Dining Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Undefined Declarations

Motivational Evening at Katsuya Dubai Mall: Media in the Making

I was delighted and honored to be invited to a social event hosted by the lovely Anita Buys at the newly opened Katsuya restaurant in Dubai Mall. The dinner event brought together 15 career-driven women from alternative areas and saw us conversing over many interesting and media-relevant topics. I must say that my favorite topic of discussion that evening was the one involving comparison between journalists and bloggers. Being a blogger and journalism student myself, I constantly face the dilemma of choosing between being a full-time blogger or journalist. As I’m still unsure which one of those career paths will open more doors for me. Listening to views from more experienced media professionals and bloggers definitely helped give me an extra insight into both worlds.

Anita and I would love to meet more inspirational women from the media industry and hear more success stories in Anita’s future events. So if you work in PR/events/print media/online media/blogging or any other relevant industry and would like to join us in the next Media in the Making event, please contact Anita on her e-mail address:

anitabuys2020@gmail.com

Have a look at some photos from our wonderful and inspirational evening at Katsuya Dubai Mall…

Nada from Undefined Declarations Blog and the lovely Anita Buys

A Blogger's Essential Habit: Taking Pictures! — A Blogger’s Essential Habit: Taking Pictures!

Beautiful Outdoor Terrace at Katsuya Dubai Mall

Amazing view of the Dubai Mall Fountain and Souk Al Bahar

Hollywood Rolls - SIMPLY DIVINE! — Hollywood Rolls – SIMPLY DIVINE!

Interesting and engaging discussion at Media in the Making dinner

Nada from Undefined Declarations Blog Enjoying the Evening at Katsuya

Prior to this amazing evening at Katsuya Dubai Mall, I have been to this Japanese dining hub with my American friend from LA. My friend who is a big fan of Katsuya and has been to many of their U.S. branches, has been waiting impatiently for the Dubai Mall branch to open. So once I found out that it was officially open, we went there for lunch on their first official opening day. I’ll be writing a review on that great lunch that I had with my friend Nia on that first opening day soon. So stay tuned for that.

In the end, I would like to thank the lovely and dynamic Anita Buys for organizing and hosting this event. Special thanks to the friendly and welcoming team at Katsuya Dubai Mall for their warm and generous hospitality that evening.

Signing off with a note to say that all dreams are achievable and that everything is possible with a little bit of determination, hard work and optimism. Add to that: a lot of patience 🙂

Dubai Restaurant Review: Marta’s Workshop

I’ve been checking out quite a few new eateries in Dubai in the past couple of weeks. Since I adore change and get bored pretty easily, I find it always good fun to try fresh dining concepts and catch up with friends over a nice meal. My most recent review was of Mo’s – a new casual American dining spot in Jumeirah’s pristine cozy Citywalk Mall. You can read that short review here.

Today’s review is about another intimate space in my side of JLT!

Since my area doesn’t have that many eating outlets, I was so excited when I read a review from a food blogger – The REAL Geordie Armani – on a place that’s located just across the lake from where I live 🙂

Once I saw the review, I made an instant decision to have lunch at Marta’s Workshop the next day. Yes, that’s how desperate I am for a simple solution for my daily lunch dilemma :p

Now for the sake of keeping this review short, since it’s past 1 am (I made a commitment with myself to blog daily this week), I will get straight to the point and tell you what I had for lunch.

The Terrace at Marta's Workshop — The Terrace at Marta’s Workshop

I was offered a complimentary shot of gazpacho upon arrival….I opted for the fresh juice and meal option. Which costs AED 60.

My watermelon juice was so refreshing and sitting out on a terrace in December in Dubai only made the experience better.

Meal Options at Marta's Workshop — Meal Options at Marta’s Workshop

There were three options for the main course to choose from. I went with Renier’s (Marta’s head chef) suggestion for a tapas selection plate. The dish had crab cocktail bites, a bowl of sweet and sour shrimp and two “beef surprises”.

Tapas Selection at Marta's Workshop — Tapas Selection at Marta’s Workshop

What was special about those shrimps – as the chef explained to me – was the fact that they were cooked in a sousvied machine in water for 25 minutes only. As opposed to being sauteed or wok-fried in a pan.

My beef surprises were healthily baked in the oven for 10 minutes, after being stuffed with some leek, carrots and beef tenderloin.

My Personal Opinion:

Marta’s Kitchen started out as a food catering concept and has just recently opened its doors for the people working and living in the surrounding area…It was my first time to try Marta’s creations, although I’m sure that I’ve heard of her many times before.

Honestly speaking, the tapas tasted a lot like home-made food – a rare commodity in the city. So that element scored great points for me. The space has a very homely feel to it, the ambiance is so relaxed and the setting is so warm and welcoming.

On the other hand, the portions served in my “meal” were too small for someone who is looking to have lunch and not just a light snack on the go.

Now I’m sure that Marta has a good explanation for the size of portions in that tapas plate, or maybe it was only the tapas that was served in bite-size nibbles. I mean, luckily on that day, I wasn’t feeling too hungry. Because if I were, then that meal wouldn’t have been sufficient. I’m also not sure what kind of clients Marta is aiming to target with her newly opened eatery, as the portion size may not be an issue for certain expats. I can only speak for myself – a Saudi lifestyle blogger with a hearty appetite! I think I can also speak for the wider GCC community as I stated in my Top 10 List Post about the Gulf Region how we tend to eat big meals for lunch AND dinner….If you missed that post, you can read all about it here.

I’m sure that Marta can also justify the prices that she set for each meal option.

I might check out Marta’s Workshop on another day to try out a different meal option and measure the portion size in relevance to my ever-expanding appetite 🙂

Fore more information, check out the web site here.

Dubai Restaurant Review: Mo’s

When my coolest Saudi friend Memo was in town and we were planning to meet up for lunch, I suggested to take her to Mo’s; the new American casual dining place at the brand new Citywalk mall in Jumeirah.

Since Mo’s is part of the group that brought us Caramel, me and my BFF had high expectations for the food, like very high 🙂 Caramel at DIFC is one of our favorite hangout places for a fun night out or a casual lunch. The music they play at Caramel always makes us sing along since we are 90’s girls and the food was never disappointing. Except for the last time I was there for Thanksgiving dinner with my American friend who like me wasn’t so impressed by the turkey or the pumpkin cheese cake slice that were part of the set menu.

Memo has also expressed to me how she felt that Caramel was no longer offering exceptional dishes like the ones we were used to on our first visits to the hip American diner.

At Mo’s, the menu options are not the same ones offered at Caramel. We decided to go for the cheese quessedillas for starters…

For the main course, I had the chicken Asian salad. This one was similar to the one on Caramel’s menu. However, there wasn’t anything special about it. And I wouldn’t order it again.

Lovely and sweet Memo had the fried chicken salad. The chicken pieces were humongous and my friend only sampled her plate before ordering a caramel latte.

Latte: the safest choice at Mo's — Latte: the safest choice at Mo’s

Will I go back to Mo’s and give it a second chance? I highly doubt it. There are way too many new places to check out and even the all-time favorites like The Butcher’s Shop and Grill and The Noodle House have outlets in this cozy mall. So I wouldn’t be out of good eateries to lunch or dine at on my next visit to Citywalk.

What’s your favorite American eatery in Dubai? and how would you rate it to original American cuisine?

If you are a Western expat living in the Arab region, make sure you stay tuned for tomorrow’s post: Top 10 mostly used Arabic words.

Bye for now 🙂

The Rebellious Saudi Diva checks out Citywalk!

Dubai Ramadan Iftar Review: Mizaan at the H Hotel Dubai

I had visited The H Hotel once for the University of the Arts London’s alumni and Dubai short courses event at the uber cool Okku restaurant and lounge. You can read all about that event here. Yesterday however, I was back to The H Hotel Dubai for a different type of socializing. Me and my friend Lianne had gone there to check out the Ottoman inspired Iftar at Mizaan all day dining restaurant.

The H Hotel is located at the unique address: One Sheikh Zayed Road. So you can’t miss it as it’s the first property building on the road. Although I must admit that me and my friend actually missed the hotel while we were coming out from a parallel back street! but eventually found our way and arrived just in time for Iftar.

The Iftar buffet at Mizaan includes contemporary Ottoman and Arabic signature dishes. With a number of those dishes prepared by Celebrity Chef Silvena Rowe from the BBC Food show Saturday Kitchen.

Karkade (Hibiscus Tea) served in a unique style

Salad Buffet

There were two salad buffets available at the Iftar. One had a selection of Western salad options and the other included a variety of fresh Middle-Eastern salads and mezzas, such as the usual hommos, motabbal and others. But what was remarkably unique were the many variations of the labneh bites. These were mixed with Sumac spice, Zaatar, pistachio, and black seeds to name a few!

The Mizaan Iftar buffet had a good variety of main course options for both vegetarians and meat-lovers alike. If you’re a seafood fan, you won’t be disappointed either. As there was a spicy Hammour fish fillet dish and grilled jumbo prawns on display. I loved the combination of Moroccan tagines (chicken and vegetable options) next to other signature Arabic dishes (lamb ouzi). And best of all, everything served was cooked to perfection with great attention to detail and culinary quality and authenticity.

Desserts

You could choose from a selection of gourmet dates, traditional Arabic sweets, or the more popular Western desserts.

Entertainment: Live Arabic Band

After our superb Iftar, we headed to the Majlis area to have our coffee and tea while listening to the wonderful Arabic tunes played by the two piece band in the lobby.

Iftar Buffet Cost

The Mizaan sumptuous Iftar costs AED 180 per person. But since we had the Entertainer voucher, we only had to pay for one Iftar and got the second one as complimentary 😀

Conclusion

I personally have found the Iftar at The H Hotel Dubai as one of the best Iftars in town. Considering the quality level of the food served, the variety of the buffet selections, the friendliness of the staff, and the entertainment and ambiance. I would love to go back to this Iftar next year and experience it all over again 🙂

Have you been to any Ramadan Iftars or Suhoors this year? If so, which ones and how would you rate your experience?

That’s it for our Iftar reviews for this year. But stay tuned to our page for another type of review coming soon!

Till then, enjoy the rest of the holy month. Whether you are observing the fast or not 🙂

Dubai Ramadan Iftar Review: Abd El Wahab The Fisherman

I must admit that it was a strange day full of awkward moments and situations for both me and my expat friend! Walking towards the newly opened Abd El Wahab The Fisherman restaurant at Pier 7 in Dubai Marina felt like a competition of who had more weird stories that day.

I couldn’t wait to tell her about my – hair salon appointment gone mad – story while she was showing me the cat bites on her foot! yes, it was one of those days when nothing seems to be going right I guess.

Despite our frantic and manic Monday stories, we still managed to have a great time at Abd El Wahab and were also rewarded with freshly prepared sea bass fish for our main courses. In addition to an extra fish that we couldn’t dream of having because we were simply too full.

My friend thought that the food served was enough to serve three more people. And was amazed at how our table was completely full of a spread of delicious Lebanese mezza plates.

The restaurant has a nice view of the Dubai Marina skyline…

Iftar Menu

The Iftar at Abd El Wahab The Fisherman comprises of a set menu that includes Ramadan drinks, soup, Lebanese Mezza, Main course, and Dessert. For the main course, you get to choose between a plate of mixed grills or a daily dish. Today’s daily dish was “kharoof mahshi”.

Since my friend is vegetarian and can only eat seafood, and since we were both looking forward to trying the seafood at this new Lebanese seafood eatery, we asked the supervisor if we could have fish for our main course instead of the grills or daily dish. To our surprise, we not only got two sea bass pieces of fish for our mains, they even served us an additional fish 😀

Lebanese Mezza at its best at Abd El Wahab The Fisherman

If they could work on enhancing one thing, what would that be?

My friend was beyond shocked when a waiter took away her starter plate while she was still eating her hummos! throughout our Iftar, the servers seemed to be in a rush to clear our plates or the table, bring in the next course, or simply offer us some refreshing napkins!

I repeat, during Iftar, it is highly important for the servers to take into consideration that us clients have been fasting all day and would need to take our sweet time in eating and taking breaks between courses! It’s even more agitating when you can sense that there is someone watching over your shoulder to see if you are done with your plate, so that they can take it and bring in the next one! It really takes away from the whole – meant to be relaxed – dining (or in this case Iftar) experience!

So please have some mercy on us and let us take down our meal slowly and with ease.

Cost

The Iftar set menu at Abd El Wahab The Fisherman is at 135 AED per person. It includes soft drinks, Ramadan drinks, soup, starters, a main course, desserts and coffee or tea!

Conclusion

After our superb Iftar, we had a short stroll at nearby Marina Mall before sitting down at Cafe Nero to chat. To help us digest our huge Iftar even better, a live band were playing the Oud at the mall’s main lobby. The chilled tunes helped us relax and unwind after a long and unusually awkward day!

Oud Player at the center of Dubai Marina Mall

Dubai Ramadan Tent Review: Emaar Ramadan Tent – “Downtown”

When my expat friend told me that she wanted to try a traditional Ramadan Iftar, I wasn’t sure where to take her. I had been to a few Iftars over the course of the three years that I had been living in Dubai. And being someone who always likes to try new things, I was certain that I didn’t want to go to any of the places that I had already been to in previous Ramadans. That’s when I remembered the most recent addition to Dubai’s Ramadan tent scene: Emaar’s Ramadan Tent; also known as “Downtown”.

The spacious glamorously decorated tent is setup across three main seating areas:

Large indoor area, also known as courtyard. This section has regular dining tables and is surrounding the buffet.
Private Majlis; this seating offers a semi-private dining experience with dim lighting and majlis style low seats and tables.
Glass Garden; the seating here is also majlis style. This area offers great views of Burj Khalifa and Downtown Dubai.

Buffet Options

If you are a vegetarian or only eat seafood like my friend, you could be disappointed as most of the main course meals are meat based or contain some type of chicken, beef or lamb. That left very limited options for my friend to take from. Those included pasta, a seafood dish and some vegetables!

However, if you are a meat-lover then you are in for a great treat. Traditional Arabic dishes were served next to International cuisine favorites.

You can expect to see Arabic dishes such as Lamb Ouzi, Chicken Muloukhia, Dawood Basha, Kebba bel laban, and many others.

Entertainment

A talented oud player gave the iftar a chilled and relaxed ambiance by playing classical Arabic tunes. This added a cool vibe to the whole Iftar experience at this elegantly decorated tent.

What Needs Enhancement

Despite the great food and ambiance at this modern tent, the service towards the end of the iftar was agitating!

Ten minutes before they were going to close the Iftar (it ends at 8:30), the waiter informed us that they will be removing the food trays from the buffet at 8:30. My friends and I agreed that an hour and 15 minutes is not enough time to eat a three course meal (especially after fasting the whole day). This lead to me rushing into my dessert plate right after I finished my main course. Resulting in a bad stomach ache afterwards and having difficulty to walk straight! 😀

Another offensive gesture that the waiters did was bringing the check to our table without us asking for it! They were pretty much in a rush to get us out of the place as soon as possible and were not attempting to hide it! It seemed like they had to clear the table quickly to make it ready for the next batch of clients coming for Suhoor at the tent. We all understand that this is a business in the end of the day, but customer service makes all the difference in any dining experience.

Tip

Don’t miss out on the apple crumble tart! It’s simply divine!

Price

Iftar Buffet costs 170 AED per person.

For Bookings

You can send a private message to their Facebook Page, since the lines are usually busy.

https://www.facebook.com/DowntownDubai

Personal Tip

The best thing that we did after our rushed Iftar was to walk all the way to Dubai Mall. That really helped me feel better after my bad stomach ache, and I would strongly suggest that you do the same!

And the Jazz Vibes Go On…

It was quite an eventful day when one Tuesday I won a pair of tickets to attend a work shop by the author of the best-selling book: “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”. Since my father was also arriving in the evening on a short visit, and I was planning to take him for dinner to the newly opened Jazz @ Pizza Express in the area where I live.

In Dubai, most people tend to dress up anywhere they go. They are also highly capable of wearing the perfect attire for the event or occasion that they are attending. As I grew up and lived most of my life in Saudi, I always made an effort to dress in a stylish way even when it meant not taking off my Abayah the entire day while I was at work! But living in the fashion hub that is Dubai, is making me realize more each day that my personal style and fashion sense are below mediocre standards. And John Gray’s work shop was no exception to the case in point! I had gone to the mall to have lunch in the food court before going to the venue to collect my tickets, and I was dressed casually in a navy blue sweater with a hint of metallic threads and a pair of black skinny denim jeans. With a star patterned scarf wrapped around my neck in a knot style. Only to discover that my look for the day was more suitable for a rock concert than a relationship expert event 🙂 Most of the ladies were dressed in stylish loose tops and pants, or formal dresses or skirts. I made a note to myself to dress better for the occasion the next time around 🙂

What was titled as a work shop was more of a talk basically. John Gray was the speaker and the audience were there to listen. The talk went on till well after 9, which was longer than the time specified on the ad. Nevertheless, John shared with us some interesting scientific facts about both genders. They would help us in understanding the sometimes vague behavior of men or women. Let me share with you some notes that I took during the talk:

Men never do anything that they don’t have to do. That’s why, if you need your man to do something for you, don’t ask him what he would like to do, tell him exactly what you want him to do. You need to word it in a clear request form, such as saying: “Would you do this for me?”.
The reason men go to their caves (isolated space/room) is that scientifically when a man relaxes his muscles while staying awake, he rebuilds his testosterone levels. The more stressed he is, the more he needs to go to his cave.
Working women tend to have high testosterone levels, which lead to stress. That’s why they need more of the oxytocin hormone to suppress the high testosterone in their bodies.
Suggested words to tell your man to make him feel good from time to time are:

You’re right. And say it with a smile.
That makes sense.

A good romance and communication style are super oxytocin producers. A powerful phrase that a man should keep repeating to his woman is: “You do so much for so many people, let me give you a hug.”

Honestly speaking, although I found the relationship tips and scientific facts that John explained quite useful, I must admit that I found more insights and revelations about men and their ways of thinking in the book: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment. By Steve Harvey. You can find a link to the book here.

Moving on to my meet and greet dinner with my dad…I was excited to find out that the famous Pizza Express chain have opened up a new jazz-themed branch in my residential area: Jumeirah Lakes Towers. Not on the side where I live though, but still close enough for a chilled dinner with friends or family.

I found out from the waiter that they had a soft opening only three and a half weeks ago. But this was their official launch. They had multiple artists perform on their cozy yet lively stage. The pianist (Nathan) on that night was from South Africa. He enchanted the crowd with his cover of Carlos Santana’s “Maria, Maria”….I actually have videos of the performance, but I need to figure out how to post videos to this blog before I can share them with you 🙂

A lady singer from the Philippines did a great performance of the all-time favorite love song “How do I live”. We enjoyed other classics such as “Quando” and “Sway”. The atmosphere was buzzing with life, the staff were very friendly, the food was superior with fresh and excellent ingredients, and the pizza was light and yummy with gourmet toppings.

I was informed by one of the staff at the lovely pizza joint that they will be playing live jazz music every night of the week. As it’s part of the concept of this particular branch. Jazz@PizzaExpress is located in JLT, Dubai. Perfectly situated at the promenade level by the lake, and below the Movenpick Hotel in Cluster A. And as the friendly staff will tell you: “you will hear the music as you walk by, so you can’t miss us!”. 🙂