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

Loosen up a little

AER specializes in Italian, Japanese and Mediterranean cuisine. Located in DIFC; this place is for people who want to have fun and some food as well. The restaurant is beautiful with dreamy chandeliers and comfortable velvet couches with indoor and outdoor seating available. The restaurant has a full bar available as well.

Salad:

I started off with the AER wellness salad that instantly became my favorite because of the fresh beetroot and tangy orange along with chickpeas, sunflower seeds and salted maple butter dressing to bind it all together. This salad is a must have from my end because of its sheer simplicity.

Cold appetizer:

I ordered Bruschetta- Tunna and green apple, Tomato caponata, cheese and exotic mushroom. Loved all three of them. My favorite was the mushroom and cheese one, so creamy and light.

Then I tried their Sicilian Arancini and my lord! these were packed with creamy cheese. Loved every bit of these. Totally recommend you try them.

Mains:

For Mains, I tried the wagyu steak which is usually amazing by itself without much effort due to the buttery flavor of wagyu meat but I feel I should have asked the chef to keep my steak medium rare as well done was over cooked for me.

Pasta:

First world problems- To order pasta or risotto? I ended up having Pasta Al Funghi that’s loaded with wild mushrooms and looked absolutely smashing but unfortunately lacked basic flavor and some hint of spices like black pepper or nutmeg.

Desserts:

I couldn’t decide between chocolate molten cake and turtle cheesecake so I ordered both. The chocolate molten cake was pretty good, but I wish it didn’t had crumbs in it that tasted a bit odd.

But the turtle cheesecake was perfection! so soft that my spoon glided in there and the flavor was super indulging! I highly recommend you try this one.

Thank you Team AER for having me over. Your service and ambiance is top notch.

November 6, 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

Feel the vibe with A Cappella

A restaurant’s atmosphere sets the stage. It’s about more than just a dining room away from home. Food takes the spotlight as guests become its audience. Factors such as music, lighting, artwork and spacing combine to create comfort, intimacy and even romance.

A cappella is just the right restaurant to visit with your special one. Located in Pointe the Palm; the restaurant offers a variety of mocktails and fine dining options. The staff is extremely courteous, they look after you with undivided attention and make the entire dining experience worthwhile.

I started off the culinary journey with pani puri that comes in a theatrical presentation with smoke blowing from everywhere around and you can witness laboratory inspired funnels carrying chutneys and tiny pani puris lined on the sides. It definitely looked awesome. I believe the stuffing inside paani puri could have been improved.

This place is a goldmine for people who enjoy alcoholic cocktails but since I stay away from all kinds of intoxicants, the staff made sure I don’t miss out on the experience so they served me a non-alcoholic lychee mocktail that was super tasty and pretty.

Then I had amazing beef sliders, the beef patty was juicy and not overly spiced but the caramelized onion at the bottom of patty were the real deal. The entire slider was outstanding. I also tried the cheese slider that was actually made with a cheese patty and it was brilliant! I am definitely ordering beef and cheese sliders separately the next time.

Then came the show stopper lamb chops, they were glazed with slightly sweet yet charred spices. The lamb was soft and convenient to eat with a knife and fork in such fancy setting. Right after this I witnessed bhuna murgh approaching my table and my eyes were wide open with excitement because usually you expect finger food in such settings but this was beyond my expectations. The chicken looked amazingly charred from the corners and was cooked perfectly.

After all of these delicious meals, I was served mac and cheese and this one is honestly the best I have had so far. There was fried garlic chopped into crumbs and garnished on top which provided extra flavor to the dish and the cheese inside wasn’t just liquefied cheese that usually tastes weird. It was pure cheese that melted with the macaroni.

Finally, it was time for desserts (my favorite part of the dining experience). We were served Tiramisu and a chocolate pecan globe. Even though the chocolate pecan was sinfully indulgent, my winner was tiramisu. It was gentle and the mascrapone cheese was added in just the right amounts for a smooth texture.

Thank you for such an amazing night Team A cappella! I would recommend my readers to visit this restaurant on a Friday as they have bollywood nights and I am sure they will be super!

September 2, 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

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

Hyderabadi Heaven- Nizamat Restaurant

Nizamat is a family restaurant located in the busiest areas of Dubai- meena bazar. They have good seating space inside as well as outside. They even have arrangement of pedestal fans for people who wish to sit outside in summers. The first thing you will notice as you walk inside, it will be the smiles on their staff’s faces. The staff was courteous and efficient in terms of suggesting what to order and how many people will the portion size cater to.

We asked the server to bring us their best seller dishes from the menu and that’s why we started off with their non-vegetarian kebab platter that’s recommended for 2 people. This platter comprises of Mutton seekh kebab, reshmi kebab, pahadi kebab and fresh green chutney. There are two of each kind of kebabs. My favorite was the pahadi kebab as it was spiced well and char grilled to perfection. Each of the kebab on this platter was beautiful in its own way and none of them were over loaded with spices or salt which is usually common in barbecue kebabs else where.

To pair up with the kebabs, our server brought us fresh orange juice with pulp which was such a treat. We were then served chicken chilli dry that looked amazing, the chef made extra effort and decorated sliced cucumbers as hearts. I found it cute 🙂 But the dish itself lacked that kick of spice and burnt garlic flavor.

Next came our favorite dish, chicken hyderabadi dum biryani. Offcourse, we were there to indulge in some serious biryani game and honestly we were not disappointed. Loved the flavors in biryani especially the tender chicken that was marinated 24 hours before cooking with the biryani rice. The raaita (yogurt dip) served with biryani had grated cucumber in it that enhanced the flavor of biryani in combination.

Lastly, we were served double ka meetha for dessert. It is an authentic hyderabadi dessert that’s made with fried bread dipped in sugar syrup and then eventually cooked in saffron milk, that’s where it gets it orange color from 🙂

We had to end this fantastic meal with a warm cup of saffron tea. It was so soothing and relaxing.

I wiped off all the dessert in one go. It was so soft and creamy! absolutely recommended. Thank you Team Nizamat for such a wonderful dining experience. I am definitely coming back with my big fat family.

Plus points: Nizamat caters to your events or any location you’d like them to cater to. Their minimum order requirement depends on the area you want delivery but its usually 50 Aed plus. How cool is that?

August 6, 2019 0

The finest Lebanese food in Abudhabi

I decided to cruise around ADH in my car looking for suitable places to eat with nothing specific in mind when I found Mosaic and I instantly browsed it on zomato and google only to find out that this restaurant has received several awards from the food and beverage industry in the recent years. So without a doubt, I parked my car and went inside.

The interiors are beautiful and its not a huge place but they have made most of the space they have and decorated it nicely especially the gorgeous chandeliers. The restaurant manager was very courteous as he helped pick a table for us where we can easily park our baby’s stroller and eat in peace. They have open kitchen with all the live action going on. The whole place smelled like lamb kebabs and saffron rice. We were given e-menu to choose from which was extremely efficient as they have pictures with each dish to understand what to have.

We ordered manakeesh, grilled chicken and kebab platter. While they were working on our meal, we were served complimentary salad and olives. Loved their presentations especially for the bread that came in abundance in an L shaped vessel. Not only the presentations were good, the bread was soft and doughy.

The manakeesh we ordered was half zaatar and half cheese, loved it! the grilled chicken was super fine, all the flavors were shining through.

The kebabs were outstanding. Loved all the flavors! cooked perfectly with their juices preserved within the meat. Chicken kebabs were good too which was a surprise because its extremely hard to cook perfect chicken kebabs because chicken has no flavor of its own. But we loved those as well.

The only thing that was a let down, was their dessert menu that had chocolate parfait, pineapple tiramisu and rice puddings. I wish there were more to choose from. So I ended up leaving without a dessert.

July 16, 2019 0

Levantish is where taste meets the myth

Levant’ish is an amazing restaurant in Al Qusais that serves Lebanese, turkish, syrian cuisine. Their kebabs, hummus, Shawarma, Lentil soup, Tabbouleh, Fattoush, Babaganush, Lamb Chops,Moutabel and labneh are the highlights of menu. They have indoor and outdoor seating and a baby seat is also available.

I specifically went to this place to enjoy breakfast. I ordered the Levant’ish breakfast platter which comprised of foul, labneh, mix manakeesh, choice of omelette served with juice, tea or coffee. Along with this I also ordered Fatteh Laban and sujuk omelette with shakshouka. Yep! I always order more when eating for breakfast.

I did not like foul as it had a lot of sour punch to it and did not taste fresh. The manakeesh though were amazing. We got cheese manakeesh and zaatar manakeesh, both were super. They served us fresh labneh where we shamelessly dipped our breads in. Instead of omelette, we were served fried eggs (2) and they were cooked well with steady whites and runny yolks.

My favorite item on the breakfast table was undoubtedly sujuk omelette. It had crumbled lamb kebab in there with the egg and together everything tasted divine. Fatteh Laban was quite spectacular too with warm chickpeas and toasted crumbs all layered together like a casserole topped with pomegranate seeds.

However, the shakshouka was a bit disappointing as I was expecting traditional Turkish shakshouka with eggs on top and tomato sauce everywhere else. The eggs were scrambled in the tomato sauce and the flavors weren’t that distinct either.

July 8, 2019 0