Food Review: Shayan Restaurant

Trying a new cuisine for the first time can be pretty interesting and tricky at the same time. The reason for this being that one is not sure what to expect but there is a sense of excitement as well. I was going through the same emotions when I tried food at Shayan Restaurant at Al Ghurair Rayhaan and Arjaan by Rotana. I had heard a lot of Persian cuisine and was excited to try it.

Interiors of the Restaurant

As I walked into the restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised by the ambience and the interiors. The furniture, the lighting and the setup was excellent. It was class with a hint of elegance. There is plenty of seating available and it won't be difficult finding a seating that suits your taste and preference.

Private seating area

I was shortly joined by other foodies before we started tasting the dishes. As we settled down at a table for four, we were welcomed with a traditional Persian drink called Doogh. Doogh is a yoghurt based salted drink which is a regular with Persian food. The drink provided a perfect start to the dinner that was to follow. 

Salad Shirazi

Within a few minutes, Salad Shirazi was placed at our table along with Kashk E Bademjan. Salad Shirazi is a traditional salad mixed with cucumbers, red onions, virgin olive oil and lime juice. The salad was simple and there is isn't much to say about it. Kashk E Bademjan is a special aged cheese curd mixed with grilled eggplant and seasoned with traditional spices.

Esfenaj Nargesi

After dealing with the salad, it was time to try a few dishes. First on was Esfenaj Nargesi (Seasoned spinach topped with sauteed onions and fried egg). I have never tried spinach and egg together and was not sure how the dish would taste however I must say that I was impressed. The spinach and egg went perfectly with each other and the dish tasted amazing. If you are one of those who don't eat meat but are okay with eggs should try this dish.

Gheymeh Bademjan

The other dish served along with Esfenaj Nargesi was Gheymeh Bademjan (lamb stew prepared with lentils, tomatoes and fried eggplant). The good part about the dish was the balance in flavours. I did like the dish but if I were to pick between the 2 dishes served, I would choose the Spinach dish over Lamb.

The main course

We had stuffed ourselves with the delicious dishes served to us as the huge main course tray arrived. It was quite a task to get through so much food but the entire main course was so good that we did not have to worry about any leftovers. The main course consisted of Joojeh Kabab Ba Ostokhan (Skewers of marinated chicken on the bone), Kubideh Ye Joojeh (Skewers of minced chicken breast, onion and saffron), Tikke Masti (Cuts of beef tenderloin marinated with yoghurt, saffron and Persian spices) and Kabab Shishlik (lamb chops, marinated in onion, black pepper, saffron and olive oil).

My plate with a mix of everything

The main course was served with 2 types of rice: plain saffron rice and yellow coloured rice with herbs. Every item on the main course was excellent. It was difficult to choose which item was better than the other. Aside from the rice, garlic and condiments were served with the main course. The garlic has a unique flavour to it and I loved it.

Makhloot

Finally dessert arrived at the table. Makhloot is similar to Faloudeh. The taste of Faloudeh is similar to Falooda. Makhloot (Persian iced noodles and Bastani Ice cream) is the perfect ending to any dinner. Due to the addition of Bastani Ice cream, the dessert is a delight for ones with a sweet tooth. However if you are not too fond of desserts that are a bit high on the sweetness scale, you can try something else.

Sharabet Albaloo

Something that impressed me as much as the food itself was Sharabet Albaloo. Sharabet Albaloo is a sour cherry cordial drink. The cold cheery flavoured drink was refreshing and knocked out any signs of tiredness of me.

Overall my experience was a good one. The decision to try Persian food ended up not to be a good but a great one. I would surely be visiting Shayan soon to try a few more dishes, what about you?

Details
Cuisine: Persian
Location: Al Ghurair Rayhaan and Arjaan by Rotana, Deira, Dubai
For further details visit: http://www.zomato.com/dubai/shayan-al-ghurair-arjaan-and-rayhaan-rotana-al-rigga

Food Review: Nandos

When it comes to grilled chicken, Nandos tops my list of restaurants. Me and a friend of mine are just crazy for it. As my love for Nandos grew, I shared it with my family too. Good for me that my family appreciated it and fell in love with it as well.

As the weekend bells started ringing, it was another family dinner at Nandos. The branch I selected was the one at Burj Downtown. I prefer this branch over others due to the rush factor (SZR branch is packed and the rest too far for me) plus the view of Burj Khalifa along with the water fountain.

We settled down within minutes to place our order. Our order was 2 half-chicken plus meals and 1 Chicken Espetada.

The Peri-Peri Sauce Collection

Nando's flavour choices

Not to forget, the highlight of Nandos is its sauces. You shall be asked to choose your flavour before you order. Starting from Extra Hot Peri-Peri (being the spiciest) to Lemon & Herb (the mildest one). Since I can’t do with spicy, we went with Lemon & Herb.

Fire Roasted Veggies

Each half-chicken plus meals gives you an option of 2 side dishes, while you can choose 1 side order for an Espetada.

Our side orders included Fire roasted veggies with Chicken Espetada, 2 coleslaws and 1 Assorted chips (equals 2 side orders). We had to order one extra drink since our meals gave us only 2 drinks (soft drinks are bottomless). 

Half-Chicken with Coleslaw

Half-Chicken tasted delicious like always. I liked the mild flavour of the chicken and the serving size makes me happy. The chicken tastes better with a Peri-Peri sauce (I like the Mild spicy one). The Coleslaw was yummy, loved it to bits.

Chicken Espetada

Chicken Espetada looked really appealing but tasted just about alright. Felt that the chicken should have been cooked a bit more. The fire roasted veggies to go along with Espetada tasted good. I liked the mushrooms and the bell pepper/Capsicum.

Assorted Chips

Assorted chips were yummy; I love the crispiness of the chips. No wonder Assorted chips are my favourite side order.

Heartbeat Candy

That was it, our tummies were full and we were satisfied. As we ordered for the check, we were served with some Heartbeat candy; this added smiles to our faces. We enjoyed the beautiful fountain view atleast twice during the course of our dinner. Do try Nandos once and then decide for yourself.

Bill (for 3):

2 Half Chicken Meal Plus                       AED 51 for 1 (second free with Entertainer voucher)

1 Chicken Espetada                              AED 56

1 Sprite                                                AED 6

Total                                                   AED 113 (after discount)

Details:

Restaurant         Nandos

Cuisine              Portuguese

For location, contact details and the menu, please visit: http://www.zomato.com/dubai/nandos-burj-khalifa

Disclamer: All offers are as of the date the blog owner dined in at the restaurant. Any changes made to the offers are not the responsibility of the blog owner. Please check the offers with the restaurant before dine-in or take away.

Food Review: Sino Chai

Being on Twitter helps you to come across restaurants that you might have otherwise missed. I have been to Dubai Healthcare City a number of times but have never come across Sino Chai. Was it my negligence to check out my surroundings or was it something else? Whatever it may be, thanks to Twitter, I came to know the whereabouts of Sino Chai.

Sino Chai is a Taiwanese Restaurant but what differentiates it from other restaurants is that, it is also a Tea Boutique, Natural & Organic Minimart and a tea accessory store. Once you walk in the restaurant, you will be able to see two totally distinct areas. One, being the restaurant bit of it where you can eat and savor the delicious food and the second being the area surrounded by Tea tins, boxes and tea sets.

The TeaHouse Area

The Restaurant Area

As I settled down at the table, I was welcomed with two menus. I was expecting one thick food menu and a smaller one for drinks. However, I was in for a bit of surprise here. The drinks menu was rather a ‘Tea menu’ and it was not a small one by any means. With these many options, one is bound to be confused, so was I. At the end, I decided to take some help from the restaurant staff.

The Tea Menu

My order for the tea was a Cold version of the Oriental Tea. Since I was dining in alone and didn’t have enough space in my tummy, I decided to skip starters and settled with a single main course. The main course was an easy pick for me. I chose to have fried noodles with seafood and mixed vegetables.

Cold Oriental Tea

Before the main course came in, the Oriental tea was sitting pretty on my table. Not being a tea lover, judging the taste was a bit of a task for me. The tea tasted different, it was in terms of flavour. The more sips I took, the more the tea grew into me. Bottom line, I liked it.

Fried noodle with seafood and mixed vegetables

It was only a few more minutes of wait before the main course arrived. The dish looked delicious and tasted delicious. The mixed vegetables were fresh, the noodles were handmade and soft, the seafood was cooked to perfection. All in all, the fried noodle with sea food and mixed vegetables was too good.

Teapot Collection

After the good experience, I was given a comment card to fill in, which I did fill without any hesitation. Once I had settled the bill, I took a small tour of the restaurant taking some photos. I fell in love with the setting of the tea area. My reaction was “Wow, what a collection”.

The Comment Card

Based on what I ate, I would suggest Sino chai to anyone who likes noodles, tea or seafood. It is a must visit for all food lovers.

Bill (for 1):

1 Fried Noodle with Seafood and mixed vegetables        AED 48

1 Cold Oriental Tea                                                     AED 22

Total                                                                         AED 70

Details:

Restaurant          Sino Chai

Cuisine               Taiwanese

Website              http://www.sinochai.com/

For location and contact details please visit: http://www.zomato.com/dubai/sino-chai-teahouse-restaurant-oud-metha

Follow Sino Chai on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SinoChai

Like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SinoChaiDubai  

Food Review: Chinese Village 2

Before I start the review, I should let you know that Chinese Village 2 is my favourite restaurant in the country. Chinese Village 2 (CV2) is located at the Sea view hotel, minutes away from the Ghubaiba Bus Station. As the name suggests, the restaurant serves Chinese cuisine.

The Lion greets you at the entrance

It is always interesting to visit a restaurant when you have a bunch of guys who are vegetarian and the others non-vegetarian, as you end up ordering dishes for both the groups.

Salad

As you settle down on your table, you are greeted with a basic salad. The taste however is not that basic. The salad has a bit of a sour and spicy element to it that makes it interesting and tasty.

Crispy Spinach Chicken

For me it’s a necessity to have the Crispy spinach chicken as a starter when visiting CV2. Its taste took control over me about 5 years ago when I had it for the first time. Crispy spinach chicken is mildly spicy and is served with crispy spinach. Crispy spinach is a bit on the sweeter side giving the dish a balance. For veggies, there is a similar option in veg called crispy spinach vegetables.

Crispy Corn

The second starter we ordered was a vegetarian one. Let me just say Crispy corn makes you fall in love with corn all over again. The taste and the flavour make your taste buds tingle.

Veg. Fried Rice

Shanghai Noodles

Next on was the maincourse. Our order for maincourse was Veg. Fried Rice, Shanghai noodles, Veg. Manchurian and Chicken in Wok. I am a fan of Noodles and prefer it over Rice on any given day. My love for noodles prevailed at CV2 as well. The Shanghai noodles were much better than the veg. fried rice. However this doesn’t mean that the veg. fried rice was not good. It was decent enough but not the best I have had.

Veg. Manchurain

Chicken in Wok

The Veg. Manchurian was crispy and tasted good. The Manchurian is however not the best vegetarian dish CV2 has to offer. It was the first time for me to try Chicken in wok at CV2 and I shall add that I was not disappointed. The vegetables were cooked appropriately and the dish had the required flavour. What added to the experience of the dish was the way it was served. Look at it for yourself in the photo above.

Lychee Punch

I also ordered a Lychee punch to go along with the delicious food, however I was a bit disappointed with it. I have had punches that are so good that you can’t just have one. This wasn’t the case with the Lychee punch though.

Buddha's Statue

Overall the experience at CV2 was a good one. All you need to do is order your dishes and sit behind while you are served the food by the friendly restaurant staff. There are plenty of options in vegetarian food, chicken, beef and fish; it all depends on what you want. The food is good, the service is good and the ambience is good. What else would a customer want?

Bill (for 4):

1 Crispy Spinach Chicken                      AED 55

1 Crispy Corn                                        AED 45

1 Chicken in Wok                                  AED 55

1 Veg. Manchurian                                 Free (Entertainer voucher used)

1 Veg. Fried Rice                                   AED 28

1 Shanghai Noodles                               AED 28

1 Lychee Punch                                    AED 25

1 Water (Large)                                     AED 12

Total                                                    AED 248 (after discount)

All prices are inclusive of 10% Municipality Fees and 10% service Fees

Details:

Restaurant          Chinese Village 2

Cuisine               Chinese

Location             7^th Floor, Sea View Hotel, Al Mina Road, Bur Dubai, Dubai

Contact               +971 4 3529954

Website               http://www.chinesevillage.ae/ 

Offers:

Emirates NBD Credit Card    10-15% off on Total Bill

Entertainer Coupon                1 main course free on order of 1 main course (only on curries, not valid on noodles and rice)   

Disclamer: All offers are as of the date the blog owner dined in at the restaurant. Any changes made to the offers are not the responsibility of the blog owner. Please check the offers with the restaurant before dine-in or take away.

Food Review: Dosa Plaza

Can I have a dosa? This isn’t the right question to ask when you are at Dosa Plaza. As the name suggests, the place is a home to dosas. When I say home, I literally mean it as these guys have about 100 varieties of dosas. With so many offerings, you shall be spoilt for choice.

Dosa Plaza is an Indian franchise running for over 13 years and has about 40 outlets in 12 states of India, about 3 outlets in New Zealand and 2 outlets in UAE (don't miss the catch at the end of the review).

Dr. D and his amazing Dosas

It was around midnight when me and my friend entered the restaurant. We had to rush in order to ensure that we got enough time to enjoy the food, before Dosa Plaza closed for the day. The waiter was kind enough to point out some of the best dosas on the menu. This helped our cause and we were ready to place our order in less than 5 minutes.

Our order included a Mushroom Chopsuey Dosa with Cheese and a Paneer Corn Crispy Dosa. My friend pointed out that he wanted to try one of the milkshakes as well. He was pretty sure that the Butterscotch milkshake would be amazing. No arguments from my side meant a milkshake for each one of us.

Sambhar

Coconut Chutney and Tomato Chutney

Within minutes our first dosa – Mushroom Chopsuey Dosa was on the table along with the Butterscotch milkshakes. The dosa was served with sambhar and 2 types of chutneys – coconut chutney (white coloured) and the tomato chutney (red coloured).

Mushroom Chopsuey Dosa

The dosa was neatly cut into 3 pieces, making it easy to eat. The dosa was crispy, right amount of veggies, right balance of spices. The coconut chutney became an instant hit. It made the dosa more delicious. The sambhar was too good, so was the tomato chutney.

Butterscotch Milkshake

As my friend had pointed out earlier, the Butterscotch Milkshake was indeed good. It was smooth, not too thick, had just the correct amount of sweetness. Overall it was the right choice. I couldn’t resist ordering another one.

Paneer Corn Crispy Dosa

We weren’t even done with the first dosa, when the second dosa arrived. The Paneer Corn Crispy dosa was cut into 4 pieces and was much darker in colour, suggesting that it had been cooked using a bit more oil. Talking about taste, this dosa tasted good as well. It had a totally different flavour as compared to the Mushroom Chopsuey Dosa. The dosa size and stuffing ensured that we didn’t have any space left in our tummies. Please note that if you are health conscious and don’t want to add another inch to that belly, remember this dosa is tasty, yes very tasty but oily as well.

We had just finished eating and our check was already there, however none of us had ordered for the same. We knew it was about time to shut down and the waiter wanted us to move out as soon as possible without saying anything to us.

The restaurant sitting and ambience is similar to that of other restaurants like Bombay Chowpatty or Bikanerwala. This means it has a desi feel to it and the décor is nothing fancy. The dosas are tasty but not all that cheap when you compare it to other South Indian restaurants. It is one of those places where you can go with friends and/or family to have some fun and good vegetarian food.

Bill (for 2):

1 Mushroom Chopsuey Dosa with Cheese       AED 19

1 Paneer Corn Crispy Dosa                            AED 36

3 Butterscotch Milshakes                              AED 36

1 Water (Small)                                            AED 2

2 Sambhar                                                   No extra charge

2 Coconut Chutney                                       No extra charge

2 Tomato Chutney                                        No extra charge

Total                                                          AED 93

Details:

Restaurant           Dosa Plaza

Cuisine                Indian (100% Veg.)

Location              Al Reem Bldg., Amman Street, Near Carrefour Express, Qusais, Al Nahda

Contact                +971 4 2204265, +971 4 2204256

Website               www.dosaplaza.com

The Catch:

For all food lovers in Dubai who feel Al Nahda is too far, Dosa Plaza has a branch opening in Karama (near Pizza Hut) real soon.

A special mention to my Veggie friend, without whom I wouldn't have discovered this awesome Dosa place, Thanks.

Disclamer: All offers are as of the date the blog owner dined in at the restaurant. Any changes made to the offers are not the responsibility of the blog owner. Please check the offers with the restaurant before dine-in or take away.

Food Review: Bombay By The Bay

It was the extended weekend thanks to Eid and I was looking for a restaurant to dine at. Let me remind you that there is nothing better than a family dinner at a restaurant offering Indian food. I was pretty sure about going to The Walk, Jumeira Beach Residence and had heard a lot about Bombay By The Bay. So, Bombay By The Bay it was.

As I entered the restaurant, I instantly fell in love with the interiors. A lot of attention has been paid to the design and décor. The lighting and the ambience make the dining experience special. I loved the blue lights that have been fixed in the flooring apart from the other lighting.

Decoration at the Restaurant

The Blue Lighting in the Flooring

I have been to a plenty of Indian restaurants in Dubai and each one of them has a limited scope when it comes to non-veg. So when I sat down at the table with my family, the first thing was to run through the menu and check the variety the restaurant had to offer.  To my surprise, they did have non vegetarian items that other Indian restaurants do not offer. It wasn't in for much luck as my family refused to try prawns. We settled for Tandoori Fish Tikka and Tandoori Chicken (Full) as starters.

Different Style Papads

Even before the food arrived, there were two things that caught my attention. Firstly, there were no tissues on the table, a common mistake many restaurants make. We had to ask the waiter to bring us some. Secondly, the service is slow. It took around 20-25 minutes for the starters to arrive.

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori Fish Tikka

By the time the starters arrived, everyone was pretty hungry. I just managed to capture a few shots of the food before everyone started digging in (the Tandoori Fish Tikka wasn’t that lucky though). The Tandoori chicken was delicious. It had been cooked to perfection. Having the chicken with a mint chutney added to the taste. On the other hand, I felt that the Fish Tikka could have been better. Serving it with a different sauce would have helped.

My plate with Tandoori Chicken and Tandoori Fish Tikka

Since we knew that the main course would take time to arrive, we placed our order as the starters arrived. Dal Bukhara, Chicken Jalfrezi and Plain Naans made up our order for the main course. Our order also included a Green Salad.

The Green Salad was not at all ‘Green’. The only thing green in the salad was Cucumber. The other items included Carrot and Onions. I am not a big fan of Salads nor am I that health conscious but it is funny how a basic salad is named as Green Salad. The vegetables were however fresh and I did not complain any further.

Dal Bukhara

Dal Bukhara was just about fine. I have had tastier versions of it. It was a bit on the spicy side. What saved me from the spices was the Aam (Mango) Papad that was present on the dining table. To be honest, the Aam Papad was good. Maybe not the best I have tasted, but good enough.

Chicken Jalfrezi

Chicken Jalfrezi was pretty good. I liked the flavours and the mild spices. The vegetables in the dish added to the taste of it, making it yummier. It somehow gave me the feeling that the cook was excellent when it came to Chicken. 

Plain Naan

The Plain Naans were soft and just about perfect. They went well with the food.

Unfortunately I was too full to try the desserts. When I asked for the check, the waiter was kind enough to inform me that I would get a 20% discount on a RAK bank credit card.

My overall experience was good. I liked a few dishes while the others were just about fine. However the ambience and interiors were the highlight. The service might be a bit slow but the waiters are helpful and friendly. I would recommend this restaurant to those who like Non-Vegetarian Indian food.

Bill (for 5):

1 Tandoori Chicken (Whole)          AED 55

1 Tandoori Fish Tikka                   AED 40

1 Green Salad                             AED 10

1 Daal Bukhara                            AED 28

1 Chicken Jalfrezi                         AED 40
5 Plain Naan                                AED 70

Total                                          AED 305 (before discount)

Details:

Restaurant           Bombay By The Bay

Cuisine                Indian

Location              The Walk, Jumeirah Beach Residence

Contact                +971 4 4297979

Offers:

RAK Bank Credit Card    20% off on Total Bill

Mashreq Bank                20% off on Total Bill (Not valid on special days and valid on Dine in Only)

Disclamer: All offers are as of the date the blog owner dined in at the restaurant. Any changes made to the offers are not the responsibility of the blog owner. Please check the offers with the restaurant before dine-in or take away.