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BIRIYANI IN BARSHA

Biriyani in Barsha from a secret location. Is it worth it? UPDATED OCTOBER 2020

Welcome to the first MonicMoment, an honest, often funny insight into the real world of a Dubai based foodie blogger, starting with my experience of biriyani in Barsha. Digest and laugh!

BIRIYANI IN BARSHA DOINDUBAI LAMB BIRIAYNI IN A BOX
Our biriyani in a box from Barsha

UPDATE OCTOBER 2020

A delicious prawn biriyani has been added to the menu of Cinnamon Club’s Secret TakeAway Lunches! We LOVED it. READ ON FOR PRICES. 

I’ve had a message that there is one spot left for a Take Out Secret Supper Club lunch in a bag! Do I want it? Yes please.. we have to find the building and collect our Biriyani in a bag. Our biriyani in Barsha consists of  Hyderabadi lamb biriyani, vegetable yoghurt raita, 2 chicken cutlets, 2 drumsticks and a couple of squares of banana, chocolate chip cake.

Started by a girl just 6 weeks ago during lockdown, she now dispenses pre-paid for orders of the above meal from her Barsha building between 1.15pm and 2pm on a Friday.

Slots are booked well in advance so we’re lucky to have got this cancellation. No cooking for me this Friday! And thankfully Instagram acts as an instant messenger these days!

Who is Colin?

On the way there I am conscious I haven’t replied to “Colin” from the day before..We were filming a recipe from our studio home kitchen when my husband asked why I wasn’t answering my phone! His colleague has a mate who is trying to deliver something to our home!  What mate, what is going to be delivered? 

Enter Colin.. who would really appreciate some very honest feedback on some new foodie ideas he’s been working on. He’s heard I am the person to give him this! 

I met Colin who gave me a mixed fruit tart, a mango tart and 2 generous portions of saffron milk cake. We just have time for a quick conversation at this stage, but Kevin is someone who has time on his hands and loves to cook. 

BIRIYANI IN BARSHA DOINDUBAI MANGO TART

He doesn’t know what to charge for the puddings, neither does he have an instagram for this venture.  But he has been spurred on by his existing keto bread orders. We agreed to chat later but at least I managed to take some pretty shots to provide him some inspo for instagram.  I’m concerned I may have scared him by asking what his USP was, vegan, value or something else? 

BIRIYANI IN BARSHA DOINDUBAI MIXED FRUIT TART
Colin's Mixed Fruit Tart

How do you halve 5 eggs?

My mind thought back to the cauliflower bread we made for the first time earlier that week. We managed to film most of the recipe, but because I didn’t want to make a large quantity, I halved the cauliflower, but HOW TO HALVE 5 eggs? Use 3? There is a way! How to Halve 5 Eggs

The mixture ended up being a bit “wet” compared to the recipe, we added some moong daal sprouts and although the intention of using the egg white for a pisco sour was a noble one, we didn’t bother in the end.

We also added cumin, because if you’re Indian, you’ll know we always add cumin to cauliflower and some turmeric, because it looks nice and we wanted that golden colour on our bread. The result merited an immediate Instagram story. That proved very, very popular. Successful Story thanks to a cauli!

Bridge and bread

We had agreed as a one off to play our on line bridge game on Friday afternoon (I’m responsible for co ordinating games with Nairobi, Mombasa and London playing together) , perfect after a biriyani in a bag lunch, but a what’s ap pinged from my mother in law, the master bridge player, asking for the cauliflower bread recipe! 

Birthdays and bread

Friday evening was fun.. we were at a little birthday dinner at a friend’s house but most of us secretly wished that 11pm curfew still stood! The conversation went a bit like.. How are you, how was lockdown, did you survive, what are you travel plans and can I have the cauliflower bread recipe please?! As soon as possible. Except I haven’t written it yet! 

CAULIFLOWER BREAD RECIPE DOINDUBAI CAULIFLOWER BREAD WITH CAULIFLOWER
Cauliflower Bread Story

Biriyani in a bag.. any good?

Our biriyani in a bag secret supper club lunch meal from Barsha was good. The portions were generous and the food looked appetizing too. I was warned about the spice levels, but I managed fine, husband found everything a little too spicy though. We paid in full for our meal for 2, AED 150 in total, could have fed 3 people. 

I would have liked a vegetarian biriyani and baigare baigan, a Hyderabadi aubergine dish, which may be in the pipeline. ORDER VIA CINNAMON HOUSE DUBAI INSTAGRAM EXPECT TO PAY ABOUT AED 140 FOR A VERY GENEROUS PORTION. If you want to phone Mercy directly use this number 050 139 8140

BIRIYANI IN BARSHA DOINDUBAI FEATURE PIC WHOLE MEAL
Our whole meal minus banana cake

But back to Saturday morning  as I write this…. some neighbours coming for snacks and a catch up, desserts will be fruit tart, mango tart and some saffron milk cake.

BIRIYANI IN BARSHA DOINDUBAI SAFFRON MILK CAKE
Colin's Saffron Milk Cake

Did this Monicmoment make you smile?

Is this how you imagined a Friday in a Foodie bloggers life?

Let us know in a comment! We need your honest feedback, like Colin!  Next Monicmoment I promise the recipe for the Cauliflower bread will be done! 

Want the details of the Biriyani in a Bag Secret Supper Club location?

If you want the name of the Biriyani in Al Barsha supper club, please follow instagram and DoinDubai You Tube.. all will be revealed. 

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IS VEGAN CHEESE KETO ?

Is vegan cheese keto?

This week we need the answer to the question:  is vegan cheese keto?

Is vegan cheese keto DoinDubai Monic Moment vegan cheese platter
Vegan cheese board dairy free

We’ve been offered a pretty platter of vegan cheese from a lady who needs some honest feedback. But I am also fascinated by her ability to read tarot cards! And I think I may have found a new best friend in a jar of marine collagen with White Lindt Chocolate! But first,  we must talk about Colin!

Welcome to another MonicMoment – a snapshot into a foodie bloggers life this week still in Dubai..

Is vegan cheese keto doindubai monica kapila with layla
Monica and Layla at home in Dubai

Update: Re Colin and his desserts

Colin has decided not to focus on the desserts that we featured on last MonicMoment post but rather on his Keto business for which there is an instagram already!

However, he would like to drop over some of his keto breads this week! I told him his Saffron Milk Cake was mine and our guests favorite dessert so not to forget about that. Saffron milk cake though is not keto at all is it?  It’s carby, very carby, but very tasty! I would definitely order this for a large scale dessert.  

Is vegan cheese keto doindubai Colin's saffron milk cakeColin’s saffron milk cake party pudding

Is Vegan cheese keto?

I have no idea, but I will ask Sonia, the owner and founder of a vegan cheese business who approached me to get some honest feedback on her cheese platters. I have no idea about her prices as yet.

The last vegan cheese platter I looked at on a Dubai based instagram account cost AED 425 for 12 types of largish cheese balls, but they all fit on one platter! Is that a good price? I have no idea!

Is vegan cheese keto DoinDubai Monic Moment zaatar flavourVegan cheese zaatar coated dairy free

Sonia became interested in vegan cheese as it suited her system to avoid dairy, from there it was a logical step for her as a passionate cook, to go about making her own vegan cheese, but she also saw it in the cards! The tarot cards that she reads!

Breakfast with Blogging Mates

I was happy to have been asked out to breakfast by a couple of blogger mates I hadn’t seen for ages.  We settled on a place called the Milk Bakery. What connotations come to mind? The reality is a high end coffee shop serving giant cake slices in a modern mixed development mall in Jumeirah 1.

Is vegan cheese keto DoinDubai Monic Moment Milk Bakery breakfast in a boxBreakfast in a Box Milk Bakery

That’s fine though, breakfast was an acceptable AED 54, but what I didn’t expect in the 2nd week of July was a paper box for a plate, a paper cup for my coffee and plastic knives and forks.

I wrote a post on Eating Out in Dubai after lockdown, but it seems the rules are very inconsistent and vary from premises to premises. Cutting a Turkish simit roll with a bendy plastic knife was challenging!

Marine Collagen

One of my breakfast buddies makes her own matcha nut butter with cashews (also found in vegan cheese?) almonds, white Lindt Milk chocolate and.. wait for it.. Marine Collagen!

Is vegan cheese keto DoinDubai Monic Moment Marine Collagen butter full size copyHand made hope in a jar

I immediately asked whether I could put it on my face! She hadn’t thought of that one, but apparently even eating it or adding a spoonful to a morning coffee can improve wrinkles and fine lines.

Just for friends and family at the moment, I ask if I can pay her for ingredients and making time? I think it would be cheaper and tastier than my fancy face cream! Maybe I can spread this cremosso nut butter on some keto bread and have with some vegan cheese!

Tell me

Is vegan cheese keto? If we ask ourselves what is ‘keto’ then we have the answer but how low in carbohydrates is the Vegan Cheese.  How low in carbohydrates does a food have to be to be labelled ‘keto’ ?

“So, what does “keto” even mean and how can a food be defined as such? It’s complicated” I found an explanation here. The article reminds us that not all ‘keto’ foods can be synonymous with “healthy.”

What are your experiences following a ‘Ketogenic diet” ? 

Win a Gorgeous Vegan Cheese Platter

If you’d like to win one of these gorgeous vegan cheese platters then keep watching the doindubai instagram.. 

Next Time 

I have a feeling London may be calling for the next MonicMoment..! 

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