BEAUTIFUL BALKAN BISTRO IN JUMEIRAH
I've eaten breakfast and early lunch here on 2 separate occasions and I really like this place. What's Balkan food all about then? A mix of a little Turkish, a little mediterranean and a little uniqueness, all very high quality ingredients at play here. We're at 21 grams, did you know that's the weight of the soul?
But there are also 21 rooms at this Jumeirah boutique hotel - it's a Park Regis boutique hotel on the junction of al Thanya street and Jumeirah Beach road.
I recommend the poached eggs set in a special red pepper and tomato sauce base with a coffee of your choice.
If you pop in a bit later than breakfast time, then try out the different mezzes on offer chicken liver pate, again the red pepper mezze both eaten with their fresh bread suited me very well.
And for the sweet toothed, try the Balkan Bakalava... nothing like any bakalava you've ever eaten so far. Cool design too, small but perfectly formed, I wish I lived nearer here.
CLASSY TAPAS IN CITY WALK AT TORO + KO
We loved the variety that comes with tapas plates. Try the charred padron peppers sitting on a spicy sauce and the very pretty tuna and avocado with freeze dried and fresh raspberries!
It's a very cool restaurant as far as design features are concerned and it's licensed. Happy Hour is on every day from 6pm to 8pm where the price of a wine is roughly AED 24. Look for Lima, Galvin and La Ville hotel and you've found Toro and Ko. Ole Ole I say!
I'd love to go again, no need for mains for me, but a good foodie friend recommends the paella.
Sit outside on the terrace bordered with potted greeen plants and do take time to look at the contemporary artwork. A cool, buzzy place that was perfect for lunch. Would be amazing if they could do a Spanish omelette and some kind of breakfast tapas?!
Oh and who knows what an oyster leaf is then? Maybe you know it as the Sea Bluebell, read more about it at this Elements Seafood site I researched, it really does taste of oysters!
ITALIAN STYLE SCALINI IN JUMEIRAH VILLAGE
So when we say restaurant village in Dubai, we're talking about of the poshest restaurant complexes outside of DIFC! We had dinner at Scalini - an import from London's Chelsea. Take the elevator between Coya and Nusret down a level and get an inside outside table at this posh feeling Italian restaurant.
It felt a lot like La Petite Maison to me with white decor, white linen table cloths and formal settings.
We tried the lobster spaghetti with chilli oil It's proper chilli oil, so it's properly spicy. Portions are large so you could easily share this platter of pasta.
The same goes for the burrata that was creamy, quite runny but again a large portion, enough for 3 I'd like to say? But then at AED 120, you should get a large portion. Our table for 2 was a little small, so they served us our dishes, you can't get a lot of different things on the table at the same time.
Expect classic, trattoria style, Italian cusine here with large escalopes of meat and maybe no need for sides. The setting is anything but trattoria though. I'd like to go back to try the Parmigiana Melanzane for AED 70 with a glass of something crisp and cold. Perfect for a catch up girlie lunch.
NOT NEW BUT NEW TO ME VEGAN IN JLT WHAT ON URTH?
We're in Cluster J in JLT and I missed this little gem the first time round, but it's got a new menu, we tried on a really cold evening in December and loved all our vegan choices. But it's not exclusively vegan! We're at the Urth cafe, no relation the one in California though. But there is evidence of reducers or dehydrators being used. Know what they do to food?
Despite it being winter we had and recommend their spring wraps. So yes it's got all that fresh, crunchy vegetable filling like you'd find in a Vietnamese summer roll, BUT the pastry is not usual rice paper white roll, it's made from raw papaya!
Photo Credit: Taken from Urth Instagram @Nabzandg this picture by @_Maitha_
One of the founders did a cooking course on vegan cooking and dehydrating food from Ubud in Bali so their approach to food is very authentic and holistic. It has a pretty terrace overlooking the lake so try it if you're out that way soon.
I also liked my buddha burger, vegetarian of course made with sweet potato, quinoa and kidney beans. AED 51 with a side salad. Or you could just eat a Yoga Bowl! Beetroot hummus, guaacamole, spring greens etc! AED 37
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