Fresh flavors from Meals corner

Meals corner located in Sharjah is serving a wide range of meals that mostly revolve around Indian or Indo-Chinese flavors. The restaurant is fairly neat with limited seating space. But their menu is surely amazing.

I started off with a plate of Dahi batata puri chaat which was quite appealing to look at but some flavors were lacking such as spicy hints from green chillies that are essentially a part of chaat in the form of a chutney.

Then I tried their chicken hot and sour soup that was served with complimentary spiral crackers. The soup was too sour for my liking but the broth that was the basis of this soup was very comforting and intense.

I then tried the chicken boneless tikka which was absolutely lip smacking good. The flavors were great, the green chutney that it comes with is super tasty. Don’t be shy when you dip tikka in chutney, be generous 🙂

Then came the chicken schezuan rice with red sauce, I found it particularly tasty, the chicken in rice was not heavily coated and tasted quite lovely. But my favorite was prawn dry chili which were super. The flavors here were so good especially the prawn itself was soft and subtle, not over cooked.

Thank You team Meals Corner for a great lunch.

December 10, 2019 0

Fall in love with grills again.

The city’s finest Grills restaurant has so much to offer such as Salmon, Lamb chops, Grilled pepper chicken and their Chinese Bhel that’s offered complimentary before your meal arrives is simply amazing.

What I loved most about Back to Grills was the fact that it is great in all three areas: Food, Look and feel of the restaurant and service. It is a fairly small place with outdoor seating available as well serving Grilled, Asian, Continental and BBQ cuisines. Their food hygiene has been rated Excellent, which is a plus point.

One cannot help but notice the colorful decor inside the restaurant including the creative wood art where the restaurant name plate is placed. The menu is vast with everything from salads to grills, shareable platters, Asian bowls, sizzlers, burgers, mocktails and milkshakes and so much more.

We started off with the chinese bhel that was refreshing unlike the heavy buns and cheese sticks you get as a complimentary starter in most of the restaurants. Our first item on the table was B2G fiery prawns that were a treat for the eyes and soul. Beautifully drenched in a coconut oil based marinade, the prawns were an absolute hit. I would like to mention here that the presentation was extra ordinary.

We then had shareable non-veg platter that comprised of shish tawok, smoked chicken leg, chicken tikka, turkish lamb kebabs and lamb boti. Everything on this platter was pretty good. I specifically loved the lamb kebabs, they were so tender and the combination of spices here was amazing.

On the side, I was sipping Pattaya Breeze that’s made from Guava, galangal (you can think of this as ginger’s sister) and tobasco. Yep! you heard that right! And it tastes beautiful! I would totally recommend you order this one.

I loved their asian bowl- Kung Pao chicken, the sauce was so tangy and intense and the noodles on the side were subtle with bits of fried garlic that paired so well together. I feel this should be a must have dish here.

For Dessert, I had to go with Tangerine baked yogurt as I was curious to what is this, Yes! I have never had baked yogurt which is why I wanted to try it here and I am so glad that I did. It was wonderful! The flavor was like having warm ricotta cheese with tangerine on a cold night. *gosh*

Thank you so much Team Back to grills for having us over. So impressed with the quality of food that I have already planned my next visit.

November 6, 2019 0

Sway with Pakistani spices at Des Pardes

Now I know that Pakistani restaurants generally share this reputation of un-hygienic and overly spiced food but I as a foodie confirm that the food you eat at a hawker stand is far better than the one you get at fine dining 5 star luxury restaurants. Des Pardes is a small cafeteria kind of place in Oud Mehta and they serve Karachiite cuisine that means coal smoked karhayi with layers of oil on top and crisp naan straight from tandoor.

The staff was so friendly, I had to pinch myself to realize that I am not in Pakistan just yet. We ordered Chicken peshawri karhayi that’s a north frontier delicacy in Pakistan. It is specially delicious because the amount of spices in here are quite low, the meat gives its original flavor in combination with tomatoes.

We also had the galawati kebab curry which was outstanding. The chefs nailed this one as it was packed with bags of flavors and a variety of spices. The kebabs itself were tender.

The chicken biryani wasn’t as good as I was expecting. Perhaps it needed more moisture, the masala was a tad bit dry but even then it tastes pretty decent.

The showstopper for me was the lassi. I have been extremely disappointed of the lassi standards here in Middle East because yogurt blended with sugar is considered as lassi at most of the restaurants. But I grew up having the perfectly proportioned milk and yogurt lassi and I am so glad that I found it at Des Pardes.

The best bit is that these guys are open 24 hours. I highly recommend you enjoy movie night on weekends and hit it to Des Pardes for mouth watering karhayi and grilled kebabs.

October 20, 2019 0

Just one of those days when dressing up feels like a chore and I end up eating in my car. Blessed to be in Dubai especially on such days because there are numerous dine-in-your-car places where people just park their cars and eat at the ease of their comfort. Headed over to Rabbash cafeteria in mamzar where finding a parking spot is always an issue but because it was a weekday, I found parking easily.

I ordered chicken funtasia and zinger chicken waffle burger, both came with curly fries and ketchup mayo. But the food took long time to arrive. I waited more than 30 minutes in the car and that left me a bit disappointed.

I liked funtasia, it was generously filled with black olives, cheese, chicken and onion bits. The bread wasn’t oily at all, I have had funtasia from numerous restaurants previously and most of them were dripping with oil but this one was nice and dry.

The zinger chicken waffle burger can be improved as the waffle was too doughy and not crispy at all. Believe me, I had it instantly so the fact that it wasn’t hot the moment they delivered it only gets challenging once the delivered food is consumed late. I am yet to try the shakes and desserts from here. Fingers crossed for my next visit/order.

August 20, 2019 0

Famous Dave’s serving passion

You know when there’s “famous” in the name of a restaurant, you gotta figure that out and see what is all that about. Hence, my visit to The Famous Dave’s in Festival City Mall located on level 1 with views of the gorgeous waterfront and LED show; you are bound to fall in love with the restaurant. What I love the most is their staff’s courtesy and the way they make you feel like home/family, they were so friendly that even my bossy toddler gave one of the staff a hi-five.

We decided to sit indoors and started browsing the menu that had several options to choose from. While we were busy doing that, the server brought us a basket of fresh potato chips sprinkled with herbs and salt. He also briefed us about the kinds of sauces on the table and what each sauce is made of and how does it taste. I personally loved the Texas pit because it paired so well with the tacos but more on that later 😉

From the famous American steaks to the barbecued ribs, you can choose anything you like. I had my heart set on the crispy chicken tacos while my husband ordered the Dave’s fried chicken that comes with fries and pickles. The tacos were out of this world! They were literally good enough to sweep my feet off the floor. Crispy chicken with fresh lettuce, zesty lime chipotle and the salsa were just meant to be together, the cherry on cake was fresh jalapenos on top. I am definitely recommending the tacos. Even though these were perfect, I drenched them in the Texas pit and sweet and sour sauces and had a ball!

The fried chicken was pretty amazing as well. Loved the charred chicken skin that was just golden and all the juices ran on the inside, the flavors were subtle unless you order the hot one. The smoked beef was brilliant! Packed with bags of flavors, this is a sure shot to your heart. Portion size was perfect for 2;I would say but if you’ve had a long day, Go for it man!

August 18, 2019 0

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

Getting jiggy with The Salad Jar

The salad jar has various outlets all over Dubai and I chose to order from the closest one that is Al Quoz. I liked their menu because its pretty much simpler and detailed so you are clear on what to order and which salad has what inside. They even have clear illustrations to understand each salad.

After being confused over choosing levant or Chicken Levant, I finally went for the latter. The Salad was delivered within 30 minutes and the jar was really cute. I even washed it for later use. The chicken levant salad comprises of dates, couscous, dried apricots, mint roasted chickpeas, lemon marinated chicken, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley. I specifically ordered it because I wanted to have the sweetness from dried apricot and acidity from lemon marinated chicken and that is exactly what I got. But the couscous was a bit dry and I was wishing that it came with something creamy. The dressing options were lime juice, dijon mustard, cumin, honey garlic, pomegranate juice but I think the dry couscous needed some mayonnaise or ranch kinda dressing. Or maybe they could reduce the quantity of couscous in there.

For 47 Aed, I found it overpriced. I mean I could get a full blown meal in this price but hey! I will try them again and if any of you try them, drop a comment and let me know your experience 🙂

August 8, 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

Food Earth and Love- all together.

Located in Trade center, Dubai; FEL is bound to impress you with their neat white vibes and simple decor. Their interior and food both are based on the popular belief “Less is more”. Now I don’t meant that their meal portion sizes are small because they were enormous. I meant the use of flavors and plating techniques and the menu itself that isn’t composed of ten pages of this and that. Its fairly easier to decide what to eat since the menu describes each dish clearly. FEL uses the freshest and organic ingredients only for their meals. Before I begin dissecting my experience for you, please understand that FEL stands for Food, Love and Earth. I find it beautiful 🙂

We were served Ice water upon arrival and I specifically loved their glasses.

I started off with a classic cup of coffee that was quite a giant cup but was really strong. I then had their summer salad which comprises of heirloom tomatoes, lettuce, balamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese. You may even add chicken to this if you’d like to. Priced at 38 Aed, I feel it was really filling and delicious.

Next up, were the cali chicken wraps. These looked absolutely colorful and a treat for the eyes. The chicken were sliced into thin strips for these and everything tasted brilliant. The chicken was spiced to perfection and even one lettuce wrap was really filling.

Then came something that literally blew my mind. It was a burger that looked pretty simple in a time when burgers come with oozing cheese and ketchup and what not. When I took the first bite, I was so happy and surprised. I looked at the burger patty and asked the server which protein was used to make this? And he tells me that its a vegan burger. I swear my eyes popped out a little. The burger patty was made up of potatoes, beetroot and peas. I mean it was unbelievably good! Try it for yourself, ask for the impossible vegan burger.

I also had the spiced chicken bowl that was made of cajun spiced chicken, cabbage slaw, coconut rice, seared vegetable and avocado cubes. I felt the coconut rice were slightly sweet and needed a more spicy chicken to pair with but the chicken was less spiced so the overall flavor did not quite appeal to me but the seared vegetables were great!

Thank you Team FEL for the wonderful dining experience. I highly recommend my readers to visit.

August 4, 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

Substituting Icecream with acai bowl

I am making healthier choices, look at my previous blogs if you don’t believe me. So I wanted to substitute icecream with a nutritious acai bowl and that’s when I headed towards Acai express. Loved the vibe there, the staff were helpful as compared to their ADH branch where the waiter literally asked me to wait because she needs to resolve some in vice issue with the other staff. Anyway, their menu is quite impressive but honestly I could have had a gallon of icecream in the price that got me just one bowl of acai.

They had various varieties of acai bowls, there were even a few with avocado. I found this one particularly interesting because I haven’t seen this as an addition to the simple acai bowls anywehere else.

I chose the pink smoothie bowl with strawberries, kiwi, almond shavings and cornflakes on top. It was pretty good but I have had better acai bowl in the same area. Particularly because the acai felt diluted for some reason. It was lacking the viscosity and thick consistency. I would recommend you order some other flavor maybe. Since the kiwi did not tasted well with the acai either. Also 38 dhs for one bowl was a tad bit too much. I would suggest the management to lower the prices a little so that eating healthy is affordable 🙂

July 14, 2019 0

The Good Bowl serving beyond nutrition.

I know I have a reputation of always indulging in junk food and dipping my bread in oily curries but I have to confess this that I am a bit skeptical of salads and soups and clean eating in general. Recently, I was introduced to The good bowl that has over 10 outlets in Dubai and all are delivery only and they’re open from 7:30 am to 3 am. How awesome is that? I bet making healthier choices is so much easier now.

While you take a sneak peak at their menu, you’ll realize the salad bowls have so much variety and each bowl is priced under 50 Aed. I find that pretty exciting because eating healthy is super expensive everywhere around the world but the good bowl is offering nutritious bowls at such affordable rates.

I tried their lentil and salmon bowl priced at 49 Aed and the spicy bulgar chicken & pomelo thats priced at 33 Aed only. Both the bowls were full of fresh vegetables and protien. The portion size was more than enough for one person. If you are aware of the famous Lebanese mudardara then you are going to love the lentil and salmon bowl because it is made with a mix of rice, rocca leaves, lentils, salmon chunks baked with hints of lemon, cherry tomatoes, fresh cucumbers and caramelized onions to give you the best flavor.

The spicy bulgar chicken and pomelo was super filling with baby spinach, yellow bell pepper, radish, pomegranate seeds, cucumber, tomatoes and coriander. This one is asure shot to offer to your friends who can’t stay away from chicken yet they want to integrate clean eating habits.

I highly recommend you order from The Good Bowl and try yourself. These bowls aren’t just healthy, they are full of amazing flavors too!

July 8, 2019 0