? You definitely know I sampled that rye bread. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm! I always find that bread with a lot more bite and crust has so much more character.

Organic and locally made beef & chicken sausages. 

They also carried a certain type of Australian dried meat called "Biltong" (shown in picture of the drying process). The texture is like beef jerky but the taste is almost like a bresaola that's been dried for much longer. If that makes sense :)

Fresh fish caught from the morning!

Seasonal vegetables and fruits. The beetroot on the right was so colorful and clean that my Dad actually uttered out the word "Beefroot" instead of beetroot when trying to call my attention to it! Haha.

Mini bananas (always just so cute) and assorted fruits and nibbles.

Vibrant green greens!

My Dad and I were so inspired after seeing these that we headed back inside the garden center afterwards and picked up Oregano and Basil seeds. So excited to start growing them!

Local fresh herb pot plants - that fresh mint smell was so enticing!

 

And a little something sweet to finish off your shopping. Selection included marble cake, crumble cake and brownies!

If you haven't checked out the Ripe farmer's market or any in Dubai for that matter, definitely give it a try. Even if you're not a foodie or into local/organic produce, it's a different experience and there's also a restaurant inside overlooking the garden center. After browsing on the Ripe's website, I am definitely eyeing that zucchini and cheese tart recipe! 

I will be checking out what other farmer's markets Dubai has to offer soon so stay tuned!

Love,

Mina

"Sha3bi" Shop: Bu Qtair

"Sha3bi" Shop - my features on Dubai's sha3bi restaurants/shops (the restaurants which are on the less glitzy side of Dubai). Sha3bi is an Arabic word that means popular and is used when talking about smaller, street type of eateries.

I have to say that a lot of the time sha3bi food here can be much tastier than a lot of the more pricier places. There's something very different about the full experience when you're at a simple shack that you really look forward to after being out on the town going to the typical restaurant. 

When it comes to these types of places, it really helps if you have friends or know people that know their way around Dubai so they can direct you to these hidden yummy spots - or once you stay tuned, I will fill you in on! :)

Last night I had my first experience at the much raved about Bu Qtair in Jumeirah, right next to Burj al Arab hotel. I was told that this place has great fresh fish that is caught every morning and is served through out the day and night.  

Photo credit to TimeoutDubai

The restaurant is basically a small hut where they cook the food and plastic chairs for families and friends to sit on. 

The cool concept of ordering food is you stand in line and place your order in the restaurant and then sit on the stools in the waiting area. Once your food is ready, you are then given a table which was kind of interesting!

Their menu has fresh prawns, hammour and sherry fish - all marinated indian spices and fried. They also serve a curry sauce, onions & lemon and parathas to order.

Marinated fried prawns

Sherry fish and toppings

Sherry fish and toppings

Hammour fish

To put it simply, 1 kilo of prawns + 2 sherry fish + 1 hammour = 7 very very happy eaters. 

The spices were extremely tasty and made the fish super crispy. The fish, specifically the hammour was so tender it melted in your mouth. That was my favorite! All in all, with the weather in Dubai getting cooler at night, this place is something definitely to try with family and friends at this time! Also, the surroundings of the beach and boats while you're eating seafood kind of tops it off!

What do you guys think? Have any of you tried Bu Qtair?

Note: this isn't the healthiest of food so it's definitely for once in a while and be ready to get your hands messy because that's the only way to do it! 

Love,

Mina