Espressamente illy cafe - Dubai Festival City

[caption id="attachment_1695" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Tiramisu with illy espresso - Dhs 32[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1693" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Love their menu with pictures[/caption]

Ah my first visit to illy cafe. illy is an Italian coffee. They produce their own coffee using Arabica beans(specific species of coffee). They seem to be an expertise in making espresso. One thing I really liked about their menu was that it catered well for part time coffee drinkers like me. Their menu was crystal clear. They dedicated each page for each coffee with crystal clear picture, description and pricing. So clear that you knew what to expect since they were able to deliver as shown on their menu. From the above picture you can see a glimpse of that menu book i am talking about.

[caption id="attachment_1700" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Marocchino caldo - Dhs 19[/caption]

That's my pretty looking order. So good looking that I was staring at my drink for a minute before i actually touched it. It's called Marocchino caldo

Marocchino caldo: shot glass with a bottom layer of hot chocolate, illy espresso dusted with cocoa, topped with hot frothed milk: beautiful and delicious.

I first went layer by layer to see what each layer tasted like. Once I stirred the drink and took a sip I realized their espresso shot was quite powerful to overpower the hot chocolate as well as the milk. Its more tasting espresso than anything else.

All their silverwares(spoons), chairs, cups, glasses used were quality products. There spoons were great to hold and came from a designer cutlery set. Never felt so good holding a spoon. Be it even a stirrer they didn't use cheap wooden/plastic sticks like how you see in other coffee shops but they gave you an elegant silverware. You can see the stirrer in this picture with my Marocchino caldo.

[caption id="attachment_1699" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Comfortable seats[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1694" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Tiramisu with illy espresso - Dhs 32[/caption]

Tiramisu with illy espresso - The intense, delicate and unique taste of the italian home-made tradition. It comes sprinkled with chocolate and together with illy espresso.

[caption id="attachment_1697" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Tiramisu with illy espresso - Dhs 32[/caption]

Tiramisu is supposed to be an italian special and the most attractive looking dessert from their row of pastries. It also comes with an espresso which we pour on top of it and then wait for 5 minutes or so for tiramisu to absorb it which will make it a little more softer. Then you take your fork and rest is history! Tiramisu is generally not very sweet, just right enough for you to enjoy a piece of dessert :) and if you love coffee then you should enjoy this dessert even more.

[caption id="attachment_1702" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Affogato - Dhs 22[/caption]

Affogato: Thick, dense cream will slowly melt into a shot of illy espresso covered with whipped cream and coca powder.

My earlier drink was dominated by illy espresso but this drink was completely different. It's a cold coffee. This was a better drink for me. Enjoyed every sip. The taste was new and very rejuvenating. To me it was more like having a cold dessert than coffee. I'd also ask everyone to try this unique drink from illy cafe.

[caption id="attachment_1708" align="aligncenter" width="678"] My son enjoying his cup of illy[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1701" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Chocolate Fondant - Dhs 28[/caption]

To me the next good looking dessert after their Tiramisu was the Chocolate Fondant. I did not regret it one inch. The cold ice cream on top and the hot chocolate sauce on the inside of this wall..wow what a joy it was :D

[caption id="attachment_1703" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Interiors of Chocolate Fondant - Dhs 28[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1706" align="aligncenter" width="705"] illy artistic cups - Set of 6 Espresso Cups - Dhs 850[/caption]

Once you visit illy it's difficult for you to go back home without taking anything for home. I mean they sell everything for a coffee at home including coffee machines with mind blowing design, accessories, coffee cups, plates etc.

Kiki Smith Espresso Cup Collection - Set of 6 Espresso Cups
illy Art Collection was designed by renowned contemporary artist Kiki Smith. Kiki Smith contributes her boundless imagination to a simple, joyful, everyday act such as sipping an illy espresso. Inspired by classical mythology, folk tales and a fascination with animals, Smith celebrates nature with colorful celestial motifs and gossamer-winged butterflies in this beautifully evocative collection. These exclusive cup sets are all numbered and signed by the artist. Available as a set of 6 espresso cups.

[caption id="attachment_1707" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Illy coffee machine for home - Dhs 2200[/caption]

They sell both semi automatic and manual coffee machines. My eyes were on their semi automatic coffee machine. It was the design and ease of use. It's really easy to operate. I think we should just go for the semi automatic and there onwards you can have premium coffee at low price once you start making from home. Of course when you buy this machine you need to also buy their coffee capsule. You get a pack of 21 capsules for Dhs 65. These capsules comes in different varieties and strengths that you prefer so not to worry about it like medium roast, dark roast, decaffeinated etc.

I bumped into this beautiful video on how you can use illy coffee machine along with haagen daazs ice creams to create a wonderful iced coffee at home. The same good looking coffee which you get at their coffee shop. Please do check out the video on the link above and you'll know what i mean.

[caption id="attachment_1705" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Their signature illy chandelier[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1709" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Me with Mr. Gaurav(Store in-charge) and the barista[/caption]

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PappaRoti - Mirdiff City Centre, Dubai

[caption id="attachment_1668" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Papparoti bun covered by Nutella and Hazelnut - Dhs 18[/caption]

Every time I visit Dubai Mall and walk towards Reel Cinemas I get teased by this poster of a King size freshly baked bun and tea from Papparoti. The more I kept seeing it, the more I got curious about it and here I am finally at Papparoti to test run mainly their bun and tea. When I looked into their menu I was surprised they served only buns to eat and nothing more.

[caption id="attachment_1669" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Make youserlf at home. Love the solid wood furniture visible here. Grab your laptop and enjoy wireless internet along with your Pappa bun and milk tea [/caption]

I love the chairs in this cafe. If you've noticed Papparoti at Dubai Mall they've always been busy and you had to wait to get your seat. So when I was in Mirdiff City Centre I saw a nice side of Papparoti vacant so I immediately jumped onto it. The interiors are a little different from what I saw in Dubai Mall. I love their comfortable laid back seats at Mirdiff City Centre.

[caption id="attachment_1661" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Papparoti bun(Dhs 11) with Strawberry flavor(Dhs 5) = Dhs 16[/caption]

So we ordered a few buns with different flavors(Strawberry, cheese, honey). I also ordered one plain bun. Among the flavored buns I tried, the strawberry flavored bun was my favorite and the cheese was the least I enjoyed. I was under the impression that they fill the flavor inside the bun but actually the pour the flavor toppings on top of the plain bun.

The first bun you saw on top with Nutella and Hazelnuts is Mirdiff branch special. You might not find the same at other Papparoti outlets.

[caption id="attachment_1670" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Honey flavored bun - Dhs 11(bun) + 5(flavor) = dhs 16[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1660" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Papparoti bun(Dhs 11) with Cheese flavor(Dhs 5) = Dhs 16[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1667" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Papparoti bun made from finest flour and omega-3 eggs get coated with its secret coffee caramel toppings in concentric circles before it's entry to the oven[/caption]

I got a chance to see the making of the bun. So this is how it is. It's not just flour in the oven, they do put some effort applying those circular toppings of coffee caramel on top of each bun before it's baked in the oven.

[caption id="attachment_1662" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Cold Mochaccino - Dhs 19[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1664" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Pappa Milk Tea - Dhs 16[/caption]

One of the best milk tea you can drink. It really tastes homemade. Me being an avid fan of tea, I drink tea every day in the morning and evening. I start my day by drinking a hot strong milk tea along with my biscuits. I can tell you if you enjoy drinking milk tea you can't be disappointed here. Probably this is the first five star tea that tasted good. It's expensive but it's good. You know we order these milk teas from these five star hotels which are expensive and finally you realize the milk tea was horrible and on top of that it remained expensive. Thankfully that was not the case here though. Now I truly understand why their milk tea is the poster kid for papparoti along with their buns. A true hero!

[caption id="attachment_1663" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Pappa Choco Shot - Dhs 18[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1666" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Me enjoying Papparoti bun(Dhs 11) dipped in Pappa choco shot(Dhs 18)[/caption]

Here's my recommendation to you if you plan to visit Papparoti. It doesn't matter what you order but please try this... A plain pappa bun(Dhs 11), along with a Pappa Choco Shot (Dhs 18) and Pappa Milk tea(Dhs 16). You can only be leaving Papparoti smiling with pleasure. Simply the best combination.

[caption id="attachment_1665" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Half cut Papparoti plain bun[/caption]

You know this bun is not what it looks like. It looks hard as a rock but in reality it's super soft. As you can see above I tried to show you the inner of a Pappa bun but man it was difficult. Firstly no one on the table is listening to me. I am telling my family don't touch the bun but they are just all over the bun. Secondly the cutleries given to us are plastic so that makes my task even more difficult. That's a change I prefer to see at Papparoti that instead of giving us plastic fork and knife they should give us a metal one. I didn't use their cutleries though, felt much better holding their warm bun in my hand and having them.

[caption id="attachment_1659" align="aligncenter" width="705"] PappaRoti Owner and Founder Rasha Al Danhani awarded by Dubai Sheikh for her entrepreneur spirit and achievements.[/caption]

Above is the Owner of PappaRoti (Rasha Al Danhani) winning the award last month(Dec 2013) for her achievements specially with Papparoti. She found Papparoti when she was in Malaysia, she liked it and opened her first branch in Dubai Mall. After it's runaway success now they are opening outlets like crazy all over the Middle East :p

[caption id="attachment_1672" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Signature tea has arrived - Dhs 36[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1674" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Choose your flavour for the signature tea - dhs 36[/caption]

When you order your signature tea you need to first choose which kind of tea you need. So they bring this big wooden box filled with different types of aroma. You open each one of them, smell them and choose the right flavor for your day.

[caption id="attachment_1688" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Your selected flavor for your signature tea comes in a premium tea bag[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1673" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Timer that comes with signature tea - light, medium, strong.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1671" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Me with Vincenzo(creative director) along with Papparoti crew[/caption]

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Club Rotana - Al Ghurair Reyhaan by Rotana

[caption id="attachment_1647" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Enjoying my view in my suite at Al Ghurair Reyhaan[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1648" align="aligncenter" width="705"] View from my window facing the Deira palm and r.h.s is the airport (notice a plane in the sky)[/caption]

Happy new year to all! Wishing you all more success, joy and peace in 2014. Anyone has a clue of where I am? This is my stay I had won for my blog review :) and so I thought it's important to share my experience with all you wonderful viewers. After all I won this treat with some of your votes ;) I had actually won a room but then I upgraded it to a suite which made the experience even more wonderful. The suites are located in the 19th, 20th floors only for that wonderful view of Dubai from the top.

[caption id="attachment_1631" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Welcome gesture on our table[/caption]

Above is what we exactly saw when we entered our luxury suite. Of course then you know, everyone surrounded the arabic sweets and it was all over in a minute :D. The Sofa and the living space was wonderful. We had 2 televisions in our suite. One for the bedroom and the other for the living room. By the way, all their televisions were from Sony and good ones ;). This hotel is just one year old hence the furniture is still as good as new.

[caption id="attachment_1645" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Kids having a fantastic time[/caption]

There was this photography competition by the hotel to share a moment in their hotel and win prizes. So here I took them in action and enrolled this photo for their Perfect Moment competition. I did get some decent vote so i am now just waiting for the results. The grand winner get air tickets to Europe :d

[caption id="attachment_1646" align="aligncenter" width="705"] I now weigh 75kgs. Gained 5 kilos in 2013[/caption]

The best room in the suite was their bathroom. It was the biggest room and mind blowing design. But I didn't take any picture of it :( It had all that you needed. So that's where i met the weighing machine. I noticed I gained 5 kilos this year. To my height I am supposed to be only 70kgs. The weighing machine says 75.9 where 0.9 is the weight of my camera.

[caption id="attachment_1644" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Lucky to see a rainbow the next morning[/caption]

How lucky can we get. The next day we wake up and it's a rainbow just as we open our curtains. By the way, Our view was facing the Deira palm and on the right was the airport. So you could see planes every 3 mins flying by in the sky. Children really enjoyed the view from our window. We could also see the sharjah high rise buildings. Overall it was the best view you could have asked for and in the night with all street lights below, the view is special.

[caption id="attachment_1643" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Workspace - blogging through my vacation[/caption]

So you see. Even though i was having a great time I did think of all of you and ensured that I took my gadgets so I continue with my blog work and let my vacation not be a delay for the next post. You know it's really easy to go to a restaurant and eat your tummy full but then there's lot of work after that for a food blogger like me :p

[caption id="attachment_1628" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Mango cheese cake[/caption]

So I forgot to start with what's important. What is Club Rotana and where is it. Club rotana is located on 18th floor of Al Ghurair Reyhaan and it is a privileged access to those who've rented a suite at Al Ghurair Reyhaan. If i had a guest that day I could take the guest into Club Rotana for Dhs 35 per head exclusive of drinks.

Club Rotana is open from 06:00am upto 11:00pm and what you get also has it's timings.

[caption id="attachment_1635" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Blueberry cheesecake[/caption]

From 03:00 to 04:30pm available is the afternoon tea buffett
From 06:00 to 08:00 is the evening snacks which I think is good enough for dinner.

[caption id="attachment_1634" align="aligncenter" width="705"] My plate of afternoon tea goodies[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1633" align="aligncenter" width="705"] fruit scones[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1632" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Raisin scones[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1630" align="aligncenter" width="705"] clotted cream, jam and powdered sugar[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1629" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Date cake and behind it was my favourite[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1637" align="aligncenter" width="705"] cold appetizers[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1642" align="aligncenter" width="705"] My plate in the evening at club rotana[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1641" align="aligncenter" width="705"] The grills[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1640" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Different types of cheese[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1639" align="aligncenter" width="705"] crackers and fun[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1638" align="aligncenter" width="705"] sushi[/caption]