Mado

Walking in the dead bylanes of The Gold Souq in The Dubai Mall, we happened to stumble across Mado. There seemed to be some magical feel to this place as inspite of low flow of people around the bylanes of The Gold souq, Mado was bustling with diners. Since we were quite hungry and looking for some good food, we stopped by for quick bite.

Ambience of Mado is a mixed bag. You can either sit inside the restaurant which is OK or if you are lucky enough then you can sit outside and dine in the tranquility of the fountain and watch shoppers pass by with tons of shopping bags. Coming to the food, for starters we ordered hummus, the veg cheese pizza. for the the mains it was shish tawook and half grilled chicken. The starters came in with some piping hot bread and looked quite appealing and presentable.Unfortunately we felt the hummus lacking in taste. However the Cheese veg pizza was quite delicious with a generous dose of gooey cheese on a light and well baked bread. Our mains soon arrived. The Shish tawook was good with tender and well marinated chicken on a bed of Bulgur. However we felt that the half grilled chicken had the same marination hence in terms of taste we could not differentiate between the two dishes. Had our waiter informed us about it we would have ordered some other dish.After a while we felt the similar taste too over powering and could not muster to finish our dishes.

It must have been our bad day that inspite of such high ratings and the place bustling with satisfied customers, we were not fully satisfied. May be the two similar dishes could have led to our dissatisfaction. May be another day when walking through the bylanes of Dubai Mall when we see Mado, we may stop by again….But this time we will ensure to check with our waiter if the dishes we order don’t taste the same.

Copper Chimney

Being a Bombay Boy and living at World Sea Face, I have spent countless meals at Copper Chimney. From Birthday celebrations to just a casual meal, Copper Chimney would be the place to savor some Indian Delicacies. With Copper Chimney opening up their branch in Dubai and that too just a hop skip and jump from my house, just like Bombay, I landed there with fond memories on a scorching Friday afternoon.

Getting a parking here was a breeze as they offer free valet parking since it is located inside Millennium Plaza Hotel on SZR. As soon as we walked in we were led to a seating up stairs, where our friendly waiter made us feel comfortable by guiding us to our table. The ambience of Copper Chimney is very tranquil and gives you the Zen like feel. Going through the menu, for starters I ordered the Reshmi Malai tikka, Tandoori Fire Chicken. For the mains it was the butter chicken with some Chura Roti. Since there were hardly any diners present during lunch, our starters came in. The superbly done Kadak Roomali, thin and crisp topped with a kachumbar tasted heavenly with chaat masala mint chutney and a dash of lime. The tender and succulent rashmi malai tikka was just about the best I had in Dubai. But the show stealer was definitely the fire chicken. Tandoori chicken stuffed with gooey melted cheese.The deadly combination with the smokey and tender tandoori chicken…WOW! Soon the delicious butter chicken arrived with the chura naan and we devoured it in no time.

With a sense of satisfaction and nostalgic connection we bid adieu to Copper Chimney, vouching to come back again. Food at Copper Chimney is very good, and if you are craving for some good Indian food with plush ambience, head to Copper Chimney and you won’t be disappointed.

California Pizza Kitchen

I last visited CPK ages back and was highly disappointed by what was served to me and had almost written them off. When I was craving for some pizza and happened to be in Burjuman, I thought of giving it another shot.Coaxing myself I walked in. The set up of CPK in Burjuman is smaller than what they have at The Dubai Mall and in terms of seating and ambience, CPK gives you the feel of a casual relaxed joint.

Since Pizzas were on my mind I ordered the wild mushroom topped with garlic chicken and white truffle oil and chicken fajita pizza. I was just hoping and praying that unlike the last disastrous outing the pizzas would fare much better…probably someone up there heard my prayers and the pizzas came out smashingly delicious. The wild mushroom had a generous topping of shiitake, portobello and white mushroom on a thin and crisp crust. The deadly combination of tender garlic chicken when topped with a dash of white truffle oil made this pizza the most satisfying experience I had at CPK. Such was the taste of the wild mushroom pizza, that inspite of the Chicken Fajita pizza being good, it seemed to have paled out in front of it. However without being biased, the Chicken Fajita pizza tasted divine, specially the Pesto which gave a nice kick to the thin crust pizza.

Eventhough I must have been super stuffed, I ensured that not a single slice was left behind, thus rekindling my relation with CPK. If Pizzas are what you are craving for and happen to be in Burjuman, hop by CPK and surely you won’t be disappointed.

Markette

Location!Location!Location! The three golden words I keep hearing from restaurant owners, food connoisseurs and restaurant consultants. But does location alone make things work out????

Markette hits a biggie, given that they are located right in front of the worlds largest aquarium and given that their set up is eye appealing, you would definitely get excited to try them out once. We too got attracted by their interiors and stepped in to try their delicacies. The ambience of the place is very lively and takes you straight to some place on the streets of New York where you want to just enjoy your meal in a lively atmosphere and watch the world pass by through the window.

For starters we ordered ourselves chicken quesadilla and for the mains it was the highly recommended chicken mushroom penne and the Chicken Pillard.We thought of ordering a drink as well, but somehow our intuition said to hold on till we try out the food.The chicken quesadilla soon arrived. Given the price, we were expecting it to be a decent portion, which was not the case. The filling inside was decent and in terms of taste I felt a strong taste of herbs overpowering other flavors. Now we were so looking forward to our mains and boy was it a disappointment. The Chicken mushroom penne hardly had any pieces of mushroom and chicken and was dunked in a strong, raw tomato…. strait out of the can sauce. The pasta was actually swimming in the sauce. It was such a big disappointment. We just hoped that the chicken pillard would be decent..we were pleasantly surprised by this dish. This was a beautifully grilled tender chicken with grilled veggies and balsamic vinegar. The dish was light and the magical blend of herbs with the sweet and tangy balsamic vinegar reduction, made the chicken taste fantabulous.

Even though Markette has the best location in Dubai mall, coupled with their fantastic interior, we felt the dishes did not match up to our expectation. Yes Location is important, but so is the food. I may get enticed to step in once, but if the food in not upto the mark…never again!

Social House

Every time I passed through the pearly gates of Dubai mall leading to the magical fountains, I saw social House. But due to some reason I don’t know why I never stepped in. During Ramadan, whilst I was checking for joints which were open, I chanced upon Social House being one of the joints open during the Holy month.

Grabbing this opportunity and coupled with Zomato Gold membership, I stepped in finally. Passing through the dark drapes, the place seemed quite lively and buzzing with hungry patrons. The use of wood and greenery made this place seemed quite relaxing and beautiful. We soon were lead to our table and our friendly waiter said that due to ramadan, their menu had been curtailed and only their best dishes were being served. We glanced through the menu and ordered chicken avocado pizza, Chicken alfredo pasta and Chicken Katsu curry.Our waiter was a bit surprised as she felt we had ordered quite a lot, but given our hunger pangs had reached the zenith, I thought otherwise. After an eternal wait, our food finally arrived. We immediately dug into our chicken and avocado pizza, which was just the way we liked it. Thin and crisp with tender pieces of chicken. The creamy alfredo pasta was lip smacking and we got it topped up with some extraaa parmesan cheese….simply divine!I was a bit skeptical about how the Katsu curry would shape up….but I was pleasantly surprised with the beautifully fried pieces of chicken topped with veggies loaded katsu curry sauce…HEAVEN!!!.

When our friendly server came to check on how the meal was, she was pleasantly surprised to find that we had wiped all the plates spotlessly clean. She tried offering us some desserts too, but given that we had over stuffed ourselves, we had simply no space left.

Social House hits all the right notes when it comes to food and ambience. Coupled with their friendly staff, the vibes of this place is definitely SOCIAL and makes you feel you are in your own HOUSE.

Keep Woking!

When I moved to Dubai in 2003, my first lunch happened to be in the DIC building 3 food court, as that was the only food court catering to people working in DMC and DIC back then. Some more sprang up, but the charm of eating in building -3 always remained.  When I got an invite to dine in Wok Boyz I was very much keen as It had been a decade since I walked past those gates of building 3 to grab a quick bite and head back to office.

Walking in building -3 took me back in time reliving the wonder years and binging on  delicacies while interacting with colleagues. One of the changes I saw was the Chinese joint being replaced with Wok Boyz. I was told that they opened up last year with another branch on SZR near the trade center.

Concept of Wok Boyz is simple, you choose your noodles, your protein, your veggies, your sauce and toppings…in short you are the master chef at Wok Boyz. I asked the lady behind the counter to assist me in selecting the sauce which would be apt to go with the noodles. She allowed me to try each sauce before I zeroed in on the Indonesian heat sauce which was a sambal sauce with some kicking chilies. I felt it would go beautifully with my udon noodles, topped with some mushrooms, bamboo shoots and fried garlic. Unfortunately they were out of fried garlic!!!! Now that was a bit of a let down. I got it replaced with spring onions, which was OK, but fried garlic would have made this dish magical with the live and kicking sambal sauce, which needed a cool and refreshing thai coconut to extinguish the heat. The next dish we tried was  quinoa tossed in thai green curry sauce topped with mushroom and peanuts. This dish did not turn out the way we had expected. The quantity of the sauce was too much thereby making the quinoa too soggy. In terms of taste the dish was great but in terms of appeal, it was average. We also ordered a portion korean wings and street tofu. Korean wings were served to us cold and had to be returned. When the dish was brought out again, it was THE stand out dish. The wings were fried and tossed in a sweet spicy sticky soy sauce. Each bite of the wing was bursting in asian flavors and we devoured it in no time. The Street tofu was fried soft silken tofu, topped with Chilies and garlic and when had with the salty soy sauce…AMAZING.

Food at Wok Boyz is very good and most of our dishes arrived in no time which saves you valuable time if you are in a hurry. The secret behind the magic of Wok Boyz is their sauces and YOU…. as long as you know what you want and how you want it.

In terms of any additions….well I would love if they can add a few more sauces like the schezwan, laksa and explore more of the south east Asian flavors as it would add in more depth to their existing base of wonderful sauce concussions. KEEP WOKING BOYZ!!!

Desi khana with Masala Tadka

I received an invite from Divya Sirnani for a tasting session at Masala Wok located in Al Nahda, an area which I have never ventured before inspite of being in Dubai for more than 16 years. Honestly, my hunger to try out new places have been restricted to places before the start of the bridges which connects Dubai to Deira side. And after reading some strong positive reviews about Masala Wok, I was gungho to take the leap of faith and cross that bridge 🙂

Masala Wok is a family restaurant which specialises in Desi style North Indian and Chinese delicacies. Given that they have an elaborate menu which caters to almost every tastebud of patrons, they got their menu and chefs pumping iron!

Ambience of the place is nice and relaxing and with a very friendly staff, they ensure that every customer is treated and looked after well.

Coming to the food, well as soon as we sat down we were served a refreshing welcome drink with fryums. After an eternal wait for close to 45 mins, the dishes stated coming in, staring with soup and starters. The soup which I was highly recommended by the staff was the manchow soup.However the soup was very thick on corn flour and lacked taste. The cornucopia of starters soon followed. First we were introduced to some of the best Indian dishes Masala Wok had to offer. There was the the special Masala Wok kebab- chicken cooked in tandoor and stuffed with minced chicken. Presentation wise and taste wise both scored high.Tandoori Jhinga had been infused with the ajwain flavor and was tantalizingly tasty. Then came in various types of chicken kebabs out of which I was made to try the tandoori chicken tikka, which tasted heavenly with a dash of lime and chutney.And then whole pomfret in semolina. Unfortunately I did not try it out but those who did said it tasted very good. This was followed by chinese starters comprising of Chicken wontons, Chicken lollipop, dragon chicken, Chinese bhel, crispy corn, bell pepper mushroom, chicken croquettes. That was quite a lot of starters to try out. Out of all the Chinese dishes, only the dragon chicken stood out for its sweet and spicy taste and the crispy Chinese bhel for its crunchy and spicy flavors. The chicken wonton came in a larger than life size wrap with an almost invisible filling, the Chinese lollipop was overly coated with batter and made it quite un appealing , the bell pepper mushroom was supposed to be crisp, but had got soggy in a overflowing gravy. crisp corn was just about passable. Chicken croquettes was something which was high on mayo and not something I would recommend.

We thought we were almost done with the larger than life starters, when the mains started pouring in. Just to make space for my tummy which needed a life line, I ordered myself a lemon mint cooler, which ensured I was ready for my mains. The mains comprised of Goan fish curry which had a distinct Goan touch to it, Desi kukkad- which was bursting in masala flavors and a must try at masala wok and goes smashingly well with garlic naan, Dabba ghost- tender mutton pieces immersed in rich and creamy gravy and kumbh makai masala- deadly combo of corn and mushroom in a tantalizingly flavorsome gravy.This was followed by Chinese dishes, but I gave them all a skip since I was already done with dismal Chinese starters I had tried initially. After a marathon binging, desserts soon arrived which comprised of crisp honey tossed noodles with vanilla icecream, sizzling brownie, falooda and dal halwa. Out of the desserts, sizzling brownie and crispy honey noodle with vanilla ice-cream stood out. I did not get an opportunity to try the falooda, but given that it was almost over by the time I got to try, I am sure it would rate high on the dessert section as well. The dal halwa was rubbery and chewy and I highlighted this immediately to the owner.

With no more space left in our tummy, we thanked the owner for his over the top hospitality and bowed out.

The masalas in masala wok are bursting with flavors and must try, However the Hindi Chineee Bhai Bhai wok lacks the desi chinese sizzle and needs to be relooked into. If Desi Indian food is what you crave for, head to Masala Wok and you won’t be disappointed.

The Mumbai Social

Name can sometimes be misleading.When I received an invite from Kulfiholic- The Mumbai Social, my first impression was that they specialize in Kulfi and various concussions relating to Kulfi. With an open mind on trying out the desserts, I walked in on a lazy Friday to try their kulfi delicacies.

The interiors of this place is simply rocking. Loud and in your face with every nook and corner reminding you of what Mumbai is all about and beautifully captured in the limited space available. Two thumbs up for the creativity and painstaking time spent to do up the place.

Coming to the menu, well I was in for a complete surprise. There was more to it than just kulfi. And given that every seat in this cute little joint had been occupied and patrons munching on their delicacies, we switched from dessert mode to full on foodie mode. The menu comprises of dishes which have been tweaked and using creativity to dish out unique dishes. Most of the dishes served here are starters which can be relished by all.

We ordered the Chinese bhel, soya tikka tacos, Butter fried panner momos, penne pasta in white sauce and paan kulfi.

Since this place was buzzing with customers, our order took a while, but when it did arrive, we were simply blown away with what was served to us. The Chinese bhel had crispy noodles tossed in schezwan sauce and was lipsmackingly spicy and tasty. The Soya tikka tacos had a good dose of soya tikka topped with creamy mayo and tasted heavenly. Butter fried momos took ages, but came in piping hot with the goodness of paneer and spinach. With the kicking schezwan sauce it tasted fantastic. The penne pasta however was a let down and not something worth adventuring here. We also sampled their paan kulfi which quenched our pangs for paan which we have not had in ages.

With its mumbaiya touch interiors and smashing dishes, The Mumbai social is worth coming often and sampling their delicacies. Inspite the slow service and a being a veg joint, this place seriously packs a punch.Given their competitive prices, Its worth the wait and you won’t be disappointed.

And yes don’t let the name mislead you!!!

Sublime Motomachi

Walking into Motomachi on a relaxed Saturday afternoon, the agenda was simple, savor the grills, slurp some Ramen, sample the katsu curry and we are done for the day.

Motomachi is located inside Festival City. They have a huge seating and given the penchant for guests to sit close to the window, we felt the restaurant to be a bit empty since we were done baking ourselves in the sun that Saturday. So sitting away from the windows made us feel we had the restaurant to ourselves. The interiors of Motomachi is casual and makes you feel at ease. Their staff were quite friendly and prompt in recommending dishes. But since we had come with an preset agenda, we stuck to our guns and ordered the Yakitori, Chicken Katsu Curry and Chicken Miso Ramen.We told our waiter to get what ever was ready first as the three dishes were already playing in our minds, given the tempting images that had been put up on their menu card.

The yakitori soon arrived….well unlike the image, the portion size seemed quite less. The dish however was outstanding, tender chicken grilled and glazed with salty sweet soy sauce topped with spring onions. Too bad the quantity did not justify the price tag! As soon as we finished our grill, the main course arrived. Slurping into the chicken miso ramen, we cared less about people around us as each slurp gave us the satisfaction of a mildly spiced noodle soup with tender chicken. Yummy in my tummy. The chicken katsu curry too tasted divine. The spiced up curry with crunchy chicken tasted heavenly.By the time we were done with the food rage, we thanked ourselves by sitting away from the window, else it would have been quite an embarrassing site with all the loud slurping we did 🙂

Food at motomachi is outstanding, price is a bit on the higher side, but given the taste and slurps we did…no complaints!

Ah Beirut!

My visit to Karam Beirut happened by chance. While visiting a home decor shop opposite Karam Beirut, I spotted this place.I had earlier had the pleasure of binging on their shawarmas in their Express counter located in the food court.So taking a chance I dropped in by to taste their delicacies.

Karam Beirut is located on the lower level and has a huge sitting area. If you would like to watch the magical dancing fountains while savoring the taste of beirut, you can do so.The staff was quite friendly and helpful. We felt pampered by the hospitality.

We ordered a tabouleh, beiruty hummus fresh cocktail juice, Shish tawook and Chicken kebab.

The mezze platter soon arrived with the cocktail. The beiruty hummus was creamy with a slight tanginess and the kicking hint of garlic which made it a super tasty and we devoured it in no time. The Tabouleh was fresh and the veggies were crisp which were tossed in a tangy dressing and topped with some crisp pita bread. The cocktail juice was quite refreshing and we loved the conception and medley of fruits used to make it taste delicious. Our mains came in with a generous portion of crisp french fries. The shish tawook was tender and soft and grilled to perfection. The toum enhanced the taste of the grill. The Chicken kebabs were tender and combination with fresh veggies made this a hit item for us.

Service,food and ambience of Karam Beirut is very good. If you fancy watching the fountains while engaging in some lebanese delicacies…head to Karam Beirut, you won’t be disappointed.