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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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CHINESE SUPERMARKET IN DUBAI fabulous food and shopping in Deira

Chinese Supermarket in Dubai UPDATED NOVEMBER 2021

Do you get bored shopping at your regular supermarket? I certainly do and so was delighted to find an amazingly authentic Chinese supermarket in Dubaiโ€™s International City. NOW RELOCATED TO AL RIGA IN DEIRA just near the Clock Tower. Well worth a visit for all real foodies.

BUT check these Top Tips before you go on this delicious outing. 

Chinese Supermarket in Dubai Monica Kapila DoinDubai In My Trolley

Where exactly is the Chinese Supermarket in Dubai? NEW LOCATION in Deira near the Clock Tower – easy drive and there is parking too. See map. 

 What did I buy at the Chinese supermarket in Dubai?

I bought fresh Kai Lan (Chinese broccoli) Choi Sum and Pak Choi all at around Dhs 3 to Dhs 5 per pack, a fraction of what Iโ€™d normally pay. I also got a large packets of sweet potato noodles, some ready fried tofu, steamed chicken dumplings for soup and all manner of baked rice snack items for healthier munchies.

There is also plenty of fresh LIVE seafood to buy too, giant, live lobsters seemed reasonable at AED 268 or so!

Chinese Supermarket in Dubai Monica Kapila DoinDubai Live Lobsters

See how to make the dumplings yourself HERE

I wasnโ€™t brave enough to try some of the more exotic and painfully authentic ingredients such as the chickenโ€™s feet or sheepโ€™s tongue but steer clear of these more squeamish items (to me) and you still have a huge, well stocked shop that boasts fresh ingredients regularly flown in very sensibly priced.

https://www.doindubai.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Chinese-Supermarket-in-Dubai-Monica-Kapila-DoinDubai-weigh-your-vegetables-for-hot-pot.jpg

TIP 

Do buy some of the exotic fruits like red dragon fruit, sweet melons and grapefruit pink flesh pomelos! We also loved the Chinese garlic chives and dark green leaves that look like spinach. The variety of mushrooms was incredible and these would make a super gift for any foodie! Pop in a dragon fruit for some extravagance, the mixed mushroom packs are only AED 6.50!

Chinese Supermarket in Dubai Monica Kapila DoinDubai Exotic Mix mushrooms aed 6

TIP 

Alot of the servers speak English and or HIndi, so do ask if you need to clarify anything, BUT note alot of the labels of prodcuts are in Chinese. 

TIP

Do buy some ready made pastes like chilli oil, I also bought 5 spice powder and and of course prawn crackers, a favourite with kids of all ages, just AED 3 per packet! 

EATING at the WeMart

On the ground floor as you enter there are a number of “stalls” selling all manner of cooked Chinese food. You can buy what you like and sit at any of the communal tables in the middle. It’s not only Chinese food on offer, there is a huge array of very reasonably priced sushi too.

TIP

Go to the back of the ground floor and choose your vegetables, fish and or meat, weigh it and have it cooked up FRESH hot pot style. This is what my Chinese friend recommended and she was right to do so!

Chinese Supermarket in Dubai Monica Kapila DoinDubai Veg Hotpot

WARNING TIP

The little bit spicy sign will be super spicy (I just about managed) so maybe ask for tiny or no spice then add your own!

This way of eating, is fresh, completely customisable (we had heaps of fresh vegetables and various types of tofu with 2 large prawns each) it’s also super cheap, just AED 77 for 2 of us!

You buy your drinnks separately (mostly cold drinks, none hot!) and also buy a few dim sums from another stall, we liked leek fried gyozas and crystal prawn dumplings.

You’ll be shocked at how reasonable the dim sum baskets are too!

Chinese Supermarket in Dubai Monica Kapila DoinDubai leek Gyozas

Cool shopping and authentic eats at this Chinese supermarket emporium in Deira, like going to a different part of Dubai you never knew existed! Do let me know if you have a favourite and as yet undiscovered restaurant youโ€™d like me to review, and please share this post as usual.

Thanks, Monica.

Little Fat Sheep is another authentic and very popular Chinese restaurant in International City but there are so many hot pot restaurants in Dubai now. 

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GLOBAL VILLAGE DUBAI NOV – MARCH

Global Village a real winter activity in Dubai

UPDATE FEBRUARY 2021

So the pavilions for shopping and food are all OPEN, only the entertainment pavilions and live shows have stopped for now. STILL ONLY AED 15 TO ENTER, but a brand new feel to Global Village if you haven’t been for a while!ย  It’s in it’s 25th season already so Happy Silver Jubilee!ย 

What did we buy this time round?ย 

We loved the Turkish stall for melamine ceramics, dishes and bowls all very reasonably priced and so easy to carry too!ย 
Global Village DoinDubai Turkish Pavilion
The Indian pavilion is still good for shawl, but do keep bargaining and we like the food from Bundoo Khan’s Pakistani pavilion in Global Village. Try the lamb seekh kebab and naan!ย 
ย 
We went to the Moroccan stall also in search of pottery but didn’t find too much that we liked. I did buy this.. very reasonably priced and of course the tea glasses and pots are very pretty too. Good for serving little portions of dessert as well as tea!
Global Village DoinDubai Morocan pot

FROM BACK IN NOVEMBER 2015

Now it’s Dhs 15 to enter 32 pavilions and in it’s in 20th Season! ย It’s opening to coincide with Flag Day too so that’s from TODAY 3rd of November till April 9th 2016. This post is based on a previous visit. No festival sales on in Global Village but go along for a different evening out while the weather is perfect for walking.

Experience a real Middle Eastern atmosphere with families enjoying a browse, shopping and eating at the various international stalls. It’s a big place so find out DoinDubai’s Top Tips for visiting Global Village before you go!

Global Village Walk

Top Tips when you visit Global Village Dubai ย 

Visit Yemenย and pick up very reasonably priced rhodium based jewellery for yourself or as gifts. Sample all the various honeysย on sale here, different ones for men and womenโ€™s health ! We also bought freshly ground cinnamon and a packet of spices for making biriyani rice.

Try Iran for perfect dry fruits such as apricots and miniature figs, also stock up on your favourite nuts from here, apparently the tiny bitter almonds and dried apple are brilliant for keeping cholesterol down. Sample some of the many types of seeds on sale here from melon to sunflower, all perfectly roasted and delicately salted. Do eat some of the shelled pomegranate famous in Iran as you walk around.

Pick up some pretty painted pottery at Tunisia and very reasonably priced coloured tea glasses from Morocco (use for tiny sprigs of Bougainvilleaย  for easy table arrangements if you prefer your tea in a builderโ€™s mug) The funky teapots and tea glass sets here are identical but much cheaper than in a well-known department store in Dubai Mall.

Global Village Yemen Jewellery

We bought freshly made spicy soft cheese specially concocted and sealed in jars from Palestine, a great hit on savoury biscuits for evening drinks with visitors. You can sample an almost endless variety with flat bread twisted into tiny rolls before you buy.

Take a close look at the costume jewellery in Lebanon, this was the most fashionable and trendy jewellery on offer and at fairly good prices. Very handy if the little ladies are begging for multiple ear piercings, get earrings from here that reflect that look minus the extra holes.

Global Village Cheese balls

Walk through the India pavilionย to get a feel for the variety of products on offer, itโ€™s like a mini Meenaย Bazaar. I picked out some unusual black and beige semi pashmina shawls that are versatile enough to match a number of outfits.

Do not expect fresh apple strudel or anything like this in Austria despite the very authentic faรงade of the stall. ย Do go to Global Village hungry, you can sample heaps ofย ย extremely authentic food either in stalls, at the food court area (we opted for Indian here) or in more formal stand alone pop up restaurants dotted about the grounds. The Thai food is particularly good with stalls from restaurants owned and managed by Thais based in International City.

Global Village Shawls

Bargaining and Prices at Global Village

Apart from food do bargain hardย for anything you purchase, especially if youโ€™re buying more than one of something. Weโ€™re spoilt for spectacular fireworks in Dubai but the ones here are still special and happen on Friday and Saturdays at around 9pm.

Entry to Global Village is 15 dirhams for adults. They do have concessions for elderly and disabled people. Please note that it doesnโ€™t open before 4pm in the afternoon but then it does stay open very late till around midnight or so.

Give the Malls a miss and tell me what bargains you picked up at Global Village, just off Mohammed bin Zayed road (previously Emirates road) past the entrance to Arabian Ranches. There is plenty of parking but it gets particularly busy at week ends. Dress sensibly for the cooler weather and the more local atmosphere.

There is also a funfairย but DoinDubaiย doesnโ€™t do funfairsย any more ! As usual do Like and Share on Facebook and subscribe to DoinDubaiย to getย prizes and discounts.ย 

Thanks Monica

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PALEO VEGETARIAN OPTION tasty easy courgette felafels vegan too

Lot’s of us know about the Paleo diet, but at first sight it’s heavy on the meat. Try my ‘almost’ paleo vegetarian option for you to try. Perfect alternative to deep fried felafels especially during Ramadan time.

Delicious, easy and quick, the whole family should like it and a great way to disguise courgettes too!

Paleo vegetarian option

My paleo vegetarian option can be made 2 ways, with tapioca flour or rice flour, so that’s a bit of cheating, but it’s still a great way of eating healthily and ‘almost’ paleo.

I first made these felafelย with both of theย flours, but subsequently just with the rice flour. Do remember rice flour, while not paleo is still gut friendly and should therefore be easy to digest.

Courgette and Almond cakes paleo vegetarian option DoinDubai gallery

Ingredients for the paleo vegetarian option

ย Courgette and almond felafelsย 

To make 8 to 10 small cutlets you will needย 

  • 1 large, dark green courgette, I know weights and sizes vary
  • 125 grams of almond flour (sometimes called almond meal)
  • 1ย teaspoon each of rice flour and tapioca flour or 2 teaspoons of one of the flours or 30 g of one flour*
  • 1ย inch of fresh grated ginger
  • 1ย smashed clove of garlic
  • ย salt/pepper to taste
  • your favourite kind of chilli – Mine is ย 1/2 a teaspoon of 800 Degrees Italian chilli or some fresh chopped red chilli
  • Grapeseed oil to fry your falafel

Of course if you had a thermomix you could make your own almond flour in seconds!

*If your mixture is too “wet” then just add a little bit more of your chosen flour, about a teaspoon or so till it absorbs any watery liquid.

Paleo vegetarian option DoinDubai Chilli 800 Degrees

What to do with the ingredientsย 

  • Grate the courgette then tip into a bowl
  • Add all the seasonings and chilli
  • Pour in the almond flour
  • Add the 2 teaspoons of either tapioca or rice flour or 1 teaspoon of each
  • Mix all the ingredients together till they form a rough, slightly moist dough
  • Shape with your hands into little fishcake type portions and lay on a plate or greased baking tray. You may want to have a bit of the rice or tapioca flour on a board whilst shaping
  • Shallow fry till golden brown on both sides

Serve with whatever you like, a raw, grated beetroot salad, some sweet potato fries and coconut chutney would be my choice. ย Or you could just serve with a roasted red pepper dip on the side. Here’s the entire recipe with the full video, about 8 minutes long.

Check out all the different flours you can get from Adils supermarket next to Mall of Emiratesย 

paleo flours from Adils Paleo vegetarian option DoinDubai

These flours are freshly milled and cost a fraction of the supermarket Gluten free flours I’ve seen!

  • Bajra is a type of millet often used to make Indian rotis, naturally gluten free.
  • Atta means flour in Hindi.
  • Makkai means corn.

Does anyone know what Jowar means?

  • Tapioca flour is a very common Indian flour and is called saboodana in Hindi in case you go to Adils and they don’t immediately understand tapioca.

There is also a branch of Adils inย Karama near Bur Dubai.ย 

Most of the rotis/chappatis you’d get in an Indian restaurant would be made from wheat but makkai or corn flour rotis are common and often eaten with saag (spinach), especially in the winter months.

Rasoi Ghar Rotis Breads Paleo vegetarian options DoinDbubai

Trying to be healthy?

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