Mall News

January 6, 2016 by monica 4 Comments

DUBAI SHOPPING FESTIVAL

Dubai Shopping Festival How long will it last?

Dubai Shopping Festival now in it’s 21st year lasts from January 1st 2016 till February 1st 2106 and there are plenty of REAL bargains this year! Go now before sizes run out and find out what’s really worth buying from where.

Dubai Shopping Festival Are the sales and discounts genuine?

I think so, I’ve been to both Mall of Emirates and Dubai Mall in the last 3 days and it seems like most of the shops are on sale with average discounts of about 40% but some up to 70% – that’s Galleries Lafayette on their OWN brands, and others only offering a 30% discount on newer stock- that’s White Company. No discounts on most high end cosmetics, so forget getting that Mac make up brush for less!

Dubai Shopping Festival What’s worth buying?

Anything you’re looking for but I recommend heading to the ground floor of Bloomingdales in Dubai Mall to snaffle some of their semi precious jewellery, very modern, easy to wear, versatile pieces that are great to keep or to give as gifts. Don’t forget to take your AMBER card with you if you’re shopping here. You won’t get money off sale items, but you will keep collecting points that do convert to cash discounts for non sale purchases.

I bought an Alexis Bittar bracelet for AED 260, 50% off the original price.

Another bargain was a DKNY purse at 60% from the smaller DKNY shop in the Village bit of Dubai Mall, cost AED 110

Dubai Shopping Festival Where to eat at the Mall?

We found a really relaxing place to eat at Mall of Emirates, a bit different to our usual haunts, but well worth a visit. It’s the Vantage Terrace on the 2nd floor of the Sheraton hotel in the Mall. Go to the new bit of the mall near the cinema, pass Tom and Serge’s common grounds and you’ll see the entrance there. You have a large, open air space with loads of natural light and incredible views!

All food can be paired with alcohol and they have a very good selection of craft beers too! A Ceasar salad with real anchovies and crispy bacon cost Dhs 40 here and a trio of mini sliders (Wagyu beef) with well made, hot chips costs AED 75 and would be fine for sharing. A great place to leave the men who don’t want to shop I think!

Dubai Shopping Festival What’s worth knowing?

If you have friends or family coming over just for the festival, you could let them know if they stayed at the Oberoi hotel in Dubai, then they get complimentary transport to the Dubai Mall AND their shopping would be picked up three times a day for FREE by the hotel. Love the idea of this Shop Till You Drop service! If you do spend more than AED 650 at Mall of Emirates then make the effort to fill in the raffle coupon for your chance to win a Lamborghini Hurricane, outside the Massimo Dutti store on the ground floor. If you are updating your instagram with your best purchases then the the Dubai Shopping Festival account is @dsfsocial and their hashtag is #MyDSF

More information about events during this year’s Dubai Shopping Festival at Dubai Calendar. What was your best bargain? Let me know in a comment, thanks Monica and Happy Shopping this DSF.

November 22, 2015 by monica Leave a Comment

EDIBLE CHRISTMAS GIFTS BE FIRST TO FIND OUT

Dubai’s Top 10 Edible Christmas Gifts

A SPECIAL EDITION of Food News with me this week chatting to Mark Lloyd, Stef Burgon and Zahra Soar, We’ll be munching our way through Dubai’s Top 10 Edible Christmas Gifts. We’ve done the research so you don’t have to. We have found edible Christmas gifts for all the family, some at pocket-money prices others that may need you to take out a small loan! Be the first to find out what to buy this Christmas in Dubai.

Favourite Edible Christmas Gifts Dubai Skyline Yule Log from Bateel

Love the look of this alternative chocolate log from Bateel they’ve managed a perfect blend of Christmas and Dubai with the traditional chocolate log by adding in a very intricate and detailed chocolate Dubai skyline on the front! Made with an extraordinarily sophisticated cutting machine from France that actually uses high pressure water to cut!
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More information in a special edition on Factory Food in Dubai and I hope even an extra radio slot as well! This cake would cost you Dhs 90 and will be available a week before Christmas so I would reserve one if I were you. We actually saw the prototypes the morning we visited and as well as a chocolate log there is an alternative red and white one too. Looks like a swiss roll but it couldn’t be further away from a swiss roll in terms of filling, we’re talking chestnut cream with vanilla pods and fresh raspberry puree type ingredients if I know anything about Jean-Luc Vila the Chef in Charge and Director of Operations at Bateel.

Edible Christmas Gifts Money No Object 100 year old Balsamic Vinegar from Bateel

This particular vinegar is sourced from Italy and produced exclusively for Bateel. There are 2 types, one 30 years old, the other is 100 years old! It’s shelved in a dark, vaultish like area of the Bateel factory in DIP and it comes in more of a perfume type bottle, similar to a perfume spray tall box and a smaller more intense shorter box, white boxes studded with real Swarovski crystals at a mere Dhs 1100 or stunning Dhs 4,500! And you may ask why Bateel supplies this type of product? Well it’s because sometimes they get asked for hampers worth Dhs 10,000 and how do you do that? B for Bling from Bateel! Bateel is known as a luxurious Gastronomy hub, and that’s why they have concessions in places like Harrods food halls in Knightsbridge in London.

If you want to give a slightly cheaper version of salad dressing then buy the boxed sets of date infused balsamic vinegar and olive oil for I think around Dhs 110 or so in a boxed set with a golden bow.

We have lots of Edible Christmas Gifts from Bateel to give away every day of the 12 Days of Christmas so watch out for our 12 Days of a DoinDubai Christmas competition coming later this week.

Edible Christmas Gifts Christmasy Tea from a new home grown company Avantcha

A real Christmasy blend of Japanese tea, but without any tea leaves that I could discern! I LOVED the smell of the chocolate, orange and masala variety from their Winter tea collection. This tea comes in a silver tin with it’s own set of tea filter tea bags! So you take a little or a lot of tea, place in your personal teabag, seal by folding over into a small sachet and then add boiling water and inhale that Christmasy smell. I had dried orange peel, oriental spices and cocoa cores in mine! A very good idea to make some of this if you’re trying to sell your house! Other varieties included Orange Winter Apple and Avantcha Noel. You can buy them from Hamptons Cafe or online at avantcha.com

The tea pricing goes like this one- 50g tin AED 54 and two 50g tins AED 98 and three 50g tins AED 133 and you can buy the self-filling tea bags separately but each tin does come with it’s own pack of tea bags. They are available from their online store avantcha.com, AED 30 for 64 bags.

Edible Christmas Gifts Mid price range Truffle Olive Oil from Eataly

I liked the mid range special truffle olive oil from Eataly which is an Italian emporium that sells very well presented and packaged food items from panettonne cakes to truffle oil from specialist suppliers from all over Italy. In fact they are opening new stores in Italy itself, London and Moscow! I thought their small but not miniature sized bottle of TartufLanghe White Truffle oil at around Dhs 100 was a good present for anyone who loves cooking or doesn’t! It’s that special bottle of olive oil that you could use with pasta, over risotto, salads or even over cheese. TartufLanghe comes from Alba in Italy and this oil has thin slivers of the white truffle in it!

Edible Christmas Gifts Pocket Money priced packet of Porcini Mushroom Risotto rice

Also at Eataly is the Porcini Mushroom Risotto at a more pocket money price of Dhs 35, a great edible gift for kids to buy for their mum or dad, then they could use the expensive olive oil to add to the rice and then have a cup of hot Christmasy Chocolate, masala, orange tea while it’s cooking (in a Recke Multi cooker we have to give away here!) and then finish the meal with a slice of special Dubai Christmas yule log from Bateel! Eataly also has some great hampers as well that you can fill yourself. I loved this cup and saucer idea! You can only read the message printed on the saucer in the reflection of the stainless steel cup!

and again we have some prizes to give away from Eataly as well in our 12 Days of Christmas competition including a packet of that Porcini mushroom risotto!

Edible Christmas Gifts The Chef’s special pick of all the Galleries Lafayette Merchandise was a jar of Balqees Raw Honey

This comes from Yemen and has to be very authentic as we’ve tried lots of this at Global Village, where you get his and hers honey. Here’s what Chef Russell who is Culinary Director of Galleries Lafayette Gourmet had to say about it

Priced at around Dhs 169 a jar depending on the variety you choose, maybe you dip a teaspoon of it into your Avantcha tea or have some with some Panetonne from Eataly or Bateel!

Edible Christmas Gifts Edible Silver Leaf great Foodie’s gift from Galleries Lafayette Gourmet

Price is Dhs 364 for a jar of leaves of super fine edible silver that you have to pick up using special tweezers and carefully layer on to your deserts or cakes. It looks like a small jar of very expensive face cream and would make a great present as I haven’t seen this anywhere else! Comes to Dubai via Florence!

So 3 places, any Bateel, Eataly in Dubai Mall on the ground floor and Lafayette Gourmet on the 3rd floor! Lots of prizes to be won on the blog, so save yourself some money on Christmas presents ! And for my last slot in 2 weeks time, we’ll be looking at my choice of Christmas and New Year meals in Dubai, anyone fancy a Zuma Christmas? We’ll be chatting about these gifts on Tuesday 24th November from 3 to 4 in the afternoon on The Ticket Dubai Eye 103.8 and I’ll add the podcast to this post once it’s been broadcast. Do let me know in a comment if this post has helped you make your Christmas shopping list and let me know if you have any questions, I’ll try and help.

Thanks Monica

PODCASTS HERE

PODCAST 9

We’re talking Dubai Chocolate Yule log and Balsamics

PODCAST 10

We’re talking Christmas Teas and Eataly Oils, Risottos and Upmarket Honey that’s not Manuka!

PODCAST 11

We’re talking Edible Silver and then a new Peruvian restaurant Inka. The post for Inka is here!

and in case you wanted to listen to the end of that broadcast then here is the last podcast.

PODCAST 12 We’re talking about Pantry Cafe and Double Mutton Masala Biriyani in Meena Bazaar.

April 10, 2015 by monica 3 Comments

BOX PARK DUBAI IS OPEN NOW

What is the Box Park in Dubai?

Box Park is a new, open air strip mall type concept that stretches for 1.2 km. It’s a completely new concept for Dubai, apart from the similar set up at North Beach in JBR which opened about a year ago.

Where is Box Park?

Box Park is located on the Al Wasl road, not as far down as City Walk, almost opposite Dr Michaels Dental clinic. The Box Park is on the same side of the road as the big Spinneys. It’s quite obvious to see as all the development is similar to cubist box type architecture. It is the third of a new cluster of modern shops and eateries on Al Wasl road.

What would you expect to find in Box Park?

65% of the outlets will be eateries, not all of them are open, but as of April 2015 there were Lebanese, Egyptian, salad places, Italian restaurants and an ice cream shop all doing a roaring trade on a week day evening! There are plans for a Chinese and Japanese but sadly no plans for any Indian places yet. 35% of the development will be retail. There are a mix of shops, some of which sell unusual gift type items, sports goods and shoes. I popped into one outlet called The Zoo which stocked an eclectic mix of jewellery, quirky gifts and collectibles. See the golden skull below.

Is Box Park worth a visit?

Yes definitely, it’s open from 10 am to 12 pm, but the retail shops close at 10 pm. I would suggest planning a walk along the strip and ending or with a meal, ideally outside if it’s not too hot and I also recommend trying the Italian ice cream sorry gelato from GROM, already a favourite with local residents. If you go at night, the outlets are lit up with very brightly coloured lights. There is also the first Dubai branch of an Egyptian eaterie called Studio Masr. I will go back to try that soon.

Is there valet parking at Box Park?

Yes there is but it comes at a price. If you want VIP valet parking at Box Park then it cost a cool Dhs 100 per hour of your stay! If you want non VIP parking (I guess it takes a little longer for your car to get back to you as they park behind the development) it still costs a hefty Dhs 50 per hour. There is also an old fashioned open air car with a driver that cruises up and down the 1.2 km strip at a cost of Dhs 10 per passenger, so that might be fun for older people or kids who want a ride if it’s too hot to walk.

Have you been to Box Park in Dubai yet? Has this article inspired you to try it ? Would love to know what you think of the ultra modern building boom we are seeing in Dubai, do you like it? If you want to hark back to some old fashioned restaurants, then just behind the box park (turn right at the post office) you will find Kebab Bistro and the original Smiling BKK.

Thank you

Monica

If you’d like to know the Top Things to do in Prague together with a secret list of reliable, cheap airport transfers, fabulous guides and the best restaurants AND get the highlights and lowlights of Sir Baniyas Island in Abu Dhabi , stay subscribed as these will be the next posts coming up!

November 16, 2014 by monica Leave a Comment

GET TOGETHERS IN DUBAI ARE EASY WITH TAPAS AND DRINKS

Get Togethers in Dubai – Where to go?

Where can a group of friends, mums or colleagues arrange to meet up in Dubai for fun, drinks, snacks and opportunities to chat? We don’t want to pay too much but would still like to maybe have a few drinks and eat something nice. I recommend Salero – a Spainish tapas and bodega restaurant in the Kempinski hotel – Mall of the Emirates, a great place for Get Togethers in Dubai. On TUESDAYS ladies receive 3 glasses of sangria for FREE! Order 3 types of tapas for Dhs95 and watch some Flamenco performers – also free! Great deal I think.

The Ambience

I felt like I was in a proper Spanish place, all the staff are Spanish themselves or they speak the language. Modern but warm lighting and décor provide a great atmosphere to relax in, seating is comfortable and conjusive for a large group or a small gang of friends. The colours are warm reds with natural woods. The music isn’t too loud which allows you to mingle and chat properly.

The Food

The menu is not extensive and is mostly tapas based, there is cold, hot or special tapas. I visited at lunch time and chose from the special tapas menu. I loved our calamari in a perfect, light batter served with aioli dip. The buttery, garlic prawns in a herb sauce were plump, juicy and delicious. Their spicy sauce is worth eating properly with hunks of specialty bread. These two dishes with the bread and tomatoes (complimentary) were worth ordering a few times! Portions are good too, 3 portions of tapas are more than enough for two people to share. We also liked the mushrooms and green padron peppers. There are fabulously authentic gin cocktails using Tanqueray, Beefeater and even Hendriks, do choose the excellent Fever Tree tonic as your mixer which is also available here. But sorry no light tonic as yet but if enough people ask for it, we will get it here!

The Deal

We visited at lunch time and shared one Special Business lunch for Dhs 150, this included 3 types of special tapas, soft drinks like homemade lemonade and a choice of desert (we ordered Catalan cream, a kind of Spainish crème caramel – again more than enough for 2 people) This deal is on EVERY DAY FROM 12 to 6pm but there are cheaper lunch options too, so great for afternoon get togethers in Dubai. BUT every evening from 5pm to 7pm (order has to be punched by 7pm) many of the tapas plates AND some cocktails and mocktails are HALF PRICE. This means you can re order some great food and drink a few times in a fabulous setting and not feel ripped off.

The Details

The Kempinski hotel will valet park your car, so you don’t feel you’re going to a restaurant in a Mall. Do book before hand and remember to avail the half price deal you have to place your order by 7pm but then you can stay as long as you like.

Salero Tapas and Bodega is located on the ground floor of the Kempinski hotel Mall of the Emirates and I think it will make a great choice for lunch after some shopping or an evening get together in Dubai.

Tel 04 409 5888

www.salero-bodega.com

Don’t Forget

Don’t forget to tell Salero that you booked on the recommendation of DoinDubai. I’m sure lots of different groups of people are looking for sensible places to get together in Dubai at the moment so why not share this article with your friends? That’s great for our blog too.

And if you’d like to keep up to date with the latest happenings then

Keep up via your favourite Social Media

Following DoinDubai on Twitter gives you up to the minute happenings or
Follow on Instagram if you are more of a pictures person,
There is even a YouTube channel if prefer short videos of recipes, restaurant experiences and roads I have travelled!

and if this has put you in the mood for something even more Spanish then see if you can experience the Real Thing here!

THANKYOU