Category Archive: Food

McGettigan’s: Irish Pub Grub in Fujairah

McGettigan’s, the Irish gastro sports pub established way back in the 1960’s, has already made its mark in the UAE. Their branches have a cosy Irish charm which makes McGettigan’s rather unique in the UAE setting. I was not aware they have a branch in Fujairah, so when I got a brunch invite for a #ZomatoMeetup there last Friday, I jumped at the chance.

mcgettigans irish pub uae fujairah review (19)

We rarely see the morning sun on Fridays, and crawl out of bed just past noon. Last Friday was different. We had to be at McGettigan’s Fujairah by 12.30 sharp, and hit the road by 10 am. The drive to Fujairah is a scenic treat. With a kaleidoscope of rocky mountains and brick-red sand dunes on either side, and a free road with speeds of up to 120 km, a trip to Fujairah on a Friday morning makes for the perfect weekend road-trip.

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Little Manila: Book a Boodle Fight for Valentines!

The Filipino community take up a large percentage of the expat population in the UAE, and it is heartening to see we finally have a little piece of the Philippines right in the commercial nook of Deira, Dubai catering for the authentic cuisines our Filipino brethren have been missing from back home. Little Manila is not a restaurant; it is a whole food-court of well-loved foodie brands hailing from the Philippines. I had the pleasure of attending their opening in September (read all about it here), and then I got invited for a ‘Boodle Fight’!

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The Hotdog Stand: Gourmet Hotdogs Make a Debut in Dubai Marina

“Are we really going to drive that far just to have hotdogs?!” This was my husband whining for the umpteenth time as we took yet another turn that got us lost into the urban jungle of Dubai Marina.

The Hotdog Stand is relatively easy to find with the help of our trusty GPS (the coordinates are 25.069795, 55.133140), but when we found no parking in the vicinity, we ended up on the highway towards Abu Dhabi!

When we finally got to the restaurant, flustered and half an hour late, the staff tell us they have parking! You just need to honk at the front or call them on 800 HOTDOG, and they will have you sorted. Lesson learnt; always ask about the parking facilities when trying out a new restaurant!

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Budget Eats: Orient Grill, Sharjah

As true-blue foodies, we are always on the lookout for really good, tasty grub. A friend of mine recommended Orient Grill. Tucked away in the residential nook of Abu Shagara (Sharjah), she said it may not be as fancy-schmancy as some of the places we dine at, but vouched that the restaurant does a great job with Indo-Chinese cuisine. I checked out Oriental Grill on Zomato, and saw the restaurant had an average rating of 4.1 out of 5, and decided to look it up.

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Scoopi Cafe: Home of the World’s Most Expensive Scoop

When it comes to ice-creams, Scoopi Café has upped the game from child’s play to designer dreams. Living in Dubai, you get used to everything big, bling and exorbitant, and just when we thought we’ve seen and heard it all, Scoopi Cafe’s founder and owner, Zubin Doshi creates headlines with Scoopi’s Black Diamond Ice-Cream.

scoopi black diamond the worlds most expensive ice cream
Image taken from the City Dubai website

 

Priced at AED 2,999 a scoop, this has to be the world’s most expensive ice-cream indulgence! The Black Diamond has an exotic Madagascar vanilla ice-cream base. It is infused with the world’s most expensive Iranian saffron and ‘black diamond’ black truffles, and garnished with 23 carat edible gold. If that wasn’t enough, this dreamy, elite blend is aptly served in a designer Versace bowl along with a matching designer spoon which the buyer can take home as a keepsake.

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Mezbaan: A Heart-Warming Story Over a Heart-Warming Winter’s Meal

Often the best food comes from the most modest of restaurants, and this is especially the case when it comes to a really good, masala-infused biryani.

One of our favorite old haunts for biryani is Mezbaan Hyderabad Restaurant. Located in the busy hub of central Bur Dubai, this is the chain’s very first outlet. The restaurant itself is cramped, stuffy and rather shabby from all the years it has been in operation, but this does not keep the impressive string of regulars from coming back for more.

Mezbaan Hyderabad Bur Dubai Meena Bazar review (6)

We were at Mezbaan last night. Despite it being a weekday, we were lucky to get a table.

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TRE by Roberto Rella: Celebrating our Wedding Anniversary with Italian Panache

Conceptualized and created by well-known (and rather controversial) Italian restaurateur Paolo Roberto Rella, TRE is an Italian fine-dining restaurant located in Nassima Hotel (Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai).

TRE is ‘three’ in Italian, and the restaurant gets its name from the fact that it is divided into 3 separate levels, and spans from the 49th to the 51st floor. The first (or rather, 49th floor) is the dining area for foodies. It has a more casual restaurant vibe allowing for families and friends to socialize over great food and spectacular views of Dubai. It is the only floor at TRE where children are allowed.

The 50th floor is a lounge bar, complete with a resident DJ and an impressive array of Mediterranean-inspired tapas. The 51st floor is a sound-proofed cigar lounge with live jazz performances and soft rock.

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Hema’s Rosemary & Garlic Rack of Lamb Recipe

What’s even better than an awesome, understanding friend? A friend who can cook ofcourse 🙂 My dear friend Hema is a legend in the kitchen. I shared her impressive spread from last Christmas here, and she totally outdid herself in Christmas 2015.

One of the highlights on her Christmas table last month was a succulently juicy, hefty leg of lamb. Hers weighed just over 4 kilos!

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Hema has generously shared her recipe for Rosemary & Garlic Rack of Lamb with us. She did hers in the oven, but swears it would be even better on the barbecue grill. Given it’s barbecue season, why not try this piece of decadence for yourself?

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