world cuisines

The magic of layovers and kroketten

May 17, 2013 Leave a Comment

Transferring from KLM to Delta

The Husband hates layovers because he’s just one of those people who do not want to waste time and energy in another place, so he always wants to fly direct to whatever destination. He was flat out disappointed when he learned that we had a 5-hour layover in Amsterdam, instead of flying direct from Dubai to Atlanta.

I, on the other hand, enjoy layovers. It is an insanely cheap-ass way of visiting two countries in one go. And if you know me, I am all for cost efficiencies. I know we won’t get the chance to step out of the Amsterdam airport (all because we didn’t have Schengen visas. Boo!), but still I knew that these 1^st world airports (Please let us not talk about my home country’s sh*tty international airport. The thought itself is a downer.) would provide us with much fun and entertainment that the 5–hours would just whiz by. And oh my, did the time at the Schipol Amsterdam airport really fly by.

Dubai Last Suppers: The Palm Court Restaurant

May 15, 2013 Leave a Comment

There was nothing great about Panorama Hotel in Bur Dubai, a hotel plucked right out of a bygone era: the dim, flickering lights that signaled dodgy activities, the musty fragrance of damp carpets and the elevators that climb at the speed of sloth. Once I entered The Palm Court restaurant, I was greeted by stifled smiles of waitresses draped in traditional Sri Lankan garb and the most lifeless live band that ever set foot on stage. The dinner buffet spread was generously peppered with what else…chili peppers and other heat inducing spices, of course.

But there was one dish that struck me.

Dubai Last Suppers: Al Mukhtar Bakery

May 8, 2013 2 Comments

Okay, technically, Al Mukhtar isn’t really in Dubai. It’s located at the edge of Dubai and a bit into Sharjah. Well, it is in Sharjah. But who cares? Al Mukhtar Bakery is an institution and was not missed as part of my Dubai Last Suppers, which was oh-so cleverly and strategically planned with a certain work related meeting in a Sharjah location. So, of course, Al Mukhtar was a must stop before we trekked back into Dubai.

Dubai Last Suppers: Cabrito Mandi

May 5, 2013 4 Comments

A Haneeth feast

If there is one thing that the Middle East can do extremely well, it is grilling meats. And it was just fitting to have our official last supper in Dubai at Cabrito Mandi in Umm Suquiem, Al Barsha (our former neighborhood). [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dubai restaurants, Middle eastern cuisine, Restaurant reviews, UAE restaurants, World cuisines Tagged With: al barsha, cabrito, dubai restaurants, haneeth, mandi, middle eastern cuisine, restaurant reviews, UAE restaurants, world cuisines

Beef rendang: The way to rekindle a dry and fried creative spirit

August 11, 2012 6 Comments

Empty.

I’ve heard that Dubai summers can be quite depressing. Imagine being stuck in an enclosed space filled with 10 ginormous SUVs, all revving up their engines with heat levels steadily increasing and exhausts on full blast right in your face that breathing is the most difficult thing to do. Imagine the suns fierce rays pinching every pore on your skin, burning you to a crunchy dry, unattractive crisp.That’s how it feels on most days.

And if you’re stuck in Dubai with no travel plans out of this country and just sick of bumping elbow-to-elbow with the crowds at the shopping malls, then I suppose depression is possible. The past weeks have been a routine of office-work-office-work. Nowhere to go. Hardly anything decent to do, except enjoy our wee flat’s air conditioning.

This heat does fry your creativity and spirits like it did to me. I actually don’t mind being burnt once in a while because when you get burnt, you do learn something new. Like the first time I tried Beef Rendang.

Not all caramel waffles are created equal.

July 21, 2012 5 Comments

I used to be happily munching on round caramel waffle discs from Double Delights, which I could easily find in any hypermarket like Carrefour and LuLu or in our neighborhood grocery store at 2AED for a packet of two. But now that I’ve tasted Gouda’s Gilde stroopwafels from Amsterdam (a nice small box shared by my boss), I truly believe that not all caramel waffles are not created equal. I could never imagine myself satisfied with a Double Delights caramel waffle.

Why are Gouda’s Gilde stroopwafels so special?

Bacon pimped monggo (mung bean soup)

June 23, 2012 4 Comments

There are just days that are plain ordinary.

In the morning, at around 7AM, I get up, do my morning routine in the bathroom, cook and eat breakfast and leave for work. Then for 8-solid hours, I work almost non-stop to get to clock out on time and get home. After a 15-minute trip home, I exercise (or sometimes just try to in my head) then cook or reheat dinner and hit the sheets. Those are ordinary weekdays.

There are also ordinary weekends like this. Uneventful, no parties or get-togethers to attend, no errands to run that I end up cooped up in our wee flat, busying myself with house chores including my favorite chore: cooking, watching TV series or movies, reading through my Kindle and surfing the net.

But somehow, there is this itching feeling to make something extraordinary out of the sometimes boring ordinary day. There has to be something special everyday, right?

Monggo (mung bean soup), one of the humblest and standard Filipino comfort food dishes, was on our menu list and I gave it an upgrade by using bacon to give it the salt and smoky flavor it needs.

Pork adobo never tasted this good…

June 22, 2012 5 Comments

A huge part of my eating life in Dubai is about discovery, especially cuisines that I have never in my wildest dreams imagined eating: Iranian, Indian – North, South, and West (not sure if I’ve even had Eastern Indian food), Jordanian, Egyptian, Pakistani, Emirati, Iraqi, Irish, English, Yemeni, and Lebanese. But in the past weeks, my food adventuring around the world through the multi-cultural Dubai population has slowed down to an almost stand still. It’s only lately that I’ve been really, really craving for the tastes of the familiar, the tastes of home.

One particular dish that I’ve been dreaming about the past weeks is the pork adobo. It’s been quite some time since I’ve last cooked and savored this Paterno family favorite.

Today, I indulged myself by cooking pork adobo with a few interesting twists…as I’ve cooked it in the oven versus on the stove Am I loving my oven too much?

God bless them Goan pork sausages

June 13, 2012 2 Comments

I would have never imagined in my wildest dreams that Indians consume pork. I knew they ate a lot of vegetables. I knew they shied away from Holy Cows. I knew that they didn’t eat pork too. But they do! They do! They do! They do!

At least the Christian ones do. And boy was I glad to have met this one, who came bearing a packet of Indian porkies in tube form…

I love you barberry much!

May 23, 2012 7 Comments

“I saw you looking at Jam E Jam supermarket. What’s in there? I saw your head turn and your eyes lit up when we passed that intersection. I saw you!” The Husband quizzically asked me.