All posts filed under: Reviews

Reviews of Restaurant, Events and Hotels

BiCE Friday Brunch Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Resort

BiCE Ristorante Friday Brunch, Hilton JBR

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A table brunch concept was something new to our family. Choose a dish you fancy from the menu which consists of 14 dishes – starters, pasta, mains and desserts. Marco Gigli, BiCE restaurant manager and Sudeera our server for the day suggested that we try everything from the menu. So we did. Among the starters our favorite was definitely the Burrata with Cherry Tomato and Pesto Sauce – all the elements worked really well and probably the best burrata we’ve ever had, both Prosciutto with cherry mozzarella, artichokes with rocket salad and Octopus carpaccio with lemon oil and crispy vegetable come in second place. All of the vegetables had that lovely fresh crunch and the sauce used for the salads which made use of different kinds of olive oils was delicious. When Sudeera noticed that we were almost done with our starters, he asked if we would like second helpings of starters and that he will notify the kitchen to prepare our pasta dishes. We were informed that it will take 15 minutes for the pasta dishes to arrive. A pause we …

Eataly End of Term Party

End of First Term Party

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Kuya V’s class spent the winter vacation preparing for their first term exams. The school has changed the examination format from 3 exams to just 2 major exams with assessments in between. Last year assessments and exams where scheduled before school break, this change is not something I (or my fellow parents) are happy about. Believe me when you are a parent, school homework and tests is so stressful. I have never prepared and studied this much during my time. Let’s not talk about how I did in school, my Mom did see me go up the stage and receive my diploma. The kids deserve (parents as well) a treat for the hard work and doing their best. We surprise them with an “End of First Term Exam Party” at Eataly. I joined the giveaway hosted by The Son and The Moon and won this party package.   The party was scheduled on the last day of their exam, we had 13 confirmed kids, a mix of Kuya V’s year 3 classmates and family friends. Excited 8 year …

Xiao Long Bao Din Tai Fung Dubai

Our first Xiao Long Bao experience

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We finally got a chance to dine at  Din Tai Fung, the latest restaurant franchise to open it’s doors here in Dubai at Mall of the Emirates. Two of Din Tai Fung’s franchise in Hong Kong was awarded a Michelin Star. The Taiwanese restaurant is known for it’s Xiao Long Bao (XLB), a dumpling with soup inside. Anthony Bourdain refers to them as “pillow of happiness.” We informed our server that it was our first time and she patiently explained how to eat the famous dumpling. She also prepared a ginger, soy and rice vinegar dip to complete our XLB experience. To eat the Xiao Long Bao: Make the soy ginger sauce. Our server warned us that the dumpling is piping hot, wait a few minutes before eating. Take your XLB and dip in your soy ginger sauce. Place your XLB in the spoon and poke a small hole to release the broth. Blow some steam off and enjoy. The original XiaoLongBao is made with pork but the restaurant doesn’t have a license so we settled …

Boulevard Kitchen Grilled Calamari

Lunch at Boulevard Kitchen, Manzil Downtown

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The whole stretch of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard offers various restaurants and has become a haven for food lovers. Our latest find came in a lunch invitation at Boulevard Kitchen of  Manzil Downtown. I gave our reservation details at the reception and they seem confused and surprised that we were there. A gracious lady asked where we want to be seated, the kids replied that they would love to sit outside, the courtyard area, she informed us that we can’t because it’s the smoking and shisha area. We settled at the corner table with a view of the open kitchen, the kids always enjoy watching the chef’s work. It was surprising that we were only handed a two pages lunch menu, refreshing as it gave an impression that the dishes were carefully chosen. They now have a 3 course menu selection with shisha for AED 119 per person from 12pm until 4pm. We started off with dishes from the Soup & Salad selection and chose Grilled Calamari Skewers and Smoked Salmon. Roasted peppers and tomato salsa with chili vinaigrette complimented well with the perfectly charred calamari. Even …

Toko Family garden brunch

Family Garden Brunch at Toko Dubai

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The weather is perfect to spend outdoors and I don’t feel like cooking on weekends. During this time we find ourselves going and eating out. Luckily, here in Dubai we are spoilt with so many brunch offers that the whole family can enjoy. We recently went to the Family Garden Brunch at Toko located at Vida Downtown. It was our first time to dine at Toko and we immediately fell in love with its Japanese themed garden. Adorned with colorful floating Japanese umbrellas, a relaxing water feature and tall trees, a secret garden in the middle of a concrete jungle. Toko’s brunch is divided in two, an outdoor barbecue/carving area which offers sweet chilli Angus ​b​eef skewers, rib eye steak and miso glazed black cod to name a few and inside the restaurant a beautiful spread of dim sums, desserts, raw salads, sushi and sashimi. If that’s still not enough to convince you, I hope the photo’s will. The brunch setup was not overwhelming which we really liked. It doesn’t mean though that you will leave hungry. If you love Japanese food the selection was …

Saray Sultan Jumeirah 3

Ottoman cuisine at Saray Sultan

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We were invited to dine at the newly opened Saray Sultan, the newest Turkish restaurant in Dubai that promises to serve authentic Ottoman cuisine in Dubai.   Saray Sultan has glass walls and open terrace that’s perfect for the lovely weather we have right now. The LittleOne’s chose to sit inside because they wanted to see how the chef’s prepare our food. Daddy C and I ordered our favorite appetizers – Baba Ghanoush and Hummus which was serve with a huge warm Turkish bread. The smell of freshly baked bread was divine, I had to remind the LittleOnes’ that they have to leave space for the main dish. For drinks we had Lemon Ginger Mint, Fresh Orange, Mango and Homemade Aryam. We were the only diners that Friday lunch time and had the opportunity to go inside the kitchen. How the chef’s work in the kitchen always fascinates Kuya V. Thank you Chef Zafer and Chef Lemuel for allowing us inside your kitchen. As much as we wanted to try something unfamiliar in the menu like the Belen Tawa Saute …

Best restaurants in the Middle East

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A lot of new restaurants has been opening around the UAE, it’s already hard to keep up on who now serve’s the best Asian or Middle Eastern cuisine. Today, I welcome a guest post from Nihad Huzayen who will share with us his take on the best restaurants in the Middle East. Nihad Huzayen is a passionate person who loves reading, writing, and of course… Food! His passion lies in sharing the love of food through leading people to restaurants that offer the best cuisines, service, and atmosphere. *** Home to 16 countries – Arabic speaking mostly – the Middle East is a region famous for its exquisite cuisines, which is inspired and dates back to the oldest cultures and civilization. Consisting of both small and large dishes; cuisines commonly use rice, wheat bread, cheese, various salads and dips, such as tabbouleh, hummus and mutabbal, pickles, and more substantial items, such as grilled meat, kibbeh, and sausage to their table. SUFRA – Jordan Dedicated to deliver a truly authentic Jordanian experience, Sufra perfectly reflects and celebrates the Jordanian taste …

International Children’s Day at Petit Bateau

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Earlier this month, I attended a media breakfast hosted by Petit Bateau held at La Serre Dubai. Have you been to this cozy place located at the heart Downtown Dubai? They have one of the most amazing Eggs Benedict I have ever tasted. It was a really nice morning spent with some of my favorite UAE Bloggers, we got a chance to see Petit Bateau’s AW15 Collection before they hit the stores. I was only able to snap photos that I know LittleMiss will love because she has been requesting for a new set of clothes. They have really nice choices for our boys as well, I will share some of our favorites when we visit the store. “The Petit Bateau AW15 collection this season shakes things up as French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac visits his colourful, whimsical style on iconic Petit Bateau pieces. This kind of poetic reinterpretations is an art-designer who is constantly renewing his style and passion for colour. Reimagining Petit Bateau’s wardrobe and its nautical themes has been a fun cruise. In his …