Category Archive: Food

Is This the Best Hotel in Dubai to Explore the City? My Stay at Rose Rayhaan Rotana

I spent a weekend at Rose Rayhaan by Rotana, one of Dubai’s most strategically located hotel stays right at the center of the action on Sheikh Zayed Road. A city escape might pose to be a strange option for a city dweller, but this four-star property proved to be just the short break we needed to rediscover Dubai from a brand new vantage point.

If you are visiting Dubai and wondering where to stay, especially if you want easy access to the city’s main attractions, business districts, and transport links, Rose Rayhaan by Rotana deserves serious consideration.

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Bhartas in Bangla Town (Brick Lane, London)

London is a city of layers. Peel one back and you will find another story beneath it, older, grittier, richer in texture. Some of those stories live far away from postcard landmarks and tourist itineraries. One such place is Brick Lane and tucked within it, Bangla Town.

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Aminia: legacy Calcutta cuisine (1929) now in Dubai

We lunched at Aminia last weekend, a brand-new addition to the bustling Indian restaurant scene of Karama, Dubai. While Aminia may be new to Dubai, the restaurant boasts of a deliciously rich past that originated in Calcutta, India during British rule in 1929. Aminia was founded by Maulvi Abdul Rahim of Lucknow, and was named after his son Mohammed Amin. The menu is therefore greatly inspired by rich Mughlai cuisine.

There are a few things that make Aminia stand apart from the usual Mughlai Awadi restaurants in our city. First off, it is heritage cuisine. Proudly family-owned for four generations, Aminia is scrupulous about maintaining the original taste and secret recipes that were loved by the very first diners in Calcutta.

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Liquid Gold: The Significance of Olive Oil in Malta

In the golden light of Malta’s landscape, one ancient crop has shaped its culture, cuisine, and survival for thousands of years: olive oil. During my Military Heritage Press Trip to Malta, we had the absolute pleasure of being hosted for dinner one evening under the Maltese night skies and olive groves at Ta’Xmun Olive Grove. With us was Professor Noel Buttigieg, Head of The Department of Tourism Management at the University of Malta. He gave us an insightful lecture on the significance of olive oil in Maltese history, and I had to summarize his teachings the best I could right here on The Tezzy Files.

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High Tea at the t-Lounge by Dilmah (Pullman Dubai Creek City Centre)

Aptly located in the Pullman Artist’s Playground, on the lobby floor of Pullman Dubai Creek (adjoined to City Centre Deira) is the t-Lounge by Dilmah. This invitingly cosy nook is surrounded by a gallery of local art that is updated on a monthly basis and on sale for art connoisseurs.

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SEVA Experience: My holistic enclave in the heart of Jumeirah, Dubai

My boho soul found a holistic sanctuary in the heart of Jumeirah, Dubai at newly rebranded Seva Experience.

Originally launched as Life’n One, Seva is Dubai’s very first exclusively plant-based cafe, yoga and meditation studio, wellness center and shop .

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Phoenicia by Greg Malouf (JA Beach Hotel, JA Resorts Dubai)

On our second night at JA Resorts, we had dinner at Phoenicia (JA Beach Hotel).

Headed by celebrity Australian-Lebanese Chef Greg Malouf who is widely credited for being the master of modern Middle Eastern cuisine, the restaurant is named after an ancient Mediterranean civilization which now forms a part of modern-day Lebanon.

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Kinara by Vikas Khanna (JA Lake View Hotel, JA Resorts Dubai)

On our first night at JA Lake View Hotel, we dined at Kinara by highly acclaimed celebrity Indian chef, author and Bollywood actor Vikas Khanna.

I had the pleasure of dining with Chef Khanna a couple of years ago at his award-winning restaurant Junoon. Handsome as he is charismatic, he has harnessed his talent at recreating Indian classics with much panache and ease, and I was therefore very excited to try his menu at Kinara.

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