Burger Time At Blaze Burgers

Blaze Burger is a famous burger place all the way from Bahrain. They serve the hottest sauces and the most delicious shakes! Does this vegetarian survive in a place for meat lovers? Read to know..

My guest opted for beef burger while I opted for the only vegetarian option the portabella mushroom burger in brown bun. Topped with nuclear mustard, my burger was super spicy! I also tried a similar combination in lettuce which was a decent choice. We tried angry fries which were again topped with spicy chilli paste and jalepenos. I stuck to simple cheese fries because I cannot bear too much spicy food. Along with burgers we opted for lemon mint drink and apple mojito, both were refreshing! My maltersers milkshake was heavenly and I would definitely recommend everyone to try it.

To end our meal we had Churros filled ice cream and skillet chocolate cake. Bought were huge portions which can easily be shared and were so so good!

I would love to visit Blaze burger more often because you can DIY your own toppings, burgers and everything. However finding parking in JBR is a task in itself. When we had visited, two parking sections were closed and had to park pretty far and walk for a good fifteen minutes to reach the restaurant.

Visit for : DIY burgers, pick your own sauces and superb service.

contact: 04 2482914

Address: Sadaf, The Walk, Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), Dubai

Stuffed With Burgers At Stuffed Burger Co.!

Stuffed burger is one of those places that can be visited literally anytime of the day! I mean who doesn’t love burgers?

I got the opportunity to try out veggie options at Stuffed burger along with few of my mates and below is the synopsis of same.

Our burgers, veggie party with their signature sauce. Our sides, sweet potato fries, jalapeno poppers & loaded fries minus the bacon. Our drinks, passion fruit mojito, choco brownie shake & nutella shake.

What I liked was the sides, they were superb for the price and easily sharable. The shakes were delicious accompaniment to wash down our burgers! The staff members were really friendly and greeted everyone with excitement.

What I didn’t like: The burger was decent but a tad bit oily for my liking. I wish they had a stuffed vegetarian burger rather than a plain ol potato patty.

Our desserts, the white chocolate lotus cake and the brownie cake both were absolutely delicious!

I am definitely going back for the shakes and sides! Also kudos to the super smiling staff!

Address: Between Al Manara Street & Al Thanya Street, Jumeirah Road, Umm Suqeim, Dubai

Contact: 04 3215424

Vegans Rejoice At Baker & Spice

Fresh organic produce is one thing I always stress on. I love the crunch of the vegetables, the colors and how gorgeous they look! One restaurant’s name that always pops up in my head is Baker & Spice. I have a lot of memories attached to this restaurant as it was my dad’s favorite. Right after shopping from farmer’s market, picking out fresh produce we (dad and I) use to head to baker & Spice souk Al Bahar for a slice of cake & coffee.

Recently, Baker & Spice invited me to try out their vegan/vegetarian options from the menu. A visit to their branch bought back all the memories. Did the food quality change?  With time they have only improved upon the flavors, the textures and the techniques.

We started off with Avocado feta salad & Burrata. The avocado feta salad was just perfect with confit tomatoes cutting down the richness of the cheese. Our burrata was fantastic too! Fresh burrata with pesto & pinenuts a classic combination that never fails. To wash it down we had our charcoal lemonade & Apple mojito. Charcoal lemonade was tad sweet for my liking but I loved the presentation.

Our mains are something I cannot stop talking about. My beetroot bucatini was really impressive! A resident dish on the menu this is the kind of dish I expect for vegetarians. Served with organic spinach, chickpea curry and coconut, this dish was a hit. My guest’s main was squash tortellini with goat’s cheese. Now my guest is really fussy and not someone who experiments beyond basic vegetables and fruits. This dish was new to him too and the flavors were just perfect! This dish was one of specials of the day and kudos to the chef for such a creation. Both bucatini beetroot pasta and tortellini dish were handmade!

After delicious mains, we set off to try some desserts. Chocolate sundae was something that caught my eye and my guest opted for chocolate torte. The sundae consisted of their in house baked brownie. Both our desserts were heavenly as they are always at Baker & Spice. I have been ordering cookies and bakes from them for years so there is absolutely no doubt about the quality of their products.

With views of mighty Burj Khalifa & Dubai fountains, Souk Al Bahar branch is the best of all to visit.There are ample amount of dishes for both vegetarians & non vegetarians. All dishes are made with organic local produce that they have always been associated with. I reckon this place would be perfect for a lunch date! The ever smiling staff were friendly and helpful with menu options. They were even careful of allergies and suggested dishes as per our liking.

More vegan/vegetarian options are avavailable on Monday as they have Meatless Monday promotion.

Contact: 04 4252240, 04 4252241

Address: Level 2, Souk Al Bahar, Downtown Dubai, Dubai

• Breakfast
• Wheelchair Accessible
• No Alcohol Available
• Outdoor Seating
• Desserts and Bakes
• Kid Friendly
• Wifi
• Vegan Friendly
• Organic Produce

Summer Treats with Tarts.ae

Summers are for pools but honestly in this weather all I can think of is chilling with my friends indoors. However that doesn’t deter me from having fun.. I love to invite my friends over and watch a movie or two and sip on some lovely tea. What makes my tea a ‘high tea’ is inclusion of Tarts from Tarts.ae

Tarts.ae have unique flavors, they have options for  whole tarts, individual tarts and even bite sized tarts all bursting with unique flavors.

The flavor I tried was Mango Passion Tart ( Aed 110). As per description The perfect combination of mango and passion fruit flavors. Layers of mango compote, vanilla cheesecake topped with fresh passion fruit jelly.  

I absolutely enjoyed savoring this treat. The tart shell itself is crisp, it is perfect to hold the contents. For the filling there was a lovely thin layer of cheesecake & mango compote. I loved the compote, it wasn’t too sweet and complimented the flours with the passion fruit jelly. The jelly was formed well on the tart and vibrant in color. The cheesecake filling however was a bit eggy but overall the flavors went really well together. The addition of fresh mangoes which I believe were Thai mangoes and delicious cranberries which happen to be my favorite.

Overall, Tarts.ae is a fabulous website to order some tarts to posh up your tea time or gift someone special. A fabulous way to jazz your occasions and a fresh change from cakes. Their delivery option is convenient too. A treat visually and taste wise too plus they are reasonable.

Tarts.ae offer flavors such as Nutella, Strawberry cream, Lemon Curd and many more. View their Menu here or contact them on +971 52 5932336

Summer Special Recipe – Rustic Peach Tart

A while back I posted a picture of this delicious dish on one of my social media channels. Many had requested the recipe but I was still trying to get a hang of the technique to make the perfect Pâte Brisée pastry (French Shortcrust pastry). Finally I feel I have found the perfect ratio of ingredients. Peaches are best available in Summers and are absolutely delicious on their own but combined with Pâte Brisée pastry they taste heavenly!

Pâte Brisée Pastry:

• 1 cup Flour
• 4 tsp Ice Cold Water
• 80grms Chilled salted butter
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar

For Peach filling:

• 2 Peaches thinly Sliced
• 1 tbsp Condensed Milk
• 1 tsp Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cinnamon powder

Combine the dry ingredients together and set aside. Chop the butter into small cubes and ensure it is kept in chilled area. With back of a spoon, slowly combine the butter and the dry ingredients. The mix should be course and should resemble like biscuit crumbs. Add chilled water and quickly combine the mixture. Wrap the mix in a cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

In a bowl, combine grated nutmeg, cinnamon powder and condensed milk. Add Sliced and de-stoned peaches along with the condensed milk mix.

After the pastry has been chilled for an hour, remove from the refrigerator. Roll out the pastry into a rough round on lightly floured surface. Pastry should be around 1/5 inch thick to hold the fruit’s juices. Transfer the pastry onto a baking sheet that should be lined with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment paper at home, you can line with butter and sprinkle flour on it. This will avoid the pastry to stick on the baking sheet.

With a fork, create small holes in the pastry all around. This will allow the pastry to cook well. Leaving two inches border, you can start arranging the peaches as you like. I love creating layers so I lined them in layers, fold the borders to give look of a basket. Sprinkle brown sugar on top and bake it in a pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes on 220c. Remove from oven once golden brown.

Makes around four 10 inch tarts

Serve warm with a dollop of fresh cream or some quenelled vanilla Ice cream and a sprig of mint. 

Summer colors everywhere.. love this dish! 

Tips and Tricks:

• Vegans can try the dish with Almond meal and bind with banana and chilled almond milk.
• You can avoid condensed milk, I added the same to bring shine to the peaches.
• Pâte Brisée pastry can be used for savory tarts as well. Common ingredients like cheese, baby tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli and many more can be used for savory tarts.

Have a variation to the recipe? Any suggestions? Did you try it? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Recipe: Eggless Peanut Butter Brownies

Weekend baking time! My niece like me has a sweet tooth but unfortunately she can’t have many of the desserts as they contain egg. She is allergic to egg and most of the recipes that I know need egg for binding. After many experiments and pairings, I came up with this easy recipe that I am sharing with you all today. Do give it a try and let me know if your attempt was successful.

Eggless Peanut Butter Brownies

(makes 8 pieces)

You need:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 packet chopped reese’s peanut butter cup chocolate

3/4 tin condensed milk

3 tsp milk

1tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 tbsp Chunky peanut butter

2 tsp butter

1/2 cup unsweetened dark chocolate chips

Parchment paper for lining

Method:

Preheat oven at 325 degrees

In a pan, heat condensed milk on low heat, add peanut butter and milk. Mix well and set aside.

In a bowl sieve all the dry ingredients together and mix well. Create a well in between and slowly incorporate the wet mix that we made earlier. Keep mixing till a smooth batter is formed. Add chopped reese’s cup chocolate to the batter and give it a final mix.

Line the baking pan with butter and parchment paper. Allow the paper to be two inches above the tin so that its easier to removed the baked brownie.

Add the batter to the lined pan and bake for 35 minutes. Keep poking toothpick to check if the brownie is cooked thoroughly.

Once baked, remove from oven and leave it to cool for 15 minutes. Cut into desired shapes.

For chocolate drizzle, take a microwave bowl, add unsweetened chocolate chips and 1 tsp butter. Microwave it for exactly 30secs on med. high heat. Mix the melted chocolate well. Quickly take the cooled brownie pieces and drizzle with melted chocolate and sprinkle some brown sugar for a bit of added sweetness.

Have it hot with ice cream, have it cold with coffee. ❤

These will last upto 5 days in a airtight container.

Recipe – Burhani Raita (Yogurt based sauce)

I recently asked my fans to send me their queries that they would have in regards to beauty, food, fashion or any DIY tricks. All you need is a platform to ask something and you never know the answer could be a very simple one.

So one of my fans on Pink Asfoura Blog facebook page asked me a query related to food. She wanted to know if there are any simple accompaniments/sauces that can be served with Biryanis/Spiced rice.

I would suggest something very simple but a sauce that brings out the flavor of your rice dish.

Burhani Raita is a very famous accompaniment with Hyderabadi rice dishes. Generally the Hyderabadi biryani/rice dishes are spicy, tangy and lipsmacking delicious. However folks like me can’t take in too much spicy food. That is where accompaniment or sauce served with rice plays a big part. The sauce should help you cut down the spices and bring out the bold flavors of the biryani/spicy rice dish.

You need:

4-5 garlic cloves

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp chopped fresh coriander

1 tsp clarified butter

1 cup hung yogurt

2-4 tsp cold water

1 tsp pepper

Salt to taste

Method:

Take a fork and pierce 3 garlic cloves on all sides. Dip each of pierced clove in clarified butter and place the clove on a small piece of foil. Cover the three cloves individually with foil wrapper and place them in oven at medium heat 200’c for 7 minutes.

Slice the remaining cloves thinly and coat a tray with some clarified butter and place the slices carefully. Place the tray in oven too. This will create lovely garlic chips which will give a beautiful texture to the sauce.

While your foil covered cloves are softening and garlic chips are crisping up.. take a bowl in which whisk the hung yogurt until it is light and creamy. Add 2-4 tsp water to it and beat well. Now add the cumin powder, chopped coriander, pepper powder, coriander powder, salt and mix well.

The garlic cloves in foil would have soften up by the end of 7 minutes. Remove from foil, add the three cloves in a bowl and mash them until creamy. Add this mixture to your yogurt sauce prepared earlier.

This dish can be prepared in advance and can be stored for a day in refrigerator.  When serving, top with garlic chips and impress your family with this new recipe! This portion serves 2 adults.

Here is image of what I made today afternoon to serve with my mutton biryani.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by MONICA~Dubai Content Creator🧿🇦🇪 (@pinkasfoura)

Thanks to some of my Facebook fans who commented with their suggestions.

Have you tried this recipe before? Did you try it out now? Let me know your thoughts in comments below. 

Restaurant Review- The Budget Friendly, Roti Roll Express!

Recently one of my colleague’s started praising about this new restaurant she had discovered in her area. So when I was visiting her place, she decided to treat me with a dinner from her ‘new personal favorite’ Roti Roll Express.

I generally stick to light dinners but this time we both were so hungry that we ordered a full fledged dinner. Our order consisted of two main course combos & a biryani as well.

We ordered vegetable biryani, Malai kofta/Naan combo and Paneer Tikka Masala/Naan combo and some soft drinks.

The biryani has definitely risen above all!

The good thing about this restaurant is that the curries come in combo. So if you are ordering a curry, you can opt for a naan/roti/rice which comes at no extra cost. Delivery of the order was done on committed time.

Lets talk about the food now, the malai koftas were absolutely lip-smacking and one of few dishes that surpass flavors of even some of high end restaurants. The gravy was rich and had a light sweetness that brought out the flavors of cream (malai). However the koftas were too small in comparison but went well with the gravy it came in. The paneer tikka masala was spicy as we had ordered but not that exciting. It was just about average in taste with good amount of paneer pieces. We had ordered naans alongside the mains which were bland. I mean no salt at all in the naans were kind of put off for me. Same issue was with the paneer tikka masala as well. I am someone who doesn’t have too much salt and my family complains that I don’t add salt as per their liking. So you can imagine if a low salt consumer is saying this..how low the content of salt would have been in the dish. Anyways all this aside I was only focused on the hearty portion of biryani that came. Smell check, look check, taste super check! This biryani ticked all the boxes for me. The taste is unique, they add pomegranate pearls in the biryani that add sweetness and cuts the spiciness of the dish. So does the hidden cottage cheese cubes and the cashews. The portion was too big for both of us and small on price! The biryani is packed with fresh vegetables and is served with cooling yogurt sauce known as raita that was refreshing and simple.

Malai Kofta Curry

Overall, I’d say this restaurant is really good for those who look at the quantity and quality of food. All portions are good for sharing and that biryani is just so YUM! Definitely visiting again to try their wraps and chicken biryani that I have heard is equally good. Only downside was the salt and the fact that there was NO cutlery in the delivery order. Hope the same is sorted next time around.

The funny one liner on the biryani pack was just something that defines my dream lifestyle. 😉

https://instagram.com/p/0lQmJlF8-M/?taken-by=pinkasfourablog

Overall Rating: 3.8/5

Cost for Two: 50-60aed

Roti Roll Express is located in Ansar Gallery Mezzanine Level, Al Karama, Dubai

For more reviews and mouthwatering food images, follow me on Instagram – @PinkAsfouraBlog 

Add Colors to your table – Cheesy Beetroot Rice Recipe

This recipe is a twist to what my granny makes. Its very delicious, healthy and a great way to add some gorgeous color to your table.

What you need:

2 cups cooked Basmati rice

1 cup boiled and grated beetroot

1/2 cup finely diced shallots

1/4 cup finely chopped bell peppers

1/4 cup julienne carrots

1/2 teaspoon finely crushed black pepper

1 medium green chilly

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup clarified butter

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese ( alternatively 1 vegan cheese slice)

1 tsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

2 clove buds

1 bay leaf

100grms cottage cheese cubes (Alteratively Boiled soya chunks for the vegans)

1 tsp salted butter

3-4 roughly torn lettuce leaves for garnish.

Method.

Using pestle and mortar, mince the green chilly and garlic.

In a pan heat 2 tsp clarified butter,clove buds, bay leaf, diced shallots and green chilly mixture. Saute the mix until the shallots go soft and translucent. Add the carrot and bell peppers too. Cover and let it cook for approx two minutes. The aim is not to loose the crunch but the vegetables have to be cooked perfectly.

Remove the pan lid and add the grated beetroot along with 1tsp lemon juice. We are adding the lemon juice to save the discoloration that happens to beetroot when cooked. Mix well, add the pepper powder, salt and cottage cheese cubes. Remove the mixture from heat, add in half of the cheddar cheese and let the warmth of the mix melt the delicious cheese. Let the mixture cool down and add the rice you had prepared earlier. Give a quick toss and you will see the colors of beetroot mixture quickly catching up to the rice as well.

Prior serving, add the lettuce leaves to a pan along with some butter and saute for a minute. Quickly add the remaining cheddar cheese and let it melt. Stir well and top this mixture over your cheesy beetroot rice.

The sharpness of cheddar and sweetness of beetroot just makes a lovely combination. Serve it warm and with love ❤

Note: Vegans can avoid the cheese or use the vegan cube cheese available in all leading supermarkets.

Restaurant Review- Dollops Of Butter at Kulcha King

I have been a big fan of Kulcha King, Bur Dubai branch in particular. The reason why I like this branch is because they deliver quick and I love the Kulchas (Naan type flaky bread) here. My friends and I have dined on several occasions at the Nihal Hotel branch(Deira) but I really find the service there very slow and also the place is quite stuffy.

Love the unique placemats

So recently I visited the place I have been ordering those delicious Kulchas from- The Bur Dubai Branch. It is the smallest one with five to six tables only. Also there is only one serving staff seen even on busier times. However the service was not at all slow(at the beginning). Everything we ordered was sent out on time, infact earlier then expected!

Delicious warm food ❤

My order consisted of cheese kulcha, aloo kulcha, Paneer kulcha, bhindi masala and Paneer tikka masala with accompaniments and drinks. We got our order served within fifteen minutes which was fantastic. I am particularly fascinated by their cheese kulcha. Its rich, flaky and buttery served with Chole Masala and a sweet spicy sauce which becomes the perfect accompaniment to the dish. I think they used tea in the cooking of the chole dish as they were darker in color but maintained the great authentic taste of Punjab. When we think of Indian food, first thing that strikes us is spices. In Kulcha King, the spices are used to enhance the flavor and create a wonderful combinations. The food is not spicy, its not heavy and is presented well.

I dream of this.. Cheese Kulchas.

Paneer Kulchas and Chole dish

Though I did not try the carrot halwa on my last visit but I have tried that one few weeks back. For desserts, carrot halwa is a must have. Its warm, sweet, melt in your mouth dish that will break your diets! The experience was enjoyable except the service glitch. I hate ordering breads (rotis) especially tandoori ones in advance because once they cool down, they are chewy and difficult to bite. In midst of my meal, I ordered some extra breads and those took a very long time to arrive. I could see the server struggling with orders as all the tables were filled and everyone was waiting for their dishes to arrive. Besides the service and ambiance, everything is great with the Bur Dubai Branch. I think I will stick to ordering take outs from this branch rather than dine in. They serve some great variety of authentic Punjabi food which is lipsmackingly delicious! Rarely do you find a place that serves good food and the prices are a bargain. Kulcha King is one of those rare finds. Try it if you haven’t but as suggested, take-aways/ home deliveries are a better suited for this branch. Rating: Food 4/5 Service 3.5/5 Ambiance 3.5/5 (Extra half point for neat appearance ) Cost: AED100-150 for three Extra comments: – Inform the staff beforehand if you are on diet, you might want to avoid the dollops of butter on the kulchas and breads. – Order extra crispy cheese kulcha and you are not going to regret it! – No matter what you do, the staff will stick to conversing in English so even if you are saying ‘ No makhan’ do repeat that in English so its clear. – Bur Dubai Branch is closed from 4pm-7pm daily.