Extravagant Maison Rouge

If you have been to Vegas, live shows and dinner would be a familiar concept for you. However for those who haven’t, you can try this experience out right in the heart of Dubai! Maison Rouge offers a unique and thrilling experience to all. Performances for dance, live singing and magic and weaved into one beautiful story.

Besides the performances we tried some really good food. Flawless is probably the word I would use. Decadence, flavorful and exciting! We tried Georgian Kachapuri which was even better than the traditional version of it. Alongside, we also tried Pesto Burrata salad which was delicious as well. Since it was a dry night for me, I opted for cranberry mocktail which was refreshing and perfect to pair with my appetizers.

For our mains we opted for Chicken Roulade, Black & Truffle pasta. My guest enjoyed his chicken dish and even stated that he has never had a dish as unique as this. My truffle pasta was another hit! A perfect dish for vegetarians. I love truffle and this was the perfect amount in the dish.

For our desserts, we opted for three. Yup, it was my guest who wanted to try all out. We opted for Matcha tiramisu, white chocolate cheesecake & honey cake with berries. All three were delicious and our plates were swiped clean!

Service-wise, our lovely server Agnes was helpful and informative with the suggestions.

Overall, Maison Rouge is highly recommended for those who love to dine in style. This unique fine dining restaurant is one of a kind and great to celebrate special occasions. They have a good selection of drinks both alcoholic & not alcoholic to pair with some delicious dishes. The performances are from 8pm -10pm and 10-12am everyday.

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• Full Bar Available
• Valet Parking Available
• Live Music
• Drinking Age Applicable
• Table booking recommended
• Accepts Zomato Gold

Contact: 04 3528169 for reservations

Address: Mezzanine floor, Conrad hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road, Trade Centre Area, Dubai

Burgers & Shakes At BlackTap

Black tap is a well known restaurant all the way from NY. Famous for its craft burgers burgers & monstrous milkshakes.

I have been earlier to Black Tap but only for a couple of beers. This time around I was craving their milkshakes and so here I was..

First up, Our appetizers, pan fried Brussels sprouts & oozing mozzarella nuggets that were gone in seconds!

I was glad to see that vegetarians have two options for burgers. One was the felafel burger & the other being the vegan burger. I opted for the latter and glad I did as it was really good! Technically not a patty in the bun as it was rice and beans shaped as a patty and pan fried. It tastes great and surprising it works! Alongside my burger there was a generous portion of sweet potato fries. My guest on the other hand found his chicken burger to be tad dry and he enjoyed my burger more than his.

Honestly, we were stuffed but we had not forgotten what we had come for. We had come with the aim of trying out those famous milkshakes. I opted for sweet & salty while my guest opted for Brooklyn blackout. The former was delicious as it was a concoction of peanut butter and sweet treats while the latter came with a brownie on top. At heart of it, these are some good shakes. Nothing extraordinary taste wise but what sets them apart is the presentation. It’s instagram worthy and a portion good for two! We can’t wait to go back and discover more craft burgers and shakes.

I love the decor, it’s funky and reminds me so much of NYC. We visited to Jbr branch which is famous for parking woes more than anything. Despite the fact that the restaurant is situated in a hotel, valet is not free and neither is hotel parking. There is a charge of AED30 for valet (valid for 8 hours). Service wise, they are pretty quick and very friendly.

Contact +97143999076 for more info.

Location:

1) Rixos Premium Dubai, Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), Dubai

2)Jumeirah Al Naseem, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai

Authentic Turkish Cuisine At BABAJI

I never really got why my best friend is obsessed with Turkish cuisine. That was until I tried Babaji!

Located in Citywalk 2, Babaji offers Turkish dishes that are authentic & are made from scratch. My friend has been raving about them as she tried their branch in London. The staff were courteous & helped us suggesting dishes. We settled down for tomato & pomegranate salad, hummus, cheese Burek, four cheese pide, lamb kofta & chicken pide.

To be honest, all our dishes were so good that we enjoyed all. Especially the four cheese pide, it was fresh out of the stone oven and you can even request the chef to show you how its made. The soft breads, light turkish music in backdrop.. everything added to our lunch experience. Those who are new to this cuisine should also try burek that was stuffed with cheese under several layers of flaky pastry.

To end our meal we tried our three desserts! The kunafa, burma kadiyaf baklava & chocolate cake. Of the three my favorite was the baklava because it was Not too sweet but just perfect! My guest on other hand loved the kunafa. We unanimously voted the chocolate dish to be the weaker one in terms of taste.

Our food was presented in gorgeous white plates with blue motifs. The service was spot on right from the restaurant manager to our server Humaira who took care of all our needs.

Babaji is a must visit for those who want to try authentic turkish dishes!

*This was a media invite

• Wheelchair Accessible
• Wifi
• Outdoor Seating
• Kid Friendly
• Vegetarian friendly
• Weekend brunches

contact: 04 3854605

Location: City Walk, Al Safa Street, Al Wasl Area, Dubai

Restaurant Review: Cafe Society

Cafe society is the newest restaurant in marina that offers diners an unforgettable experience! We were here to try out their delicious offering.

I forget at times that I should consume low carbs. One of those moments was when warm & fresh bread basket was placed on our table. So absolutely delicious & the honey butter served along is enough to wet one’s appetite.

Our order appetizers consisted of tomato burrata salad, truffle croquetes with gorgeous presentation, calamari rings. The calamari rings as per my guest were tad too oily, however my croquetes were spot on!

Our mains were rice cagnone which was essentially pea with pecorino cheese puree with rice. I have to admit, I found it a bit bland for my taste. My doritos pizza was super delicious! Topped with homemade taco chips, oozing with cheese and jalepeno. My guest states that her lamb chops were perfectly cooked and tasted delicious too.

Our desserts consisted a dulche de leche which is trio of desserts and a shareable portion. Chocolate popsicle which was just like homemade chocolate ice cream bar but the thick coating on it won our hearts. Our last dessert was the giant macaroon. Sadly this one didn’t live up to our expectations as it was really tough to chew and the ganache was pretty sweet.

Overall, some dishes were a hit and some were clearly a miss. However I do recommend a visit because the food is unique and the decor is luxurious. For a cafe this place scores plus points for being totally instagrammable!

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Contact: 04 3183755

Address: Ground Floor, TAMANI Marina Hotel, King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Street, Dubai Marina, Dubai

Momo Magic At Real Momos

Karama’s hidden gem and loved by all, Real momos is truly unbeatable! I always tried their takeaway and when given am opportunity to review them, I chose to dine in!

It’s a small cafeteria with basic tables & chairs. The place has quickly caught up the attention of the youth as many were found hanging around and ordering takeaways.Our order consisted of steamed veggie momos, tandoori paneer momos ( yes you read it right T A N D O O R I), Chinese bhel & soft drinks . Now the concept of tandoori momos, I hadn’t heard of them before so I was very excited to dig into the gorgeous orange momos & see how they have developed the required flavor.

The tandoor flavor is there. I felt the filling was a bit under in terms of flavor & quantity for the paneer momos. The steamed veggie momos were nice and moist. Served with tangy chilli sauce, the taste reminded me of road side eateries in Delhi/Mumbai. What’s interesting is that even though the momos are been steamed/ fried/ tandoori-fied the outter layer is delicate & perfectly carries the filling. The Chinese bhel was flavorful and a party in my mouth. Sweet, tangy, sour paired with crunchy lightly sauteed vegetables.

Overall I felt this place is really for those people who crave desi Chinese flavors which we would generally find around India. A clean & budget friendly joint for casual hangouts. I did love their version of thai green curry and would have loved more if they served it with Jasmine rice. Nevertheless our vegetarian noodles went well too! They do prepare the sauces and mixes by themselves. I love how passionate they are about bringing authentic flavors to diners.

Contact: 04 3411379
05 29358414

 Address: Shop 2, Art Court Building, Near Rose Studio, Westzone Supermarket, Al Karama, Dubai

Breakfast & Brunch At Boulevard Kitchen

A staycation is not complete without good food and Manzil Downtown offers a wide variety of restaurants like boulevard kitchen, via vineto and such. We chose to dine at boulevard kitchen for breakfast and brunch.

Boulevard kitchen served international cuisine ranging from authentic arabic/levant to Italian. I am dividing my review in two for clarity.

Breakfast:

One word: Variety! There is a large variety of dishes on offer from various parts of the world. My favorite from all was the patisserie section that served some delicious and fresh croissant, muffins and cakes. They do offer eggs your way too which can be ordered once seated. My only concern with the buffet was the Asian dishes on offer. The dosa was tad to tough to eat and it was a struggle to have the same and the fried rice were overcooked. I have had better breakfast experiences at other hotels, this one was decent enough in comparison. There is something for everyone. You can choose to sit outdoors which I personally loved as early morning you can enjoy the downtown street views.

Levant Friday Brunch:

Wide variety of food with ranges from Arabic to Italian. I love that fact that they introduced a live pasta counter which was clearly most popular amongst people of all ages. The Arabic counter has a lot of meat based dishes and that was popular too. Our brunch package included cocktails which weren’t too strong but great presentation wise. Major attraction post brunch is the dessert counter that offers continental desserts and also arabic ones such as kunafah, Raha bil ashta, mamoul & many more.

The staff members are very friendly and upon our visit we were guided on the restaurant layout and offerings. Restaurant is great for family brunches.

Address: Manzil Downtown, Ground Floor, Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, The Old Town, Downtown Dubai, Dubai, UAE

Contact: 04 5509334

Farzified At Farzi Cafe Dubai!

Why Farzi? Because Farzi means creating an illusion. What you see is not what you always taste! That is the success mantra of Farzi cafe, a modern spice bistro by Zorawar Kalra.

Farzi cafe changed the scene of Indian cafes. New experiences and exquisite ingredients excite the diners. After gaining huge popularity in India, Farzi cafe opened its doors in Dubai.

I have tried the food at Farzi Cafe Mumbai and our experience earlier had been fabulous! Does the Dubai branch match the expectations? Read on to know.

My guest and I visited on a very busy Friday. The restaurant was packed with diners and not a single table was left empty for long. Looking at this it definitely did increase our expectations. For appetizers we were provided, tandoori wild mushrooms, walnut with truffle haze, Tandoori chilli cheese kulchas, daal aranchini & Chaat puffs. We were also served drinks such as chai soda & Pinacolada both with quirky presentation! Of all the dishes,my guest and I loved the tandoori mushrooms & paneer kulchas.

Coming to our mains, we tried Chermoula Crusted Paneer Tikka & vegetarian potato burger. Both delicious on their own way!

To end our meal we tried two stunning desserts. One named the dirt pile and other was a version of gulab jamun and rabri. The desserts impressed us massively! The deconstructed mud cake also known as THE DIRT PILE is Cleverly disguised as mud, the crumbles of cake are moist. The dish comes complete with a spade so that you can dig out some delicious elements such as fennel crumble, nuts, berries, chocolate truffles and even ice cream!

The service is quick and despite the crowd, the staff were very attentive.  Special thanks to the Manager Mr Manish for taking care of all our needs.

We were totally Farzified by the food and its presentation. The dishes are worth the wait and price wise everything on menu is reasonable. We are definitely going back to try more dishes!

Contact: 04 3942556/ 0526892012 for reservations. 

Location: CITY WALK, Al Safa & Al Wasl Road Intersection, Al Safa, Dubai

– free wifi

– reservations recommended

– wheelchair friendly

– kids friendly

– vegan/vegetarian dishes available

– outdoor seating available

Cheese Dreams At Shami Gourmet

Do you crave middle eastern food when you travel outside the mid-east? I certainly get withdrawal symptoms and start frantic searches for places that serve my beloved manaoushe & falafel. The best of which you can find only in UAE. In UAE is the polar opposite as you will find every nook and corner restaurant serving felafels & Shawarma. Sorting out the best ones in my job.

I was invited to try out levantine vegetarian offerings at Shami Gourmet. They offer a wide range of dishes right from grills to gelatos. They do have decent vegetarian options for one to make a meal of. I tried,out the grilled halloumi, cold mezze platter, Arabic falafel, mix cheese manaoush and fatayer.

The food is excellent for the price they are offered on. Everything Is fairly reasonable and portions are good too! Open style kitchen gives you a glimpse of how you order is made. The staff at all times were wearing gloves and disposal head caps.

For desserts my guests and I opted for snickers gelato & berry cheesecake. The former was my favorite of the two as the gelato was creamy & absolutely on money. The generous staff let me try all the flavours they offer. Mango sorbet & ferrero rockers were my favorite of the lot. The cheesecake on the other hand was decent enough.

The day I visited they were facing some aircon issues. Despite that the staff were making a constant effort to keep all the customers satisfied. They are more popular for their deliveries as I sat there watching deliveries fly out constantly.

Overall, Shami Gourmet is a good option to try. Their prices are reasonable and the dishes are fresh & delicious!

• Breakfast
• Home Delivery
• Outdoor Seating
• Kid Friendly
• Wifi
• Vegan/Vegetarian friendly
• Wheelchair friendly

Best Of Both Worlds At Scoozi Dubai

Dubai Mall is my absolute favorite place to be as I do my cardio here.. I mean my shopping . Along with plethora of brands and stores popping in there is a wide variety of dining options available too!

Spotted Scoozi in Dubai Mall that serves the two most popular cuisines, Japanese and Italian. At first I was wondering which cuisine to choose but since there was large variety my guests and I decided to order the best from both.

They have fantastic selection of coolers to begin with. My favorite of all was the strawberry cooler, so refreshing & the fruit flavor bursts out making even the most warmest days go cool. For appetizers my guests & I selected mozzarella crocante, vegetable spring rolls, Tricolore (burrata dish) and avocado maki. Surprisingly everyone voted for avocado maki & crocante to be the favorites from this set of courses. Rest of the dishes werent less delicious but these two were just perfect!

 

For mains we all went italian as vegetarian selections were not too many in japanese. We ordered a Margarita pizza, gnocchi quattro formaggi, ravioli & Farfelle Al Funghi.  Our favorite was definitely the gnocchi quattro formaggi as it was so creamy & so rich! All their dishes are well portioned and their pasta are all fresh! My guests were truly impressed with the main courses & so was I.

For desserts we opted for Chocolate fondant & Flourless chocolate cake. Both of them rich, chocolaty and simply superb! Lacked a bit in presentation but overall tasted really good!

My only concern was the service as it was a bit slow post the appetizers and the staff were hesitant to give their suggestions on the dishes. Also they weren’t attentive enough as many a times I had to repeat my queries.

Pro tip: If you ask for a table towards the fountains you get the perfect view without having to stand in crowds or even in heat for that matter of fact. Paired with delicious food, Scoozi makes the perfect place to dine in.

contact: 04 3399406 or 800726694 for reservations. 

Scoozi has two branches JBR & Dubai Mall.

• Vegetarian Friendly
• vegan friendly
• takeaway available
• Salad Bar available
• Family style dine in area
• Sushi Conveyor belt

Levantine Cusine Love At Awani

One of the most popular attractions in Dubai is the Dubai mall. The largest mall in fact has a lot of variety of restaurants as well. One of latest restaurants happens to be Awani Levant.

Levantine cuisine is very vegetarian friendly. What I love about them is that they have equal proportions of vegetarian and meat options which helps in maintaining balanced diet. Awani levant is one such restaurant that offers a fusion to the otherwise known levantine cuisine

Upon arrival they serve not any drink but a complimentary pea and asparagus soup. So delicious and it whets the appetite making you all ready for the courses to come.

My selection of cold mezze was the beetroot mouttabel and the classic hummus. For hot mezze, I opted for spring roll falafel. It was really delicious and the tahina sauce complimented the dish well.

For Our mains I opted for freekeh bil Fukrah. It actually tastes like risotto and so so delicious that I will definitely be trying this dish again! My partner opted for cheese kaak and that was delicious too but I would prefer the freekeh bil fukrah over it any day!

For drinks, I opted for a refreshing basil lemonade, served in a gorgeous tall glass. My guest opted for chocolate milkshake which was very average.

For desserts, I stuck to just one. Chocolate surprise and thank God I did order only one as the dessert was a really large portion. Good for three actually! The addition of pouring hot chocolate over a chocolate ball is dramatic but taste widths dish was too sweet for my palate. Love the addition of maltesers but the gummy bears is something I am not fond of.

There were few glitches in the service, especially when we were looking for someone to serve us fresh bread and take additional orders. However I can understand the glitch because they had just opened up and the amount of diners rushing in to try this cuisine were far too many.

Decor wise the restaurant is beautiful use of colorful tiles, quirky decoratives such as bird cages and interesting warm lighting create a good atmosphere. The weather was humid on the day of my visit else I would have preferred to dine outdoors as the view of the mighty burj khalifa, Dubai fountains and downtown is a spectacular!

• Outdoor shisha options
• Kids friendly
• Vegan friendly
• Wheelchair accessible
• Stunning outdoor views
• Reasonable prices
• Reservation Recommended

For reservations contact  04 2432758 or visit  for menu