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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Zomato UAE: Tracing the Phenomenal Online Success Story with Business Head, Viraj Sawant

When colleagues Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah founded Zomato way back in 2008, little did they know of how phenomenally successful their online restaurant search site would be. Featuring real restaurant reviews from everyday foodies like you and me, Zomato currently spans over 23 countries and is aiming to take over the globe.Viraj-Sawant

Zomato has taken the UAE foodie scene by storm. You are as likely to see the ‘Rate Me on Zomato’ sticker in fancy-shmancy restaurants  as the humble ‘hole in the wall’ cafeterias, and the site currently has over 2,000 highly enthusiastic, food-reviewing ‘Zomans’ across the globe. What is the story behind Zomato’s unprecedented success? I had a chitchat with Zomato UAE’s Business Head Viraj Sawant.

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The Vintage Cosmetic Company: Everyday Beauty Essentials in Adorably Cute Packaging

I have a rather tragic tale to tell. I was sent this absolutely gorgeous bag full of beauty tools from The Vintage Cosmetic Company courtesy Boots Middle East, and got click-happy as soon as I got them out of the bag.

vintage cosmetic company eyeshadow brush eyelashes eyelash curler tweezer review (1)

Then…horror of horrors…I lost the camera’s memory card! And here’s the thing; I had already thrown away most of the packaging, and packed up the lovely tools nice and compact into my beauty drawer.

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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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Bionix Body Designers: A Chat with Plastic Surgeon Dr. Parikh

Bionix Body Designers is Dubai’s leading aesthetics surgery clinic offering appearance-enhancing miracles to everyday people. They offer cutting edge technologyPicture4 for body sculpting, facial contouring and managing hair-loss. Their extensive menu of programs offer the perfect fit for people looking to enhance their appearance without going under the knife or following rigorous exercise regimes.

Renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Bijal V Parikh has recently joined the Bionix Body Designers team, and offers his expertise as an accomplished specialist. I thought it would be
interesting to get an insight into the life of a plastic surgeon. Here is an excerpt of my chat with Dr. Parikh:

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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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