Lunch ahoy!

There are times when having lunch in a new location can be just the ticket, at times a rather decadent ticket. As this is Dubai we are absolutely spoiled with choices. This lunch saw us down at La Veranda at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. La Veranda has marina side seating with a direct, and very much unobstructed, view of the ever so iconic Burj al Arab. Feeling very much like we were on a wee vacation my friend and I settled in to cruise over the menu. See what I did there?

For our starters we shared a hot/fried and cold antipasti; the Calamari with Lobster Mayo and the Quinoa Salad, respectively. The Calamari arrived hot and crisp with a pancko style coating, the lobster mayo for dipping did not taste too intensely of lobster but it did have a nice kick to it. The flavour of the calamari would easily allow them to be eaten without the mayo. Balancing out the fried calamari was a nicely presented quinoa salad with marinated quinoa, rucola, zucchini, aubergine, feta and beetroot. We found that for the size of the salad it would be best to share or share it with the main course it you prefer more veggies to your main.

Quinoa Salad

Calamari with Lobster Mayo

For the main course we went in a direction befitting of the location we were at: seafood. While my friend went with the King Prawns I ordered a Crab Linguini. The pictures below will show how large the portions were and I did take half of my linguini home.On the menu the prawns were written as being "cinnamon marinated, orange and cardamom" we did not really find any of these flavours to be prevalent though the meat was tender and juicy. The vegetable ragout which accompanied it was also nice and flavourful. My crab linguini was well received and though the cream sauce could have had a wee bit more flavour the crab was excellent and there was a surprising amount of it. Clearly the crab was not just used as decoration.

Crab Linguini

King Prawns with Vegetable Ragout

After a small, and much needed break, we perused the desserts. Though there may not be a large selection it is diverse and there are also mocktails and cocktails which have dessert like attributes. Our chosen desserts were a lime flavoured cheesecake with raspberry coulis and a chocolate almond truffle cake with raspberry compote. The cheesecake did taste delicately of lime and instead of the traditional graham cracker base it had a thin sponge style base and was topped with mandarins. The raspberry coulis was on the side. The chocolate truffle cake was also quite nice but not as indulgent as it sounded and I was missing the almond taste. Both were quite large portions and I would say one dessert would have sufficed.

Chocolate Almond Truffle Cake

Lime flavoured cheesecake

Overall we had a nice experience at La Veranda. The service was friendly, there was soft music playing in the background, we were by the marina with a soft breeze and a view of the Burj al Arab. In a way it was like being on vacation in your own home town. This is a family friendly place as it is on the beach you can watch the littles play in the sand and the dress code is casual.

As is the norm this is not a sponsored post.

Baking with Yoghurt

There comes a time in every single person’s life when one has simply too much yoghurt in the fridge. Other than the obvious face mask or hair cure solution here is another: baking. I had a kilo tub of plain yoghurt lurking in my fridge which was nearing its expiration date and I decided to look up cake recipes which utilize yoghurt.

The blog Chez Catey Lou turned up with a lovely Blueberry Lemon Yoghurt Loaf recipe and as a plus it used only a small amount of oil which I reduced even further. Below is my variation on her recipe. I believe that this recipe can also be used as a base for other flavour combinations: lemon/poppy seed, lemon/pistachio/cranberry, orange/ mixed berry etc. I would though stick with flavours which complement the flavour of plain yoghurt.

Lemon & Pistachio Yoghurt Loaf
Ingredients
1 cup whole meal flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour (note: you can use all all-purpose flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain yoghurt
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 lemon grated, and juice from half the lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
50 gr slivered pistachio

Directions
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with a large strip of parchment paper that hangs over the edges – this helps with easy removal of the loaf after baking.

In a medium bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and oil until thoroughly combined.
Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake for about 50 minutes (bout 20 minutes for muffins), or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out with a few moist crumbs. Do not over-bake. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then turn it out onto a rack to cool completely before slicing.

Lemon & Pistachio Yoghurt Loaf

Muffins made with strawberries and lemon

If you are looking for wholemeal flour Carrefour is now carrying Jenan flours in addition to outmeal. I have had a most difficult time finding more rustic flour here in the UAE so this is a nice addition in my kitchen.

Wholemeal Jenan Flour

Eataly: get some Italian in Dubai

Dubai is known for its rather pretentious dining and clubbing scene. There is of course nothing wrong with partaking in this I have enjoyed dinner at Nobu before and going to Cavalli and People by Crystal, amongst others. There are though times when you want to sit back a bit, wear jeans and share a joke with the kitchen chefs. I adore kitchen chefs and find then rather amiable. On a recent Dubai Mall shopping excursion with my friend we happened upon Eataly. From the outside it is quite eye catching with its large, open and bright store front. Upon stepping inside you see the scale of this place. It is a mix of grocers with a café, gelateria, chocolate counter, restaurant and other delightful stations. The glass enclosed room where they make the fresh mozzarella is a thing of beauty.

Smoked Turkey Piadina with the lovely chefs in the background

Simple yet delicious tomato spaghetti

In addition to the site down dining there is also a bar which one can sit at and watch the chefs at work in the hot station. Once we were seated we were brought our menus as well as a serving of bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping the bread in. Delish! Wanting something simple, warm and with carbs, as we had been shopping, we settled on a simple tomato spaghetti and a smoked turkey piadina. As a started we tried their fresh made mozzarella. Over all we had a wonderful experience the food was fresh and tasty and the mozzarella in particular gets a massive thumbs up, no matter how geeky it looks. I even took the other half of the piadina home with me as it was a large portion. The next day I heated it in my Panini press and it was delicious. Sitting at the bar was a fantastic idea as we were able to watch all the other lovely dishes be prepared and it gave us some ideas for another home made dinner get together.


Eataly can definitely be recommended as a casual date night or a less hectic mall meal. The fact that you can combine it with some of your grocery shopping is a bonus. Of course you can also pop in for an ice cream or an espresso at the coffee counter. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Car watching and a date (or two)

In the background is the aforementioned Ferrari

In Dubai we see our fair share of luxury cars and soon enough it becomes second nature to see a red Ferrari or matte purple Cayanne parked in your buildings garage. What is fun though it the people watching associated with these cars. Dubai is currently in the full swing of its tourist season and that means luxury car neophytes ... everywhere. I find it rather humorous watching a grown man make his elderly mother pose in front of  a red Ferrari and getting the perfect shot from every which angle. Oddly enough though it peeves me when I see people leaning on said Ferrari. It seems almost disrespectful and jeans have rivets which could scratch that rather expensive paint job. Maybe I am hyper sensitive on this subject, maybe not, the point is: respect the car.


As this is Dubai we have to enjoy every chance at out door dining before summer slaps us across the face in all its heated humid glory. We grabbed a table at Bateel and set to work pouring over their menu.


As we only wanted to stay for a refreshing drink we ordered a mocha shake and for myself a Bateel Date Shake which is made with vanilla ice cream, milk and fresh Rhutab dates. Bateel is well known in the middle east and both the mocha and the date shake lived up to Bateels name. Neither were too sweet and were perfect for sitting in the sun and watching people watching cars. The shakes were reasonably priced at AED22 each. Their menu looks nice as well and I may need to get myself a snack at their Mirdif City Centre location.


The Bateel location we went to is located on the ground floor of the Dubai Mall on the outside promenade near the fountains.


Please note this is not a sponsored post.

Biscotti Time: Arab-esque Edition

The cooler weather seems not to end. When that is the case it is time to bake.What better to pair with mugs of steaming tea than some gorgeous home baked biscotti? I cannot remember from where in the interweb I found the original recipe but I have worked with it a bit and I find that this could also make an excellent base for future biscotti recipes.

Arab-eque Biscotti

Arab-esque Biscotti (rose water and pistachio)

- 2 medium sized eggs

- 175 gr white sugar (brown also works, it depends on the flavour you are looking for)

- zest of one orange

- 2 tsp rose water

- 300 gr plain flour

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 100 gr pistachio (either whole or slivers, shelled for obvious reasons)

- 50 gr dried cranberries (adds some nice colour)

* preheat oven to 150 celcius

* beat eggs with sugar, zest and rose water until pale and thick

* stir in the flour and baking powder to form a dough, add in pistachios and cranberries and mix until combined (if the mixture is too crumbly add a tablespoon of water)

* form the dough into two logs approximately 2 cm high and 5 cm wide

* bake in the middle of the oven on a baking sheet lined with parchment (or silplat) until pale gold and firm to the touch, approximately 20-30 minutes

* allow to cool and when cool to the touch slice into 2cm wide slices (cut on the diagonal)

* lay slices flat on the baking sheet and bake for another 30 minutes until golden brown and crisp

* transfer to a wire rack to cool and let fully cool before transfering to an airtight container

Enjoy!

Cravin' some Cajun?

In Dubai one can find almost any food and now Cajun has been added to that ever growing list. Enter Cravin' Cajun in the newly opened Novotel Al Barsha just off of Sheikh Zayed Road. I had gone here with a friend who expressed an interest in Jazz music and lamented the fact that in the UAE jazz is rather difficult to find. Though I had not been here before I said let's try it.

Cravin' Cajun has a nice mix of seating styles from lounge style seating to tables and bar seating. We settled ourselves at the bar as neither of us were hungry and decided to enjoy some grape beverages with the jazz music. The interior is beautifully done with muted tones, ash and dark woods and a beautiful stone bar. Definitely dress in business casual here. You may feel a bit out of place in jeans and a t-shirt. Though most places in Dubai command a higher level of dressing.

The jazz band was great and play from 19h30-23h30 each evening except on Sunday when the restaurant is closed. I got chills when the bassist (who also plays the sax) sang as he had a decidedly Satchamo quality to his voice. I may not be a jazz connoisseur but I thoroughly enjoyed myself as did my friend and the decision was unanimous that not only must we return but we must have dinner.
Gulfnews did an informative review about Cravin' Cajun if you would like to know more about the restaurant.

from the Gulf News

If you too enjoy jazz the  OSN Jazz Garden - The Weekend Edition takes place at Festival Park, Dubai Festival City, from February 15-18. A bonus is that admission is free to the public via online registration at dubaijazzfest.com. Possible belated Valentines Day activity? It does have the potential to be. The Dubai Jazz Festival runs from the 13-20th of February and bills itself as a unique take on jazz, pop and rock.




The Cravin' Cajun details:


Located in the Novotel Al Barsha
Open Monday to Saturday from 19:00-23:30
The Novotel is opposite the Sharaf DG Metro station, has valet parking and I noticed many taxi driving past


As per the norm this is not a sponsored post