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Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Thursday, February 27, 2014
The Life-In-Abu Dhabi Calculator - Chapter 1 Visa
I have been frequenting this forum where questions are posted about what needs to be done to go here in Abu Dhabi, or what is the average salary that could keep you comfortable living here or just how much everything here in UAE costs. So I have decided to break down necessary parts of living the life of an Expat here in UAE with numbers.
To continue reading, click here.
To continue reading, click here.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Around the World in 4 Hours... or so
I think one of the best things in life is to travel anywhere in the world and discover food, culture and pocket a handful of memories. Of course, its easier if you have enough money to back your journey. But, here in UAE you can have a taste of what is like jumping from one country to the other without zooming in and out of immigration counters (we know how harrowing that part is!). In one night and in one place you can finally say you have traveled the world. Where else? Dubai Global Village.
The Dubai Global Village is located along the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road. Its hard to miss especially if you are on your way to Dubai. These entertainment park is so huge one night is not enough to visit all the countries exhibiting in it.
It opened on October 5, 2013 and will close on the 1st of March 2014. Basically the park is opened during colder season. When we visited Global Village, we left Abu Dhabi around 4:30 pm and we arrived there around 5:45 pm. As I said, it was not hard to miss because its along the highway going to Dubai. The hard part was finding a parking spot. That was a Friday so the parking lot was fully jammed. We did a little waiting until we could find a spot. It was a bit far from the main entrance, but still better than hanging out inside the car the entire night until a slot is available.
There were plenty of counters where you can buy the entrance ticket. It's at the right side of the main entrance. At AED 15.00 per person, the slightly long drive going there was worth it. Once you get inside it was chaos. Chaos in a fun way. The tuk-tuk by the entrance was enough indication that it's going to be one heck of a fiesta of culture inside.
Once inside, we were so overwhelmed with so many people, food stalls and shops. We can't decide what to do first. There were so many food I'd like to try it was confusing. So we did the smartest thing to do when smacked inside a huge amusement park. Studied the map. Since it was almost dinner time, we have decided to hunt Philippine's (of course!) area so we could eat the food not readily available here in the city.
On the way there, we slip into some countries and checked their products. I particularly love Spain. Their cheese and the hand made items. There is this shop that sells beautiful printed dresses and pants, I wanted to buy some but it was just too expensive for my liking. Have to pass. Then we found one small food court that says Thai restaurant we checked out the stalls one of them serves kwek-kwek. It's the one most of my companions were dying to eat. The food court doesn't have enough tables and chairs to accommodate all diners. So we have to wait and quickly move in in case a table is vacated.
After a quick dinner, we set about roaming the entire place and win some minion at the game fair area. The place was just too huge. Every country featured in the village offers a lot of their products and food. There was even a traditional dance from the Palestine booth. It was difficult to look for the rides and game fair. When we reached the dhow indicating the country of Kuwait, a small walkway lead to the rides and game fair.
The rides were all so scary. I'm not a big fan of carnival rides. I feel like I'm going to pass out just by watching the people scream their brains out with all those rides. I love myself, so I rather watch and be happy for those who like to torture themselves. I wanted to win those big minion toys. A lot of people were carrying huge stuffed toys that they have won from the games. I wanted one so badly. In order to avail of any rides and games you have to buy a card where your money would be converted into credits to be used in the games.
We have spent like almost AED100.00 just to win one freakin' stuffed toy. Maybe we were unlucky that time. At least, we had fun playing it. We even get to ride bump cars one person free!
By 9 pm there was a fireworks display. My brother and I was so elated. For somebody who hails from the city in the Philippines where fireworks are banned, it was already something for us.
We were not able to full roam the area. It was getting colder and our feet were already tired from walking. We didn't even get the chance to buy more food from European stalls. Such a shame.
It was a fun night of discovering cultures and exotic food. Losing on games but having a good laugh. We went home without the most coveted stuffed toys but we promised to be back in the hope of finally winning one.
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The Dubai Global Village is located along the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road. Its hard to miss especially if you are on your way to Dubai. These entertainment park is so huge one night is not enough to visit all the countries exhibiting in it.
It opened on October 5, 2013 and will close on the 1st of March 2014. Basically the park is opened during colder season. When we visited Global Village, we left Abu Dhabi around 4:30 pm and we arrived there around 5:45 pm. As I said, it was not hard to miss because its along the highway going to Dubai. The hard part was finding a parking spot. That was a Friday so the parking lot was fully jammed. We did a little waiting until we could find a spot. It was a bit far from the main entrance, but still better than hanging out inside the car the entire night until a slot is available.
There were plenty of counters where you can buy the entrance ticket. It's at the right side of the main entrance. At AED 15.00 per person, the slightly long drive going there was worth it. Once you get inside it was chaos. Chaos in a fun way. The tuk-tuk by the entrance was enough indication that it's going to be one heck of a fiesta of culture inside.
Once inside, we were so overwhelmed with so many people, food stalls and shops. We can't decide what to do first. There were so many food I'd like to try it was confusing. So we did the smartest thing to do when smacked inside a huge amusement park. Studied the map. Since it was almost dinner time, we have decided to hunt Philippine's (of course!) area so we could eat the food not readily available here in the city.
On the way there, we slip into some countries and checked their products. I particularly love Spain. Their cheese and the hand made items. There is this shop that sells beautiful printed dresses and pants, I wanted to buy some but it was just too expensive for my liking. Have to pass. Then we found one small food court that says Thai restaurant we checked out the stalls one of them serves kwek-kwek. It's the one most of my companions were dying to eat. The food court doesn't have enough tables and chairs to accommodate all diners. So we have to wait and quickly move in in case a table is vacated.
After a quick dinner, we set about roaming the entire place and win some minion at the game fair area. The place was just too huge. Every country featured in the village offers a lot of their products and food. There was even a traditional dance from the Palestine booth. It was difficult to look for the rides and game fair. When we reached the dhow indicating the country of Kuwait, a small walkway lead to the rides and game fair.
The rides were all so scary. I'm not a big fan of carnival rides. I feel like I'm going to pass out just by watching the people scream their brains out with all those rides. I love myself, so I rather watch and be happy for those who like to torture themselves. I wanted to win those big minion toys. A lot of people were carrying huge stuffed toys that they have won from the games. I wanted one so badly. In order to avail of any rides and games you have to buy a card where your money would be converted into credits to be used in the games.
We have spent like almost AED100.00 just to win one freakin' stuffed toy. Maybe we were unlucky that time. At least, we had fun playing it. We even get to ride bump cars one person free!
By 9 pm there was a fireworks display. My brother and I was so elated. For somebody who hails from the city in the Philippines where fireworks are banned, it was already something for us.
We were not able to full roam the area. It was getting colder and our feet were already tired from walking. We didn't even get the chance to buy more food from European stalls. Such a shame.
It was a fun night of discovering cultures and exotic food. Losing on games but having a good laugh. We went home without the most coveted stuffed toys but we promised to be back in the hope of finally winning one.
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Saturday, July 14, 2012
Wasabi Night
Among the smalls joys of life is sampling the food paradise of the city you are currently living. For this week, target cuisine is Japanese. Hubby likes sushi and never missed to buy a set when we visit Carrefour, so why not visit this Japanese restuarant that also offers the real deal and more. So we we set our sights at Samurai Restaurant.
Samurai Restaurant, is I think the only Japanese restaurant listed here in Abu Dhabi. It is near Toursit Club Area and behind Capital Al Diar Hotel along Mina Road. The area is not located at the usual busy streets of the city. There was ample parking space and it was not difficult to locate. We were the first customer to arrive.
Honestly, the reason why I chose this restaurant to try out because they have churros in their dessert menu. I have been craving for churros for the past few days. Missed munching on them. I think the best churros I had was in Singapore at Clarke Quay. It was soft and crunchy at the same time. I don't know how churros ended up in the menu of a Japanese restuarant, because it sounded Japanese? Hohum. Ok back to the Asian cuisine.
We ordered Chicken Yakisoba for me, Yakiniku Bento for hubby, Maguro Sushi, Tamago Sushi and of course don't forget Gyoza.
The verdict: the yakisoba was disappointing, it tasted and looked like the Filipino Pancit Canton. The noodles was not even passable. It was bit salty. The lunch box that hubby ordered was good. The fish and the beef was very tasty. It was my first time to try sushi minus the seafood, that's why I ordered for the Tamago, I must say, the rice, the seaweed wrap and sweetened omellete was a welcome surprise to my choosy palate. Since I am not a fan of anything raw, I didn't try the tuna sushi. The gyoza was cooked perfectly, crispy edges and soft shells. I still prefer the gyoza of Rai Rai Ken in Davao though. I don't know why.
Total wallet damage was AED 174.00 and left some tip since no service charge on the receipt. WE were not able to order the churos since we were already pretty much filled up. Maybe next time.
Samurai Restaurant
Online Menu
Samurai Restaurant, is I think the only Japanese restaurant listed here in Abu Dhabi. It is near Toursit Club Area and behind Capital Al Diar Hotel along Mina Road. The area is not located at the usual busy streets of the city. There was ample parking space and it was not difficult to locate. We were the first customer to arrive.
 |
| the restaurant from the corner angle |
Honestly, the reason why I chose this restaurant to try out because they have churros in their dessert menu. I have been craving for churros for the past few days. Missed munching on them. I think the best churros I had was in Singapore at Clarke Quay. It was soft and crunchy at the same time. I don't know how churros ended up in the menu of a Japanese restuarant, because it sounded Japanese? Hohum. Ok back to the Asian cuisine.
We ordered Chicken Yakisoba for me, Yakiniku Bento for hubby, Maguro Sushi, Tamago Sushi and of course don't forget Gyoza.
 |
| the appetizer |
 |
| Gyoza! |
 |
| Yakiniku (Beef and Fish with salad and rice) |
 |
| Chicken Yakisoba |
 |
| Tamago Sushi |
 |
| Maguro sushi |
The verdict: the yakisoba was disappointing, it tasted and looked like the Filipino Pancit Canton. The noodles was not even passable. It was bit salty. The lunch box that hubby ordered was good. The fish and the beef was very tasty. It was my first time to try sushi minus the seafood, that's why I ordered for the Tamago, I must say, the rice, the seaweed wrap and sweetened omellete was a welcome surprise to my choosy palate. Since I am not a fan of anything raw, I didn't try the tuna sushi. The gyoza was cooked perfectly, crispy edges and soft shells. I still prefer the gyoza of Rai Rai Ken in Davao though. I don't know why.
Total wallet damage was AED 174.00 and left some tip since no service charge on the receipt. WE were not able to order the churos since we were already pretty much filled up. Maybe next time.
Samurai Restaurant
Online Menu
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Finding Jones the Grocer
It took me almost two (2) years to finally find this shop. I was still in Davao and preparing for my weddin and I wanted to buy some pecorino cheese as my wedding token. I found some shops in Davao that sells gourmet cheese unfortunately they don’t sell whole rings. They sell it by grams. So I asked my husband, fiancé back then to check the market in Abu Dhabi and that’s the first time I encountered this shop was when I was scouring the internet for cheese sellers in Abu Dhabi. My husband, fiancé back then, had a hard time looking for the shop, I didn’t believe him the, because knowing men. When I finally got here, my search for this shop continued. Still it was difficult to find unless you have your own car to leisurely scour the area. And recently before Christmas, we finally did found this shop. Though not the first shop but the shop located here in Khalidiya area, still it is Jones the Grocer.
Here is a quick direction. If you are traversing along Sheik Zayed First Road heading towards First Gulf Bank of Khalidiya you will see the Khalidiya Garden Park on the left side and you will come across an intersection. After the intersection you will a small road on the ride side before the old Adnoc Petrol Station. Take that road and head straight, you will see Oryx Hotel on the corner, turn left then take another sharp right turn then you would see a shop with bluish glass windows and doors. That’s Jones the Grocer. It can easily be missed because the signage is quite small.
Now on to what is inside. If you are into organic products, cheese and wine this is definitely the place to be. Maybe this is the reason why the location is somewhat hidden because they serve wines and other meat that is not usually serve in restaurants in the city. The ambiance has the feel of friendly charm of a high end diner. The staff are all friendly and accommodating. You don’t have to wait and wave for somebody to take your order. Once we got inside, a friendly staff ushered us on the seat we find comfortable. We were informed that the right wing of the restaurant is colder while the left wing is warmer. Since it was 72 degrees F outside, we chose the warmer side. We were given the menu and left us to study it. After some time the very accommodating manager went to our table to take our order.
I got the pastrami panino and my husband ordered the char-grilled chicken with couscous. We also ordered iced tea and homemade lemonade, which is their house specialty, and mash potato. Our drinks arrived within 5 minutes of ordering it. The lemonade I must say is good. It has the right amount of tanginess and sweetness. Just perfect for my palate. Then our order came. I dig into my salad and enjoyed it. The mashed potato was served last because it was just an additional order. The chicken was good, it tasted a bit like curry chicken but grilled. The couscous was a bit dry and bland for my taste. The sandwich was not as warm as I have expected. The meal was good. They cleared our table once they saw that we have already polished everything.
My husband wanted to order some sweet. A lot of pastries were displayed and you would definitely drool over each of them. It all looked so delectable. It took us sometime to finalize our order for desserts. And decided on moist chocolate cake for husband and homemade ice cream for me – vanilla and pistachio.
The cake, sad to say has the texture of a one day old cake. The icing is gummy and the cake is dry. Not at all what we have expected. But the ice cream gets 2 thumbs up. The vanila was incredibly creamy and the pistachio is yummy. Our total bill for that night was AED 163.00.
Reasonable price. You would think with all the glass exterior and modern interior design that the price would be a bit stiff, but no, it was ok. Asked if I would recommend this place? Yes, definitely. Next time I’d try the Wagyu Burger next time.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Christmas Bazaar 2011
December is one of the most awaited month of the year for the Christian community. For one, it is the birth month of Jesus and Christmas is celebrated. When you say Christmas everything red, green and shiny can be seen everywhere.
To start off the Advent season, St. Joseph Church of Abu Dhabi had their annual Christmas Bazaar. All nationalities who congregate in this community will have their own booths/stalls selling any goodies and games for a good cause and good price.
The bazaar opened at 10 a.m. on December 9, 2011 at the Church open ground. An entrance fee of AED 10 per head can be bought at the stall outside the gated area. Once inside you can have your money change into coupons with the equivalent value. You will be using this coupon to pay for the goodies you'd like to take from each booth.
First stop - the bookvendor. If I remember it correctly the booth's name is Santa's little helpers. Wide array of books lined up on their table. A mixture of used and new books. So you really need to have a good eye and be the first pick up the good ones. I was lucky enough to get two books. One is brand new and the other one used. Both only cost AED 5 each. Good buys? Definitely.
Next stop - food trip. We went straight to the Filipino stalls where the mouth-watering smell of pork bbq brings tears of joy. This grilled goody costs AED 5 a stick. Haven't eaten this stuff for almost a year already. Then we went booth hopping.
The french booth displayed delicate goodies that I can't honestly prounounce without sounding silly. So I did the most basic thing to do in an unfamilair market trading - point to a thing - "how much?" - if the price is good enoug - sign with my fingers for how much I would be buying. The thing I bought was delectable. A soft biscuit similar as that with cream puff but with a hollow middle. But its pretty good. smack! smack!
Then my favorite - Italian booth. What makes this booth really interesting is the people tending the stall they were wearing this vine like head dress. It looks like a vine twined to look like a crown. Plus the other lady has this fiery red hair with a matching piercing green eyes. She looks like a goddess. I bought this bread that looks like calzone. Using the same dough as that of the pizza and folded with mozarella and basil filling. One serving is enough to give my tummy a heavy thud.
We didn't stay long at the bazaar but it was fun romaing around the area. I hope next year this bazaar would be a 3-day event so we could enjoy the food, the games and the moment 3x more.
To start off the Advent season, St. Joseph Church of Abu Dhabi had their annual Christmas Bazaar. All nationalities who congregate in this community will have their own booths/stalls selling any goodies and games for a good cause and good price.
The bazaar opened at 10 a.m. on December 9, 2011 at the Church open ground. An entrance fee of AED 10 per head can be bought at the stall outside the gated area. Once inside you can have your money change into coupons with the equivalent value. You will be using this coupon to pay for the goodies you'd like to take from each booth.
First stop - the bookvendor. If I remember it correctly the booth's name is Santa's little helpers. Wide array of books lined up on their table. A mixture of used and new books. So you really need to have a good eye and be the first pick up the good ones. I was lucky enough to get two books. One is brand new and the other one used. Both only cost AED 5 each. Good buys? Definitely.
Next stop - food trip. We went straight to the Filipino stalls where the mouth-watering smell of pork bbq brings tears of joy. This grilled goody costs AED 5 a stick. Haven't eaten this stuff for almost a year already. Then we went booth hopping.
The french booth displayed delicate goodies that I can't honestly prounounce without sounding silly. So I did the most basic thing to do in an unfamilair market trading - point to a thing - "how much?" - if the price is good enoug - sign with my fingers for how much I would be buying. The thing I bought was delectable. A soft biscuit similar as that with cream puff but with a hollow middle. But its pretty good. smack! smack!
Then my favorite - Italian booth. What makes this booth really interesting is the people tending the stall they were wearing this vine like head dress. It looks like a vine twined to look like a crown. Plus the other lady has this fiery red hair with a matching piercing green eyes. She looks like a goddess. I bought this bread that looks like calzone. Using the same dough as that of the pizza and folded with mozarella and basil filling. One serving is enough to give my tummy a heavy thud.
We didn't stay long at the bazaar but it was fun romaing around the area. I hope next year this bazaar would be a 3-day event so we could enjoy the food, the games and the moment 3x more.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Coffee Break!
What is a day without a coffee break? People from all working class would probably end up loopy before the week ends. Most people can't live without their caffeine fix. For most it became the energy drink to start off the day. And some its the morning slap that wakes them up. Its intoxicating. Its addictive. Its coffee.
After a year and few months of living in Abu Dhabi, you would understand the importance of coffee in their culture. Its like every hour they need to sip a cup of caffeine. I used to be a coffee monster. I could finish off 2-3 cups of coffee in a day. Plus this coffee is loaded with creamer and sugar, imagine my horrific reaction when I learned about the total calories I am chugging down with just a cup of coffee. So I stopped. Occasionally I reward myself with lattes but not as often as I want.
Abu Dhabi is home for coffee connoisseur. If Italy have their espresso that shoots up caffeine straight into your brain (well, that's how my father described it) UAE have their Turkish and Arabic coffee. If you prefer to drown yourself with strong coffee while inhaling endless cigarette smoke then Turkish coffee would be the perfect blend for you. For experimental purposes, I asked our office boy to give me the lowdonw on turkish coffee. The coffee is served in small portion. They used small cups that looks like small china tea cups. The coffee is prepared using the cezve. It is a small pot directly placed on top of the electrical stove. First hot water is put inside and let it boil for a few minutes. Then put 2 spoonful of that powdered coffee bean and sugar. After a minute or two it is poured on the glass. No Need to stir. Boil and serve.
In our office we have a lot of cezve, because many of the employees request for Turkish coffee. According to our office boy, they can't prepare another turkish coffee using the left over of the first batch. It is haram as he said it or not allowed in their religion. One batch is only good for one drink also.
I tried tasting this and I must admit it tasted ok. Like bitter and sweet combine in one but the smell is definitely a stinker. It smelled like feet. No offense meant.
The arabic coffee is not for the faint hearted. If Turkish coffee was strong Arabic coffee is way stronger. I didn't dare to sample it. But the taste of the Turkish coffee is enough proof that its probably stronger.
The perfect way of enjoying this cofee is with a hookah/shisha, but that would have to wait for another blogging day.
After a year and few months of living in Abu Dhabi, you would understand the importance of coffee in their culture. Its like every hour they need to sip a cup of caffeine. I used to be a coffee monster. I could finish off 2-3 cups of coffee in a day. Plus this coffee is loaded with creamer and sugar, imagine my horrific reaction when I learned about the total calories I am chugging down with just a cup of coffee. So I stopped. Occasionally I reward myself with lattes but not as often as I want.
Abu Dhabi is home for coffee connoisseur. If Italy have their espresso that shoots up caffeine straight into your brain (well, that's how my father described it) UAE have their Turkish and Arabic coffee. If you prefer to drown yourself with strong coffee while inhaling endless cigarette smoke then Turkish coffee would be the perfect blend for you. For experimental purposes, I asked our office boy to give me the lowdonw on turkish coffee. The coffee is served in small portion. They used small cups that looks like small china tea cups. The coffee is prepared using the cezve. It is a small pot directly placed on top of the electrical stove. First hot water is put inside and let it boil for a few minutes. Then put 2 spoonful of that powdered coffee bean and sugar. After a minute or two it is poured on the glass. No Need to stir. Boil and serve.
In our office we have a lot of cezve, because many of the employees request for Turkish coffee. According to our office boy, they can't prepare another turkish coffee using the left over of the first batch. It is haram as he said it or not allowed in their religion. One batch is only good for one drink also.
I tried tasting this and I must admit it tasted ok. Like bitter and sweet combine in one but the smell is definitely a stinker. It smelled like feet. No offense meant.
The arabic coffee is not for the faint hearted. If Turkish coffee was strong Arabic coffee is way stronger. I didn't dare to sample it. But the taste of the Turkish coffee is enough proof that its probably stronger.
The perfect way of enjoying this cofee is with a hookah/shisha, but that would have to wait for another blogging day.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Night at the Desert
You have never been to Duabi/ Abu Dhabi if you haven't done dune bashing. Seriously. This is the ultimate adventure when you are visiting Middle East.
I have been living in UAE for almost 2 years now, and I just recently bashed the dunes. And I must say it was totally awesome! Is this too much? I actually don't care. I was really fun. Ok, to the business - let me tell you about Desert Safari.
Unlike Africa, the safari here in UAE is not about observing and taking photagraphs of animals in the wild, but instead, you take a ride on a 4 x 4 wheel drive SUV's and drive along the sand dunes.
Once inside, you'll probably end up being tossed around during the whole trip. But it was a shake worth taking. After 15-20 minutes of dipping and climbing sand, we are dropped off in the middle of the desert where an enclosed area is set up. Outside the enclosed area is a long queue for tourists to take a ride with the camel. Another queue for those who want to do sand boarding and another for those who would like to try the ATV (All Terrain Vehicle). The ATV is not for free, it will cost you AED 100 for an hour of bashing the sand.
I took a short ride on the camel. I must say it was weird and exciting at the same time. Weird because I was expecting it would feel hard and solid and it won't be that high. When I sat on its rump, I could actually feel it breathing and when it stood up I realized I am 4 meters above the ground. Skittish me, had my eyes shut the entire time.
After the camel ride, we went inside and tables on carpet everywhere. A barbecue was going on the left side of the enclosed area. A queue for the henna was at the right side.
Another side of the enclosed area, was a queue for the welcome drinks and welcome snack. We roam for a bit to look for a perfect spot. There were so many people too difficult to grab a table with a good strategic location.
The welcome drinks were all soda and water. You can drink all you want. Beers are sold for AED 30.00 if you want to get wasted before the belly dancing performance.
The snack consisted of a vegetable samosa and some fried eggplant. It was good. The main dinner will start after the belly dancing show, which was around 8:00 pm. The belly dancer was not that interesting. I've seen better dancers and sexier. But it was ok.
The dinner was good. There plenty of briyani rice and some grilled chicken and lamb. It was filling. enough for everybody. During the dinner another dancer performed. A guy wearing this huge skirt. He was twirling and doing a lot of pretty nifty tricks. I loved that show.
After that, we were already summoned by our driver. It was already late, around 10:30 pm when we reached the drop-off point. We even had trouble finding the bus that will take us back to Dubai downtown area.
The trip back to the city proper took almost half an hour. Despite the long trip and sand everywhere. It was fun. I would definitely do it again and again.
I have been living in UAE for almost 2 years now, and I just recently bashed the dunes. And I must say it was totally awesome! Is this too much? I actually don't care. I was really fun. Ok, to the business - let me tell you about Desert Safari.
Unlike Africa, the safari here in UAE is not about observing and taking photagraphs of animals in the wild, but instead, you take a ride on a 4 x 4 wheel drive SUV's and drive along the sand dunes.
Once inside, you'll probably end up being tossed around during the whole trip. But it was a shake worth taking. After 15-20 minutes of dipping and climbing sand, we are dropped off in the middle of the desert where an enclosed area is set up. Outside the enclosed area is a long queue for tourists to take a ride with the camel. Another queue for those who want to do sand boarding and another for those who would like to try the ATV (All Terrain Vehicle). The ATV is not for free, it will cost you AED 100 for an hour of bashing the sand.
I took a short ride on the camel. I must say it was weird and exciting at the same time. Weird because I was expecting it would feel hard and solid and it won't be that high. When I sat on its rump, I could actually feel it breathing and when it stood up I realized I am 4 meters above the ground. Skittish me, had my eyes shut the entire time.
After the camel ride, we went inside and tables on carpet everywhere. A barbecue was going on the left side of the enclosed area. A queue for the henna was at the right side.
Another side of the enclosed area, was a queue for the welcome drinks and welcome snack. We roam for a bit to look for a perfect spot. There were so many people too difficult to grab a table with a good strategic location.
The welcome drinks were all soda and water. You can drink all you want. Beers are sold for AED 30.00 if you want to get wasted before the belly dancing performance.
The snack consisted of a vegetable samosa and some fried eggplant. It was good. The main dinner will start after the belly dancing show, which was around 8:00 pm. The belly dancer was not that interesting. I've seen better dancers and sexier. But it was ok.
The dinner was good. There plenty of briyani rice and some grilled chicken and lamb. It was filling. enough for everybody. During the dinner another dancer performed. A guy wearing this huge skirt. He was twirling and doing a lot of pretty nifty tricks. I loved that show.
After that, we were already summoned by our driver. It was already late, around 10:30 pm when we reached the drop-off point. We even had trouble finding the bus that will take us back to Dubai downtown area.
The trip back to the city proper took almost half an hour. Despite the long trip and sand everywhere. It was fun. I would definitely do it again and again.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Addicted to Shabu-Shabu
From the Japanese word that means, "swish-swish" - shabu-shabu became a rage for the yuppies who are in search of a new to dining out in style.
I first heard of shabu-shabu when I was in Singapore. We went to this Seoul Garden in Bugis. I thought it was Korean sans the name. But after a few tinkering with Google i have found out that its actually Japanese. Anyhoo, they are all the same to me because of their common denominator - noodles.
One hot Thursday afternoon, we have decided to eat out to this shabu-shabu for lunch. Though its not really a good thing slurping hot soup on a 38 degrees temperature, we decided to check the place.
Hiding among the buildings along Airport Road. This restaurant could definitely bring out the noodle monster in me. The name of the restaurant is something you would defintely forget after 30 seconds of reading it. The name above the entrance door is Inner Mongolia Xiao Wei Yang Catering China. How's that for a mouthful?
But the plate says Little Lamb. quite confusing, I'll stick to the little lamb name thing. It's more recognizable and easy to remember. So we ordered a big hot pot with the shape of yin yang symbol. The other half is for the ordinary soup and the other red one is the spicy one. Thin slices of beef and chicken were next to be delivered on our table. Then the noodles, the seafoods and the vegetables. We dunked everything into the hot pot and wait for it to boil.
After a few stirring, it was boiling and everyone can't wait to dig in. We sample the spicy first, and yes it was as good as I imagine it to be. Tangy and spicy. Just the way I like it. The noodles were also good but too slippery.
We also ordered grilled chicken wings. Definitely the best chicken wings I have tasted. This I think this is one of their best sellers. No wonder people are queueing just to dine in this restaurant. We were 11 sharing that huge hot pot and we only paid AED 252.00 Not bad.
But apart from this restaurant, I was also informed that another shabu-shabu is also offering the same but with better tasting food. That remains to be a quest I have to conquer. Till next weekend I guess.
For now, I will settle for a good meal at this LIttle Lamb.
I first heard of shabu-shabu when I was in Singapore. We went to this Seoul Garden in Bugis. I thought it was Korean sans the name. But after a few tinkering with Google i have found out that its actually Japanese. Anyhoo, they are all the same to me because of their common denominator - noodles.
One hot Thursday afternoon, we have decided to eat out to this shabu-shabu for lunch. Though its not really a good thing slurping hot soup on a 38 degrees temperature, we decided to check the place.
Hiding among the buildings along Airport Road. This restaurant could definitely bring out the noodle monster in me. The name of the restaurant is something you would defintely forget after 30 seconds of reading it. The name above the entrance door is Inner Mongolia Xiao Wei Yang Catering China. How's that for a mouthful?
But the plate says Little Lamb. quite confusing, I'll stick to the little lamb name thing. It's more recognizable and easy to remember. So we ordered a big hot pot with the shape of yin yang symbol. The other half is for the ordinary soup and the other red one is the spicy one. Thin slices of beef and chicken were next to be delivered on our table. Then the noodles, the seafoods and the vegetables. We dunked everything into the hot pot and wait for it to boil.
After a few stirring, it was boiling and everyone can't wait to dig in. We sample the spicy first, and yes it was as good as I imagine it to be. Tangy and spicy. Just the way I like it. The noodles were also good but too slippery.
We also ordered grilled chicken wings. Definitely the best chicken wings I have tasted. This I think this is one of their best sellers. No wonder people are queueing just to dine in this restaurant. We were 11 sharing that huge hot pot and we only paid AED 252.00 Not bad.
But apart from this restaurant, I was also informed that another shabu-shabu is also offering the same but with better tasting food. That remains to be a quest I have to conquer. Till next weekend I guess.
For now, I will settle for a good meal at this LIttle Lamb.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
A City Within a City: Masdar City
It was one of those few occasions that my husband and I decided to explore the city and look for good eats. So we picked Masdar City.
I first heard about Masdar city from an officemate. My curiosity was piqued when she told me about solar panels and driverless cars. That I've got to see. It was not the food and the cost of the food. It was what the city was all about. So I began to learn about this city within the city.
Masdar city was planned and built to be sustainable and energy efficient city. Every aspect of the place is a product of thorough research of maximizing the space, the location of windows and doors, even the shadows that will be cast by the buildings are being considered.
Going there was quite tedious, despite the printed map I got from their website, the going there was simply different from what you read on the directions. So we took Airport Road taking the road heading to Dubai. There were signages that indicates Masdar city and Presidential flight. We took two wrong turns that's why we ended up driving for nearly an hour just to look for the place.
The institution is a working progress. Ongoing construction activities are evident when you enter the area. Only a few streetlights were being used so there are dark areas. Some guards are scattered in the area and they could give you directions going to the main building entrance.
When we got to the parking area. We went through an entrance where a receiving area is decked with the scale size model of the entire city is in the center. A big screen of a world map is showing packets of information about demography and environmental issues of every country in the world. on the other side of the receiving area is individual doors where the driverless cars are parked. They call this the PRT (Personal Rapid Transit).
Excited to try out this technology, we head to the available car and took the ride going to the main commercial area. The 2 minute ride was pretty fun. The interior of the car has two seats facing each other. A screen on the right side shows information about the city. What is amazing about this driverless cars, it doesn't have train tracks where it moves. I was so impressed.
Then we get there, and asked some directions going to Sumo restaurant. We took the stairs and another door and a turn to right, and we saw this huge open courtyard where the restaurant is located and a tall tower is standing tall in the middle of the courtyard.
We were the only customer at Sumo. I ordered Beef BBQ and hubby ordered Chicken Katsu plus gyoza ramen. I was so ecstatic because they have gyoza. We didn't wait too long for our order, and it was all sumptuous. Plus the price was not that high. Total cost for the dinner was AED 125.00
We walked a little around the courtyard, and realized that tower housing a lighted structure inside is one of the energy storage from the solar panels that lights up the city. Fantastic.
Since it was already late, we didn't roam around more. But with everything that has been complicated and are already running, the place has definitely the potential of finally presenting that a sustainable city is possible if we are going to pursue it.
I first heard about Masdar city from an officemate. My curiosity was piqued when she told me about solar panels and driverless cars. That I've got to see. It was not the food and the cost of the food. It was what the city was all about. So I began to learn about this city within the city.
Masdar city was planned and built to be sustainable and energy efficient city. Every aspect of the place is a product of thorough research of maximizing the space, the location of windows and doors, even the shadows that will be cast by the buildings are being considered.
Going there was quite tedious, despite the printed map I got from their website, the going there was simply different from what you read on the directions. So we took Airport Road taking the road heading to Dubai. There were signages that indicates Masdar city and Presidential flight. We took two wrong turns that's why we ended up driving for nearly an hour just to look for the place.
The institution is a working progress. Ongoing construction activities are evident when you enter the area. Only a few streetlights were being used so there are dark areas. Some guards are scattered in the area and they could give you directions going to the main building entrance.
When we got to the parking area. We went through an entrance where a receiving area is decked with the scale size model of the entire city is in the center. A big screen of a world map is showing packets of information about demography and environmental issues of every country in the world. on the other side of the receiving area is individual doors where the driverless cars are parked. They call this the PRT (Personal Rapid Transit).
Excited to try out this technology, we head to the available car and took the ride going to the main commercial area. The 2 minute ride was pretty fun. The interior of the car has two seats facing each other. A screen on the right side shows information about the city. What is amazing about this driverless cars, it doesn't have train tracks where it moves. I was so impressed.
Then we get there, and asked some directions going to Sumo restaurant. We took the stairs and another door and a turn to right, and we saw this huge open courtyard where the restaurant is located and a tall tower is standing tall in the middle of the courtyard.
We were the only customer at Sumo. I ordered Beef BBQ and hubby ordered Chicken Katsu plus gyoza ramen. I was so ecstatic because they have gyoza. We didn't wait too long for our order, and it was all sumptuous. Plus the price was not that high. Total cost for the dinner was AED 125.00
We walked a little around the courtyard, and realized that tower housing a lighted structure inside is one of the energy storage from the solar panels that lights up the city. Fantastic.
Since it was already late, we didn't roam around more. But with everything that has been complicated and are already running, the place has definitely the potential of finally presenting that a sustainable city is possible if we are going to pursue it.
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