The Era of Milk cakes

I would be lying if I deny the fact that my frequent appreciation for milk cakes is what keeps me away from becoming a size zero model. I am so glad that milk cakes have made their way into the dessert industry and recently we can see so many variations in terms of flavors available when ordering one. The most famous ones I have come across are saffron, pistachio and rose while a few are going the extra mile with karak and faluda milk cakes on the menu.

I visited London dairy bistro to enjoy their milk cakes on the occasion of Eid. They had three flavors to choose from; pistachio, rose and plain milk cake. So I went for rose and pistachio. For some strange reason the pistachio milk cake was 10 aed pricier than the rose one. I personally loved the flavors and loved the rose milk cake more than pistachio perhaps it was more rich and slightly more sweeter than the latter.

Honestly, there are only a few desserts that fail to impress me but I wouldn’t recommend you this place for milk cakes because I have had better in the same price. Luxuriously Satisfying desserts at The Living Room

But I want you to try these out and let me know what you think. 🙂

August 18, 2019 0

Brunch at Bakemart Gourmet

My husband loves having breakfast here but this time we decided to visit Barsha branch and also invited guests. Being terribly in love with the smell of their freshly baked breads and those gorgeous cakes you get to see when you enter, we roamed around the bread station until our guests arrived. They took so long that it was almost lunch time so we all ended up ordering mains.

We ordered corn tabbouleh as starter. It was loaded with parsley, corn, tomato, onion, couscous, mint leaves, spring onions all drenched in arabic dressing. This was served with khubuz.

We had their fillet steak and mushroom which comes with mashed potato, poached vegetables and dark mushroom sauce. Loved the flavors here but the steak itself was really over cooked. I did tell them that I like my steak well done but I didn’t say rubbery.

The other dish we tried was chicken scallop. Now this one was a stunner, loved every bit of the crispy fried chicken topped with herbs cheese and that demi glazed sauce was beautiful. This came with a handful of french fries.

The other dish we ordered was the chicken chasseur; it comes with sauteed vegetables and mashed potatoes and a mushroom sauce. The mushroom sauce here was way better than the one with chicken scallop. But the chicken itself was overcooked and disappointed us.

August 6, 2019 0

Expect the best from Manoushe street

Known for their mouth watering Levantine cuisine from healthy breakfasts to nutritious wraps and pizzas along with old time Lebanese favorites Manakeesh & kaak; all in a street corner bakery set up. This time I tried their delivery service from the Mizhar outlet located in aswaq mall. The delivery was efficient and everything was packed neatly especially the dessert jar and salad bowl.

I tried the Long life quinoa salad which comprised of beetroot, perfectly cooked quinoa, pomegranate, flax seeds, leafy greens with an amazing blueberry balsamic dressing that binds it all together in a fantastic way.

Since I am an absolute fan of flavored green teas, I was ecstatic to see chun mei green tea on their menu and so I tried it. This one was ginger, honey and lemon grass blended nicely with brewed green tea. I found it a bit on the stronger side, so I suggest you drink it cold because it tastes way better that way. The kick you get from ginger here is super intense.

Pepperoni pizza was the first one I butchered, it is always no brainer to order this one as its a sure shot to impress you and the guests, the pepperoni was fresh and juicy while the cheesy bread made a wonderful base.

Zaatar manakeesh was ever so fresh, in addition to this; it was garnished with fresh herbs and diced tomatoes to enhance the flavor.

The street style Burek was my favorite, this one was beefyshroom. Strips of beef, onions, bell peppers are all tucked in a crusty dough with 3 kinds of cheese and then baked. Just grab this as soon as it arrives because its best enjoyed hot.

The dessert was lotus cheesecake labelled as “addictive lotus cheesecake” on the menu. I have zero doubts about this dessert being addictive since the caramelized lotus melts in mouth with velvety soft creame cheese. Please don’t leave without trying this one!

July 22, 2019

Chase the flavors with Manoushe street

Manoushe street has always been the talk of foodies for as long as I remember but I never really got a chance to try them out. Last week I accepted a blogger’s meet invite after a month I guess and I am so happy that I went there and tried their menu because it they had various combination of breads, salads, pizzas, wraps, Labenese kaak and manakeesh.

What I loved the most was how all manakeesh and pizza had this soft doughy bread that tasted beautiful along with their toppings. If you are a vegetarian then you my friend are in luck because they serve amazing veg manakeesh and pizza. Their potato wedges and homemade hummus was pretty awesome to begin with.

From pizza, I tried pepperoni pizza and three cheese pizza where my favorite was the pepperoni one. It was fresh, juicy pepperoni and the soft base made so much sense. Also, I would totally recommend you order their baked halloumi; even if you are not a halloumi fan. These guys bake it to perfection.

The tidbites with zaatar and spinach were also very nice. I specifically admired the sujuk because it was loaded with cheese and chicken. Tastes so much like a quesadilla but only more in terms of filling.

Thanks for having me Team Manoushe street, your service and quality of food was amazing.

July 3, 2019 0

Play with fire at the Wok’s Den

Wok’s Den is a nice restaurant located in Jumeirah 1 near La Mer with free parking and some really cool dragon graffiti on the walls inside. The kitchen has giant glass windows so you can watch the chefs in action while your food is being prepared.

The service is top notch! Our server made sure we were comfortable and helped us decide different dishes from the menu. Since we were fasting, the staff made sure that all our food was ready a minute before sunset so that we won’t have to wait and that made me feel super happy.

So we ordered Dragon shrimps and stir fried momos with schezuwan sauce for appetizers. The dragon shrimps were absolutely lip smacking, super creamy and soft to chew. The momos were an instant hit because the filling was so flavorsome and generous and the final toss in schezuwan sauce was ethereal.

For drinks, I ordered a pistachio shake and their specialty drink called Dragon’s Fuel which is suoer fun cocktail that has an intense kick of spice to it. Its literally like the sweet tangy and spicy gummy bears. I would recommend you go for it but have it in small sips instead of gulping it all in one go. Whereas the pistachio shake was great too!

For the wok, I chose soba noodles, mushrooms, snow peas, bok choy, sweet corn, black pepper sauce with chicken stripes. Loved the flavors in there and it wasn’t loaded with salt and chilli. The combination of flavors was just perfect. Wanna see how the wok was made? go check my Instagram page 😉

Then we had the triple schezuwan fried rice which were subtle and flavorful. They also have a black bean chilli sauce on the table that you can add to your food as you like. It was actually amazing and not too hot.

For Dessert, their coconut fried icecream was so delicious. I know it sounds so simple but please try it. Thank you Team Wok’s Den for the wonderful iftaar. Can’t wait to drop by soon 🙂

June 1, 2019 0

The cake that broke my heart…

Magnolia bakery is the prettiest, chic bakery that you will ever come across in Dubai especially if we talk about the bakeries in malls. I’m sure you have had their banana pudding and I have to tell you that I literally dream of their salted caramel banana pudding because its absolutely delicious.

Recently, I was craving for a moist chocolate-y cake and so I headed over to Magnolia as they have beautiful cakes. After much thought I decided to go for the Devil’s food cake because it was made with dutch cocoa that creates a darker sort of chocolate and I am always ready for pure dark chocolate any day. A giant beautiful slice came on my table and I took lots of pictures and poked my fork in. I had a few bites and realized that it was dry 😦 and it needed some kind of moisture in the sponge. The buttercream frosting was perfect but the cake’s sponge itself was a little rough. The price was 28 Aed for one slice and I think its fair but I wish the cake was good.

This just broke my heart because I genuinely love desserts and cakes. So its pretty difficult for the cake monster inside me to be disappointed. I am still going to return and try another dessert from here and then update this blog 🙂

May 1, 2019 0

Jordanian cafe in downtown Dubai

Tche Tche premier is a quite fun place to spend a weekend evening at. They have separate area for smokers (outside) while inside for non-smokers. There’s even a play area for kids inside and so many LED screens to watch game on. The interiors are simple and neat, what stands out most is their superb service that won’t let you down. Our server “Nadine” guided best for their best dishes and cocktails.

We started off with the sea food sampler that priced at 70 aed and is loaded with crunchy calamari, crispy panko shrimps, mozzarella sticks and lots of french fries with dip. I absolutely loved this, especially the panko shrimps that were crisp and delicious. However my favorite part of this was the fact that it came in such big portion size that can be shared among two and the masala that was garnished on the fries :p

Then we had Chicken Escallop Funghi which is basically a chicken steak topped with melted mozzarella cheese paired with mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables. Loved the creamy mushroom sauce that accompanied this, it was spot on! Priced at 60 aed.

For sandwich we ordered the chicken zinger but it felt more like a crispy chicken sandwich as it had turkey slices in there as well. Nonetheless, the taste was amazing. The sandwich turned out pretty awesome. It was priced 45 aed

We also tried their house pizza that was priced at 48 aed and comprised of tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, parmesan cheese and beef bites. I know what you’re thinking, that these all would make one hell of a pizza but there was something missing for me. I would say may be the spice quotient could have been a bit better. But if you like low food then this will be an instant hit for you.

We were so full with all the scrumptious delicacies that we skipped dessert but wait! their cocktails satisfied our sweet tooth because they were literally yum! I felt they were more like milk shakes, I had the summer cocktail (mango, banana, strawberry, vanilla icecream, avocado and mango) priced 32 aed and TCHE’s (strawberry, banana and vanilla icecream) priced 32 aed as well. Loved the way these cocktails were presented.

Thank you for having us Team Tche Tche premier. Your service was absolutely wonderful, special thanks to Chef Sayed from Jordan who served us amazing dishes. Thank you.

April 30, 2019 0

Buttermilk fried chicken experts in Dubai

I am an absolute fan of succulent and crispy buttermilk fried chicken and while roaming around city walk in Dubai, I happen to find this place “Clinton street bakers” who are actually located in a less crowded kinda dark alley with decent vibes, the restaurant interior is really pleasing, gorgeous comfy chairs and candle light feels.

I instantly ordered their best seller chicken and waffle that is also on their breakfast menu, I also ordered a fried chicken salad and toddler’s meal; mac and cheese

The food arrived so quickly, first up- my toddler’s mac and cheese was amazing. They made it with precision and added extra cheese for the child. It made me so happy. My chicken and waffles were oh-so-good! the portion size was way too much for one person, I suggest you share it between two people with large appetite. What I loved most about this dish was the waffles that were extra fluffy and melt in mouth, i wish there was a buffalo sauce to accompany this dish which would have made it even more amazing.

Fried chicken salad was top notch. The fried chicken strips in there were super crispy yet not heavily battered. I enjoyed my dining experience here and I would recommend you to have the chicken and waffles here 🙂

April 18, 2019 0

Aromatic cuisine at Al Arz bakery

It is a very popular restaurant and bakery in sharjah and Ajman where they serve outstanding barbecue, shawarmas and a whole lot of other items. They have a huge bakery inside where you can buy freshly baked breads, cookies, marinated meat on skewers, kofta and so much more. The good thing is that every item has an expiry date mentioned on it to make sure that you are consuming fresh foods only.

They have an enormous space with aromatic grilled meat surrounding you once you sit inside. What I admire the most is their pocket friendly prices on the menu. Everything is just super affordable and tasty. Their service is amazing and everything is made inside in the kitchen from breads to meat. Everything!

I tried their chicken and cheese manakeesh which was spot on! Both in terms of flavor and quality. The filling was fantastic and it was served straight from the oven.

I also had their mixed grill platter which is composed of grilled meat, grilled kofta, kebab halabi and chicken kebab along with french fries. It is a pure treat for carnivores as the meat is cooked to perfection, juicy on the inside and charred from the outside.

I highly recommend you visit this place.

January 21, 2019 0

Snap! Crackle! Pop! Britannia brunch at The Address Hotel Downtown Dubai

Just the idea of visiting The Address hotel in Downtown Dubai makes one feel jittery and excited. So, was my situation. The moment I walked into the hotel, the lavish lobby and beautiful decor caught my attention. Upon reaching the restaurant, warm aromatic cuisine surrounded me from everywhere. That paired with the unbeatable view of the tallest building in the world.

I chose the non-alcoholic package for brunch and went ahead to explore different stations. Started off from the salad corner where all the fresh vegetables in different varieties were present. Followed by this was the bread spread where various kinds of breads were showcased. I tried so many types and ended up liking them all.

We were served a fresh jug of exotic fruits infused non-alcoholic cocktail which was a blend of gingerale, lime juice juice, sugar syrup and pomegranate juice. Absolutely loved this. There were fresh slices of strawberries and lemon with cucumber floating on top that gave this drink such a refreshing touch.

As I walked past the kitchen counter, I witnessed the head chef passing orders to the kitchen staff i:e his team and all of them roared “Yes Chef”. It was so surreal! almost felt like watching an episode of Masterchef live. All the food served was fresh and warm, especially the prawns. They were the best crispy prawns that I have ever tasted. Beautifully cooked beef and chicken kebabs, fancy hot dogs with mustard and ketchup toppings, honey glazed chicken drumsticks and the juicy mini burgers are just a few items on my hit list from this brunch.

When the mains were served on our table, the presentation of each and every item stood out. Especially the rotisserie chicken, that charred look on top with fresh pop of green vegetables was pretty amazing. The roast of the day was Lamb that was paired with roasted vegetables. Lamb was cooked to perfection, it teared away with a single poke of fork. The lamb gravy served with it was so luscious and intense, I even added some of this to the mashed potatoes and enjoyed.

One dish that particularly stood out was the Salmon en croute. Lightly seasoned salmon was enclosed in a fresh puff pastry and the moment you break it open into half, salmon is uniformly distributed inside. Simply loved this one!

For desserts, I had my heart set on the ravishing red velvet and fabulous chocolate fudge cakes. They were so pretty that it took me quite a few shots to get just that perfect one but even those won’t do justice to how deliciously constructed these cakes were.

We were served a dessert platter on the table that included Eton mess, ice cream, sticky toffee cake and signature crumble with custard. These were divine, my favorite was the signature crumble where you can actually enjoy the warm crumble melting in your mouth. I would also like to mention here that the ice creams were remarkable.

If you’re looking for quality meal with gorgeous views then this Britannia brunch is for you!

January 19, 2019 0

Guilt-free pizza from Freedom Pizza

It’s almost so common that we tick off pizza from the list of food while thinking of our health. Solely because its always high in calories and loaded with cheese. Freedom pizza is famous for their healthy twists on pizza, desserts and garlic breads. They have carefully constructed each recipe bearing in mind that any person who is on gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, keto diets may enjoy their pizzas with zero guilt.

The pizza was right on time even though the delivery outlet was at least 30 minutes away from my home. Not only this but all the pizzas were packed neatly, warm and fresh with tangy marinara sauces. packed separately.

I was really looking forward to have their cauliflower crusted pizza which was extremely delicious, I wouldn’t have imagined that its a cauliflower crust given that the flavors and texture did complete justice to the concept of pizza in general.

Then I had the viva las vegan and felt that the bread was a little dry and could use some kind of moisture. But the toppings were brilliant! Red sauce, vegan sausage, vegan cheese, mixed pepper, spring onion, balsamic onion, basil and parsley were rocking altogether. Overall it was pretty amazing.

I literally love their mozzarella bread sticks, these were chewy pull apart kinda bread pieces. Highly recommend this as a side to your pizza.

I also tried their mango and strawberry cheesecakes that were quite different mainly because they were gluten free and vegan. But not bad though! You should definitely give these a try.

You may even create/customize your own pizza with a wide variety of toppings to choose from.

January 14, 2019 0

Bite off more than you can chew at Uncle tea

Uncle tea is a nice space in barsha serving back to school, classic snacks on such pocket friendly rates. They have quirky quotes outside the eatery and casual seating area with some colorful interiors. You will love eating outdoors here, with the city views.

I fell in love with the place the moment I saw a giant picture of Albert Einstein sipping tea. Also, princess Kate was next to him. The flooring is so pretty that I actually took a separate picture of it.

We ordered aalu samosas that were so delicious, the filling was generous and loaded with good quality spices. We paired them up with uncle tea that was a comforting cup of tea evidently cooked with ginger and cardamom. Tasted brilliant!

We then had the crispy chicken wrap which was supremely delicious and simple. Also, their chicken burger was amazing. The burger patty itself had such bags of flavors packed inside. Loved it!

I ordered vanilla bubble tea but since they were out of lychee boba, I settled for tapioca and didn’t like it that much but it was pretty decent though.

I urge you to visit these guys and enjoy a windy evening sipping uncle tea along with the tasty snacks off course!.

January 13, 2019 0