I am a simple girl with simple foodie dreams. Aside from transforming the beginner cook in me into an amazing home cook, I dream of packing my pink suitcase with a thick wad of cash just basking in the different cultures through food.
There are days when I go green with envy as I browse through my favorite food blogs or my friends’ social network photo albums as I see them country hop and eat local delicacies to their tummies’ content. But after a few minutes, I snap back into reality and remember my short and medium term goals that I need to focus my energies and resources into. My travels can wait, and so for now, easily accessible food escapes in the glossed over food destination in the desert would do…
Viva Goa
The dark shadows, the hypnotic blinking of colorful neon lights, the shrill song of the lone electric guitar and the fizzy glasses of amber liquid took me back to memories of seedy beer gardens in my business trips to the far flung provinces down south of the Philippines. But when I saw an adorable two-year old boy dancing to his own beat in the middle of the wood laminated floor and the table of girls chatter and hover over plates and bowls of food, I then realized that this wasn’t one of those places.
The lure of the novelty of Indian pork dishes brought me to Viva Goa in Al Nasr Leisureland, Oud Metha. Together with fellow food adventurers led by Goan food experts Drina and Radhina, I dived and relished into magical sounding Goan dishes like Xacutti and Sorpotel, whose descriptions our Goan food experts happily shared now slipped from my memory. All I remember was the ruby red, devilish glimmer of the mixture of coconut vinegar, tomato, oil and chillies followed by the pleasant tongue numbing heat of the dishes. Goan food actually had the slow cooked comfort of Filipino food, but with the burn from the spices. Yum.
Viva Goa
Al Nasr Leisureland, Oud Metha
Dubai, UAE
+9714 3371234
Belgian Beer Cafe
The lure of the Belgian Beer Cafe Friday brunch with a generous spread of cheeses, breads, cold cuts, roast meats, waffles and desserts plus unlimited platters of pork charcuterie, hot plates of meat, mixed greens and chips (a.k.a Belgian fries) and pints of beers were too hard to resist. Never mind the migraine inducing, air-conditioned home cocooning Dubai summer heat and humidity, sitting on those wooden chairs and downing spoonful after spoonful of a number of my favorite European treats was worth the little sacrifice.
Belgian Beer Cafe
Crowne Plaza, Dubai Festival City
Dubai, UAE
+9714 7011127
I may not have the chance to hop on a flight to India or Europe, but these two food haunts were the next best thing I have right now. And I am grateful to have the chance to somehow come a few steps closer to my food travel dreams…at least here in Dubai.
Delirious about delicious,
Didi
