A walkathon around Dubai Mall one busy weekend had us craving for some seriously good, authentic Mexican grub, and this is how we found ourselves at Rosa Mexicano.

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Founded in New York way back in 1984 by Mexican immigrant Josefina Howard, the restaurant has two franchises in Dubai. One is located in Mirdiff Mall, and the other, where we dined at, is located on the lower ground floor of Dubai Mall.

When Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa opened a little coffee shop in London way back in 1971, little did they realize this was the start of a global empire. Fast-forward to present time, and you will be hard-pressed finding a coffee drinker who hasn’t heard of Costa Coffee. The company currently has over 3,000 stores across the globe, 132 of which happen to be spread across the UAE.

Having won a long list of global accolades, the brand continues to hold its position as a market leader in the coffee business by complacently adhering to their stringent quality standards, and enticing true coffee lovers with new, exciting roasts.

I had the pleasure of attending a Costa event last week, and was one of the very first people in the UAE to take a sip of their limited edition Old Paradise Street Roast No. 11.

Tucked away on Umm Al Sheif Street, off Jumeirah Beach Road is a beautifully done up slice of Italy. With its vintage-style street lamps and very inviting checkered red and white tablecloths,  Mozzo Centrale looks like it has been transported directly from Italy, furnishings and all.

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The location is pretty residential, and I would have easily driven past it if I wasn’t actually looking it up on my trusty GPS. Given it is in a cosy neighbourhood nook, Mozzo Centrale truly is a well-kept neighbourhood secret.

When I saw an email invite in my inbox from Ishita Saha, I gave out a squeal of delight! Celebrity blogger Ishita Saha of ishitaunblogged fame (who also happens to be co-editor of FoodeMag, Dubai’s finest e-magazine on food) is the kind of role model aspiring food bloggers like me look up to. Dinner with Ishita was bound to be a memorable experience, and she elevated my expectations with this short clip on the restaurant we were previewing:

We had a very memorable, chilled-out staycation at Hilton Al Ain. Our day was lined up with siestas in our suite, splashes by the pool, and a delicious lineup of gastronomy at Flavours restaurant and Makani Cafe.

Hilton Al Ain is also renowned for Paco’s, Al Ain’s most happening Tex-Mex bar featuring award-winning live entertainment by a very talented band called “Steel”.

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Our staycation at Hilton Al Ain involved a great deal of snoozing, floating about the poolside and having an idle lunch at Flavours restaurant. Our dinner reservation was made at Makani Cafe, Hilton Al Ain’s open-aired restaurant specializing in Arabic grills and shisha.

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Click of the front entrance of Makani Cafe, taken in the morning light.

Flavours Restaurant at Hilton Al Ain is the hotel’s all-day dining venue. The restaurant has recently been renovated, and features stunning Arabesque decor.

During our staycation at Hilton Al Ain, this was the very first restaurant we tried out. We got to the hotel around noon, dumped our luggage in our suite, and after a quick cup of tea, we headed to Flavours for their international buffet lunch.

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.

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‘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.

Comptoir 102 Jumeirah Beach Road food blog review breakfast menu (2)