Foodie Tuesday on The Ticket – Dubai Eye 103.8 gives you some great ideas for Dining in Dubai, be it for a first date, somewhere to impress, somewhere new or a special breakfast. Stay informed so you can make a better choice. Listen Up !
Link to the topics I cover on Dubai Eye 103.8
Welcome to Foodie Tuesday! DoinDubai is a regular guest on the Dubai Eye show The Ticket with Mark Lloyd and Stef Burgon. My role is to bring a fresh look to the food scene here in the UAE and abroad.
Did you get a mention this week?
The headings below correspond to the categories I spoke about this week.
New to Dubai
Absolute Barbeque known as AB’s
A fixed price menu of Dhs 75 that includes:
- barbecue type starters
- a full selection of Indian main courses
- a Mongolian barbecue corner
- and a small chaat (street food) selection
- plus a Dessert buffet that included fresh jalebis being made on site
We visited on a Friday for lunch and advise you don’t g0 later than 12. 30 else you’ll be waiting a while for a table! Very popular with families and groups and only Dhs 30 for children.
I think the trick is to select and be picky about what you eat
I really liked the hot, tandoori style starters that came fresh to the table. This is a successful chain from India and they plan to open in malls and City Walk in Dubai by the end of this year. Service was fab! But you can’t leave tips! It’s been open about 5 months, so from January 2015. Great if you’re taking a large family or group of visitors out and paying for everyone!
Best for a first date under Dhs 500
Lounge area at Mint Leaf
Emirates Financial Towers, DIFC. The number is 04-7060900
Mint Leaf has a gorgeous lounge area and full restaurant but on a Monday night, ladies receive 3 complimentary cocktails and canapes and then 30 % off all the bar snacks. The deal is on from 7 to 10 pm on Monday nights. We ordered a vegetarian platter and a non vegetarian platter, coffee, some water and service and paid Dhs 120 a head which was really good value. I didn’t like the Deep House music though! Would have preferred some Bollywood, but the dj was French?!
Food at the main restaurant is good but a little on the pricey side. I think the location is not prime DIFC so that could be a factor, although I think a new Italian has opened in the same building. Like this I think the Ritz Carlton also offers 2 glasses of sparkling wine and a plate of sushi (6 pieces) for ladies on Wednesday nights at a their Bar 5 Lounge from 8pm to 10 pm. And China Grill at the Westin offers free drinks, has a great lounge area and you can order dim sum style food for 50 % off on Tuesdays.
Best for Breakfast
WIN DINNER FOR 2 AT RASOI GHAR !
Address: Zainal Mohebi Plaza, Sheikh Zayed Bin Khalifa Road – Opposite BurJuman, CenterPoint in Bur Dubai (some parking in front of the restaurant, more if you turn right and go behind)
Phone:04 388 5711 Hours: 12:00 am – 11:00 pm Fridays from 1.30pm
Again, this is a very new restaurant, opened in May 2015, near Bur Juman shopping center end of town, but not like a Karama Cafe, it’s actually quite smart for this part of town. We went for breakfast a few weeks ago and really liked the thali style food from Kathiawar, which is in the state of Gujarat, it’s north of Mumbai but south of Rajasthan. Food is very authentic and typical of the region. I LOVED the fresh breads, jowar (millet) roti, a phulka (wheatflour) roti and a thepla roti too! Tiny, easy to eat portions as well, but a great variety of different vegetables.
There was a lovely bright atmosphere in the morning we went for breakfast. I highly recommend this place especially if you’re shopping in Meena Bazaar or Bur Dubai side and need a good meal before heading home! I really liked the paneer Kolapuri too. I also liked the chutneys which are an integral part of many Indian meals, and these were served in spring top glass jars, really clean and very home made! The date chutney and tangy mango were very good! Because rice, wheat, maize, soghum (gluten free), millet and peanuts and sesame are plentiful in the Kathiawar area these formed key ingredients in the cuisine. They also make use of Methi masala (ground fenugreek seeds with red chillies)
Dining to Impress in Dubai
Rang Mahal
JW Marriott Marquis hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road and the number is Tel: +9714 414 3000Rang Mahal
I choose Rang Mahal (which means the Colourful Palace) in line with our Indian theme this week, it’s the most impressive Indian restaurant I’ve eaten at. We went at Christmas time and had the tasting menu, and Michelin starred chef Atul Kochhar can really pull off mixing and matching. For instance the aubergine based salad with yoghurt, pine nuts and burrata still retained it’s Indian identity because of the spices used; now a DoinDubai favourite. The lamb dishes again were brilliantly spiced with cardamom, cloves and garlic. The meat itself was cooked to just falling apart texture so it almost melted in the mouth. While traditional gobi aloo or cauliflower and potato is a typical (and quite humble) North Indian vegetable, Kocchar decided to puree the cauliflower, using it as base for an Indian spiced scallop. Again, an unexpectedly Indian taste meant the dish worked very well.
We opted for the 4 course grazing menu, but you get little things in between! Dhs 325 or Dhs 575 with paired wines. They also have bar snacks and drinks deals as well, Dhs 69 for a beer and bar snack. Voted best Indian restaurant 2015 but Time Out and most romantic, could be a good choice for starting your date night here too!
Eat around the World – Money no Object
See next week’s post we ran out of time on this show!
If you need some more quick bites of Foodie Inspired Dubai Eye 103.8 Chat then LISTEN to more of the same!
Thanks
Monica
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