Meena Bazaar

October 19, 2022 by monica 1 Comment

DIWALI IN DUBAI Eating, shopping, dancing and powerful characters

Updated OCTOBER 2022

Diwali in Dubai

This year Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, falls on Monday the 24th of October and while Diwali is a Hindu festival, it’s now celebrated all over the world. Dubai is no exception! Diwali in Dubai is a big event!

CONTEMPORARY INDIAN STARTER FROM INDEGO BY VINEET

There are actually 5 days connected to the festival of Diwali starting from October 23rd through to October 27th. Each day holds a different significance with the 23rd being Dhanteras typically associated with buying gifts of gold, and the 24th is Choti Diwali or Little Diwali.

The Diwali story

The Diwali story’s got all the elements of a classic Good conquering Bad tale. Wicked stepmothers, multi headed demons, beautiful princesses, it’s all there.

Hindus all over the world celebrate the triumphant homecoming of Prince Ram, his wife Sita and their brother Laxsman from a gruelling 14 years spent in banishment in the jungle.

They were banished as part of an orchestrated request by Ram’s step mother Kaikeyi as a last wish from her husband King Dashrath. He ruled the ancient kingdom of Ayodhya.

Story has it that the night the weary travellers were returning home was one without any moonlight to show the way. Excited villagers decided to light small clay earthen ware lamps using oil and wicks to make it easier for them to navigate their way back.

So Diwali is really a mix of 2 words, Deep and Avali, DEEP meaning light and AVALI meaning row.

They also lit up the sky with firecrackers, hence the present day fireworks again to show the rightful rulers of the Kingdom of Ayodhya the way home.

Celebrating Diwali in Dubai

You’ll see many houses in Dubai lit up with tiny diyas in rows, often on the entrance or porch of a house re enacting what the villagers did. Houses are often spring cleaned during this period so that good luck and prosperity can visit in the form of Lakshmi the Goddess of wealth.

Families share gifts of money and new clothes as well organize huge Diwali feasts where authentic Indian varieties of burfi (sweet fudge made from ingredients such as milk, coconut, almonds, cashewnuts and sugar) and desserts like ras malai (a soft cheese based milk dumpling soaked in cream and pistachios) and ladoos play a starring role.

If you don’t want to give heavy Indian Diwali sweets this year then try making some gorgeous energy balls instead, then be creative about how you package them up!

Traditionally the best Diwali sweets shared with family and friends were always homemade.

ENERGY BALLS RECIPE

ENERGY BALLS DOINDUBAI MONICA KAPILA fennel and sesame seeds — LOOKS LIKE A LADOO BUT IT ISN’T

There are Diwali brunches, dinners and even fireworks displays in Dubai. We loved our Indian meal at Indego by Vineet at the Grosvenor House hotel.

Click the picture to see our experience of that on Instagram.

CLICK TO SEE OUR EXPERIENCE AT INDEGO BY VINEET

Emirates airlines announced it’s serving traditional Indian sweets to celebrate Diwali on Indian routes in all cabin classes!

Authentic Indian favorites like motichoor ladoos, mixed nut tribooj and angoori rabdri are being served in it’s cabins and lounges.

Dal kachoris and vegetable samosas for those of us with less of a sweet tooth. Some brilliant biscuits – Nan Khataai served in Emirates lounge in Cape Town too!

Diwali Shopping in Dubai

The Meena Bazaar area of Bur Dubai is a great place to visit during this festive time. Shop fronts are festooned with orange marigold flowers and there’s an excited buzz in the air.

People stock up on garlands, both real and fake, intricate rangoli pattern makers and stencils – see the one below. You can see which colour I’ve used the most for my Diwali rangoli designs!

DoinDubai Diwali in Dubai Monica Kapila Rangoli Stencil — RANGOLI STENCIL FOR MAKING DIWALI DESIGN

They buy vibrant rangoli powder colour for doorways, hand-painted clay diyas, shiny brass candle holders everything linked to traditional worship at home.

ENTRANCE TO A HOME IN DUBAI DECORATED FOR DIWALI

The fact that gold is around 1700 dollars a Troy ounce hasn’t deterred people buying jewellery at this auspicious time. Plenty of offers abound at major jewellery shops all over Dubai. Get down to Bur Dubai and experience Diwali in Dubai yourself.

And if you just feel like a simple or more elaborate INDIAN THALI MEAL then choose from our selection here.

Money Saving Deals DoinDubai Monica Kapila Andrha Thali — VEGETARIAN THALI MEAL IN DUBAI

Diwali Gift ideas

You can’t go wrong with gifting anyone a candle at Diwali time. We love all the candles from PURE CANDLES DUBAI AED 180

GIFT A SOY WAX DIWALI CANDLE FROM PURE CANDLES

If you don’t want to make your own energy balls then get down to LITTLE URTH BY NABZ AND G. Buy some from there! They’re as good as good as home made (I’ve tried them!), nicely packaged too.

AED 50 or so for a generous portion.

Monicas-Weekend-DoinDubai-Free-Goodie-Bag-vegan-energy-balls- — NUTRIENT DENSE NO NASTIES ENERGY BALLS BY NABZ AND G

Or buy some bite size Indian inspired brittle bars from VARAK EDIBLE LUXURY get some for yourself too! Better than burfi and biscuits! Click the link and go to the Brittles page. 8 bites for just AED 27 with my discount code!

MONICA10 code for varak dubai brittle bars

Tell me about any cool Diwali gifts you’re giving or receiving this year. Please also SHARE THIS POST with your friends and to all my loyal DoinDubai readers:

Warmest wishes for a prosperous and peaceful Diwali in Dubai and all over the world.

Never mind the markets and British politics for now.

NOTE JUST IN..

The Pointe on Palm Jumeirah will celebrate Diwali with a performance by the world’s largest dancing fountain, The Palm Fountain.

From 14 to 28 October from 6pm to 10pm, every 3rd performance will be a popular Hindi song! So visitors can dress up and head to the nearby eateries for delicious deals as they enjoy the show.

Also Diwali Fireworks at Global Village on the 28th October 2022 in the evening!

DIWALI FIREWORKS OCT 2022 AT GLOBAL VILLAGE

A STAY AT THE TAJ PALACE NEW DELHI

February 2, 2020 by monica Leave a Comment

SHOPPING IN MEENA BAZAAR DUBAI

Living

SHOPPING IN MEENA BAZAAR DUBAI

MEENA BAZAAR DUBAI

Forget Dubai’s mega malls for a day and explore the small streets and characterful alley ways of Meena Bazaar. No shopping online here and this high street certainly isn’t dead.

What to expect

Expect a variety of small, independent shops, stalls and shacks selling everything from textiles, ready made garments, jewellery, fashion accessories and ethnic groceries. If you love crafts of any kind at all, you’re in for a treat.

How to do Meena Bazaar

Get a taxi to drop you off or park at one of the carparks in the area. The one near Puranmals is good. You can’t drive from street to street easily.

Wear a good pair of walking shoes as some of the pavements are narrow and uneven.

Remember there is a split shift operating so go from 10am to 1pm or from 4pm to about 8pm.

Avoid or resolutely ignore all the touts that will approach you to buy fake designer goods.

Ideally go with someone who knows the area a bit and ideally speaks a bit of Hindi but don’t worry if you go alone. Google maps works well.

If you want a garment copied then take it with you, buy your fabric first and some trimmings and then go to your tailor. But if you can ask your tailor how much fabric you need.

Get jewellery fixed and polished but I wouldn’t leave very expensive real jewellery here to pick up at a later date, get it done on the day if you can.

You can also get shoes and belts fixed at little cobbler shacks in Meena Bazaar so take those broken sandals.

You may get pidgeon poop on you, we did once! So take an umbrella just in case or even a clean top and an extra plastic bag if you need to change!

Renew, repair and customise very affordably and boost your creativity at the same time

Eating in Meena Bazaar

I would stick to the vegetarian options and recommend Puranmals, Rangoli and Kulfilicious. See video below

Meet me in Meena Bazaar

Get a feel of the vibe of this place.

Shops we visited in Meena Bazaar

THE JEWELLERY PLACE

Royal Crown Jewellery near New Sindhi Ceremonial Hall

THE ZIP AND EYELET PLACE

Fouress Trading near Rinco Matching Centre

GOOD TEXTILES FOR DRESSMAKING

Ravani previously called Ratti off Al Fahidi street

Location

where is Meena Bazaar

Near Bur Juman

This review was written completely independently of any stockists or restaurants mentioned.

Monica Kapila

Owner and Founder of Doindubai

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December 14, 2017 by monica Leave a Comment

AL SEEF DUBAI What’s it really like

What is Al Seef Dubai

Al Seef Dubai is a very new, modern Creekside development in Dubai opened by Meraas. Meraas is an established developer that recently brought us La Mer in Jumeirah 1 and before that Box Park. The new Al Seef area has a distinct heritage feel about it as the buildings, set all along Dubai Creek, opposite Deira side, have been designed with very traditional facades. But there is a real modern feel to this place too.

It reminded me very much of an Al Bastakiya type area, but with much more to do and see. It’s also more spacious and easy to walk around.

Where is Al Seef Dubai located

Al Seef is set along side Dubai Creek and you need to head towards the Bur Dubai side of town, then follow the brown signs towards Al Seef. There is underground parking available. Then walk along the creek and stop where you feel like. So you’re very much in the older heart of Dubai. Here is the exact location via a Google Map.

What is open at Al Seef Dubai

When we visited there in November 2017 there were a few restaurants and cafés open. I recommend you walk as far as you can along the boardwalk first and then almost walk backwards to where you’d like to stop and eat and drink.

Food and Drink at Al Seef Dubai

The last place along Al Seef that we thought was open and we couldn’t really walk beyond, was the well-known Bikanerwalla cafe. That’s a South Indian chain famous for it’s dosas and other Indian vegetarian street food. The setting was the best of all the Bikanerwala restaurants I’ve been to in Dubai. Expect old, wind tower type architecture with places to sit both inside and out on the terrace, not far from the Creek.

There are more modern places all the way along the development. We really liked Kona Grill, almost at the beginning of the development. This would be a nice place to visit in the evening as it’s licensed to serve alcohol on the roof terrace! They have also have festive menu for the season which I think is really good value. We’ve put pdf’s of their Christmas and New Year’s Eve menus here:

Kona Grill Menu for Christmas

KG NYE Menu 2017

The food is good, pan Asian style cuisine. I recommend the crispy squid and any of the sushi combinations. There is good bar tender who makes a mean cocktail too. Kona Grill is part of well known American chain and this is their first outlet in the UAE.

The roof terrace is a great place to sit as it perfectly combines the new Dubai with the old. There are charming views of the older, wooden abras sailing along, lit up with fairy lights in contrast to the larger yachts moored in the harbour.

The backdrop to this marine activity are the two tall Rolex towers opposite, which really are established Dubai landmarks that were around well before the Burj Khalifa or the Burj Al Arab.

If you feel like a breakfast early one morning, then try ILA a little further down from Kona Grill. It’s a large Middle Eastern style restaurant/café that serves traditional breakfasts, lunch and dinner.

We recommend the coffee, fresh orange juice and the spinach manakeesh here. Again you can sit inside or outside, right by the creek. Then take a walk to the end of Al Seef to walk off your meal.

More restaurants are due to open soon.

We combined our day trip to Al Seef with an outing to the old souk area of Dubai where we bought some Christmas gifts at bargain prices. Think colourful painted pottery, Afghan pashmina type shawls and trinkets.

Day or Night in Al Seef Dubai

Al Seef has a quite a different feel in the day to the night, and while it’s pleasant at both times, I loved walking around in the early evening. Then as it get’s dark, all the rows of lights come on and the atmosphere is very pleasant.

If you go early on a Friday evening, you’ll see a real microcosm of Dubai’s population here. Well Done Meraas for getting us all together along a major Dubai landmark, the Creek. But also well done for very cleverly combining the old with the new almost seamlessly.

Just a point though, while some of the cafes are reasonably priced, the cart vendors selling coconuts and hot dogs were overpriced in our view, but otherwise a great outing in Dubai. And a great new place to take visitors.

Update June 2019

For activities happening at Al Seef like EID FIREWORKS check this link.

Eidiya Time at Al Seef 2019

Entertainment, fireworks and fun on Eid night… which we think is Tuesday June 4th 2019.

Has this article inspired you to go visit Al Seef? Let me know.

Thank you Monica.

January 17, 2015 by monica Leave a Comment

ETHNIC JEWELLERY

Versatile, Lightweight and very Stylish Ethnic Jewellery

So DSF is all around us but make a detour and buy some handcrafted ethnic jewellery at very reasonable prices. Great if you’re travelling and want to keep your real stuff for Dubai. It works well with all kinds of outfits, formal, informal, ethnic and Western. Just don’t overdo it!

Where can I buy this ethnic jewellery from?

Fabindia – a household name to most Indians from India. This Mankhool Road (Karama) store (telephone 04 398 9633) specializes in all things handmade and traditional, but not with typical artisanal price tags attached. There is easy parking in front of the store. (You can stock up on computer paper and accessories next door and go to Kamat’s 2 minutes drive away for Dosas) I assume the name Fab India started out as a combination of Fabric from India? Do let me know…

What else apart from ethnic jewellery?

Not only ethnic jewellery but hand spun pure cotton tunics (the mens designs are super and make great presents for Fathers Day or Dad’s birthday) and matching loose trousers too. Lampshades with block printed designs and a vast array of pure cotton table cloths, napkins and mats. The store also has a range of furnishing fabrics from cotton to pure silk, ideal for blinds. I have also bought handblock printed bottle bags and notebooks here too. So a great place to stock up on non perishable presents that are hand crafted and a bit different.

How much are the items here?

The ear rings I looked at ranged from Dhs 60 to Dhs 200. The men’s cotton tunics were Dhs 110 for the plain and Dhs 225 for the ones with embroidery. I bought these for my elderly father, they make a much better alternative than pyjamas as they can double up as casual day clothes too.

Why did I choose to write a post on Ethnic Jewellery and Fab India?

Because I put up a picture of the ear rings on my Instagram and got 22 likes almost immediately ! I genuinely liked the products and the prices are good. I don’t think my Expat western readers are familiar with a store like Fabindia but I think it’s worth a visit. Not a bad place to get some unusual Valentine’s Day gifts either.