Saturday, January 31, 2015

Latest Recipe - Friday Brunch - Le Meridien - Abu Dhabi

The brunch at Latest Recipe - Dhs 290 with Soft Drinks

[caption id="attachment_4128" align="alignnone" width="470"]Latest Recipe - interiors2 Latest Recipe - interiors2[/caption]

Was on a short vacation last week and bumped into this new Latest Recipe restaurant for brunch in Abudhabi. Yes, that is the restaurant name 'Latest Recipe'. The friday brunch is priced at Dhs 290 with soft drinks and the best part they now have a promotion running which is get a free deluxe room for every 2 LATEST RECIPE brunch purchased ;) which I think is a good deal worth considering. Hence for that purpose I will also be showcasing a little about their hotel and what they have to offer on my next post :)

[caption id="attachment_4137" align="alignnone" width="470"]Latest recipe - interiors 5 Latest recipe - interiors 5[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4136" align="alignnone" width="470"]Latest recipe - interiors 4 Latest recipe - interiors 4[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4142" align="alignnone" width="470"]Latest Recipe - sit out Latest Recipe - sit out[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4135" align="alignnone" width="470"]Latest recipe - interiors 3 Latest recipe - interiors 3[/caption]

The restaurant is really a glow for the eyes. Clean and day light flowing in from all direction as the restaurant is sealed by huge glass walls. We opted to sit in their private dining space which had a modern, chic design. The chairs outside were quite tall and fancy. They had different stations from Arabic, Indian, Asian, Japanese, seafood, European etc.

[caption id="attachment_4141" align="alignnone" width="470"]kids entertainment - clowns and balloons at Latest Recipe kids entertainment - clowns and balloons at Latest Recipe[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4150" align="alignnone" width="470"]Kids entertainment Kids entertainment[/caption]

Latest Recipe had clowns and balloons at their Friday brunch to keep the kids entertained. Kids brunch is priced at Dhs 135. It wasn't many of them but yeah 2 clowns making balloons, joking, shaking hands and entertaining kids the way they knew it.

[caption id="attachment_4130" align="alignnone" width="470"]meat kibbeh along with items with spinach and cheese stuffing meat kibbeh along with items with spinach and cheese stuffing[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4129" align="alignnone" width="470"]Arabic lamb rice and in the distance is stuffed egg plant with rice Arabic lamb rice and in the distance is stuffed egg plant with rice[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4145" align="alignnone" width="470"]My plate of arabic at Latest Recipe brunch My plate of arabic at Latest Recipe brunch[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4143" align="alignnone" width="470"]Arabic lamb and stuffed eggplant Arabic lamb and stuffed eggplant[/caption]

The arabic station was my favourite. The Lamb, stuffed egg plant with rice were some of my favourites here. The arabic rice with pine nuts, almonds, cashews along with that nicely cooked whole lamb was something. This was my main dish for the brunch. The arabic station also had other interesting items such as cheese and mushroom filling. Also next to this station is where you pick your fresh juice. The fresh juices actually come from the brand 'Barakat'.

[caption id="attachment_4124" align="alignnone" width="470"]Indian Biriyani Indian Biriyani[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4126" align="alignnone" width="470"]Hot Naan bread coming out of the oven and grilled kebabs starring from a distance Hot Naan bread coming out of the oven and grilled kebabs starring from a distance[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4151" align="alignnone" width="470"]Thick prawn masala Thick Indian prawn masala[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4146" align="alignnone" width="470"]My Indian plate at Latest Recipe brunch My Indian plate at Latest Recipe brunch[/caption]

The Indian station was my next favourite with some nice spicy food around. It was made well by not exaggerating the spice (guess it was done to accommodate all nationalities). They had some excellent garlic naan, kebabs and one of the best Indian prawn masala I've had in some time. Every station didn't have many times but only limited items selected for the day and ensured it was made well which I think is a good idea :)

[caption id="attachment_4132" align="alignnone" width="470"]fresh sea food fresh sea food[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4131" align="alignnone" width="470"]sea food sea food[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4133" align="alignnone" width="470"]sushi - Japanese sushi - Japanese[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4125" align="alignnone" width="470"]Asian shanghai noodles Asian shanghai noodles[/caption]

Sushis were nice and enjoyed their asian shanghai noodles too. Except for fishes, they had a wide collection of seafood. They have a LIVE grilling station where you choose your meat and they bring to your table once your grill is ready. I was expecting just the grilled lamb chop on the plate I ordered but they emphasized on the presentation as well which made the chop look even better once they reached on my table as you can see below :)

[caption id="attachment_4147" align="alignnone" width="470"]Freshly Grilled meat Freshly Grilled meat[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4154" align="alignnone" width="470"]Fresh Grills on your order Fresh Grills on your order[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4148" align="alignnone" width="470"]cold arabic mezzeh cold arabic mezzeh[/caption]

They had a good collection of cold mezzeh such as the hommous, mouthabal, vine leaves etc. They had the mini hot appetizers such as samosa, meat kibbeh, fatayer etc. You wouldn't find much to complain as most of them were well made to impress. I love the ambience of the Latest recipe which sets you in a good mood :) The chefs can be found at their respective stations who eagerly wait for you to ask them about their dish and is more than happy to explain you a little about their special creation. They can also make a custom dish for you if need anything in particular. So that's another plus at Latest Recipe where they can custom cook for you on your special requirement.

[caption id="attachment_4153" align="alignnone" width="470"]Illy Coffee from Latest Recipe Illy Coffee from Latest Recipe[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4152" align="alignnone" width="470"]My plate of Desserts at Latest Recipe My plate of Desserts at Latest Recipe[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4149" align="alignnone" width="470"]Waffles, icecream and toppings Waffles, icecream and toppings[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4140" align="alignnone" width="470"]Desserts at latest recipe Desserts at latest recipe[/caption]

Their Coffees are powered by illy. I love illy coffee generally specially their cold Affagato which I have once featured on my blog. You can read more about illy coffee here. Unfortunately they didn't have all signature drinks which you normally would find at illy café but some standards ones. They make very good cappuccino which I think you should try. They a descent size collection of desserts. The best were the English desserts such as the cheese cake, brownies, crepes and waffles. The worst ones were the Arabic dessert which were bought from outside and was quite obvious. My one favourite pick from their dessert would be their mini cheese cakes which was a melt in the mouth and I had to eat more than one to get over it. To know more about Latest Recipe, please click here. Click pictures below to view them in full screen view.
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Thursday, January 22, 2015

SILVER FOX - City Walk - Dubai

[caption id="attachment_4068" align="alignnone" width="470"]Silver Fox menu at our table Silver Fox menu at our table[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4085" align="alignnone" width="470"]The big fox at silver fox The big fox at silver fox[/caption]

The first time I noticed Silver Fox restaurant was when I went to review Mo's at CITY WALK. Looked posh from the outside and the same impression remained when I went in for lunch for the first time. A royal reception, Luxury interiors, great food and surely the restaurant that you want to visit on that special day ;) Off late I've been remembering them every time I drive to office as they have a giant banner advertised on the first interchange of Sheikh Zayed road. They've also been giving away 500dhs dining vouchers on radio(I heard it on 104.8). Well, all this got me really curious to visit this handsome restaurant.

[caption id="attachment_4069" align="alignnone" width="470"]Silver fox kitchen Silver fox kitchen[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4073" align="alignnone" width="470"]Silver Fox interiors Silver Fox interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4072" align="alignnone" width="470"]Silver fox Waiting space and the inlet for fire Silver fox Waiting space and the inlet for fire[/caption]

The interiors of this restaurant is definitely one of the best you can find inside City Walk. They even have real fire inside the restaurant during the evenings, a concept that will really sell in this cold. I was actually surprised to find the restaurant quite empty for a weekend but definitely say it's not their food, probably it has something to do with their pricing. You can't blame them, they've spent too much on their interiors. They will need to recover it from somewhere :( Most people sat outside the restaurant, eating enjoying the weather and watching skyscrapers spread on Sheikh Zayed road from a distance. Their menu pricing was not updated on their official Dubai website which came to our delight when we saw their new menu pricing cheaper :D

[caption id="attachment_4078" align="alignnone" width="470"]Complimentary starters at Silver Fox Complimentary starters at Silver Fox[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4070" align="alignnone" width="470"]Drinks - Dhs 23 - Silver fox VIP( (Made with coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, Hershey’s chocolate syrup, and fresh chilled coffee, shaken with ice and strained served into a Soiree Long Drink Glass filled with ice) and Berry Fizz(Berry puree, pureed strawberries and raspberries, rose water, sugar and Sprite served chilled and layered into a Taper Champagne flute) Drinks - Dhs 23 - Silver fox VIP( (Made with coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, Hershey’s chocolate syrup, and fresh chilled coffee, shaken with ice and strained served into a Soiree Long Drink Glass filled with ice) and Berry Fizz(Berry puree, pureed strawberries and raspberries, rose water, sugar and Sprite served chilled and layered into a Taper Champagne flute)[/caption]

We got complimentary hot bread, butter, pickle and olive oil to get ready ;) Love their freshly made bread along with the peppered olive oil together. Their drinks were a little different, specially the Silver Fox VIP drink which had eggs in it! I was curious as I've never had any drink with eggs inside and they convinced me this was a special drink. I can tell you one thing, you won't realize there is any egg as the coffee and other contents override the egg. Probably at the end of the drink I began to feel a little of the egg which is when I stopped. To me overall it tasted as a nice thick coffee shake more than anything and the egg inside it didn't spoil the party. The elegant berry Fizz came thick red and was a better thirst quencher than Silver Fox VIP drink.

[caption id="attachment_4077" align="alignnone" width="470"]French Onion Soup - Dhs 30 - beef stock base with sautéed onions, topped with a toasted crouton, melted Gruyere and mozzarella cheese French Onion Soup - Dhs 30 - beef stock base with sautéed onions, topped with a toasted crouton, melted Gruyere and mozzarella cheese[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4076" align="alignnone" width="470"]III Forks Salad - Dhs 40 - mixed field greens tossed in a maple walnut vinaigrette, topped with granny smith apples, crumbled blue cheese and toasted pecans III Forks Salad - Dhs 40 - mixed field greens tossed in a maple walnut vinaigrette, topped with granny smith apples, crumbled blue cheese and toasted pecans[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4080" align="alignnone" width="470"]Almost done with III Forks Salad - Dhs 40 - mixed field greens tossed in a maple walnut vinaigrette, topped with granny smith apples, crumbled blue cheese and toasted pecans Almost done with III Forks Salad - Dhs 40 - mixed field greens tossed in a maple walnut vinaigrette, topped with granny smith apples, crumbled blue cheese and toasted pecans[/caption]

The french onion soup came sealed with mozzarella cheese on top. Once you open it, you find their bread floating right above the onion soup. The french onion soup, ofcourse comes flooded with onions but the soup overall was great in taste and really could appreciate it in this cold weather. Wish their soup came served in a BREAD bowl which is how I got it last time from PAUL Bakery. The III forks salad was a superb salad that stood out and will definitely be remembered. Pecans are one of my favorites and they really did flood this salad with pecans. Surely is a must try when you visit this restaurant. Every bite of the salad was delicious except that genuine crumbled blue cheese on top which is one of my least favourite cheese :(

[caption id="attachment_4081" align="alignnone" width="470"]New York Strip - Dhs 180 - A full flavored cut with fine lines of marbling throughout and a strip of fat to seal in the flavor New York Strip - Dhs 180 - A full flavored cut with fine lines of marbling throughout and a strip of fat to seal in the flavor[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4082" align="alignnone" width="470"]New York Strip - Dhs 180 - A full flavored cut with fine lines of marbling throughout and a strip of fat to seal in the flavor New York Strip - Dhs 180 - A full flavored cut with fine lines of marbling throughout and a strip of fat to seal in the flavor[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4083" align="alignnone" width="470"]Awesome peppered mushroom gravy that came with the steak Awesome peppered mushroom gravy that came with the steak[/caption]

Then came their heavy duty steak which are USDA Prime steaks which they proudly sell in their marketing campaigns. Surely that thick piece of steak gives you that look from the plate that you don't want to turn your eyes of it. The steak was definitely a good piece of meat but what really made it even better was their peppered mushroom gravy which was fab.

[caption id="attachment_4084" align="alignnone" width="470"]Chilean Seabass - Dhs 120 - buttery, succulent, rich, large flakey-textured, white fish seared and served with Cilantro Lime Rice and Sugar Snap Peas Chilean Seabass - Dhs 120 - buttery, succulent, rich, large flakey-textured, white fish seared and served with Cilantro Lime Rice and Sugar Snap Peas[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4086" align="alignnone" width="470"]Sides - Dhs 25 - Suateed mushrooms(left) and sweet potato hash(right) Sides - Dhs 25 - Suateed mushrooms(left) and sweet potato hash(right)[/caption]

They also serve seafood besides steaks. The Chilean Seabass tasted fresh and to my surprise it was quite heavy in portion. I just couldn't finish it. All their maincourses comes with a complimentary side. Since we ordered two mains, we got 2 salads which were sweet potato hash and sauteed mushrooms. The sweet potato hash was an interesting side than the sauteed mushrooms. Didn't actually taste anything special with the sauteed mushrooms even though I admired their mushroom gravy. Their selection of sides would be corn, fresh asparagus, sauteed spinach, mushrooms, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, six cheese potatoes or sweet potato hash which will cost 25 dhs additional.

[caption id="attachment_4089" align="alignnone" width="470"]Finger licking good! Finger licking good![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4088" align="alignnone" width="470"]Chocolate Ganache cake - Dhs 30 - Twelve layers of chocolate cake and chocolate Ganache icing topped with chocolate shavings, chocolate syrup and served with sliced and fresh strawberry Chocolate Ganache cake - Dhs 30 - Twelve layers of chocolate cake and chocolate Ganache icing topped with chocolate shavings, chocolate syrup and served with sliced and fresh strawberry[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4087" align="alignnone" width="470"]Bread pudding - Dhs 30 - classic baked Bread Pudding of ciabatta bread and crème anglasie, topped with a rich, dark sweet pecan sauce, accompanied by scoop of cinnamon ice cream dusted with powdered cinnamon and fresh strawberries Bread pudding - Dhs 30 - classic baked Bread Pudding of ciabatta bread and crème anglasie, topped with a rich, dark sweet pecan sauce, accompanied by scoop of cinnamon ice cream dusted with powdered cinnamon and fresh strawberries[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4071" align="alignnone" width="470"]Silver Fox Desserts - Dhs 33 per peice Silver Fox Desserts - Dhs 33 per peice[/caption]

Then came the most unexpected part. They had some of the best desserts you can expect from a steak house. Firstly they have a different way of bringing the dessert menu to you. They don't have a menu! :P They bring the physical desserts on a tray and present it to you. You choose and they go to make a fresh one for you ;) We tried their hot bread pudding which came accompanied by a giant scoop of cinnamon ice cream. It was a wonder dessert. Never expected it to be this good. The chocolate was further mesmerizing. Their cake was even better than the humming bird bakery next to them. Overall it's been an impressive ride at Silver Fox. Click pictures below to view them in full screen view.

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Sunday, January 18, 2015

WIN The Entertainer Fine Dining - BUY ONE GET ONE FREE offer Book/App

[caption id="attachment_4038" align="alignnone" width="470"]Entertainer Dubai Fine Dining Book - Dhs 395 which comes along with complimentary Entertainer Travel 2015 Entertainer Dubai Fine Dining Book 2015 - Dhs 395 which comes along with complimentary Entertainer Travel 2015[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4036" align="alignnone" width="470"]Entertainer Dubai Fine Dining Book - Dhs 395 - buy one get one free offers Entertainer Dubai Fine Dining Book - Dhs 395 - buy one get one free offers[/caption]

I am so happy to hold this competition today. It's one of the best I could give my foodie readers. One of my favourite offer book which I have extensively used over the past few years. Dining out is not cheap specially FINE DINING and one of my secrets to making it more affordable is by using this holy book of buy one get one free. Thanks to the Entertainer book, I have definitely saved some good money over the past few years. There are many restaurants I had visited just because I was getting the main course discounted by 50% which were great savings ;)

2 lucky participants will win an Entertainer FINE DINING 2015 book or app which is worth Dhs 395/345 which includes a complimentary Entertainer Travel as well. A little detail below from their website:
• Over 500 buy one get one free offers for fine dining and upmarket bars in Dubai
• Includes FREE Entertainer Travel 2015 with over 250 free hotel night offers across Middle East, Asia, Africa & Europe

So participate below to win!

[caption id="attachment_4037" align="alignnone" width="470"]Entertainer Dubai Fine Dining book - Dhs 395 - now with menu details Entertainer Dubai Fine Dining book - Dhs 395 - now with menu details[/caption]

The Entertainer offer book gets better every year. The Entertainer fine dining 2015 offer book now even includes a dedicated menu page for each restaurant along with it's pricing which makes it much more convenient. They also now have a mobile app which is available on all mobile platforms(IOS, android, windows, blackberry). All those challenges you have with a physical book is covered by their APP. Some of the benefits noticed using their app is:

  • Easily search and find your favourite restaurants

  • Find restaurants around you that are associated with Entertainer buy one get one free offers

  • Monthly promotions

  • Stays updated


[caption id="attachment_4039" align="alignnone" width="470"]Entertainer Fine Dining mobile App Entertainer Fine Dining mobile App - Dhs 345 screenshot[/caption]

So what is the competition question. I thought it's high time I know a little about you so simply tell me your favourite website(like a website you often love to visit) and why(more points in here) and the Entertainer fine dining could be all yours ;) The winners will be announced on sunday 25th Jan night.

[contact-form][contact-field label='Full Name' type='name' required='1'/][contact-field label='Email' type='email' required='1'/][contact-field label='Mobile' type='text' required='1'/][contact-field label='Your favourite website and why?' type='textarea' required='1'/][/contact-form]