Month: November 2016

Fab Family Brunch at Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham JBR

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I have always said that brunching is a big part of Dubai weekends, it is after all a time for families to gather and unwind with good food. I also make most of the two days off to enjoy a meal that I did not cook. We were recently invited to the re-launch of Fab Family Brunch at Hawthorn Suits by Wyndham located at Jumeirah Beach Residence. Hawthorn Suits family brunch took place at the hotels Flavours Restaurant which has access to the hotel pool, kids play area and outdoor garden. The place has a cozy feel with all the natural light coming in and the easy access outdoor gives kids the option to sweat it off by running in the big lawn. The brunch spread was presented so beautifully and although not as lavish compared to others, food options were enough to satisfy once cravings. I personally fell gastronomically in love with the salad spread. This is probably the only brunch where my plate was filled with more salad than meat. They also offer a decent seafood bar with oysters, …

LEGOLand Dubai: Our opening day experience

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We were at the official opening day of LEGOLAND Dubai last October 31, 2016. The park is UAE’s first amusement place designed for families with children aged 2-12 years old. Before we reached LEGOLAND Dubai we had a lovely long walk along RIVERLAND but sadly not all of the establishments are open yet. First impression on ATTRACTIONS The park features 6 themed land – Miniland, LEGO City, Adventure, Kingdoms, Imagination and Factory. One obviously have a lot of ground to cover and a day might not be enough to fully enjoy the whole park. Miniland which is located at the center of the park and is sort of the gateway for the visitors to go through to visit other themed lands is beyond beautiful. It features mostly UAE’s landmarks like the buildings along Sheikh Zayed Road, Grand Mosque, Dubai Airport, Burj Khalifa with the fountain and my favorite Dubai Creek. The attention to detail is so impressive and they have added more by making some of features interactive. Go press a button and you will witness the Dubai Metro train speeding one stop …

ham croissant lunchbox mini yumbox

Bento Lunch Box Menu November 6-10

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I created a lunch box packing FB group, you can join via this link. The aim of #LetsMakeLunchFun community is to inspire and help families pack / prepare a healthier lunch. Sunday – November 6: Leftover roast chicken and fried rice for today. Monday – November 7: I was planning to pack spam musubi only to find out that I don’t have the main ingredient in my kitchen, so hotdog was use to fill rice wrap instead. Cut one musubi differently that was a perfect shape for eyes. Tuesday – November 8: We have homemade chicken fingers for todays lunch. To make one at home just marinate chicken breast on a yoghurt mix with salt, pepper, garlic powder and five spice. Roll on breadcrumbs the next day and pan fry or bake. Wednesday – November 9: Store bought butter croissant with ham and mixed berry smoothie. Thursday – November 10: Both kids packed homemade chicken nuggets.

McDonald’s Open Kitchen Tour

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Yesterday, McDonald’s opened its kitchen doors to us! We were given a special tour by Mr. Fayez Ismail, Operations Manager for McDonald’s UAE. The Open Door Program is open to the public and aims to educate and assure customers that McDonald’s is committed to serve quality products, prepared in the highest standards of safety and cleanliness. Children under 10 years old are not allowed inside the kitchen for safety purposes. My kids were only allowed inside  because they we were invited as media guests.  McDonald’s Bin Soughat Center branch was not busy during our visit. We were assisted by 3 staff during the tour to ensure that the kids are safe from any hot surface and sharp objects. We stepped in the kitchen with hairnets and proceeded to hand washing area. Kids were taught to sing “happy birthday” twice (total of 20 seconds) while washing hands. Mr. Fayez then showed us staff corner, walk-in freezers and different cooking stations. Watch the video below to see what happened during our tour. Kuya V listed some things he learned: All McDonald’s employees working in …

turkey sandwich bento lunchbox

Bento Lunchbox Menu November 1-3

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Here is what we packed for school lunch this week. Most of the lunches packed are straight forward and made cute with some food picks and separators. My kids now know that all the food decorations must come back home with them and if a friend asks they need to ask Mama first. Tuesday – November 1: My kids are crazy over dimsum’s – siomai in particular. I try my best to re-create wantons and siomai at home but both kids would also comment that it does not look or taste the same. Even though they would reassure me that the ones I prepare are better, I know that they would always prefer store/restaurant dimsum.   Wednesday – November 2: We have dinner leftovers for Vierte’s school lunch and Chloe asked for sandwich. How cute are these animal food separators! Adding them sure did make the lunch box happy. Thursday – November 3: One of the easiest pack lunch to date is making use of leftover food, which seems to be the theme this week. …