Posts Tagged ‘food’

« Newer Entries
Older Entries »
h1

Thanksgiving

November 30, 2013

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

plate of turkey slices, brussel sprouts, carrots, sausages, potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce

It’s that time again and Thanksgiving is difficult to recreate when living abroad. First, you don’t normally get the day off from work. This year I did get the day off, but only because Dubai won the World Expo 2020 bid. The email telling me that I didn’t have to come to work was sent out 10:35 pm the night before, so no time to plan anything special.

Secondly, ingredients are challenging to find, although that seems to be improving. The number of restaurants offering turkey dinners seems to be improving also. This is what we opted for this year. I didn’t have high hopes, because our last restaurant Thanksgiving dinner was disappointing (in terms of food) at best.

This time the turkey was lovely – moist, tasty and plentiful. I ate almost everything and much like a real Thanksgiving dinner, I was stuffed to the point of pain. That didn’t stop me from having a bit of dessert.

cheese cake and chocolate sauce

We ordered one cheese cake with three spoons, so I didn’t eat all of this myself. It was nice, but not actual cheese cake. If you can pick it up with your fingers, it isn’t cheese cake. It’s gelatin dessert. Many restaurants here offer “cheese cake,” but what they actually serve is mousse or gelatin. Real cheese cakes are very rare.

It was a pleasant afternoon with good company, good food, and no dishes to wash.

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

h1

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.

Posted in food, Fujairah, restaurant | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

h1

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 »

h1

A Hobbit’s Breakfast

August 10, 2013

Posted by Kanga. Please do not reblog.

yellow food cart

First Breakfast came from Yolk Breakfast in the Woodstock neighborhood.

orange juice in a plastic cup

Fresh orange juice in an industrially compostable cup.

English muffin, egg, arugula, smoked pork

The Brother Badass sandwich – smoked pork, arugula, egg, on an English muffin.

light blue food cart

Second Breakfast came from Egg Carton on Foster Road.

bacon lettuce tomato sandwich

Bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cheese on an English muffin with pink lemonade.

food carts

Third Breakfast came from Fried Egg – I’m in Love on Hawthorne.

three sandwiches

Three sandwiches. Mine had egg, tomato, avocado, and cheese. Yummy!

Posted in food, USA | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

h1

Portland Pit-Stop

July 30, 2013

Posted by Kanga, please do not reblog.

After only three days in California, it was time to get back on a plane and fly again. This time the flight was less than two hours and as pleasant as a plane flight can be. Southwest Airlines knows how to load people onto a plane. They don’t have assigned seating, but as you check in, you are assigned a “pole position.” At the gate they have clear signage to show everyone just where to line up and when boarding begins, everyone goes in an orderly fashion. Once in the plane, you can choose where you want to sit. It is fast and efficient.

Everything else went efficiently, too. We were a bit concerned, because despite repeated tries (both in the UAE and the US) to contact our bank to notify them that we are traveling, we have not succeeded. Our bank is paranoid and will probably block our cards once they begin to receive charges from outside the country. Don’t get me started on UAE banking, because I could rant for days, a real fillibuster.

The evening was spent at one of our favorite, locally owned, Portland pubs – McMenamins 205. Great beer, great food, great (and entertaining) service, and great friends. Much of the conversation was spent talking about the TV show Portlandia and how true it is with specific examples from real life.

We will continue to document Proof of Portlandia throughout our trip – click here.

Next, we have a three hour drive to Prineville, Oregon where my family lives. Stay tuned.

Posted in travel adventures, USA | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

h1

Iftar with Friends

July 14, 2013

Posted by Kanga.

It is that time of year again – Ramadan. So, we ventured into Dubai for an iftar meal with some wonderful people.

ten people at a dinner table

BBQ Delights put on a lovely buffet selection.

plate of tomatoes, cucumbers, beets, green salads

I started with salads – beet salad, cucumber, salads, and tomatoes.

plate of chicken, shrimps, and bread

Then meats – two kinds of chicken grills, shrimps, and naan (flat bread). I’m cheating a little on the diet. The shrimps are lightly breaded and the bread is bread.

cup of tea

The finalé – tea.

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

h1

We are on TV, Sort of

July 12, 2013

Posted by Kanga.

If you haven’t already, watch this:

Did you see us?

screen shot of DaddyBird's tweet - Woo hoo RT @kangayayaroo @PeetaPlanet set to record so @DaddyBird won't miss it due to his kitchen duties

And at Special Ostadi?

three people in snapshot pinned to the wall

The Peeta Planet television show is one of the best things produced in the UAE. To watch all the episodes plus extras, go to their YouTube channel – click here. Considering all the sensationalized stuff that passes for television, it is really nice to watch something smart and informative. The episodes always include art, music, food, and culture. THIS is television worth watching.

Posted in Dubai, restaurant | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

Ukraine: Day Six

July 5, 2013

Posted by Kanga.

The walking we did on Day Five very nearly did me in, therefore, Day Six became rest up day. We did nearly nothing other than eat and sleep.

bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs

The advantage of renting a studio apartment, having a vague itinerary, and travelling with my chef is the freshly made hot breakfasts.

ironwork sculpture - bearded man with watering can

We did venture out in the evening to meet our friend for dinner. Walking from the metro train station to the restaurant, we passed this apartment building that has a blacksmith shop in the ground floor. I suspect that they never lack for heat in this building.

ironwork sculpture - knight's helmet mounted on the side of the building

Back to the neighborhood restaurant from Day Three, we had a lovely dinner with our friend Rupert.

light brown bread slices in a basket

Having ordered “white bread” this is what came. Rather healthy looking white bread.

salad of cucumber, tomato, onion, feta cheese, and olives.

This is my Greek salad.

pork meat, grilled squash, and tomato sauce

DaddyBird’s pork entree.

two pieces of beef steak with wine sauce

My steak with wine sauce. (There were a couple of other pictures I was going to add, but I cannot seem to get them to load successfully.)

We had a pleasant, relaxing evening followed by a train ride and walk back to our apartment. However, upon arriving we discovered that the electricity was out in our building. It was just our building. DaddyBird had planned for such emergencies, so he had flashlights. The real problem was sleeping, since DaddyBird has sleep apnea and needs a CPAP device which requires electricity. It was a hot and restless night. We can say that we’ve had the complete Ukrainian experience.

Posted in food, travel adventures, Ukraine | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

h1

Ukraine: Day Five

July 3, 2013

Posted by Kanga.

The day began with a walk down to the neighborhood market.

rows of metal sheds housing goods for sale

The market area is quite large including many rows of metal sheds where people are selling EVERYTHING – shoes, clothes, purses, hair brushes, laundry detergent, etc.
At the center, is a building full of meat, fruit and vegetables.

fruit and vegetable market

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.

golden church domes

For all the pictures and comments, click here.

Posted in food, historical site, Ukraine | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

Ukraine: Day Two

June 30, 2013

Posted by Kanga.

brown toilet paper rolled tightly with no cardboard center

One guess what this is. It’s not very attractive or promising, but it is serviceable.

shoes placed on the heated towel rack

After the rain storm, my shoes were quite soaked. Luckily, we happened to have a water heated towel rack that dried them effectively.

We spent most of the day light hours blogging and sleeping and more sleeping. In the evening, we headed out for a walk to the downtown area (approximately 2 miles). It was just a leisurely stroll, looking at the sights …

ornate church spires

looking in store windows …

porcelain figures, a horse drawn carriage

and counting the many sushi bar signs.

orange sign for the Manga sushi bar restaurant

We stopped in here for dinner – Puzata Hata.

red sign over a restaurant door

It turned out to be a cafeteria style restaurant where one gets a tray and goes down the line pointing to food desired.

two trays full of plates and bowls of food

Here is what we ended up with. Chicken, potatoes, salad, dumplings, and borsch. This spread cost us 124.55 Hryvnia ($15.27 US or 56 AED). When selecting the bottled water, I had compared the blue label and the green label to try to decipher what the difference was. I could not, so just went with the green label. Upon opening it and having it explode, I deduced that green label means sparkling water. Blue label, therefore, is probably still water. Live and learn.

yellow building with a red roof, yellow bus, city street

We continued our walk downtown with my mood much improved with my hunger finally sated. The architecture is lovely and varied. It is refreshing to see an old, well established city with a clear identity.

mechanical candy making machine in the store window

We stopped into another Roshen candy shop. This one had a lovely candy making machine in the window to amaze children, young and old.

beautiful building with fountain, lit after dark

The sun went down and the lights came up. We stopped here for a while to sit on a park bench, rest my feet, and watch people go by.

The downtown area was full of people enjoying a pleasant summer’s evening. Due to the weekend the streets were closed to automobile traffic and pedestrians were free to wander where they would. Buskers and street performers were out and about.

In fact, here’s a little taste.

In the end, we took the metro train back to our neighborhood and called it a night.

For all the pictures, click here.

Posted in food, restaurant, travel adventures, Ukraine, video | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

« Newer Entries
Older Entries »