Archive for the ‘restaurant’ Category

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Al Tarboosh

March 14, 2014

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

I have fallen way behind on posting. My apologies. I was spending my every waking moment working on a consultancy project, which is done now. Even though I had my nose to the grind stone, there were a few food moments in the last month.

About three years ago when we were preparing to move to Fujairah, we had breakfast at Al Tarboosh restaurant on one of our apartment hunting weekends. It was an interesting experience (click here), so it took us a while to go back for another try.

artificial rock-face waterfall inside the restaurant

It was good to see that they still have their indoor waterfall feature, although they have removed the bridge and added more tables. It is kitschy, but they have kept it in good condition.

bowl of lentil soup

We weren’t sure what the complimentary items might be, so we kept our ordering to the minimum. First complimentary was lentil soup.

basket of fresh pocket bread

The bread was lovely. I resisted because I need to stick the diet better than I have been. DaddyBird indulged and deemed it good, but not amazing.

green salad, hummous, mutabel

Additional complimentaries included green salad, hummus, and moutabel.

plate wrapped in aluminum foil containing mixed grilled meats

Then came the mixed grill – arayes (grilled flat bread with a finely ground meat filling), chicken & lamb tikka, chicken & lamb kabab, and lamb chop. Notice the fancy aluminum foil presentation.

desert bowl with fresh bananas, orange, apple, pomegranate seeds

To top it off, I ordered the fruit cup. Yummy. All freshly cut fruit except for the light drizzle of strawberry sauce.

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Biker’s Cafe

January 13, 2014

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

Biker's Cafe restaurant sign

Recently, the Biker’s Cafe opened a branch in the Fujairah International Marine Club compound. They serve breakfast until 3 pm, so we dropped in Saturday “morning.” (It was nearer to 1 pm, but it’s all relative on Saturdays).

In America, the word “biker” has a very definite and complex connotation. Something like this:

Biker

By Visitor7 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

So we laugh a little bit when we hear “biker’s cafe,” because none of the patrons look like this, except maybe DaddyBird. The Vespa on display outside the door of the cafe implies that Mods are welcome, too.

black vespa on display

I ordered English breakfast. The eggs were bland, as were the beans. It was nothing to get too excited about.

scrambled eggs, potato patties, link sausage, fried tomato, beans, toast, beef bacon

DaddyBird ordered the “omelette” which turned out to be layers (in a clay pot) of bread, fried eggs, beef pepperoni, tomatoes, bell peppers, and cheese. Nothing like the expectations the word “omelette” inspires. “Style above substance,” he says.

clay pot containing layered bread, fried eggs, tomatoes, bell peppers, pepperoni, cheese

We’ll probably go back and try something else on the menu. Maybe that crab and avocado item I noticed after I had already ordered.

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Special Ostadi

December 30, 2013

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

diners and dinner

The food at the family owned Special Ostadi (Al Mankhool Road, Bur Dubai) is always fantastic, but what makes this restaurant stand out is the personal touch. Before we even reached the restaurant, Majed, one of the three sons/waiters, greeted DaddyBird with open arms and a big hug. He had seen us coming down the sidewalk.

plates of dates, hummous, carrots, cucumbers, onions

We took a table for 8, but by the time all was said and done there were 14 in our party. By 8:30 (local dinner time) every seat in the place was occupied. The three sons serve as waiters and keep very vigilant eyes on the crowded restaurant making sure everyone’s needs are met, while still finding time to tease, crack jokes, and pose for pictures.

grilled chicken and beef with flat bread

Highly recommended, this restaurant is within walking distance of the Dubai Museum and the Al Fahidi Metro station. Don’t miss it.

Posted in Dubai, food, restaurant | Tagged , | 2 Comments »

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Al Meshwar

December 19, 2013

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

Al Meshwar was the first Fujairah restaurant where we dined back in 2009. We’ve been back a few times, in part because it is one of the few places open during “siesta” time. We dropped in again yesterday afternoon.

a glass of watermelon juice and a glass of lemon and mint drink

Fresh lemon mint and watermelon juices resulted in unintended Christmas colors.

rocket salad, mutabel, bread, and olives

Our usual salads and appetizers – rocket salad (jarjir), mutabel (eggplant), freshly baked bread, and olives.

chicken livers

One of my recently acquired favorites is chicken livers. They are served in a pomegranate sauce. Yummy.

lamb chops and french fries

The lamb chops were spectacular. The food has always been good here, but it seemed a step up this time.

Al Meshwar is easy to find. It is in the heart of town, across from the World Trade Centre. It was described in a travel book as “Flintstones meets the Crusade Castle” which pretty much sums it up.

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Kickers Ice Cream

December 16, 2013

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

business sign for Kickers Ice Cream

On an impulsive lark, we stopped by Kickers Ice Cream for dessert. We walked in even though these businesses are used to customers driving up and honking. We didn’t know the menu, so we went in to find out what was available. The huge ice cream machine is so loud that I fully understand why they don’t have inside seating.

plastic glass of white and pink soft serve ice cream layered with pomegranate seeds

This is what I got – pomegranate ice cream. Based on the cartons of full cream milk that were on display, I expected it to be much heavier. It was very light like ice milk instead of ice cream. Still doesn’t beat Finjan’s tea in clay pot as a dessert.

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Totally Fabulous Fujairah Food Tour

November 3, 2013

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

peanuts, onions, chili

Peanut Sandeko

The tour began at Nepal Kitchen House. Peanut sandeko, chicken momos, mutton momos, thukpa (noodle soup), chicken chili, chicken tass (chicken and puffed rice), and aloo jeera fry (potato, cumin seeds, cilantro) graced our table.

crescent shaped dumplings

Mutton Kothe Momos

Then we took a brief break from eating to drive up to Al Hayl Castle.

twisted tree

This is the historical home of the Fujairah royal family.

inner courtyard

Al Hayl Castle inner courtyard

We stopped briefly to check out a petroglyph. There are many in the hills, although rock quarries and development are taking their toll on these historical treasures.

image of a man carved into rock

Petroglyph

After a quick tea break, we were off to our next meal at Salu Salo, a Filipino restaurant tucked away in an alley.

four plates of food

Salu Salo Filipino Restaurant

Bicol express, Bopis, Lumpia, Pinakbet, and Kare Kare were our choices. Bicol express is a stew in a coconut milk sauce. Bopis is heart and lung sauteed in tomato, chili, and onion. Lumpia is meat filled fried rolls, Pinakbet is a shrimp and vegetable dish, and Kare Kare is an oxtail stew in peanut sauce.

milk tea in a unglazed clay cup

Another tea break on the beach with tea in a clay pot – the best tea I have ever had – then, we were off to Zamarod Al Afghani Rice Bukhari Restaurant.

mixed grilled meat, flat bread

After a mixed grill, flat bread, and hummus meal, we were done in. With a cup of mint tea, our eight hour eating experience came to an end.

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Pinoy Lomi House

November 2, 2013

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

restaurant sign

We tried out another Filipino restaurant last night. We noticed it while driving down an unpaved alley on our way to the grocery store. In preparation for the “Totally Fabulous Fujairah Food Tour,” we thought we better check this one out. When we arrived the restaurant was about half full of Filipino patrons, which is a very good sign.

salad with fish, cucumbers, onions, lemon, turnip, and vinegar

This is kilawin, a salad made with fish, turnips, cucumbers, onions, chili peppers, red bell pepper, and lemon. The fish starts raw and is cooked by the vinegar marinade. Very delicious (as long as I avoided the little pieces of chili pepper).

two plates, one with a beef dish and the other with a shrimp dish

The dish on the left is caldereta, a beef dish. The dish on the right (name unknown) is made with bitter gourd and shrimp. These were DaddyBird’s choices and he didn’t want to share the caldereta with me, so we will need a double order next time. Very delicious. I’m not as crazy about the bitter gourd, though. It has earned it’s name.

beef and cabbage soup

This is bulalo. It is a very savory but simple beef soup. Next time I have a cold or flu, I will be requesting bulalo from this restaurant and seafood soup from The Oriental. That will make everything better.

two bottled drinks

For drinks, we chose orange flavored basil seed drink and coconut juice. The basil seed drinks, which come in multiple flavors, are interesting because the seeds are a bit gelatinous. The coconut juice is the most refreshing. The dish in the front is our dessert choice, a coconut and ube gelatin which also had corn in it. Ube is a purple yam that is used in many desserts and pastries.

Normally, all this would come with rice, but due to our semi-paleo diet, we are not eating rice. This will be a great restaurant for us because we can get dishes that fit our diet and fill us up.

We give this restaurant a A+. This meal cost us a whopping 65 AED ($17.00 USD). Great value and great taste.

Posted in Dubai, food, Fujairah, restaurant | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments »

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A Business Proposition

October 25, 2013

Posted by Kanga.

plates of Filipino food

Many is the time that we go to a restaurant and have a good meal while having to bear the assault on our ears of blaring, annoying music. It is usually so loud that we cannot carry on a conversation or order our food without yelling. This results in a lot of pointing to the menu to make sure we get what we want. It also makes the dining experience miserable.

We have started asking wait staff to turn down the music. They sometimes do, although not low enough, but at least we can talk at a medium level instead of yelling. At our last (and I mean last) Texas Roadhouse experience, when we asked the wait staff to turn down the music, he told us that “Our sponsor wants it that way.” Well, then I guess “your sponsor” doesn’t want our patronage.

So, here’s my business idea — restaurants for introverts. An introvert restaurant would provide a quiet, nonintrusive dining experience.

  • Any “mood music” would be barely audible. Total lack of music would be even better.
  • Waitstaff would not constantly be interrupting the diners conversation to ask if they can clear an empty plate from the table and snatching barely used napkins. Unless the table is overcrowded with plates, the clean up would be left until after the diners have gone. The waitstaff would bring the bill to the table automatically after the diners have expressed that they do not want dessert or any further items.
  • The lighting would be pleasant – not so blaring that you have to squint and not so dark that you can’t see your food or dining companions.
  • Any loud, obnoxious customers would be ushered out. The owner or manager would not sit at one of the tables with laptop and phone, talking loudly while presumably doing business. Waitstaff would not sing or dance. The only music performance that should be allowed on this planet is the accordion player at the Rheinlander Restaurant in Portland, Oregon.
  • No televisions allowed.

I’m sure as soon as I publish this I will think of some other vitally important feature of the Introvert Restaurant, but for now this will do.

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Watatsumi

October 22, 2013

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

We were invited to the grand opening of the Watatsumi restaurant in Le Meridien Mina Seyahi hotel. As you know, when someone says “sushi” I’m there.

serving station with a large fish on it

We began by meeting our future dinner.

closeup of a tuna fish on a cutting table

This may seem like a big fish, but as tuna go, this is a little one.

Miyoko Shida Rigolo doing a balance performance

Miyoko Shida performed the feather balancing act, which is amazing. She begins with a white feather. Then adds sticks creating a perfectly balanced structure.

Miyoko Shida Rigolo doing a balance performance

She keeps the structure moving slowly around in a circle.

Miyoko Shida Rigolo doing a balance performance

She can’t bend over, so she picks up each stick with her foot.

Miyoko Shida Rigolo doing a balance performance

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Miyoko Shida Rigolo doing a balance performance

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Miyoko Shida Rigolo doing a balance performance

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Miyoko Shida Rigolo doing a balance performance

She balances it on her head.

Miyoko Shida Rigolo doing a balance performance

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Miyoko Shida Rigolo doing a balance performance

Then she tips up that last stick and uses it as a pedestal.

Miyoko Shida Rigolo doing a balance performance

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Miyoko Shida Rigolo doing a balance performance

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Then she takes off the feather and it all comes tumbling down.

sticks in a jumble on the floor

The aftermath. My camera battery wouldn’t allow for a full length video, but if you want to see her in action, click here.

mushroom appetizer

Then, we had some delicious food. Mushroom appetizer.

beef and potato appetizer

Beef and potato salad.

seared tuna and kelp salad

Seared tuna and kelp salad.

tuna and salmon sashimi

Tuna and salmon sashimi (a bit of our friend the big fish)

lemon custard, whip cream, hazelnut crunchy bits

Ending with a tasty dessert – lemon custard and hazelnut crumbs. Maybe it’s been too long since I’ve had a lemon meringue pie, but this was a big hit with me. Yummy!

Everything was tasty. We will be going back to Watatsumi for a proper meal and proper review.

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Sushi!

September 28, 2013

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

six lane freeway with few cars

It is one of those weekends when we have reason to drive into Dubai on both days. Ya gotta love Friday morning traffic.

approaching Dubai Mall and Sheikh Zayed Road

Here’s your obligatory iconic picture:

view of the tallest building in the world from the street below

We had doctor appointments in the afternoon, but first we went to the Sumo Sushi restaurant at Jumeirah Town Centre at the invitation of the owner to help taste test some new dishes.

sushi roll of brown rice topped with salmon

They were all delicious. The above is made with brown rice, green onions, salmon and black roe. Yummy!

sushi roll of salmon and cucumber

This one is cucumber and salmon and very beautiful, but a little tricky to get into your mouth before it falls apart. Still yummy.

shrimp roll topped with fried carrot

This one has shrimp inside. It was delicious, but what I really liked was the crispy fried shredded carrot. One of the major things I like about sushi is the combination of different textures. The carrots are all about texture. In the background are squid rolls which were very interesting on the texture and taste scale.

shrimp, cucumber, rolled in rice wrapper

This one is pattered after Thai fresh spring rolls. Delicious. I think I ate most of them.

tuna, avocado, fried carrots

This is my A#1 favorite. Tuna, avocado, and fried carrots. The only way to make this better is to use salmon (my personal favorite fish). I would definitely order this every time. (A bonus – it is paleo in that there is no rice.)

nigiri style seared salmon

Seared salmon nigiri was a big hit with everyone. It was delicious, but probably 3rd on my list.

rice, salmon, tuna layered and cut in triangle shapes

A new style sushi sandwich with slices of tuna, salmon with avocado and roe. This was a hit, too.

Unfortunately, only a few will make it to the menu. I’m crossing my fingers for the brown rice/salmon maki, the tuna/avocado salad, and fried shredded carrots on EVERYTHING.

Posted in Burj Dubai, Dubai, food, restaurant | Tagged | 1 Comment »

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