Cafe Habana

This Cuban-Mexican spot in Souk Al Bahar oozes that Hispanic vibe and sort-of-secret hideout, which makes you think, Am i still in Dubai? And it's a good thing.

A New York franchise, which takes you to a different world. A world of cozily lit room, brick walls, tiled patterned floor, mirror ceilings, a painting of Che Guevarra as a centerpiece, the smell of cigars clouding the room, and surrounded by what seemed to be, the artsy crowd. I loved it. I can sit and just marvel at the place all day.

To start, we had the nachos with guacamole, sour cream and salsa. And of course, the mojitos!

The nachos were crisp, and the dips that goes with it are fresh and just perfect. the mojito, refereshingly yum.

We were intrigued with the Grilled Corn Mexican Style. Had to try that.

35 dirhams (400 php) for a cob, by the way. But 35 dirhams well spent. Grilled corn smeared with mayo and cheese, yes please!

Then came their money-maker.

The Cuban sandwich. Between that toasted roll is a medley of corned beef, pastrami, swiss cheese, chipotle mayonnaise and pickles, with hand cut fries on the side.

It's so good, it deserves another photo op.

This time together with my glass of margarita.

It's not me to blow off 65 dirhams (700 pesos) on a sandwich. But if i would, i would definitely spend it on this mother of a sandwich. the salty, cheesy taste and the crispy texture of the bread with the sloppiness of the meat and the cheese inside, perfection. 

And it's still perfect even the day after! I know, i had the leftover in a doggy bag.

Delicioso!

Cafe Habana

Souk Al Bahar, near Dubai Mall

Phone: 04 422 2620

Bu Qtair Restaurant

inspiration strikes. in this case, inspiration is in a form of tasty deep fried fish, prepared Keralan style. Bu Qtair is a shack by the sea that serves up only the catch of the day, bathing in curry and spices and offers no frills, modest dining experience. interesting contrast to it's neighbor, the 7-star hotel a few blocks away.

there's usually a long queue to the order counter, i would assume this is caused by Bourdain's visit here a few years back. so i suggest to come just before dinner time to get ahead in line. although even with the crowd, the staff seem to deliver the food just in time.

step 1: choose your fish. it's usually a no-brainer. they would have two or three choices of fish. we chose the Sherry. and we had a few prawns too. you pay by kilo.

step 2: grab a chair and waited for about ten to fifteen minutes for your order to come in. order what you'd like to have with your mains. rice and extra curry for us. they also give out a salad with it. the paratha here is not to be missed, too.

step 3: dig in.

the crisp and the tenderness of the fish, makes it a mouth-watering combination. and with that perfect spice, topped with that curry sauce on the side, this meal is something you won't be able to stop eating. even though the curry may be burning your tongue, in a good way, you end up stuffing your mouth with some more. take it from me.

something so basic and unpretentious, with plastic mismatched chairs by the street, a portacabin tucked in a dark alley in Jumeirah, that offers the freshest of the day is sometimes all we need to hit the spot.

with sand on my feet, fingers covered in fish grease and curry sauce, i give this place two thumbs up.

Bu Qtair Restaurant
4D Street, Dubai
near Burj Al Arab

Lime Tree Cafe

ive been contemplating moving to Jumeirah. to wake up near the beach, and start my days with lime tree cafe's famous breakfasts. a proof of how crazy i am about breakfasts, and about Lime Tree Cafe.

there's just something about this cafe --it's location, it's interior, it's garden, it's crowd, it's food, that sends you off to another place. a special place where people wake up early and dress up nice just to have breakfast. my kinda place. it has become an institution in dubai, famous for it's breakfasts, cakes, and some organic and fresh options. their food always look, and tastes, fresh and inviting.

breakfast starts at 7:30 in the morning. ends on 11am on weekdays and at 1pm on weekends. we get there on a friday, around 10. the queue was long. as expected. the day's specials were written on the giant blackboard, the rest of the breakfast menu painted on the wall. it was no easy task figuring what to get, everything on the menu looks interesting. the sandwiches and cakes in the chillers are not helping either. there's a reason why the queue was long, gave me time to decide.

the pot of muesli with mangoes were so tempting i was so close to having that for breakfast. but i needed something more substantial.

you'll be mine next!

i decided on the posh one, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toast. and the big one for my fiance, which is basically the whole shebang. i guess he needed something way more substantial.

we sat outside, taking advantage of the nice weather in dubai (before it gets almost catastrophic). the flowers and the lime trees out there just completed the experience. but before we experience anything, we had to wait for our food. which was sad to say, took almost an hour. we understand there was quite a lot of people, but an hour? i always believed that good food takes time, but an hour? on second thought, i should've just ordered that pot of muesli and got it out of the way. regrets.

after some time, our food came. the preparation and arrangement of the food was superb. almost made me want to forgive them for my near-to-hypoglycemic-stage.

the eggs were delish. the salmon was perfect. the whole thing was amazing. all is forgiven.

tried the big one, the chicken sausage was yummy that i even forgot it was chicken. the beef bacon was not bad, and i loved the grilled tomatoes. my fiance enjoyed the homemade hash browns, never a fan of those so i can't really say.

if there's one thing lime tree cafe is most famous for, it's their carrot cake. most people say it's the best in dubai, and i agree, without a doubt.

breakfast, check.

cake, check.

ambiance, check.

this cafe easily is one of my favorites in dubai. and that's after they made me wait for an hour to be fed! they must really be that good.

Lime tree cafe branches are in Jumeirah Road (opposite Spinney's supermarket), Ibn Battuta Mall   (China Court), Media city (opposite Royal Mirage Hotel) and Al Quoz (near Times Square Mall). All cafes closes at 6pm, except for one in Ibn Battuta mall that closes at 9pm on weekdays and 10pm on weekends.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Yalla Momos

this funky little place in Karama is the first ever momos joint in the UAE. fell in love with momos in our visit to nepal, so you can imagine my excitement finding out i can have them in dubai.

we stepped in and were instantly impressed by the hip vibe the place have. that, and how clean the place was. their menu was basic. which i like, keeping it simple. they also have noodle soups that we're saving for next time. for now, we decided to have what we came here for. we ordered both chicken and shrimp momos, and both fried and steamed. of course, kadak chai.

Momos are basically dumplings, originated in Nepal, and largely popular in India as well. the filling can either be any meat (chicken, goat, shrimp, buffalo, pork), or vegetarian, or cheese. since we're in dubai, don't expect the pork. you can have your momos steamed or fried.

their momos come with the chili sauce. the medium spicy and the spiciest one. it works well with the momos.

my fiance and i were smiling in delight, stuffing ourselves with these tasty dumplings. the nepalese cooks did a great job bringing nepal to dubai. we enjoyed it too much we ordered another one of the fried chicken momos. this one's our favorite. not as healthy as the steamed ones, but what the heck. it's good.

we're happy to find this piece of momo heaven in Karama, just behind Park Regis hotel, opposite Bikanerwala. Yalla Momos, my dumpling fix in dubai.

taste of Kerala

that one night of laziness to cook, and googling where to eat, led us to Salkara Restaurant in Lulu Hypermarket's foodcourt in Qusais.

ive always been planning to go to Kerala. for now, this is the closest i can get to it. Kerala cuisine for this lazy, hungry girl. 

Kerala cuisine is influenced by it's abundance in seafood and coconut. well, that and of course it's spices. Salkara focuses on the classic Malabar cuisine, which is found in the north-eastern part of Kerala.

the foodcourt was quite busy. there were only about 3 restaurants in that big room, but it was obvious everyone was there to eat at Salkara. even their take out counter was full. 

lucky to find an empty table, the friendly staff approached us. he was happy to recommend a few dishes. same dishes i already had in mind, after my research.

although i wanted to have the karimeen pollichathu, or let's just call it the spicy whole fish. im not entirely sure what kind of fish it was, from the picture it looked like tilapia but it was covered with spices, so i can't really be sure. the waiter advised us that it would have too much fish bones so we should have the hammour fillet instead.

my fiance seem to have a phobia with fish bones, i spared him the agony. hammour fillet, it is. then we got the chili chicken, which the waiter warned us it would be too spicy, we nodded with delight. had the appam (fermented bread made with rice batter and coconut milk). looked like string hoppers to me, the ones i had in sri lanka. i think they're the same. or at least of the same kind.

it's like pancakes. but the middle white part really tastes like puto to me.

the waiter wasn't kidding with the chicken, it was really spicy. and this is from someone who can tolerate her spices. my first bite took me aback. but after i knew what was dealing with, i was gorging on it non stop.

the yogurt went perfectly with it. any dish that comes with yogurt, two thumbs up for me.

the spicy hammour fillet, wrapped in banana leaves stole the show.

usually hammour for me is bland, but the spices and the way they cooked the fish made this dish so flavorful. i had to drop my cutlery and use my hands. everything tastes better when we use our hands. plus i wanted to blend in with all the others in the room eating with their hands. except my fiance of course, i've learned to accept he can't eat with his hands. diva. works for me, someone can take my photos.

everything on their menu looked good, i wanted to try them all. but ill save room for next time. 

the mutton soup, fish curry, spicy prawns, beef dry fry, whole spicy chicken and even their special tea are already on my list. their lunch combo looked promising too. more reasons for us to come back. dinner for two for roughly 60 aed (675 php). this place, easily is one of my top indian restaurants in dubai. 

Salkara also have a branch in Sharjah, Al Ansar Mall on the 6th floor. 

waking up to curry

i woke up today with the thought of paratha and curries for breakfast. chai compulsory. 

it's easy to crave for these when you're in Dubai's Al Nahda and Karachi Darbar is just a stone's throw away.

One of Dubai's oldest restaurants, this Pakistani eatery is popular with cabbies, and just about anyone who enjoys kebabs and biryani at a cheap price. 

the place was basic. tables with pitchers of water and tissue boxes. the staff were friendly. although it can be difficult to converse with them in english, they try. and with a smile on their faces. 

 

our version of big breakfast. daal (lentils), mutton curry, egg bhurji (scrambled eggs) paratha (indian flatbread) and milk tea. 

i will choose this over ihop any time of the day. 

my favorite is the daal and the paratha, and the milk tea of course. it's the perfect pair. wasn't really much of a fan of their egg bhurji and mutton curry, though. 

the samosas looked promising, but our big breakfast was already big enough. 

maybe next time. breakfast for two that costs 29 dirhams (320 php), im sure there's going to be a next time.

dubai delights

this blog entry is five years in the making. five years in dubai and it's high time i feature some of the city's gastronomic delights, i call comfort food.

dubai is a great place to have a taste of everything. from biryanis to pad thais. from mandis to bibimbaps. it's a collage of delicious cuisines representing the different cultures within the city. 

where to begin. 

let's start it off with breakfast. of course. my top choice is Jones the Grocer in Sheikh Zayed road. an Australian franchise food market/cafe, that serves only the freshest. their eggs benedict and chai latte is worth waking up early for, and queuing for (it's usually packed). my fiance' had their big breakfast, with the sausages, bacon and eggs. for those who have bigger appetites.

then there's PF Chang's. my ultimate comfort food in dubai. home to my daily cravings. their dynamite shrimps. spicy chicken. mongolian beef. chicken lettuce wraps. stir fried spinach in garlic. shrimp fried  rice. are what my dreams are made of. like i said, im a sucker for asian food. their mocktails are not bad either. would have been better if they were not mock though.

as for my indian dreams, it consists of chicken biryanis, butter chicken, rogan josh and garlic naan. there's India Palace at the Walk, JBR or in Festival city, a bit high-priced but locations are convenient and ambiance is cozy. another place i feel is more authentic, and my favorite for my indian cravings, Manvaar in Karama, for Rajasthani food. 

Ravi a pakistani restaurant (satwa), popular with pakistani cabbies (a proof that their menu is authentic) is a must for everyone who wants to see (taste) the real dubai. mutton chops, chicken masala, palak paneer, roti, chicken tikka, biryani, only some of the best in their menu. 

Maria Bonita in umm suqiem is my go-to place for delish mexican food. their nachos machos (home-made tortilla chips with pinto beans, home-made guacamole, jalapenos and melted cheese), is my favorite of all nachos. the taco maya (signature dish of the chef) , two thumbs up. then theres the usual suspects, quesadilla, burrito, fajita and enchiladas. also serves non-alcoholic margaritas and pinacoladas. a charming little piece of mexico in jumeirah.

for my japanese cravings, there's Kisaku in Al Khaleej Palace hotel, Deira. voted one of the best japanese restaurants in dubai. a little pricey, but if you want quality japanese food, you have to pay top dollar. have the maki, sashimi, ebi tempura, and katsu curry. sake is a given. everything was worth every penny. 

im crazy about korean barbecues. there's something about grilling my food in front of me and eating it right there and then, and the side dishes of kimchi and salads that's appealing to me. bibimbap (rice toppings) is never missing in action in my korean meals. there's Shogun in Al Ghurair Centre and Sonamu in Asiana hotel, for only the best korean barbecue experience.

if there's a place serving the most authentic nasi goreng in town, i will sniff it out. i found Warung Betawi, a humble restaurant tucked in the streets of Karama. they serve better nasi gorengs than some of those i had in Jakarta. their nasi padang and soto betawi soup are equally good, too! hmm. now i know where im having dinner tonight.

being true to my roots, there's Barrio Fiesta in Burjuman and Max's Restaurant in Karama. personally i would rather cook filipino food if im missing home. but there's a few dishes i have to leave to the professionals. Like Barrio Fiesta's bagoong rice and kare-kare. 

best grilled chicken in dubai is from Chalet Restaurant in jumeirah beach road. the flattened chicken may be under their arabic cuisines menu, but it is most definitely perfect for my filipino palate. my perfect alternative when im craving for chicken inasal. yes, it's that good. perfect with egg fried rice and can be dipped in their garlic sauce or you can make your own concoction of soy sauce and spicy vinegar. don't stuff yourself with the free hummus and baba ghanoush just yet. you might order another piece of chicken after you've had a taste.

to celebrate dubai's traditional cuisines, there's Bait al Mandi in Murraqabat road Deira, that serves Mandi,  the traditional yemeni dish that's popular in arabian countries. it's basmati rice with either chicken or lamb, or both, cooked in spices. the way it's cooked is actually really cool. they dig a hole on the ground as their oven, the meat is suspended, and roasted, to achieve that perfect mandi-taste. you sit on the floor, use your hands and and the whole group gets to dig in to this giant plate of goodness. 

as for lebanese food, my favorite is Al Hallab. there's one in Dubai mall, overlooking the dubai fountain too, great for those visiting dubai i think. their arabic bread, first of all, amazing. hummus, tabbouleh and mixed grills, more amazing.

you can smoke some sheesha there too. but if you're in search for really good sheesha, there's Reem Al Bawadi in jumeirah road. and the ambiance there is more lively and traditional, which i love.

one more thing i love about dubai is how easy it is to find that right cup of tea. im a chai latte/masala chai/milk bubble tea person. one reason i enjoyed my trip to india and nepal so much, every corner is a masala chai possibility. but there's one place im crazy about, and im sure everyone is crazy about it too, if they sell 6,000 cups a day. Filli Cafe's saffron tea is a gem. used to be a hole-in-the-wall, now branches all over the city are popping out. we still love their no-frills branch in Al Mamzar by the Corniche.

so many reasons to eat out and enjoy the desert. im on a hunt for that perfect food encounter. i have a feeling more food hunts will be inspired by this blog. i promise not to wait for another five years to write it down though. 

cheers and love from the sandpit!