Madeleine Cafe & Boulangerie - Dubai Mall

[caption id="attachment_4942" align="alignnone" width="470"] Madeleine cafe and boulangerie[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4921" align="alignnone" width="470"] Madeleine cafe and boulangerie - Interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4928" align="alignnone" width="470"] Me and my guest at Madeleine cafe and boulangerie[/caption]

Madeleine Cafe and Boulangerie serves french cuisine with interiors of a typical cafe in France. Love their bakery for making fresh breads and items such as madeleines and croissants which have been impressive. Their balcony offering stunning views of the Dancing Fountain, Souq Al bahar, Burj Khalifa is the biggest plus for this cafe at Dubai Mall.

[caption id="attachment_4922" align="alignnone" width="470"] Madeleine cafe and boulangerie - Interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4931" align="alignnone" width="470"] From the balcony of Madeleine cafe and boulangerie[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4930" align="alignnone" width="470"] From the balcony of Madeleine cafe and boulangerie[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4932" align="alignnone" width="470"] spectators down below waiting to see the dancing fountain at Dubai Mall[/caption]

I felt there were two parts to the cafe. When you step inside the restaurant you feel like the restaurant is empty but once you get into their balcony you see it jam packed with hardly any seats to spare. So it is quite obvious that there no.1 selling point is that hot space which offers fantastic views of the Dancing Fountain and other buildings around it. Infact, you really begin to appreciate it when you see thousands of people standing cramped just to have a glimpse of the dancing fountain below.

[caption id="attachment_4920" align="alignnone" width="470"] Drinks - Dhs 30 - From left: Parisian sunrise, Peach Melba, Chocolate Milkshake[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4923" align="alignnone" width="470"] Chocolate croissant - Dhs 20[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4924" align="alignnone" width="470"] Complimentary bread and butter[/caption]

Among the drinks I enjoyed their smoothie which was the Peach Melba(peach puree, raspberry puree, banana, mango juice and yoghurt). Parisian sunrise(orange, mango and pineapple topeed with grenadine syrup) was my second favourite. Their chocolate milkshake was ok, could have been better. Their chocolate croissant were tempting me at the entrance of their cafe so I immediately asked for a piece of it. The croissant were soft and flaky and the chocolate would just melt open as you bite the light croissant. It was really nice but for Dhs 20 I wonder how many of us will value it.

[caption id="attachment_4925" align="alignnone" width="470"] Onion soup - Dhs 50[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4926" align="alignnone" width="470"] Mushroom and spinach tart served with mesclun salad - Dhs 55[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4929" align="alignnone" width="470"] Mushroom and spinach tart served with mesclun salad - Dhs 55[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4927" align="alignnone" width="470"] Goats cheese salad on toasted campagne bread, tomato, walnut - Dhs 65[/caption]

Mushroom and spinach tart was one of the biggest tart I've had. Simply delicious. The salad that came along with it along also had a nice taste to it. Initially when I saw the goat cheese salad I thought I've got a big slab of cheese, only to poke into it and find out the goat cheese was coated over a thick bread. The goat cheese was original in taste and if you are not a fan of goat cheese, you might find this cheese a bit too strong to handle.

[caption id="attachment_4933" align="alignnone" width="470"] Madeleine Hamburger - Dhs 80 - Beef patty, french gruyere cheese, lettuce and tomato served with french fries[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4935" align="alignnone" width="470"] Sea bass fillet - Dhs 120 - served with potatoes, beans, asparagus, ovlies, cherry tomatoes and capers in noisette butter[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4936" align="alignnone" width="470"] Beef patty of Madeleine Hamburger - Dhs 80[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4937" align="alignnone" width="470"] Weekly special - Lamb and vegetable stew served with rice - Dhs 110[/caption]

When you have their Madeleine burger  you appreciate the quality of beef inside the burger. Ofcourse, the bun used is made in house.  However I wasn't impressed with their french fries. Thought they should improve this one to match up to their homemade burger. The sea bass was good looking and tasted great as well. But my favourite was their weekly special which was the lamb and vegetable stew. The lamb was stunning good and thoroughly enjoyed this dish the most. I was fortunate to visit them at the right week to meet this weekly special :)

[caption id="attachment_4939" align="alignnone" width="470"] Oven baked Madeleine with 3 different flavours(orange, pistachio & chocolate) - Dhs 18 for 6 pieces and Dhs 32 for 12 pieces[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4940" align="alignnone" width="470"] Me with cream and sugar of Madeleine Cafe[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4938" align="alignnone" width="470"] Opera cake - Dhs 35[/caption]

There is no doubt they make some of those perfect madeleines here. You get them in three flavours(pistachio, orange and chocolate). Personally everyone's favourite pick was the pistachio one. Their opera cake which is a mix of dark chocolate, coffee and vanilla was quite heavy and you'll need atleast 2 people to finish it. The creme caramel was one of the best I've had and surprisingly I forgot to take a close up picture of this one but you can see it in the above picture where you see me in it. In short I am quite happy with their food and I am surprised they haven't got a good rating at Zomato. Maybe they made some changes/improvements over time. Click  here to visit their official website. Click pictures below to see them in full screen view:

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Vintage chocolate lounge - Dubai Mall

[caption id="attachment_4267" align="alignnone" width="660"] Me lost at Vintage Chocolate Lounge[/caption]

Love chocolates? then this is the post for you ;) Vintage chocolate lounge is a lounge for chocoholics. They've got so many treats and tricks to offer you that you will be mesmerized. This lounge is a regular sight for movie viewers at Dubai Mall as their store is located just opposite to reel cinemas. Surprisingly they even serve breakfast at their chocolate lounge which I doubt anyone would know until they have a look at their new menu. Infact, my breakfast was so good here that I thought they make better breakfast than chocolates.

[caption id="attachment_4258" align="alignnone" width="470"] Vintage Chocolate Lounge - interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4261" align="alignnone" width="660"] Vintage Hot aztetc chocolate - Dhs 28 - blended with hot chilli[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4260" align="alignnone" width="660"] drinks - From right: shrek - Dhs 24 (mint chocolate ice cream shake) and Passion fruit - Dhs 30 (blend of passion fruit, orange and pineapple)[/caption]

An elegant looking lounge from the outside with a dark theme inside having illuminated designs on the walls. A perfect spot for those love birds :D We first started with their drinks. Firstly I was happy to see their quality menu with big wide pages and pictures which was useful in guiding us to make an order. For the drinks, the green shake did attract my eye for the color. The shrek shake which was a blend of mint chocolate ice cream was pretty strong in taste that the passion fruit juice felt tasteless. Maybe it's a good idea to sip the juice first then try the shake. When I drank their hot chocolate I got two reactions. The first reaction, you appreciate the quality of their chocolate and what a divine sip it was, the next one was a frustrated one which was a spicy sensation in the mouth. I then realized I've ordered a spicy hot chocolate which got me frustrated. Later I noticed, the description clearly mentions blending chilli with their hot chocolate. I think it's good if they reconfirm with their customers if they prefer to have spice in their hot chocolate cause not everyone should necessarily notice that chilli coming.

[caption id="attachment_4259" align="alignnone" width="660"] Chocolates made by Vintage Chocolate Lounge - Dhs 4 per piece[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4264" align="alignnone" width="660"] Eggs Benedict - Dhs 31[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4263" align="alignnone" width="660"] Eggs Benedict - Dhs 31[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4262" align="alignnone" width="660"] Hallomi sandwich - Dhs 26 - hallomi cheese, olives, rocket leaves, mint, zaatar and fresh olive oil dressing[/caption]

We then started with breakfast but they said my eggs benedict will take around 15 mins to prepare. So to kill time we tried some of their quality chocolates which were made in house. They had truffles, milk and dark chocolates with different fillings like almond, caramel, honey etc. I was quite impressed with their honey filled dark chocolate where you can actually taste real honey inside the dark chocolate. If I wanted to try the same one at Godiva I'd have to pay Dhs 8 so this is affordable by half the price. Then came in our breakfast which was unbelievably good. It's one of the best eggs benedict I've had. Those plain croissants on top of eggs benedict really defined a croissant. I never appreciated a plain croissant until I had this one. Crispy, light, puffed and so fresh in the mouth. It's surely one of the best I've had. Quite surprising that a chocolate lounge can be so good with their breakfast that's totally non-chocolate. Everything so perfect with it including the mushrooms which tasted so good.

[caption id="attachment_4266" align="alignnone" width="660"] Fruit tarts - Dhs 37 - 7 types of flavour strawberry, blueberry, cranberry, pecan and almond[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4269" align="alignnone" width="660"] choco - sushi - Dhs 45 - assortment of raw cocoa rolls[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4268" align="alignnone" width="660"] Cocoa Crepe - Dhs 27[/caption]

If you don't like sushi don't worry. Here's one that you'll love to try. Although I feel assortment choco sushis are a little over priced(dhs 45) but it's got some interesting combinations for you to enjoy which also includes mini cheese cake wrapped with chocolate. Dip them in the sauces accompanied especially their chocolate one and you just want to have more of it. Actually majority of the items in the sushi assortment package reminds of crepes, so felt it was an over kill when we ordered the cocoa crepe separately. Their crepe was the only one I wasn't really happy at the vintage chocolate lounge . The crepe was on the thicker side which was a turn off :( I prefer them as thin as possible. I am sure they can make some improvement here. Assorted Tarts were made well and I loved their chocolate filled tarts.

[caption id="attachment_4272" align="alignnone" width="660"] Pecan Fondant - Dhs 37 - chocolate dessert with pecan pieces with your choice of ice cream[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4265" align="alignnone" width="660"] chocolate cake - Dhs 17[/caption]

Their hot pecan fondant was the man of the match from desserts or atleast I'd like to say it was my favourite. It came hot and once you crack open you see that hot chocolate lava flowing out. As you eat it you feel those pecan pieces which makes this dessert exciting. They have some cakes to offer and we tried their signature chocolate cake which was very rich in chocolate and you really appreciate the quality of chocolate they use in this one. Quite heavy as well.

[caption id="attachment_4270" align="alignnone" width="660"] Jewel Box - dhs 35 - chocolate dessert containing pecans, brownie, ice cream, truffle.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4274" align="alignnone" width="470"] Me with Vintage chocolate lounge staff[/caption]

So here's a valentine special. It's their special Jewel Box. You pour hot chocolate sauce over this beautiful golden dessert, melting open the top surface unveiling brownie, wafer and a floating vanilla ice cream. How cool is that? By the way, all ice creams they serve are made in house. Ice creams were ok in taste, it wasn't great like their chocolate. Overall I am quite impressed with Vintage chocolate lounge for their high quality and authentic chocolate experience. Even more impressive was their breakfast with eggs benedict. They might be a little over priced for some of us but here's a good news. They are giving away 50% off on total bill just for today(Valentine's special). Click here to view their facebook page.

Click here to view pictures in full screen view:

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ROSA MEXICANO - Dubai Mall - A Mexican affair

[caption id="attachment_3566" align="aligncenter" width="705"] In the land of ROSA MEXICANO[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3576" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Me with restaurant manager of ROSA MEXICANO[/caption]

My first post on a Mexican restaurant in Dubai. Have been passing by this restaurant almost every time I visit Dubai Mall  but never was sure if mexican cuisine was the right one for me. Finally I explore and its been an  interesting ride at ROSA MEXICANO. There are some that you can only find it here, so scroll down to know more...

[caption id="attachment_3559" align="aligncenter" width="705"] ROSA MEXICANO - interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3560" align="aligncenter" width="705"] ROSA MEXICANO - interiors[/caption]

I've noticed this restaurant several times before for their catchy interiors. The restaurant is big and spacious and infact they have a mini replica of the Dubai Mall waterfall inside the restaurant which you can see in the picture above. That's where we sat where the little ones won't bother to bug you as they are as much thrilled eating next to the waterfall.

[caption id="attachment_3561" align="aligncenter" width="705"] The making of guacamole - Dhs 54[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3562" align="aligncenter" width="705"] The making of guacamole - Dhs 54[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3563" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Guacamole - Dhs 54 - avocado, jalapeno, tomato, onion and cilantro served with tortilla chips and tomato salsa[/caption]

I've noticed one thing while we waited for our drinks. Their staff going around tables with avacados. That's when I found out they were making fresh Guacamole in front of them. Majority of customers make a point to order their signature Guacamole which is mainly avacado combined with others like jalapeno, tomato, onion and cilantro. This is a must try in here and you should not miss this order. Make sure you try it medium spicy else it could get a little blank in taste.

[caption id="attachment_3565" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Drinks From left - frozen pomegranate margarita - Dhs 25 and Strawberry Mojito - Dhs 25[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3564" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Appetizers trio - Dhs 59 - selection of 3 appetizers: chicken wings, shrimp and crispy chicken tacos[/caption]

We were able to enjoy both drinks, the frozen pomegranate margarita and Strawberry Mojito. The frozen pomegranate came thick so I was more comfortable with the Mojito while my wife enjoyed the margarita. We also tried their plate of trio which consisted of chicken wings, shrimp and crispy chicken tacos. To me the chicken wings were the best here. The crispy chicken and shrimp tacos came crispy but somehow from taste perspective it didn't go very well to my liking specially their prawn tacos.

[caption id="attachment_3569" align="aligncenter" width="705"] chicken burrito - Dhs 55 - cooked chicken, beans, pico de gallo, house rice and cheese rolled in a soft flour tortilla served with fries[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3567" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Quesadillas - 2 flour tortillas filled with chihuahua cheese, served with pico de gallo and a small side of guacamole - Dhs 45; add Grilled chicken for Dhs 12, add grilled steak - Dhs 15[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3568" align="aligncenter" width="705"] inner content of beef and chicken Quesadillas[/caption]

The Quesadillas was mainly cheese and meat. It could be mixed with two flavours of your choice which would be grilled chicken, grilled steak, marinated shrimp or roasted vegetables. We tried it with grilled chicken and steak in it. I enjoyed the grilled chicken more than the steak as I could taste some flavour in it. On the other hand the chicken burrito came loaded. It was filling and you wouldn't find much to complain about their burrito.

[caption id="attachment_3570" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fajita Mixtas - Dhs 99 - Mix of chicken, beef and shrimp along with warm tortillas, bell peppers, onions and guacomole, cheese and cream[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3572" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fajita Mixtas - Dhs 99 - Mix of chicken, beef and shrimp along with warm tortillas, bell peppers, onions and guacomole, cheese and cream[/caption]

The Mixta Fajitas was the grand part. They would serve everything on a plate and we could prepare our own fajitas. From the grills the giant prawns really stood out. It tasted fresh and everyone was happy with it. The thick beans curry also came out well. The house rice tasted very original and not necessary it has to go with everyone's liking. I must agree whatever we ordered came in lightning speed, the delivery time was pretty quick and impressive. The staff was also kind enough to explain us about what is being served and gave us a better understanding on the food we ordered.

[caption id="attachment_3573" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Blackberry three-milk cake - Dhs 33 - sour cream pound cake soaked in three milks, topped with blackberry hibiscus glaze and toasted meringue[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3575" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Blackberry three-milk cake - Dhs 33 - sour cream pound cake soaked in three milks, topped with blackberry hibiscus glaze and toasted meringue[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3574" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Hot mexican donuts - Churros - Dhs 29 served with 3 dipping sauce: chocolate, caramel and strawberry[/caption]

They make many items fresh in their kitchen including their desserts like you see above. Both their desserts were mesmerizing. The pound cake which is soaked in three different milk came really soft and you just couldn't stop appreciating the taste of this dessert. Their mexican donuts was again very different from the traditional donuts that I see and eat very often. The donuts were also presented in style which came inside a cover accompanied by 3 different sauces. He then shakes the cover and unveils the donuts on the plate. Oh and they were sparkling as if it were diamonds(sugar) around the donuts. The donuts were very light, warm and gets better as you have it dipped in their sauce. To me the mexican caramel here was the best. It's not the usual caramel which is sticky as a glue but caramel sauce at it's best. You need to try this to know.

ROSA MEXICANO OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.rosamexicano.com/ and click pictures below to see them in full screen slide show.

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