The weekend before last, we had the pleasure of being invited by Hilton Al Ain for a mini break. Did you know that this is the very first international hotel to have opened on UAE soil? Hilton Al Ain opened its doors to the public way back in 1971, and has an impressively long list of celebrity vacationers with the likes of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Their Majesties – The King and Queen of Spain, and legendary boxing champion Mohammed Ali himself.
We had a lovely, laid-back lunch Levant lunch by the sea this afternoon. This was my very first visit to Zaroob, the very kitsch Levant street-food outlet located on the scenic water front of Al Majaz, Sharjah.
Last week I got invited to the media launch of Atlantis The Palm’s newest addition, a Lebanese fine-dining restaurant called Ayamna. Keeping up with the classy decorum of Atlantis, the interiors of Ayamna reflect on the intriguing romance of a bygone era. Walking down the winding, majestic staircase, the restaurant resembles an enchanted mansion where the hospitality of the glorious Lebanese past has been magically brought to life. ‘Ayamna’ translates to ‘Our Time’, a forgotten time of solace and merriment, of good company and great food.
‘Comptoir’ is French for counter, and is often associated with fancy little canapes at a casual bar scene. However, Comptoir 102 has nothing to do with late-night drinking. On the contrary, this groovy little nook on Jumeirah Beach Road is all about healthful, nutritionally sound eating.
Fuego translates to ‘fire’ in Mexican, and is the aptly chosen name for Souk Al Bahar’s contemporary fine-dining Mexican restaurant. I am always game for a Mexican fare, what’s not to love about spiced up taco pockets stuffed with spiced up beef, and loaded with guacamole and cheese? At Fuego, I learnt there is far more to Mexican cuisine than street-food equivalent tacos.
Last Saturday, we were invited for a Zomato meetup at Sabella’s Organic Italian Restaurant at the Kempinski Hotel, Ajman. It isn’t often that we venture out to this northern emirate to dine, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
When we got to Sabella’s, the setup had me blown away! A long table, set with starched white linen was set up in the open patio. The table was beautifully decorated with mason jars of preserved fruit (very apt for an ‘organic’ restaurant), but the real beauty of Sabella’s lies in its breathtaking views of the sea.
The patio takes full advantage of the vantage point of the sea. The scene is of a relaxed holiday on the beach, complete with palm trees, beach chairs and umbrellas.
This was my first time at Boulevard Kitchen, Manzil Downtown Dubai’s chic, Arabesque cafe-style diner. Every Friday, the restaurant does a very elaborate buffet-style brunch which starts at AED 195 per person.
The menu is very Mediterranean, yet apart from the delicious fare, the experience as a whole was uniquely memorable for a number of reasons.
Operation Falafel is on a serious gastronomic mission. This spunky eatery is aiming to reintroduce the flavors of Arabic street food, in the guise of a contemporary dining experience. What’s more, they operate 24/7! Ever faced a serious case of falafel or shawarma cravings at odd hours into the night? Fret not, Operation Falafel is here to the rescue 🙂
Busaba Eathai was conceptualized and created by Alan Yau in 1999 in Soho, London. This contemporary Thai eatery entered the Dubai foodie scene about two years ago, and is the only Thai restaurant on The Beach, JBR.
The name ‘Busaba‘ was inspired by a flower in Thailand (and is also a very popular girls’ name!), while the word ‘Eathai‘ is a fusion of the words eat and Thai. We went to ‘Eathai‘ at Busaba last week post the unprecedented UAE rains, and had the most memorable lunch.
I’ve driven past Prax’s a month ago, and was really keen on doing a pit-shop seeing their very striking signage. The bold, bright blue of their logo is hard to miss despite the tiny, narrow size of the place.
The Tezzy Files 