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

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

Dubai’s tastiest buffet – Kitchen6

Whether you want to take out that special someone for a wholesome buffet experience or just the family to have a delicious meal time for everyone because Kitchen 6 has so much variety. Their stations are not only full of gorgeous dishes but they taste beautiful too. I have been visiting this place for two years now and yet, I still wait for a special occasion like birthdays or anniversaries to just be here. They make you feel valued and help enhance your dining experience like no one else.

Before I begin on the elaborate details, I want you to know that this buffet at Kitchen6 is a game changer. You know how in buffets, they don’t let you have water or any other drinks in the per head amount paid? Well, kitchen6 does not deprive you of if and has wide variety of shots, lemonade and juices to entice you all the way. I loved their lemonade, it had a refreshing punch.

Starters:

From hummus and dipping vegetables to quinoa salad, they’ve got it all! I particularly loved their chicken quesadillas, thai style beef chicken satay and crispy chicken bites. There were peanut sauce and different pickles accompanying them.

Soups and sandwiches:

You have got to try their angus beef burger and fries and if you prefer eating clean then ceaser salad and arabic lentil soup is just the right one for you.

Mains:

I began roaming around my favorite station where arabic mixed grill is found, the grilled meat items were spectacular. Joojeh kebab, lamb kofta with saffron rice were like whisper of a dream. Their butter chicken, salmon steak and corn-fed chicken breast made their way to my heart as well.

Asian station:

This is my favorite station whenever I visit Kitchen6 for a buffet dinner. They have nasi goreng, vegetable fried rice, cashew chicken and so much more to keep you hooked to this particular section of the buffet. I couldn’t get enough of their sweet and sour fish with vegetables as it was just perfect.

While, my appetite was satisfied, the heart wasn’t. As I was still eating, their sous chef walked up to me and offered me a freshly cooked gulab jamun. How in the world could I say no to that sweet offer? I said yes. And to my surprise, the gulab jamun was superb. Just like the ones I used to have back in my hometown, Pakistan.

Sweet Endings:

Their dessert station looks like fairytale, straight out of disney books. Its beautifully decorated and full of treats you can trust. Traditional Umm ali, berries and creame, chocolate fudge, warm chocolate pudding, oreo cheesecake, cookie crumble, fresh fruits and different flavors of icecreams and sorbets with multiple topping options.

You are going to love your buffet experience at Kitchen6.

January 7, 2019 0

Authentic hyderabadi food in Dubai at Deccan garden

Deccan garden restaurant is a lovely eatery in Naif Dubai that serves mouth watering hyderabadi cuisine. Being a hyderabadi myself, I adore each and every dish served here including the aromatic saffron in biryani, minty hues of green chutney and the sinfully indulging dabal ka meetha. I will explain each dish in detail below and then you can not hold me accountable for the major food coma.

Firstly, I would like to mention this that usually restaurants that serve this kind of food, don’t really pay much attention to cleanliness and ambiance. But this was not the case with this place, they have neatly decorated two areas under one roof. One is a cafe and the other is a full fledged restaurant. The cafe area has casual seating area with comfy concave chairs while the restaurant has formal table and chairs.

We started off with beef haleem that was presented in a beautiful arrangement of curry leaves and cashew nuts on top and tasted pretty good. My only concern was low spices, it would have been outstanding with extra spiciness.

Then we had the chicken malai bot that was succulent and delicious but the orange chutney that accompanied the chicken was sweet and didn’t pair well with the boti. If you dipped this malai boti into another green chili chutney that they served with other dish, you will love it!

Their chicken dum biryani was amazing, the rice were fluffy and each grain stood separate. Chicken was cooked to perfection and marinated beautifully. The portion size was satisfactory for one person.

I then tried their chicken tikka that looked gorgeous and intensely orange (super appealing), it tasted average. Needed more red chilli and crushed peppers.

I enjoyed these delicious hyderabadi dishes with fresh pomegranate juice that was pretty awesome.

apricots and custard

dabal ka meetha

For desserts, we had khubani ka meetha that’s actually apricots cooked with custard and lots of sugar. They nailed it. this was amazing. The other dessert that made its way to my heart was Dabal ka meetha, its actually fried slice of bread dipped in sugar syrup. It was absolutely smashing!

Thank you for your hospitality Deccan garden Restaurant. I recommend this place to people craving for hyderabadi cuisine.

January 5, 2019 0

Maximum Meaty Madness at The Meating Room

A true foodie will understand the happiness of having a pure carnivore dinner full of different cuts of meat and sauces. I have always believed in good food that’s not heavy on the pocket and that’s exactly what the meating room offers. Their menu is full of creative meaty dishes on super affordable prices. No wonder, these guys have been bagging so many awards from Zomato UAE and the title of top 100 restaurants by Time Out Dxb.

There is an outdoor seating area that’s decorated simply with light bulbs on top and looks pretty nice. The indoors are not that tiny either, it can fit 20 foodies at a time. You can actually watch your food prepared through the glass window into the kitchen where you can have a glimpse of chefs hard at work. The door to kitchen literally says “Chefs at work”.

Their head chef Mr.Ram made sure that we were satisfied with the food and kindly asked for any feedback as well. These are the little things that enhance an individual’s dining experience. The only suggestion I have for you is to work more towards cleanliness as the menu cards that you handed me over had stains on them.

We started off with colorful masala papad and couldn’t help but notice the not-so-mainstream wall art that shows a parallel world. I was really impressed by this.

I had chicken and cheese croquettes with a red schezwan sauce, loved the cheesy bites of minced chicken that was seasoned lightly and paired amazingly well with the spicy sauce.

Then came in the showstopper platter that was full of meaty delicacies and I couldn’t help but drool all over the meat. There were lamb chops that were well done and juicy, the classic chicken tikka, wings, shish beef boti, grilled vegetables, dips and fries. I went from one meat to another and gobbled up the entire platter. Every piece of meat was spiced appropriately except for the seekh kebabs that could use some more spices.

So glad that we ordered their mango minty fizz drink along side the meat because it was tangy, sweet and had a subtle hint of herbs that tasted so well altogether.

For the dessert, my heart was set on the gulab jamun cheesecake yet I overcame this idea and went ahead to order the chilly chocolate because I have never tried one. It came in a piping hot skillet with warm chocolate brownie and a generous scoop of vanilla icecream on top garnished with an actual whole red chilli. The chocolate had an evident kick of chilli in there and tasted beautiful with the icecream and some chilli flakes.

Thank you so much for a wonderful dining experience Team Meating Room Dubai.

January 2, 2019 0

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