Brand new Filli select in La Mer (Dubai)

Filli has been enormously famous around the world especially among people who enjoy a strong cup of tea. Their tea is outrageously famous and many are not even aware that they serve some sandwiches, wraps and other snacks too.
Recently, Filli launched a full fledged restaurant catering to global flavors with inventive menu that promises a wonderful dining experience. The interiors are elegant and classy with super comfortable sofa seats to sit and chat all day. I was invited to an exclusive blogger’s event here last week and I was ecstatic to see the place and so many of my blogger friends.

Service could use some improvement, Now i completely understand that an event takes a lot of hard work and the kitchen is full and busy so that results in delayed orders. I got my food after 2 hours of placing the order but I didn’t feel that time because I was chatting with my friends. My only concern is that I had to place the order 4 times to separate staff members for some reason.

Tea Bites:

As I entered the restaurant at 4:00 pm, I was given a menu that had so many options to choose from. For the first section (Tea bites) I opted for keema paratha and ordered a drink simultaneously called “paan mojito” The drink was pretty amazing with subtle hints of paan. I liked it!

The Keema paratha was a wrap that looked pretty with grilled marks on top. As I took my first bite, a long trail of oil seeped out of it and I wondered how much oil there is in this roll. The flavors were really mild that one couldn’t feel them at all. I wish there were enough spices in this one.

Salads:

I chose quinoa salad and it was presented beautifully. The intricate details were amazing. It was fresh but bland with no punch. Just because its a salad, it doesn’t mean you can’t add flavors to it. Usually quinoa salads are served with tangy dressings to compensate the flavors but this one came with no dressing whatsoever.

Burgers & Sandwiches:

In this section, I chose tri colored chicken sliders that came in red, black and green colored buns. The chicken in the sliders was creamy with no spices, there was no heat, no feel of taste at all. I would have liked it even if it had salt and pepper only.

Mains:

I ordered the char-grilled chicken and it was pretty good. The presentation was gorgeous. that made it look super amazing and the chicken was cooked to perfection. I would recommend you order this upon your visit.

Desserts:

I ordered sticky toffee cake and chocolate brownie, both were tasty! Loved the fudgy brownie and soft moist toffee cake. I recommend you order the sticky toffee cake.

When you come to Filli, you can’t leave without having their tea and it came with a biscuit to relish the comforting cup of tea. It was absolutely wonderful.

Thank you for having me over on your blogger’s event Team Filli Select.

February 6, 2019 0

Turkish cuisine with beach views- Kaftan

I have expressed my love for Turkish cuisine quite frequently and I am huge fan of kebabs, while no one does kebabs better than the Turkish chefs; Kaftan brings delicious kebabs and so much more with beach views in La Mer to enjoy at maximum.

I remember it was a day before New Year’s eve when we decided to dine in at Kaftan and just went without reservations. When we reached there, the administrator told us that there is a 20 minute waiting and I could actually see people waiting in queue for a table. The smell of gorgeous kebabs faded the waiting time in my head and I thought to myself that I would wait an hour but will eat here only.

It was our lucky day because within 25 minutes, we got a table. As soon as we were seated, a basket of fresh and warm soft bread was served with two tiny jars of mayonnaise and ketchup. The bread was so delicious and soft as velvet that I lost track of how many I have gobbled up.

We asked for french fries and got a nice big portion of fries that were fresh and crispy.

We ordered strawberry mojito which was amazing in terms of intense kick of lemon and just the right punch from strawberry but it had way too much sugar. Like literally “Too much”

We ordered Tavuk sis and Beyti Kebab. Beyti Kebab were absolutely smashing! Loved how tender the meat was, juicy from top to bottom and full of subtle flavors. I think its safe to write that it was one of the best kebabs I have ever had.

I didn’t like the tavuk sis that much, mainly because the chicken wasn’t seasoned well. It was bland and grilled without infusing spices or any flavors. These were basically boneless chicken peices char grilled and served with brown rice.

January 10, 2019 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