Good Food List - Dubai

Chapli Kabab at Afghan Khorasan (AL quoz and Deira I think)
Sheekh Kebab at Daily Restaurants (Karama and Qusais)
Steak Sizzlers at Yoko, Karama
Fish preparations at Fish Market, Regent Palace
Tandoori Rotis at Ravi Restaurant
Dal Makhni at Garden Resturant, Al Nahda 2
Java Chicken at Wok Inn Karama
Jalebi at Bikanerwala
Roast Beef at Lulu’s Take Away Counter
Panner Tikka at Kamat
Hyderabadi Biryani at Travancore, Karama
Beef Fry at Super Kids, Karama
Iddiyapam at Saravana Bhavan
Dosa at Kamats
Chicken at Nandos
Hummus at Karam Beirut, Mall of the Emirates
Fish and Chips at Food Court Deira City Center
Doughnuts at Krispy Kreme, Food Court. Deira City Center
Classic Burger at Chillis
Any burger at Burger King
Medu Vada at Venus Restaurant
Rolls from Kabab Roll, near EMPOST, OFF AL WASL ROAD(near old Belhasa)

....and more to come. Sphere: Related Content

Fish Market : Regent Palace Hotel Dubai

Perhaps the Time OUT Dubai food critics have not been given any invitations and therefore you don’t find the mention of this restaurant anywhere. A friend suggested the other day that this is one place we should visit since a promotion was on. You just needed to spend 110 AED for all you can eat.
We reached the hotel and found quite a few arrivals already occupying their respective tables. The hostess showed us ours and we were well set for the proceedings to start. You basically had to go this large counter where all varieties of fish are kept, just like in a fish market shop. Select the ones that you want and they would pick them and provide you recipe options. You select and walk back to your table and perhaps while enjoying your starter drink the food would start to arrive.
We had mussels, prawns, kalamari, crabs, hammour, salmon and also some rice and noodles to go along. It was an excellent experience and you must try it without falling into the timeoutdubai –only-five-star-food-good trap.
This hotel is opposite the Burjuman Center and the restaurant is on the first floor. Good Stuff!! Sphere: Related Content

Karam Beirut - Lebanese Food in Dubai

Karam Beirut

Week before last we were in the Mall of Emirates and somebody suggested that since we were getting late for dinner why not have some Lebanese food and then head for home. Karam Beirut was an option and as usual it was a long walk in the Mall to reach the place. Its absolutely at the corner overlooking the fabulous ski slope(Dubai has this indoor huge ski park with actual snow!!!)

Thankfully we had done our reservation (getting a table for nine may sometimes become difficult) and on arrival we were gently ushered to our tables. The usual Hommos/Hummus was of course on the cards, but then we ordered for some other exquisite stuff. The starter in the form of a laban drink( butter milk - sort of liquidised yogurt) was excellent with the specific gravity being just right. The flavoured rolled vine leaves were not bad and the group liked it. The sheesh kebabs with pista filling were exquisite. The hummus were smooth and nice and when accompanied with the fresh breads it was a high. The meat balls in a yogurt based gravy were good too. We did not have place for dessert but I recommend that you should visit this place. Some of the reviews in magazines have talked about insipid service but frankly I disagree with that view.

So next time you are in doubt, just zero onto Karam Beirut for a taste of Lebanon in Dubai!! Sphere: Related Content

Dubai Desert Safari - October 2008

PROJECT
Desert Safari – Dubai – 19th October 2008

What was the OBJECTIVE?
Take visiting friends from UK for a Desert Safari

What are the Official Features of a Desert Safari?
Dune Bashing
Go to the Sunset Point on the desert
Camel Ride
Dune Buggy Ride (Optional extra)
Dinner with Soft Drinks (Hard Drinks optional extra)
Belly Dance
Pick Up and Drop
Time: Pick up at about 3.30 pm and drop back by 10.00 pm

How do you select a Travel Agent?
Read up reviews on the web. Write and/or call your shortlisted travel agents. Select the best in terms of cost and service delivery. We selected North Tours. There are others that are more expensive without perhaps additional value. The Cost would vary from 120 AED to 300 AED depending upon something that I am yet to decipher. Maybe in a camp the food is better(I am conjecturing).

What matters most in the selection process ?
1. Does the agent response promptly to your queries?
2. Does the cost suit your budget?
3. Do they have goodwill in the market?

The Beginning:
The assigned escort would typically call you and fix the minute time arrangements and pick up point. We had asked him to come at 3.30 pm for a possible departure by 3.45 and he was on time. The vehicle would typically be a Toyota Land Cruiser. Since we were in Qusais we quickly got onto Emirates Road and then took the Hatta, Oman exit. I would reckon that after about 20-30 kms we came to a roadside inn cum touristy thingy shop. Here the escort would deflate the tyres to about 15 psi from the normal 29-32 psi so that we are ready for the desert. A tyre with lower pressure would have a better grip over the desert sands.

The Main Event:
We were now on our way to the desert where we left the highway and got into the real desert. This is a designated place fixed by the Government for the Desert Safari Tour Operators to “bash the Dunes”. We went deep inside the desert and then when we reached the dunes it was like a thrilling roller coaster ride. We went up and down the dunes and at all sorts of angles. The vehicle roared along and finally we reached sunset point. We de-boarded to go through the mandatory photography routines and also took a shot of the setting sun where each amateur was trying to outdo the other. It was also entertaining to watch the other vehicles traverse the terrain up and down and you realize that you would need special skills to drive around in a desert like that.

The feeling of your barefoot touching or submerging inside the soft silky sands were fantastic. It reminds you of touching nature closely that we in our daily mundane lives have forgotten to do. All done, we were on our way back to the camp where Arabic tea and dates were waiting for us.

The Camp:
Once we reached the camp, we were provided as promised the tea and some not so good dates. The tea was provided in small cups and when you finished off the used ones would be thrown into a bucket full of water. After a while the same cups would be recycled and I understood that washing here meant just submerging used cups in unchanged water for a mile. No Arabic tea for me next time for sure.

The camp is surrounded by a dense fence. Inside the enclosure there is a concrete stage surrounded by tables and cushions. There were drink and food counters along with a henna(a paste made of powder prepared from Henna leaves is used to typically decorate your hands) counter. You could try out sheesha (flavoured tobacco smoke passed through water – not necessarily absolving you from the toxins).

After a few rounds of drinks (remember that you have to pay for hard drinks), they would announce that food is ready. A selection of grilled lamb and chicken and some vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes were on the offer. You had some insipid dessert too in the form of some custard with apples.

The grilled lamb chops were good, but the rest of the food was some roadside common eatery and nothing to talk about.

The END:
That was that, and we were no entertained by a belly dancer, who we found was quite good in her art and looks too. She managed to pull in one or two from the crowd and we did enjoy her performance that was accompanied by some good Arabian Music.

Our small one in the group posed for a picture or two with the dancer and then it was time to say good bye. Same vehicle, same driver and off we went before stopping once again to inflate the tyres. We did tip the escort and the end of it all we were quite a pleased lot.

Views:
The driver Sharafuddin from North Tours was extremely polite, smiling and helpful. He was also an expert on the sands and that makes a lot of difference to your enjoyment. North Tours gave us competitive prices and for a full house Landcruiser (6 pax) we paid 1000 AED for the tour (all inclusive). There were others too but I felt more comfortable dealing with them The camp is shared by a few travel agents and I have suggested North Tours to take it up with the organizers on the quality of food and attitudes of the people who serve the food. Overall I was happy, and I would give an 8 on 10, the two marks being deducted for the gliches.

Sphere: Related Content

Lunch at Fujairah

The other weekend a cousin of mine called up from the high seas and I got to know that he has anchored his tanker at Fujairah. We thought that this was a good opportunity of perking up the otherwise dull Saturday and therefore off we went to Fujairah for a drive. It takes about 2 hours from our house and the road is smooth. The final portion of the journey is good especially when you are winding your way through the barren hills.
Finally we reached Fujairah City, a neat and clean place without the hustle and bustle of Dubai. We spotted him waiting for us in front of the Lulu Hypermarket and there were only two items in the agenda with him. Eat and Gossip!!
Without exploring too much we drove into Al Diar Siji Hotel which was bang in the middle of the town and we landed up having a very good gourmet experience. Vegetarians of course should avoid this place since nothing on the buffet would excite them.
The spread was fantastic in terms of international, Arabic and Indian dishes. The mezze was very good and so were the roasts. The Indian curries were reasonable and the desserts were adequate.
You should definitely make it a point to visit this place and don’t forget to come back and let me know!! Sphere: Related Content

Inconsequential Ramble

The weather has finally shown indications of the good times to come that hopefully will continue until February. I know I am going to start my walking and that should help shed some unwanted fatty acids. This is the time perhaps I could drive with my sun roof open, since I sometime wonder about the novelty of having it in the first place. I am also looking forward to some long drives and thinking of making a long distance trip in the December Eid holidays. Not sure of where to go, but perhaps Musandam is an option among the limited ones we have in the UAE. The other day somebody suggested that Khatta Springs could be a good idea. Well, we still have to cross November and that’s a wait that cannot be avoided. Sphere: Related Content

Dubai Top Twenty - Good and Bad

10 Good Things about Dubai

1. Driving around on Friday Mornings
2. The maintenance of grass in the various parks and roads in the city.
3. Traffic systems
4. Helpful Police
5. Lots of eateries
6. Religious tolerance and respect for other religions
7. Car prices
8. Movie Theatres
9. Malls and Supermarkets
10. Near Home (in my case its India)

10 Bad Things about Dubai
1. Traffic Jams
2. High Rent
3. Summer
4. Road Rage
5. Average quality of Indian Food
6. Thursday evening shopping at Lulu
7. Ban on Khus Khus (made from poppy seeds)
8. The sad faces of labourers
9. Public Transport including Cabs
10. No ethnic culture or no promotion of it Sphere: Related Content