Barbecue Delights- Fit for a King

I am so impressed with the food here that I am trying to find a perfect blend of words to compile this blog post. Barbecue Delights is a buffet based on staple Pakistani dishes along with some Indian meals too. Their ambiance is soulful and filled with different colors and wall art that basically represents Pakistani truck art. Their service is extremely amazing and this is one buffet where you don’t care “how many” dishes are there, simply because each and every dish is genuinely packed with bags of flavor and stands out. Also, the food is super quality wise, its always steaming hot no matter which dish you look into.

Starters: (Chaat)

Speaking of Pakistani buffets, one may never start their meal skipping the chaat and I am basically referring to myself here because chaat works like an insight into how good the others meals would be.
So, I got the basic pani puri which was served with sweet and sour chatni. The sweet chutney was intense and lusciously thick while the sour one was diluted to perfection and their blend in the pani puri tasted absolutely amazing.

Salad selection:

There were numerous salads along with the famous Baingan ki burhani that’s actually spiced yoghurt where egg plants are cooked in tamarind chutney floating on top. This area included fresh hummus, beetroot salad with sesame seeds, coleslaw with sweet corn, Tabbouleh and freshly sliced cucumbers/lemon wedges.

Mains:

I will start with the bbq items and then gradually walk you through the rest of main courses available. The bbq items that caught my attention first were the fried fish and fried prawns that looked so beautiful because of their color, they had a lovely golden coating and you won’t believe me when I tell you that they tasted even better than they looked.
The fish was marinated in just the right amount of spices, it was not tossed in extreme flavors which helps give you the usual flavor of fish along with the subtle spices. The prawns were super too.

Fried Prawns

Fried Fish

Then I lifted the mutton and chicken reshmi kebab dish and the smoke that came out of there was aromatic and tempting. I had unlimited kebabs, so much that I didn’t even kept a count. They were tender, juicy and full of flavors.

Then I jumped on the opportunity to gobble up some delicious beef haleem and mutton karhayi. Haleem was so amazing, usually in most buffets they over spice the haleem and it looses its original taste but here it was just perfect. Mutton Karhayi was state of the art. The blend of spices in it were spot on!

Coming from Karachi,Pakistan; one has awfully high standards of chicken biryani. It just breaks my heart when I order biryani and see coriander leaves or curry leaves on top of it. If you wanna know what a Pakistani biryani looks like, look no further but below.

chicken biryani

kabuli pulao

The kabuli pulao was comforting and light. Perfectly seasoned.

A Pakistani buffet without nihari simply does not exist. We eat nihari for breakfast, lunch and dinner all year long. Their nihari was so amusing for the tastebuds and the meat was so tender that one can not resist.

Obviously, you are going to need a tangy drink to settle all these spicy delicacies. I chose the lahori soda and I’m so glad I opted for this one (as recommended by our serving guy) it was exactly like a spicy candy I grew up having called “Churan Chatni”. Despite of its strong flavor, it also aids in digestion.

Desserts:

With respect to the occasion of Diwali, there were fresh mithai with my favorite moti chur laddoo and besan k laddoo.

Also, there were hot jalebi and gulab jamun (please excuse me while I drool a little)

If you’re thinking this is it, then nope! there are more desserts like shahi tukray, fruit custard, egg pudding, badami kheer (this one was my favorite) and jelly for kids.

We ended our meal with a cup of karak chai that blew us away with how lovely it tasted. Thank you so much for having us over Team Barbecue Delights, we loved every bit of our dining experience here and we promise to keep coming back for all of these extraordinary dishes.

To all my readers,
Barbecue Delights cater large events and parties, it is highly recommended to you from me.

November 9, 2018 0

Luxuriously Satisfying desserts at The Living Room

If you have a bossy sweet tooth that is not impressed easily then you have to check out ‘the living room” in Mercato Mall. They have a fancy pink vibe that’s quite evident the moment you step in. It’s not a big place but they have decorated it beautifully with sweet messages like the ones you can see in pictures below:

Tea time is a crime

This house runs on love, laughter, coffee and desserts

I was really impressed by the decor and great music playing throughout the time I dined in here.

Extremely challenging to pick a few treats out of a wide variety of drool worthy pretty desserts and drinks. I finally decided to go with unicorn roulade and pink karak milkcake (their best seller) along with a Rose pink latte.

The unicorn roulade was a dream come true for the kid in me because that slice of cake was super cute and layered with creme cheese with such perfection that it was balanced out when you look at it. Each layer was intact and colorful sprinkled with mini hearts on top to make your heart skip a beat.

Then I had the best milk cake of my life which was quaint and absolutely gorgeous from top to bottom. As, nowadays its all about theater food- the cake is topped with a giant fluffy pink cotton candy that melts away when you pour the rose milk concoction all over.

All these sweet treats paired fabulously with my Rose latte that was strong and not loaded with sugar. It had subtle hints of rose and needless to say that it looked amazing! Don’t believe me? Just watch!

Thank you so much for hosting me “The Living Room” I thoroughly enjoyed the treats and look forward to visiting you again.

November 4, 2018 1

Exhilarating meals at Baydar

Baydar is Lebanese food paradise with exhilarating bites as you dig into your meal. The interiors are simple and neat. Their service is commendable and the staff is well trained because they give amazing suggestions when you ask anything about the menu.
So, we started off with freshly squeezed orange juice and lemonade. I loved both the juices as they were fresh and not diluted with sugar or other ingredients.

We were served oven fresh bread with hand picked olives and pickled vegetables to munch on. The bread was velvety soft and when we teared it apart, we could see the smoke coming out. It paired so well with the Labneh served.

Starters:

For starters, we ordered Fattoush and Hummus which were individually incredible. I have had fattoush at numerous places in Dubai before but this was exceptionally good. The balsamic vinaigrette was diluted with subtle hints of sugar or jaggery that aided in the resulting flavor.

Hummus was pretty decent too and tasted really fresh.

Appetizers:

We ordered chicken shawarma samosa for appetizer because let’s just be honest about my feelings for samosa. Its the only snack that stays close to my heart and because shawarma samosa would have been something new so I decided to order it. It was absolutely delicious as it lived up to the name, tasted like a shawarma but felt like a samosa.

Mains:

We went all out’for the main course and ordered the chicken tikka tandoori style which was boneless and came with hand cut french fries and a fiery green chutney composed of mint, green chillies, coriander and parsley.

In awe of this dish as it was full of flavors and spices and finally grilled to perfection. The exciting moment was when we dipped the chicken fully in chutney and then took a bite of it. *pure love* I tell you!

Desserts:

I’m sure you are familiar with the famous middle eastern dessert called “Kunafe” that comes with either creame or cheese and lots of sugar syrup to pour on top. The Kunafe we had here was really different than the usual ones because it didn’t had a crispy top so usually a kunafe has crispy vermicelli on top that gives it crunchiness and I missed that element here. The cheese filling was pretty generous though!

Next, we had the rice pudding which was an instant hit for my toddler as he didn’t leave the bowl at all. The pudding was served cold (just the way we like it) and it was garnished with toasted almond shavings. It was so comforting.

Thank you for the amazing service and wonderful hospitality Team Baydar. I look forward to visiting you again soon.

November 2, 2018 0

Unlimited BBQ Buffet only for 55 Aed at The Grand Barbecue

Grand Barbecue is in Jumeirah where all the famous Pakistani/Indian buffet restaurants are located. It has a lot of space inside to fit a large group of people especially for parties or celebrations. Their staff is well trained and quite friendly, they are on their toes to serve you with a warm smile on their faces.

Chaat Station:

Started off with the chaat station that had so many chaat varieties lined up. I chose to have pani puri and mixed dahi puri chaat. Absolutely loved the chaat, it was loaded with sweet yoghurt and sev puri. I adore the fact that they were so generous with the chutneys.

Salad Corner:

I can totally survive on salads if they are as extravagant as they were here in this restaurant. A wide variety of vegetables in different dressings were available to enjoy!

License to Grill:

The best part of this buffet was that you don’t necessarily have to roam around and wait in long queues for the barbecue options because these guys place the grill on your table and refill it according to your liking.
The other great side is that they have so many options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians that includes paneer tikka, broccoli-zucchini-cauliflower grill, shrimps, fish, chicken and mushrooms.

Mains:

The main courses were simply amazing because all the staple Pakistani/Indian dishes were available. From dum chicken biryani to palak paneer, they’ve got it all!

Six types of different chutneys were served on the table that go along with any of these dishes perfectly well. There was also a separate pasta station but my desi soul didn’t turn that way. There were all kinds and shapes of pasta that were made to order according to your liking.

Desserts:

After I successfully stuffed myself with every grain of delicious food available here, I headed straight towards the desserts section where I finally lost my heart because there was everything I dreamed of having. My favorite was Mishti Doi that’s actually a famous Bengali dessert and is a thick creamy textured sweet dish with subtle hints of sweet and sour.

Kid’s favorites:

There were popcorns, french fries, papadum, chocolate fountain, icecream rolls and so much more for kids to enjoy as well.

Thank you for your wonderful service Team Grand Barbecue. I am definitely coming back with my entire family to enjoy all of this food.

October 30, 2018 0

They see me rollin’ – Sushi Sushi

Century village has several elegant restaurants inside that serve amazing food and Sushi Sushi is one of those. I shall mention this right away that I am not a sushi person and I wish to stay that way. I’m sure you’re thinking by now that why did I went here when I didn’t wanted to have sushi. well, their menu has some really nice dishes apart from sushi and that’s exactly what my blog will convey.

Mint Lemonade:

I found the mint lemonade extremely sweet for my liking. While there was no color to the drink, the taste was pretty strong.

Sushi galore:

I confess that I did scrape off rice from these sushi to try some and boy were they packed with lots of flavors or what?! Everyone who accompanied me to dinner that day was in awe of how good the sushi is. There were tuna sushi with caviar, crab sushi with avocado and finally smoke salmon sushi.

My absolute favorite was the crispy fried calamari that came with a spicy mayo dip. I was not a fan of any of the noodle dishes particularly because they were not seasoned enough for my palate.

Mains:

This is their best dish as part of the main course “chicken katsu curry” where the curry has a very warm and subtle flavor that pairs extremely well with the crispy fried chicken. They serve boiled rice on the side that also add up to this delicious equation.

Sweet endings:

I was so excited to see their dessert menu and because I have a thing for matcha, I instantly ordered matcha icecream, greentea icecream and my fellows ordered fried icecream (strawberry) and banana and apple tempura.
I loved the matcha and green tea icecream, they tasted exactly like their parent formula and were not sugar coated to fit in. Also, I like how the icecream was presented with simplicity that radiated through.

Not really a fan of the tempura and fried icecream, I found the coating to be too thick and heavy.

If you’re a sushi fan then you can not miss this place and its should be on your Bucket list! Thank you for your hospitality Sushi Sushi and please convey my regards to your hardworking chef and team.

October 28, 2018 0

Let your heart skip a beat at The Blacktap

This place needs no introduction, its widely famous and most people have it on their buck-eat lists already. I, on the other hand had been longing to visit but I guess I waited for an occasion and so I decided to have my birthday dinner here. Needless to say that I was impressed by the service, interiors, food and the gigantic birthday shake. Let me start off by telling you that if you are visiting with babies or children then you should dine in their outside seating area because its actually a pub and when I was there, 20 people were celebrating birthday and there was tobacco smoke everywhere so I didn’t feel comfortable sitting inside with my toddler.

The restaurant has a dark rustic ambiance as you will see in pictures below:

Burger-iffic!

I admit that I was primarily there for the oh-so-famous shakes but hey! It was my birthday so I ordered in their burgers as well. I was warned before hand that their portion sizes are just too large so I won’t be able to finish both items. Little does everyone know that my appetite is a monster itself.
Their burgers were absolutely smashing! I took the first bite out of my mexican chicken burger and it was like the entire world paused and I was no longer a part of this world. The burger was generously stacked with cheese, onion and tomatoes. Ok! enough of the description, just see the picture below:

The chicken patty itself was so flavorsome and juicy that it added to the taste of the entire burger. I chose sweet potato fries for the sides (not because they are healthy). Infact, while we are discussing this right now. Let me clear this confusion, sweet potato fries are actually higher in calories as compared to normal potato fries. People consider it to be healthy because it keeps you fuller for longer.

Blacktap special

This was their special burger that needs a long time to be described because its just worth it. Oh my God! it was the mother of all burgers, the wagyu beef patty was out of this world. Garnished with arugula leaves shuffled in vinaigrette played an integral part in the glory of this beauty.

Birthday Shake

They have a wide variety of freak shakes and i think they are nailing all of those but I wanted to order the Cake shake to respect the occasion. The shake was topped with an enormous slice of birthday cake with million confetti and whipped cream with cherry on top. It was so beautiful and the shake had icecream in it blended with the vanilla frosting to just sweep my feet off the floor.

October 25, 2018 0

Food with a story to tell- Once Upon a Bite

Karama (Dubai) has some serious food game going on that attracts a fair chunk of foodies (like me) every now and then. Once upon a bite is a dining experience down the memory lane that reminds one of home cooked meals and the flavors, just like a mother makes for her children. The restaurant genuinely believes in people sharing conversations over the comfort food they serve.

The restaurant has a friendly feel with peaceful music playing delivers a relatively soothing ambiance. There are so many colorful quotes and animated graphics covering the walls that it fairly qualifies as an instagram-able restaurant.

Burp!

I was welcomed with a gorgeous “masala coke” that’s actually diluted coca cola with masala mixed well and garnished with mint on top. This was my first time trying a masala cola ever and I was just blown away by how refreshing this drink was.

Chatter on a platter-

I was then served a nice big bowl of chicken sausage maggi that tasted like childhood on a plate. Growing up in Pakistan/India, one has several memories attached with instant noodles and the restaurant is just delivering that to us all. That too on such affordable rates.

Later, I had this amazing aalu paratha on my table with a creamy yoghurt dip that was the right balance of sweet and sour. The paratha was made of whole wheat and was not flaky at all, the potato filling inside was pretty generous and uniform throughout.

Also had the privilege to try their famous “shaadi wali coffee” that becomes clearer once you sip the coffee. It comes in a cute orange designed cup that has a nice story on its back. The coffee is garnished with chocolate powder and tastes just like the ones we used to enjoy on a wedding ceremony back in our hometowns.

shaadi wali coffee

Thanks a bunch for hosting me Once Upon a Bite. Chef Ajay really outdid himself by serving me some really nice dishes. I’m glad I dined in here and I would recommend it to all of my friends and readers.

October 20, 2018 0

Let food do the talking at Bisso’s Bakery

A place that swears by the rule “Do it with passion or not at all” lives up to it in every way. When I walked into the bakery, I was surrounded by beautiful aroma of freshly baked treats. And then the visuals of different buns and pastries just add cherry on top. The place is equipped with simple yet classy interiors that impart cozy and rustic ambiance.

Coffee- The elixir of life

We started off with a giant cup of organic latte prepared on spot.

Baking the difference!

I’m pretty sure that this one is a newbie that’s going to sweep your feet off the floor once you get to taste it. This is Flayfeh & Akkawi that was actually flat bread covered in spicy pickled sauce where you can evidently spot nigella seeds and sesame seeds. The sauce is lip smacking good and pairs amazingly well with the cheese.

Then we tried Baladi with pomegranate molasses that were star ingredient in this dish. You need to have a palate for this dish. Fortunately, I discovered only here that I do. It was absolutely tasty with the tender minced meat and sweet pomegranate.

I bet you have had Kibbeh before several times but this is an absolute MUST have. Because it comes with stir fried onions, bell peppers and is garnished with sumac and parsley that all makes sense when you eat them together. The pita bread serves as bed and blanket for the meat balls that are Kibbeh.

I’m really going to be honest here by letting you all know that this is the dish I will be going for ANY DAY of the year because it just lights up my taste buds and makes me fall in love with honey mustard sauce all over again. I mean who doesn’t adore the combination of honey mustard sauce with chicken that’s baked? But the real information here is that this sauce is made from scratch; that’s the reason behind its gorgeous flavor.

Potato and Chicken in Honey Mustard sauce

This place opens up as early as 7 am and that means you should definitely grab this Zaatar cheese double braid bun after your morning run. Why you ask? Because its freshly baked and zaatar interlocked with cheese tastes like heaven.

I have never had Salmon before but this Smoked Salmon star just made my day. And its actually because the bread underneath that salmon has three kinds of cheese to give a distinct flavor that works amazingly well with salmon.

Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all.

Nope, those aren’t my words. (But my thoughts sync with it). So, if you read Bisso’s Bakery’s menu carefully. You’ll read this and once you try their menu, you will know how true this is. It was just so challenging for me to decide which dish I would like to order the next time I visit and that very moment, desserts arrived. *Gasp*

Remember when I recommended you their double braid bun for breakfast? well, just add the granola cup and mango chia seed pudding to that list. Because these babies speak for themselves.

I can go on and on for weeks to describe how delicious the zebra cup was. It was actually layers of moist chocolate cake, home made custard and a lusciously intense chocolate sauce. That sounds like a dessert where you can finally drown your sorrows in Huh?

Charcoal Bun filled with butterscotch sauce

Rose Lemonade

See that drool worthy charcoal bun? It was loaded with butterscotch sauce and the rose lemonade actually has rose petals floating on top that add so much intensity to the flavor altogether.

I would really like to thank Bisso’s Bakery for introducing me to amazing food that I had no idea exists. Every item on your menu is pure, quality rich and is packed with bags of flavor. I can not wait to return to have all of this again.

October 14, 2018 0

Go Green with Spoon & Glaze

Located in the world’s largest mall, The Dubai Mall. Spoon & Glaze has aesthetically pleasing interiors and some mouth watering desserts that look like real floral plants. This is because they swear by environment friendly policy which includes wooden cutlery, clay pots for desserts and mud mugs for all kinds of drinks. Even for take away, they wrap your dessert nicely in a paper bag that says “Together we grow”. I took a dozen pictures of the floral interiors that I’m gong to show you below:

Finger licking good!

We started off with earth cake that had a purple flower on top and lots of oreo creme inside. It actually felt like you are digging your spoon into a plant. It tasted really nice.

Then came the Sand cake that was pistachio flavored. I liked it best because the pistachio creme was not overly sweet and had the perfect texture.

Third item on the menu was Mud cake that was presented with attention to detail as the filo nest sat perfectly in the middle of nutella. But it was too sweet for my liking.

Positivi-TEA

I got their berry tea that was really refreshing and paired well with all the sweet desserts. But most importantly, can I get a hallelujah for the classy mug they served this tea in?

They also served us some hot Basbousa that tasted really good, only if you like Basbousa in general.

Showstopper Kunafe

Their Kunafe was literally drool worthy, it was the best I have had. The gooey rich pastry was filled with sweet cheese filling topped with generous drizzle of sugar syrup. Although, I would have loved to try orange blossom drizzle over it but nevertheless, it tasted amazing.

Thank you for having me Spoon & Glaze. And special thanks to Rex who walked me through each dessert. Your service was excellent and I look forward to visiting you again.

October 11, 2018 0

Keep calm and unwind at The Hungry Monkey

When I planned to visit Hungry Monkey, I was not sure how my experience would be because their menu generally revolves around signature alcoholic drinks and the place is basically a pub. Now, I am strongly adhered to the idea of avoiding intoxicants of any sort including alcohol. Thanks to Team Hungry monkey and their generous staff for hosting an awesome spread for me that includes non-alcoholic mocktails and a wide variety of snacks, appetizers and a lip smacking maincourse.

The hungry monkey has this cozy, dark ambiance with the DJ playing some awesome music and Val (Bartender) makes sure your drinks are catered to perfection.

They served me a trio platter with some peanuts, cucumber & carrot dipped in lemon juice and crisps to munch on while I wait for other dishes to arrive.

In no time, our table was full of delicious treats like mozzarella sticks, fried fish, french fries with thai sweet chilli sauce, mustard and marinara sauce.

I loved the fish so much that I was constantly gobbling it up. It was crisp, fresh and hot.

The mozzarella sticks were so heavenly, super gooey on the inside with endless cheese pull that added to the drool factor.

Absolutely smitten by this refreshing drink. It was composed of watermelon syrup, passion fruit, strawberry, coconut, pineapple juice, apple juice, lychee juice and creme. It was definition of a perfect tropical drink that helps you refresh as you gulp down every single sip.

Don’t chicken out!

Grilled chicken with a side of mashed potatoes, sauteed vegetables, grilled tomato and creamy mushroom sauce

I mean who expects such a pretty looking full fledged meal in a pub? Not me. I was completely surprised by this dish, when I poured the creamy mushroom sauce on top of this chicken. It all made sense.

Sip away!

This is my recommendation to you; that you definitely give this mocktail a go because it’s worth it. It comes in this beautiful bowl and is made up of 3 kinds of berries, 2 slices of lemon, sugar and soda.

The monkey punch is not your usual mocktail as its made up of cucumber, raspberry, lychee and basil syrup and lychee and apple juice. It imparts subtle hints of freshness as you sip away.

Thank you for having me The Hungry Monkey. Your service was amazing and you made me feel absolutely comfortable.

October 7, 2018 0

It’s raining chocolate at The Choco Monarch

If you are a Choco-holic like me, you are going to fall in love with this place and the amazing treats they serve. Before visiting Choco Monarch, I saw a few pictures online and wondered if everything would be too overly sweet and loaded with sugar but now that I have been here and had most of the items on their menu. I want to tell you: No! the desserts aren’t loaded with sugar, they are subtle and comforting with combinations of hot crepe/waffle/pancake with chilled scoops of Ice cream and yes the much raved about chocolate drizzle.

We started off with some awesome shakes and a nice cup of signature hot chocolate that looked so beautiful. Scroll down to witness this beauty.

Sweet tooth in trouble:

Their staff is pro when it comes to chocolate rain, see the pancake below that is plain in the first picture and then covered with milk and white chocolate in front of us; effortlessly.

Pancake before chocolate drizzle

Pancake after milk chocolate and white chocolate drizzle

Loved the combination of flavors here especially fresh citrus-y fruits on the side. Also, the portion size was pretty generous for almost all items.

Alright! so the winner for me was….. *drum roll* Pain Perdu- the french toast. I couldn’t have enough of it. It was so moist and subtle in terms of flavor, texture and the balance of sweetness was perfect.
Having said that, I wish there were options including dark chocolate on the menu. I think there are millions of dark chocolate fans out there too so it would be nice to see the menu expand.

Thank you so much for having me ChocoMonarch. I think its wonderful to finally find a place that treats you in such warm and friendly way and their desserts don’t cost you a fortune. It is one dessert experience that I will remember always 🙂

October 5, 2018 0

WokBoyz = Wok- Stars

I won’t bore you with bazillion wok puns and get straight to how sizzling the food is served at this place. Its not a proper restaurant and I like it that way, colorful and artistic walls surround the counter where you order your meals. They have two branches as of yet, one in Trade Center and the other in Dubai Internet City. People have been going crazy for their food because when I was here, there were constant phone calls received for orders and the chef definitely needed a break.

Juice up!

The only drink options I could choose from were fresh coconut water, freshly squeezed orange juice and soft drinks. But the good thing was that the juices were actually fresh and not just “labelled” as fresh. I tried the coconut water which was chilled and as refreshing as always. The orange juice was really good and I would recommend you to order that with your meal.

Appetizing appetizers!

I was actually here for just the wok but the appetizers were surprisingly amazing. I tried their vegetable spring rolls, prawn tempura, Sui Mai and Spicy Korean wings (which is actually their signature appetizer). It was so difficult to decide a winner here, but I would go with the spicy Korean wings any day of the year. They were perfectly fried and drenched in an amazing sauce that was balanced so beautifully, it was silky smooth to touch and smoking hot to taste. You better get some of that right now!

Wok like a captain! Eat like a Pirate

Please bear with me as I struggle to find words that will truly represent how much I loved their wok. I chose Indonesian sauce, chicken as my protein, soba noodles, broccoli and snow peas (sad, that you only get to choose two) and spicy level with fried garlic on top.
I think the wok was absolutely smashing, it was exactly how I wanted it to be and all the flavors made me super happy.

The only demerit of my visit to WokBoyz was that they took an hour to serve me this wok because they had so many orders coming in. I hope the next time, it won’t take so long.

Thank you for having me WokBoyz. Your food speaks for itself.

September 29, 2018 0