dubai

Meaty Turkish Feasting at Ard Zaytoon

Located right across the road from Mercato Mall on Beach Road (Jumeirah, Dubai), Ard Zaytoon has been a favorite with the local community for years. Originally a Lebanese restaurant, the establishment has had a change of chef and cuisine and the menu offerings are now of Turkish origin.

The interiors are bright and inviting with perky yellow-green upholstery and smiling staff. Sleek, minimalist and modern, the space has no hint of exotic Turkey… that is, until you meet the curly moustached chef clothed in traditional ‘shalvar’ and head gear. 

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Muchachas: Mexican Cantina Brunching (Holiday Inn Express, Business Bay)

Without a doubt, Mexican has to be one of my all-time favorite world cuisines (coming a close second after Thai ofcourse!). I discovered Muchachas many months ago as Holiday Inn Express is literally at the back-door of my workplace.

The bright turquoise interiors, complete with cacti, Mexican sombreros and cantina-style minimalist furnishings is all at once eclectic, exotic and welcoming, and my colleagues are a little weary of the number of times I praise them for their tacos. 

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VelaShape 3: First Session & First Impressions (MedStar, Dubai)  

I found myself in MedStar medical center (Bur Dubai, Dubai) yesterday. Rest assured I am in perfect health; this was a media visit to get a better rundown on the much coveted VelaShape 3 treatment. Here’s my Insta-story incase you missed it on @thetezzyfiles :

 

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Scoopi Cafe: Dubai’s very own Liquid Nitrogen Ice-Cream Parlor

It’s been so hot and muggy, that all I’m dreaming of is ice-cold desserts. But who needs hot weather to reinforce a love for ice-cream? This is especially so when it comes to Scoopi Cafe. Located on bustling Beach Road (Jumeirah), the small and sleek black signboard is a ‘blink and you miss it’.

But what makes this wee café stand out is its record-breaking expensive scoop, the highly coveted Black Diamond. At AED 2,999 per golden handcrafted cup, this ice-cream concoction has gone down as the World’s Most Expensive Ice-Cream. This pricey scoop is very clever marketing if you ask me, and has made this wee café a stop-over for wallet-heavy locals and tourists alike.

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Beauty Review: Sephora Hydrating & Quenching Gel Mask

“This mask is like a big glass of water for parched skin.” – Sephora.

This summer has been particularly harsh, and especially so on my skin. The heat and humidity play havoc on the face, and add to it the contrast of the harsh, icy-cold air-conditioning indoors.

The skin is crying out for hydration, yet a greasy formula would lead to breakouts. What a dilemma! This is where this wonderfully light, yet refreshingly hydrating gel mask comes into play. Today I introduce to you the Sephora Hydrating & Quenching Gel Mask.

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Weekend Away at Media One Hotel (…and 10 reasons why you should book a room here too)

If you’re following me on Instagram, you might have noticed my overflow of Insta Stories from last weekend. My wee family and I were invited over for a staycation at Media One Hotel, and I have to say this has to be one the most Instagram-worthy hotel stays I’ve been to in Dubai!

 

Media One Hotel had us click-happy for a number of reasons. First off, its so refreshingly different from the staycations I’ve been to in the recent past. Media One Hotel makes suave, ‘run of the mill’ sophisticated, uptight interiors look so cliche! This 4 star property can best be described as an artsy boutique concept and has, so far, been a well-kept secret among Media City coworkers. 

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Spa Ladies’ Night (Fairmont Dubai)

Because the standard Ladies’ Night at a pub with a few diluted drinks is so cliché… treat yourself and your besties to a laidback session of pampering and massages at Fairmont Dubai. Every Tuesday, from 2 to 10 pm, The Spa at Fairmont Dubai offers a highly discounted package inclusive of a leisurely lunch by the poolside, an hour-long session of yoga and meditation, access to the sauna and steam room, and a rejuvenating treatment of your choice. And how much would you expect for all this at one of Dubai’s finest hotel establishments? Hold your breath… it costs a mere AED 349 per person! Envy us boys!

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Barbecue Delights: Authentic Pakistani Dining

We’ve dined at Barbecue Delights a number of times with family and friends. Their very first branch near Lamcy Plaza is great value for money, with an authentic Pakistani buffet that costs AED 65 per head. However, I’ve never been to the newer branch that has opened up on the suave, sophisticated hub of Downtown Dubai.

I was invited for a review there last week, and was pretty blown away by the stark difference in the two branches. While Lamcy’s neighbor is rather old-school, bordering shabby, the Downtown version is beautifully spacious, and artfully decorated with quirky-cool relics from Pakistan. They even have lounging sofas at the front for when the weather is kinder.

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Matto Dubai: Italian Craziness at The Oberoi

Matto translates to ‘crazy’ in Italian, and this much-hyped new restaurant in The Oberoi Dubai, has worked hard on living up to this theme. The ambiance here is more in tune with a gastro-pub; the lighting is dim, a DJ revs up tunes from an amputated scooter, and a dominating wall displays this stunning graphic of a man swallowing a fish.

matto fish man

We walked in with our little 6 year-old, and felt a little out of place. This is not a family-friendly space, and given we got there on a Thursday night, the tables were filled with boisterous co-workers and doe-eyed lovers ringing in the weekend.

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Masala Pot: Urban Indian Cuisine at Bay Square, Dubai

I envy the people working in Bay Square, they are so spoilt for choice with foodie options. I’ve found myself revisiting this urban hub a number of times in the past few months, each visit for a totally different cuisine. Recently, we were invited to Masala Pot, a familial name that screams of fiery curries, biryanis and other subcontinental delights. They have a few branches scattered around the UAE, but I have never been and wasn’t sure on what to expect.

The restaurant has quirky-cool interiors, taking inspiration from newspaper cuttings. The walls are marked with tongue in cheek Hindi-English quotes relating to food, and everything here has a pale orange halo, so in tune with curries and the saffron hue of Indian patriotism. The restaurant looks more like a chic café, and the pricing here is definitely in line with this. A meal for two at Masala Pot will suffice under AED 150 easily.

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