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What to Do In Dubai – without spending a fortune

If you get asked the question how would you reply to What to do in Dubai?

Where would you send people to eat and drink and see some of the real city but without spending a fortune? Ideas of meals and experiences giving you more for less.

Read on for my sensible but none the less delicious suggestions of what to Do in Dubai.

Why listen to me?

I’ve been a resident in Dubai since 2006 and and run an award winning food and travel blog and a podcast channel MonicMoments

I love good, healthy food and hate wasting money. So read on and make a list of what you and your visitors could Do In Dubai!

Love Indian Street Food? Then try a TERRIFIC THALI on your What to Do In Dubai List

Indian thali meals are cheap as chips but authentic, hugely authentic and very tasty. They’re great for hearty eaters as you can often have refills of your favourite dishes.

Click the link to Terrific Thali Meals here to find out more where these thali restaurants are which is our favourite!

Money Saving Deals DoinDubai Monica Kapila Andrha Thali
Andhra Style thali at Shree Krishna Bhavan
Money Saving Deals DoinDubai Monica Kapila Thali Meals Venus Karama
South Indian thali at Venus restaurant
MONEY SAVING DEALS DOINDUBAI MONICA KAPILA Thali at Rangoli Karama Cafe
Gujerati Style thali at Rangoli restaurant

Want some posh nosh in Dubai? Then pay a fraction of the price by trying some BUSINESS LUNCHES at top end restaurants

Business Lunches are a super way to sample Dubai’s fine dining restaurants on a budget.

Eating at lunchtime means you pay way less than you would at dinner time! Mostly available during week days, so that’s Monday to Thursday and sometimes Friday in Dubai at the moment.

See the pictures with captions below to places we really liked and would go again.

We also like the look of Fi’Lia Italian restaurant at the newish SLS hotel. A 3 course authentic looking business lunch for aed 99 with good views too.

ROKA at the ME hotel Business Bay
Money Saving Deals DoinDubai Monica Kapila Mina Brasserie Business Lunch Four Seasons DIFC
MINA BRASSERIE Four Seasons DIFC
Money Saving Deals DoinDubai Monica Kapila 99 Sushi Bar
99 SUSHI BAR Address hotel Downtown

So you’re a Culture Vulture and want to chat to local Emiratis about customs and traditions of the UAE? Then try the HERITAGE EXPRESS Moving Majlis experience.

We LOVED our experience of the Heritage Express moving majlis and learnt so much about Dubai despite having been a resident for some many years!

Click the link to Heritage Express Dubai for all details including which meals you can have as part of the experience, special offers and which sites you get to see on this fascinating tour.

Heritage Express Dubai DoinDubai Monica Kapila
Grab some friends and ride the Moving Majlis
Heritage Express Dubai DoinDubai Moinca Kapila Emirati Guides Moving Majlis
Hugely informative and very friendly stories from local people
Heritage Express Dubai DoinDubai Moinca Kapila Pose with a falcon
Pose with a falcon near the Jumeirah Mosque

You love FRESH FISH AND SEAFOOD by the sea then eat well for less in a lovely setting

Fresh Shrimps
Half a Lobster
Spicy Crabs

Great value and very tasty prawns, lobsters, crabs and fish straight from the fish market brought to your table cooked Middle Eastern Style. Just look at the location of our Fish Market in Jumeirah to find the location of the seafood restaurant behind it.

Good sayadiya rice and fresh rocket salad are what we recommend to accompany. Everyone we take here LOVES this great value seafood place by the sea in Jumeirah. If you find Dibba Bay Oyster Hut in Jumeirah 2 then you’ve found Azeema seafood too! The tables are set for outdoor eating now.

Tel 050 289 8181

Money Saving Deals DoinDubai Monica Kapila Dibba Bay Oysters Happy Hour
aed 8 per oyster Sunday to Wednesday 4 to 6.30pm

By the way the oyster hut at Dibba Bay Oysters serves oysters at AED 8 from Monday to Thursday from 4.30 to 6.30pm! Their hut is air conditioned too. Call to check before hand on 054 438 8537

NEW LOCATION at the Sheraton JBR! November 2022

You love food markets and a walk by the creek? Then experience DEIRA WATERFRONT MARKET and have lunch before you leave

Plenty of fresh produce well priced
Stroll along the creek behind the market
Eat some lunch before you head home

Group of girls on a big night out? Then research Dubai’s unique LADIES NIGHTS and have some beverages without breaking the bank

Don’t know what a Ladies Night concept is? Then LISTEN to this Ladies Nights podcast to be in the know. Depending on what time of year it is, there is ALWAYS a good Ladies Night in Dubai happening somewhere!

Just ask at your favourite hotel restaurants once you know which area you want to focus on.

Want to buy some fresh fish to take home or just love fish markets then check out our Fish Market in Dubai post here.

LIFE SHOULD BE A BEACH? Then try taking walking along the quiet bit of track beyond Jumeirah fish market near the sailing club

Stunning Sunsets, sand and sea all for free, take a picnic and do some paddle boarding or have coffee and snacks there.

Great walking track and a bike track now built. Want to know more about Paddle Boarding? Read our post on Paddling in Dubai.

Fish Market in Dubai Jumeirah harbour
MONEY SAVING DEALS DOINDUBAI DUBAI FITNESS CHALLENGE 2020
Try paddle boarding in Dubai near Sunset Beach

Want MORE? Then follow us on @DoinDubai INSTAGRAM for more up to the minute ideas.

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MINT LEAF RESTAURANT DUBAI AND LONDON

Review of Mint Leaf of London with Mint Leaf of London Dubai.

Mint Leaf London

Dubai seems to be THE city for the opening of branches of successful restaurants from all over the world. But how do they compare with the originals?

This review compares the newish Mint Leaf restaurant in Dubai with the original Mint Leaf restaurant of London in St James, near Piccadilly Circus.

Recently there has been a trend for restaurants to make sure their customers know that their Dubai outpost was born in LONDON. As we see with Leopolds of London in the Marina, a café from Knightsbridge in Jumeirah and now Mint Leaf of London in DIFC.

The Location

Mint Leaf restaurant Dubai is located in DIFC but in a lesser known building than Gate 5. The restaurant is on the 15th floor of Emirates Financial Towers, take the elevator, very useful for DIFC based people who also get a  15 percent discount off a la carte food and drink, but tell them that first. Being located on a high floor combined with floor to ceiling windows translates into spectacular views of the city. There is nothing that needs to be said about the Mint Leaf being located in St James in SW1 in London, it’s near everything that matters.

 

The Ambience

Both restaurants scored highly on the ambience. Large spaces with clearly delineated bar areas and tables; not too close together either. Mint Leaf Dubai would be a clear favourite for those end of term mums night outs where you need to meet for snacks and drinks and want to mingle rather than be placed at one end of a long table. Mint Leaf London seemed to be a popular choice for birthdays, perhaps to do with their happy hour? I noticed the Mint Leaf Dubai had a set of modern dj decs and a dance floor so maybe some Bollywood to work off the crispy Bhindi?

 

The Food

I loved the duck tikkas with drinks at the Mint Leaf restaurant in London and haven’t eaten duck Indian style before, but overall I think the food is more authentic at Mint Leaf in Dubai.

I liked all our starters, the tandoori prawns, succulent chicken tikka and seekh kebabs.

Mains were all good too. I especially liked the lamb curry and tilapia tawa fish; a difficult dish to get right.

So if you’re looking for good quality authentic Indian food and don’t want to go to a hotel, then Mint Leaf restaurant Dubai is a great choice with a very conjusive set up to linger at either before or after dinner. Great choice of wines and spirits too.

It was quiet when we visited during Ramadan and summer holidays but I’m sure the Mint Leaf Dubai will  become a popular DIFC eaterie. Service at both Mint Leaf restaurants was excellent.

Mint Leaf DIFC

If you would like DoinDubai to review a London original restaurant and compare it to its Dubai branch, then let me know and I’ll do my best, back in London later in September.

Thanks for sharing on Facebook and Twitter, videos available on DoinDubai’s Instagram

Click here for what you need to know about making a booking at Mint Leaf Restaurant in Dubai.

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