27/08/2015

Lebanese Flower, Khalidiyah Mall, Abu Dhabi

09:52:00

Before my visit to Abu Dhabi I done loads of homework on the eat out spots. Star recommendation on Lonely Planet page was the Lebanese Flower restaurants in Abu Dhabi. So expectations were running high when I ventured a visit here.



Food:
Something interesting which I had found was, you would be required to order only the side dishes here while the the Kubus is served on the table free of cost. Also the gorgeous looking bowl of salads was served for free!!! Surprise surprise... I hope some Arabian cuisine restaurant back home emulates this model. Anyway, coming to what we had:



We ordered a portion of Hummus and Moutabbal to go with Shish Tawouk, Half portion of Grilled Chicken and a portion of Chicken Liver. Both Shish Tawouk and Grilled Chicken came with a portion of French Fries and were served on a bed of toasted Kubus. I wonder how the French Fries had become an Arabian food! Nevertheless, the crispy fries were yummy and went well with the garlic paste.



My standout dish was the Chicken Liver. Kubus with Hummus and a dash of garlic sauce with small portions of Liver was simply amazing. The lemon played a major role in bringing out the wonderful flavours of the liver. Must try, for chicken liver lovers. The Grilled Chicken was comparable to the ones I have had back home, so was not wowed by it. Shish Tawouk was on slightly the spicy side when compared to the one I had at Il podio. I really wanted to have their Shawarma, but I was unlucky as they had run out of Shawarmas for the day.

Ambiance:
Simple dining comparable to the ambiance at Zaitoon or Sea Shells back home in Chennai.

Service:
No complaints here.

Price:
The meal here set us back by 100 AED.

Food - 7.5/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 7/10
Price - 8/10

Disclaimer : We paid for the meal.

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*A review about a place holds good only for 6 months as there can be a change in quality and quantity of the food, the service and the staff, due to reasons best known only to them. So kindly consider these factors while visiting the places.

19/08/2015

Asha's, Mall of Emirates, Dubai

16:45:00

Short visit to the Mall of Emirates at Dubai meant a pit stop at India's Iconic Singer's restaurant Asha's. Even though tons of Indians whom I had spoken to, had rated it as a highly westernised indian food, I was not put off, as one whiff of the aroma when I had walked past one of the restaurants outlets at Yas Mall was enough to lure me in. Coming back to this meal




Food:
They served up some tasty papads along with sweet mango pickles which we binged on while we waited for our food. My mom wanted to slurp on a Lassi. So we got her Mango and Caramel Lassi which was definitely slurppy. Salty Lassi complemented by the sweet Mango and Caramel.


For starters we ordered a Speciality Platter which contained four pieces each of Murg Malai, Chicken Tikka and Gosht Seekh Kebabs. All the three kebabs were mildly spiced unlike the ones we get here in India. Off the lot, I loved the Gosht Seekh Kebab inspite of it being mildly spiced. Murg Malai Kebab was more a hit and a miss. Some pieces were cooked properly while some others were a tad under cooked. Chicken Tikka felt highly westernised not the authentic type which I am used and was just passable. 

 Finally finished off the starters with the Jheenga Shan e Nisha. This was king prawns marinated in Yoghurt, Cheese and infused with cardamon and finally crispy fried. But that was not the kicker. The shocker came in the form of portion size which was just two pieces. Taste again not so great which was down to the mild flavour.




Moving to the main course we had the Dhaniya Murg, Dhal Makhani to go with Roti and the signature Kesar Biryani. Soft roti's with the simply outstanding Dhal Makhani, Yes!! Veg gravy was great. Dhaniya Murg which was chicken cooked in yoghurt and cashew nut gravy was another stunner. Despite it being a stunner combination, it was still mild for my taste. But I bet the Emeratis love it, because the restaurant was packed. We were too stuffed with this food and we skipped desserts.

Ambiance:
Typical to the mall style diner. Still had a few Indian touches to it.

Service:
We were served by Chap from Erode and I must say the service which was rendered to us was simply exemplary.

Price:
This meal here set back 420 AED for the four of us.

Food - 7/10 ( If you wouldnt mind Westernised Indian)
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 9/10
Price - 6.5/10

Disclaimer : We paid for the meal.

Asha's is located in the Ground Floor of Mall of Emirates, Dubai.

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*A review about a place holds good only for 6 months as there can be a change in quality and quantity of the food, the service and the staff, due to reasons best known only to them. So kindly consider these factors while visiting the places.

11/08/2015

The Cheesecake Factory, Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi

21:11:00


Continuing  the parade of food which I had devoured during my trip to Abu Dhabi we come here to my next stop, which was at The Cheesecake Factory at Yas Mall. Again I cannot thank enough my mom's friend Radha Menon for treating me here.


Food:
This place was highly recommended by Chennai Foody and Food in Chennai. In fact the dishes which I had ordered were the exact same which they had enjoyed. So I was not taking any risks here.  Little did they warn me that I should save space for the best cheesecakes I have had thus far.


 Now moving to what I had binged on. I had the Buffalo Chicken Strips for starters which was chicken strips covered with Hot Sauce which was more like Tobasco sauce served along with Blue Cheese dipping. All I can say is dip, bite and relish. Soft tender, still mildly crispy and the blue cheese was uuummmm!!! All I can say was this, a trip here ruins your food loving nature back in Chennai.



Moving along, my mom had a Chicken Madeira while I had the Hibachi Steak for our mains. Chicken Madeira was so heavy that my mom was unable to finish it on her own and I ended up helping her. So I had more than my fair share. One thing which I had noticed with both the mains was the grainy texture of the Mashed Potatoes which you do not come across that often here in Chennai. Maybe it could have been their off day, but rest was simply fantastic.

The Chicken Madeira which was sautéed chicken breast, topped with mushroom and asparagus and loads of melted cheese. Madeira sauce was the star  dish which was infused in the mushrooms and the tender chicken. It was such a delight to binge on this. It was simply exquisite.


My Hibachi Steak... O MY GOD!! I have no words to explain. Perfect marination done on the hanger steak which was loaded to the brim with mushrooms, batter fried asparagus and mashed potato. I had asked for medium preparation which was just spot on. Meat was pink and the mushroom sauce was fantastic and the best of all was the batter fried asparagus which became my instant favourite.




Wiping the plates clean we contemplated whether to have a cheesecake, but a meal cannot be complete without a dessert so I ploughed on and had the Original Cheesecake as I was not brave enough to venture into the other variations. One bite... the BEST CHEESECAKE i have ever had PERIOD!!

Ambiance:
Dim lighting with comfortable sofa tables makes for the ambiance in all the Cheesecake Factory and this was no different.

Service:
One of the biggest USP for them has to be their courteous waiters, who took the time to explain the questions posed by my mom and myself.

Price:
This meal cost us 290 AED.

Food - 8.5/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Service - 9/10
Price - 7/10

Disclaimer : We paid for the meal.

The Cheesecake factory is located inside Yas Mall on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

If you like what you are reading, Please share it with others.

*A review about a place holds good only for 6 months as there can be a change in quality and quantity of the food, the service and the staff, due to reasons best known only to them. So kindly consider these factors while visiting the places.

05/08/2015

Sumo Sushi & Bento, Masdar City, Abu Dhabi

11:20:00

Strolling around Masdar City during HoT summer of Abu Dhabi can be really tiring. Thankfully Masdar city has various pig out spots where one could relax. From the random locations which I was suggested by my mom's best friend Radha, I chose Sumo as I am a sucker for Sushi!!!



Food:
As soon as we entered, we went head and placed our orders. I had the Crunchy Crazy Sushi while mom settled for a Cucumber Crabstick Salad and my mom friend had the Steamed Edamame.


It was my first time at having Steamed Edamame which was quite nice. A very good appetiser or in my case it was like a palate cleanser in between the sushi's.


The salad on the other hand was not a light dish, but rather a belter. Finely chopped cucumber topped off with a bucket load of Mayo followed by handful of Tobiko. Tobiko is otherwise known as Red Caviar. We had a few attempts at trying to gobble the dish with the chop sticks, but we ended up using our regular weaponry fork and spoon.


The Salad was mildly flavoured but rich thanks to the Tobiko and Mayo. Also the mayo helped to mask the slightly salty nature of Tobiko. The Crab meat was smooth and it just went down in one WHOFF!!!





Finally coming to my Crunchy Crazy which was Shrimp Tempura Roll covered with a sweet chilli sauce was simply outstanding. I bet I have never had a better shrimp roll than this. Served along with Wasabi which was just spectacular. The crunchy texture complimented the shrimp which was the icing on the cake.

Ambiance:
They had both outdoors and indoor dining. Dining outdoors with the temperature hovering around 45 degree would be just madness. Thankfully the well appointed interiors with large glass windows was comfortable to dine in.

Service:
Simple, fast and effective.

Price:
The short snack for three cost us 85 AED. Also I think I should stop converting the prices to INR to feel the impact.

I must thank my moms friend for taking me to this wonderful place. Also a couple others which I would be posting soon.

Food - 8.5/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Service - 8/10
Price - 7/10

Disclaimer : We paid for the meal.

If you like what you are reading, Please share it with others.

*A review about a place holds good only for 6 months as there can be a change in quality and quantity of the food, the service and the staff, due to reasons best known only to them. So kindly consider these factors while visiting the places.

04/08/2015

Burger King, Hamdan Street, Abu Dhabi

15:58:00

After all the enjoyment at the Ferrari World and Yas Water World we were all really tired, so we had a takeaway dinner from Burger King located in Hamdan Street. My first experience at Burger King so I was really excited


Food:
I picked the Steak House Beef Burger as it came highly recommended while the rest had Chicken Steak House Burger.  We chose to have French Fries and Chicken Tenders as accompaniments. For finishing touches we had Hersheys Chocolate Sundae. 


My Beef Steakhouse was really soft and it had beautiful BBQ score marks on it. It was mildly spicy thanks to the hickory sauce which they had used. I had a bite of the Chicken version too. It was lighter than my Beef version, but still carried the same flavour. The Chicken Tenders served with BBQ sauce was decent. 


The Hersheys Chocolate Sundae which was part of their limited time specials was simply heavenly. I do not think anyone can stop with just one bite.

Ambiance:
NA

Service:
NA

Price:
This meal cost us 120 AED.

As this was a take away I am not rating the ambiance and service.

Food - 8/10
Price - 8/10

Disclaimer : I paid for the meal.

If you like what you are reading, Please share it with others.

*A review about a place holds good only for 6 months as there can be a change in quality and quantity of the food, the service and the staff, due to reasons best known only to them. So kindly consider these factors while visiting the places.

02/08/2015

Il Podio, Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi

12:39:00


Ok guys, all Chennai food fans will have to bear with me for a while, because Chennaisoru goes to Abu Dhabi begins here. My first stop was at Il Podio at Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi after an exhilarating ride on the worlds fastest roller coaster.



Food:
Since we were really hungry after the roller coaster ride, we wasted no time and went ahead and picked up the appetisers and desserts we wanted from the counters and placed an order for our main course. From the assortment of arabian sauces we picked the Hummus and Moutabel with a few pita bread. Main course we had Biryani with Butter Chicken Masala combo, Shish Taouk and Herbed Grilled Chicken. For finishing touches we had Coconut and Banana Caramel Cake.

Hummus with Pita bread was terrific. Move aside Indian made hummus. This is how a Hummus should taste. After sampling Hummus I had a bit of the pita bread with the Moutabel which was even better. In fact it was my moms first time at sampling the Moutabel, which became her instant favorite. Pita bread was light and soft.




Main course on the other hand was mixed bunch. The Biryani with Butter Chicken Combo was something which all Indians should give a miss. The Biryani was more like a tomato rice and the Butter Chicken was more like water with red colour and chicken pieces. We had to order an Indian dish because of my niece. This was followed by Shish Taouk which was mild and highly westernised, but no matter it was quite decent. The Herbed Grilled Chicken was really good. Very very mild and very very tender.

The finishing touches by the Coconut and Banana Caramel was pretty decent. The banana caramel really helped lift the flavors. 

Ambiance:
Il Podio is the multi-cuisine food court situated in the Ferrari World

Service:
Part self service and part service was simply amazing.

Price:
This meal for four cost us 350 AED. 

Food - 7/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Service - 8/10
Price - 7/10

Disclaimer: I paid for the meal.

If you like what you are reading, Please share it with others.

*A review about a place holds good only for 6 months as there can be a change in quality and quantity of the food, the service and the staff, due to reasons best known only to them. So kindly consider these factors while visiting the places.