All posts filed under: Reviews

Reviews of Restaurant, Events and Hotels

dubai garden glow

Dubai Garden Glow: Fun Family Attraction

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Dubai once again opened one of the worlds largest themed gardens, the Dubai Garden Glow, now on its second season. Located at Zabeel Park the garden offers two attractions for the whole family to enjoy  – Dinosaur Park and Garden Glow. Tickets cost 60 AED per person, guests under 3 years old can enjoy park for free.  Price seem to be expensive but considering you get to see two attractions I do think its worth a visit. Access to park is via Gate 6 and 7 of Zabeel Park. I suggest you visit the park at 4pm to give you ample time to enjoy day light at the Dinosaur Park, have dinner then proceed to Glow Garden by sundown. Dinosaur Park The park features 100 life-sized dinosaurs and a few of them “interacts” with visitors by means of sounds and movements. All these things make it more realistic to a child (adult too), I imagined this would be quite scary for a toddler at night. Dinosaur lovers will have fun walking through each period and reading all the information …

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 …

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 …

Spreading Healthy Lunchbox Fun with Al Islami

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We had a fun filled and exciting weekend at the Al Islami Kids Club mall invasion held at Arabian Center last Friday. The event I was most excited about that day was the Lunchbox Competition. We had more than ten participants who prepared healthy and creative lunchboxes. A lot of the participants had a clear game plan on how to present Al Islami protein products the star of their lunchboxes. It seems like the parents were more tensed during the competition (I would be too), I could hear them giving instruction to their kids and making sure that they don’t forget important components like fruits and vegetables. I joined Alisha Haque of SCAFA and teen Chef Bella on stage as one of the judge for the competition.   Before the competition, I was in the meet and greet booth talking about the three bento lunch boxes I prepared showcasing six Al Islami Food products. Inside our first lunchbox we have a grilled Al Islami Chicken Sheesh Kebab on top of a whole wheat, Al Islami Cheese Samosa, lettuce, grapes and kiwi. Our second lunchbox is similar …

3doodler start 3d pen review

Getting Creative with 3Doodler Pen

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We first saw and got a to try a 3D pen during the innovation week held at one of the malls here in Dubai. Vierte spent most of his time trying out the pen but he needed an adult supervision since the device tip is hot and not safe for kids. Last week, I received an email from the representatives of Precise Group to try out a child friendly 3D printing pen, the 3Doodler Start. Precise Group are the sole distributors in the Middle East. Out of more than 30 things he listed for Christmas, one wish was to own a 3D pen.  I knew that he would be delighted to be amongst the first kid in Dubai to get his hands on this amazing tool. Why we like the 3Doodler Start No Hot Parts. Pen makes use of a special eco-plastic stick which melts at a lower temperature. The pen itself does not get hot and a kid can touch the melted plastic as it is not hot. The 3Doodler pen is lightweight and easy for the small hands to grip. Easy …

al islami chicken bento lunchbox

Inspiring Happier and Healthier Kids with Al Islami Kids Club

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I am so happy and honored to be part of Al Islami Kid’s Club campaign to inspire kids and their families to make healthier food choices. Who would have thought that from the first project I worked with them which was to showcase simple and fun bento box, it has now become a social awareness. Al Islami’s very own teen Chef Bella has been busy visiting schools in the UAE to inspire kids to live a happy, healthy and active lifestyle. As of the moment they have reached out to more than 3000 students across the United Arab Emirates. Al Islami Kid’s Club will be officially launched on October 28 at Arabian Centre. Kids participating in the competition will have a chance to win 10,000 AED, an iPad and be featured in the next campaign. It will be a whole day of fun and learning on how to make healthier choices. Entrance is free and you will get a chance to participate in a kids cooking class hosted by SCAFA, arts and crafts activities, a photo and selfie booth and a talk to Chef Bella …

sufra brunch hyatt regency dubai

Family Friday Brunch at Sufra (Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights)

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I was hinting the night before that I want to go to a Friday brunch, found myself searching for Entertainer deals and was happy to see that Sufra of Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights was on the list. The first time we had brunch at Sufra was during the media lunch of their Family Friday Brunch. It was our first time in the hotel then and I fell in love with the relaxing ambience as you enter the lobby and all that natural light was just so beautiful. My husband and I agreed that we should go back and try out their brunch without strings attached. Sufra’s Friday Brunch serve different cuisines from the Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Indian and Western specialties, wide range of seafood options and specials from the in house La Tablita Mexican restaurant. One of the memorable dishes during our first visit was served by La Tablita – I can’t get enough of their empenadas even the kids enjoy them. The tamarind drink was also soo good. We are planning to dine at the Mexican restaurant soon. They also have something to cater seafood lovers – oysters, …