Archive for June, 2014

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Filipino Dining

June 28, 2014

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

lumpia rolls and beef caldereta

Having seen a picture of lumpia on a friends Facebook page, I developed a craving. We visited Salu Salo, one of our favorite Fujairah restaurants. We also had beef caldereta and bicol express. So yummy.

bowl of beef and coconut milk stew

And shrimp dumplings

plate of shrimp dumplings

Our other favorite Filipino restaurant recently was closed for remodeling and the sign said it would reopen under new management. We weren’t sure what the new restaurant would offer.

new restaurant sign

Happily, the menu is the same and apparently the chef is too. Very good.

plates of food

Steak, pinakbet, fresh lumpia, and orange chicken.

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Busy Weekend

June 17, 2014

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

Friday morning plans included an early (8:30 am) morning breakfast get together with friends at a new restaurant in Dubai. The plans did not include not being able to get out of our parking garage because a trench had been dug across the entrance/exit. Only one way in and out and we were not getting out. This resulted in a switch to taking a taxi.

plate of eggs, sausage patties, potatoes, and a biscuit

The food was good, but the customer service was very bad, so I’ll leave out the name of the restaurant. The company of friends was wonderful as always.

Having traveled by taxi and having doctor appointments at 4 pm, we had a whole day to kill. So we spent most of it at Dubai Mall.

dinosaur exhibit

We checked out the new dinosaur exhibit in the grand atrium. There was a contest to name it and the winner was “Dubai Dino.” Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it required a contest to come up with that. It has a ridiculously small head.

dinosaur exhibit

Then we traveled by the metro to Health Care City.

view out the train window

Dinner (or a really late lunch) at Circle Cafe followed.

plate of chicken, sweet potato fries

Then we had a bit of an adventure getting onto the Dubai-Fujairah bus. We missed one departure, but managed to catch the next one. It was a long day.

Saturday was a bit simpler since we could drive our own car. We met friends for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Aroos Damascus. We stuffed ourselves with marvelous food.

bowl of fresh vegetables

Aside from the fantastic fresh baked bread and delicious meats, my favorite thing is the complimentary bowl of fresh veggies.

The conversation turned to fish – salmon, tuna, etc., – so it didn’t seem out of place when our friend Rami said “What’s the best tuna?” After a brief pause, Daddybird and I simultaneously said “Chicken of the Sea.” This was met with laughter. Apparently, that was the answer Rami was looking for. He has asked it in many situations, but we were the first to answer correctly. He had been watching an “Apprentice” show where the task was to update the Chicken of the Sea ad campaign and he had never heard of it before. He found the idea of chicken of the sea funny. (http://youtu.be/NKnxQC79Cww)

Over the years we have collected (on purpose) ridiculous toys. Now that we have to move and are trying to reduce what we take with us as much as possible, we have solved this by giving the toys away at our farewell parties. It’s been fun, even for the recipients.

two boxed toys, lion and funny cock

Birds of a Feather

Interest Chicken and Lion

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Weekend in Muscat

June 9, 2014

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

stone fort on top of a hill

For the last six years, whenever we discussed vacation destinations Oman came up, but was always sidelined for other destinations. We are leaving the Middle East in less than two months, so we arranged to take a quick weekend trip before it is too late.

ornate gate

We had a bit of rough start when we missed our Thursday evening flight and had to opt for Friday morning instead. Once we got there, we took a walk through the souk (market). Since we were on a tight schedule, we took the Big Red Bus tour.

lamb in paper thin flat bread with fries

In the evening we had a mini food tour, beginning with shuwa sandwiches at Shuwa Express followed by a traditional meal at Bin Ateeq. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, they were out of shuwa, so we couldn’t compare.

On Saturday, we went to the Bayt Al Baranda museum. After finishing at the museum we opted to walk to the souk by way of the back alleys.

narrow paved alley

Before heading to the airport, we had a late lunch at Ubhar Restaurant. The food was quite lovely. My steak was delicious as was the frankincense ice cream.

The Omani people were very friendly and helpful. Even walking through and shopping in the souk was a pleasant experience.

Taxis are not metered, so one has to negotiate the price before getting in. One fellow didn’t think our offer was enough, but he accepted it anyway.

All in all, it was a pleasant experience which we should have done earlier and for more than just two days. To see all the pictures, click here.