Dubai: Emirati Restaurant: Seven Sands

I was invited to  Iftar and Suhour menu tasting for a new opened Emirati restaurant in Dubai. Iftar is the time to eat for the fasting muslims during the Holy month Ramadan at the end of the fasting day and Suhour is the time when people eat before sunrise and get ready for a long fasting day. In Dubai Ramadan is starting on 18th of June 2015 this year. So I tasted some of the Ramadan dishes at Seven Sands restaurant   yesterday evening.

  As starters we had mutabbal, kibbeh (baked one), salad, hummus

  Lentile soup, grilled halloumi, salad

 Main dishes were, Lamb Mansaf, Vegetables thereed, Shrimp Fouga. There was Harris but it is out of this pic, it was very yummy.

The desserts were; Um Ali (white one), Aseeda Bobar (sweet pumpkin puree) and of course you can taste good amount of cardamom, I started to like this spice a lot since I moved to Dubai. I have cardamom spiced tea at home! Kind of cinnamon but slightly different.

For the final, I had Arabic tea with saffron, It is their signature tea but they have rose tea, fruity tea etc. My overall experience was nice, I love Arabic food, I think the richness of the spices and intense flavors make the Arabic food yummy.

Seven Sands restaurant is at the JBR walk by the beach mall close to Sheraton hotel side (south side), you can park your car to the beach mall around the V or Y letter, I think it is the closest to the restaurant.

Dubai: P.F. Chang’s: Dynamite Shrimp

This week was Chinese food week for me 🙂 Another Chinese restaurant yesterday and one of my favorites, P.F. Chang’s. We went to the one in the Mall of the Emirates. They have it at several locations in Dubai.

I love how welcoming and nice the decoration is in the P.F. Chang’s. You really feel like you are in an Asian restaurant.

As starters we ordered Ahi Crisp and Dynamite Shrimp which is an addicting taste, many of my friends visit P.F. Chang’s just to eat Dynamite Shrimps as a snack. So yummy. Ahi Crisp had a very nice balance of tuna and avacado and coriander.

  

We were 4 people but portions are very big and filling so we ordered, 3 main dishes, noodle and fried rice with vegetables. At the end we had to ask them to pack our left overs !! Everything is very delicious but very filling. So be aware and share your food 🙂

As main course we ordered Crispy honey chicken, Sesame chicken and Wok-charred beef. All of them were great, I do not know how they are marinating their meat but they were very tender. Very nice Asian restaurant and staff is very helpful, I can not wait to visit P.F Changs again and taste great Dynamite shrimp.

 

Dubai: Chinese hotpot: Xiao wei yang

I was planning to visit this hotpot restaurant since long time and finally this week I had chance. For me it would be the first time eating a hotpot meal  and I was little bit hesitant about eating boiled meat but my overall experience was great!

 

Xiao Wei yang Chinese restaurant Jumeirah or marina branch is just across the Le meridien Jbr hotel. It was a week day when I visited there but for dinner we had to wait a table to get empty for 20 minutes, they book just for more than 4 people, we were 4, so no reservatio!

  

They bring a broth on a stove on the table and I could see some nutmeg, celery sticks, garlic in the broth but for the rest I don’t know what is in this yummy broth. The sauce you dip your meat after you boiled it in hotpot was made from peanut and garlic and some other secret ingredients, it was also yummy. We chose meat dimsum, mushrooms, meat, some tofu, spinach to boil in hotpot . Everything was very delicious. While We were leaving I asked the girl at the reception “do you deliver to the house with the hotpot?” She said “ahh don’t you have hotpot at your home, how do you eat :)?!!” Hahaa I think she is right I need a hotpot at home I love this taste and I find it a health way of cooking. 

I love how staff is very helpful and friendly in the Xiao Wei Yang. I am gonna visit there soon again. And price is reasonable.