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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"Sha3bi Shop" - Al Mallah

Al Mallah is one of the first few places my family and I used to go to when we first moved here back in 2001. When Dubai wasn't what it is now - huge skyscrapers, all 'glammed up' and a bajillion different restaurants. Our weekends consisted of driving to Dhiyafa street and feasting up on Shawermas.

I still think such nights are the best nights.

That's why my "Sha3bi" pick today is Al Mallah. Now when we speak about Shawermas, I think it's important to lay out the details... don't you? 

FMTB'S BEST SHAWERMA - WHAT IT TAKES

- Chicken (crisped up on the outside for a charred flavor)

- Pickles 

- Tahina

- Garlic

- Either pita bread or "rigaag" bread (if pita, needs to be toasted from the shawerma oven as well)

- No stinginess on the fillings, please!

- Cheap price - it is a street food item - no fancy shmancy!

Simple, isn't it? No tomatoes, lettuce, salad, fries, no no no no no!

This place understands that and has what I think are the closest thing to true street shawermas. I still believe the best ones are in Amman but in Dubai, this is as close as I'm gonna get.

Al Mallah Dhiyafa branch is the one I go to and every time I do, it is always full. I love seeing the mix of cultures and families there all smiles and enjoying great food. Not one table doesn't order their shawermas - it's truly the best thing they have. And at 6dhs a piece, you just can't go wrong. I love the atmosphere of Sha3bi places since it is just so packed and loud (but not noisy)... watching the shawerma men carve away what seems to be around 6000 shawermas a minute! Incredible.

The next time you're craving a shawerma, go for Al Mallah if you haven't done so already.


Have you tried Al Mallah? What's your favorite shawerma joint? Comment below!

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!

Tips & Tricks: Dull dill dilemma?

Photo credit to Pinterest

I'm back with a tip I literally picked up today!

One of the things I least enjoy is when beautiful, green herbs and leaves turn yellow too fast before you get to use them.

My mom wanted to make my favorite Persian dill rice with lima bean dish (If you don't know what that is, click on my earlier post here: http://feedmytastebuds.blogspot.ae/2013/11/mina-simeena-mithl-3ajeena-persian-dill.html) but the dill we had was going yellow (not good since the green pigment in dill makes the rice turn green, hence green rice). So she decided to put the batch of dill in the freezer 2 days ago. Guess what? Today, she pulled it out of the freezer and it's beautifully, dark green again. I know, it's awesome! little victory dance anyone?

I haven't given this a try with any other herb but definitely worth giving a try to see if it works!

If you've tried this tip with any other herb, let me know below!

Home Sweet Home: Khala Mimi's Famous Turkey

Long time no see slash read slash virtually communicate? you know what I mean :)

I'm sorry it's been a while since I last posted. It's been a bit of a whirlwind of family in town and everyone being on holiday the past few weeks that I somehow neglected FMTB (although daily adventures on my Instagram continued to roar - woohoo! check that out).

I'd like to wish each and every one of you reading a happy new year! I think it's the most repeated saying but can you believe 2013 is already over? It's been a bit of a roller coaster but I would say for the good. I'm very happy and excited that I got to launch Feed My Taste Buds. I feel as though my love for food and passion for it is ever growing. I'm learning new things everyday. I'm constantly reading, watching and enjoying recipes, tasting new ingredients and so much more.

Ok. I think it's time to get on with the post. No?

With this time of year, the holidays, Christmas, and new year, it's all about being with your loved ones and indulging in beautiful, decadent, heavenly food. Let's be honest, when we think of this time of the year, turkey is definitely one of the things that come to mind.

Khala Mimi's Famous Turkey

My Aunt Mimi makes the BEST. TURKEY. OF. LIFE. Yup I said it. You haven't had turkey until you've tried hers. There's really nothing like it. I look forward to this every single year #turkeytrauma. 

It is beautifully crispy on the outside, yet moist on the inside. It is packed with herbs, garlic, nuts, raisins, fruits, mixed rice stuffing, lots and lots of sauce... It definitely isn't your average turkey with a side of cranberry sauce, I tell ya'.

One day, I'll create my own recipe and hope it stands close to my Aunt's! InshaAllah.

Any who, I don't want to make this post too long after a bit of a hiatus but I just wanted to say thanks for coming over and reading a bit about my foodie world and hope you stick around for more in 2014... :)

Please share what your favorite holiday meal was in the comments below!

Foodie Find: Laura in the Kitchen

I think there's never enough foodies to know about right? At least I don't think so. I always seem to find a new foodie that I start loving - whether it's an actual person in my life, an author, a chef, a blogger, a Youtuber, you know name it. 

A little while ago, I came across Laura Vitale from Laura in the Kitchen series (Youtube name: Laura in the kitchen) and pretty much just started to watch all her recipes. An original Italian living in New Jersey, Laura is a dedicated cook on her Youtube channel and showcases high-quality video recipes with a specialty in Italian cooking (My favourite). She also dabbles in baking, bread-making, and lots more.

I personally have tried out a couple of her pastas and sandwich recipes and they were delicious. Although I watch her through Youtube, I feel as though we have very similar taste in food and that's why I'm recommending her to all of you :)

Check her out on http://www.youtube.com/user/LauraVitalesKitchen

"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?