per te - Ristorante and Cafe - Jumeirah 1

[caption id="attachment_5081" align="alignnone" width="470"] per te - restaurant and cafe located in Jumeirah 1[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5080" align="alignnone" width="470"] ME with Restaurant Manager(left) and Executive Chef(right) of per te Dubai[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5071" align="alignnone" width="470"] Me for lunch at Per Te Dubai[/caption]

Ever heard of per te before? A hidden gem located in Jumeirah 1. They serve lovely Italian cuisine and must try are their signature platters. Unfortunately, there location is such that you will only know about this restaurant if someone told you about it otherwise finding this one by chance is highly unlikely. From their mind blowing starters all the way to the dessert, it's been a fantastic ride. So scroll down to read further about per te.

[caption id="attachment_5078" align="alignnone" width="470"] Per Te Restaurant & Cafe - Interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5075" align="alignnone" width="470"] Per Te - Interiors[/caption]

They have different types of seating arrangements. Leather seats, wooden chairs, sofas. My favourite where the wooden chairs and tables which you notice as soon you enter this restaurant. Spacious with glass surrounding that helps pour natural light into the restaurant. They have seating up stairs as well. The seatings for the cafe lounge is a little more relaxed and more comfy.

[caption id="attachment_5063" align="alignnone" width="470"] Complimentary bread platter - different types of foccacia with different sauces[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5068" align="alignnone" width="470"] minestrone soup - Dhs 36 - with spring vegetables and basil pesto[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5065" align="alignnone" width="470"] fritto misto - Dhs 52 - mixed fried sea food and vegetables with rock salt and pepper served with pesto mayonnaise[/caption]

First came in the complimentary foccacia breads. They were all made in house but what made the difference were the sauces. My favourite was the foccacia along with the arrabiata sauce. The hot soup was straight forward and nice. The thriller were those fried seafood which I couldn't stop picking. Whichever seafood it was, just dip them in that thick pesto mayonnaise and wow what a delight.

[caption id="attachment_5066" align="alignnone" width="470"] Classic non veg platter - Dhs 83 - Beef, spicy salami, rocket and parmesan, black sesame tuna fish, grilled vegetables, semi dried tomatoes, olives, focaccia, prawns wrapped with bacon and sun dried tomato pesto and buffalo mozzarella cheese[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5067" align="alignnone" width="470"] Classic non veg platter - Dhs 83 - Beef, spicy salami, rocket and parmesan, black sesame tuna fish, grilled vegetables, semi dried tomatoes, olives, focaccia, prawns wrapped with bacon and sun dried tomato pesto and buffalo mozzarella cheese[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5064" align="alignnone" width="470"] Classic non veg platter - Dhs 83 - Beef, spicy salami, rocket and parmesan, black sesame tuna fish, grilled vegetables, semi dried tomatoes, olives, focaccia, prawns wrapped with bacon and sun dried tomato pesto and buffalo mozzarella cheese[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5069" align="alignnone" width="470"] Salad - Dhs 47 - mixed lettuce, goat cheese, fig, beetroot, capsicum with creamy balsamic[/caption]

Then came their lovely platter of starters which was the best plate for me at per te. Simply delicious! They were so many little items in the platter that you stay focused on that wooden board as if you were playing chess. The best part was each item was as good as the other. The main non veg items in the platter that came was the beef, tuna and prawns. A must order platter and they do have a veg only platter as well.

[caption id="attachment_5074" align="alignnone" width="470"] pizza valtellina - dhs 58 - beef bresaola, rocket leaves, mozzarella and shaved parmesan cheese[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5073" align="alignnone" width="470"] Pan fried Salmon fillet - Dhs 81 - witih sauteed spinach, pine nutes, creamy balsamic glaze[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5072" align="alignnone" width="470"] ravioli pasta stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese - dhs 61[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5070" align="alignnone" width="470"] Ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese - Dhs 61 - coked with sage butter sauce[/caption]

The Salmon that came as our maincourse stole the show for it's dazzling presentation. Ofcourse besides the good looks, the salmon tasted fresh. The nicely stuffed ravioli was yummy and surely a must order if you love stuffed pasta. The wood fired pizza was similar to the ones you normally find in other Italian restaurants.

[caption id="attachment_5079" align="alignnone" width="470"] Dessert platter - Dhs 150 - brownie, ricotta cheesecake, tiramisu, il bianco[/caption]

Dessert platter was beautifully presented with great skill of art. Both the ricotta cheese cake and the brownie were my favourites in here. To be honest I should say I've had better Tiramisu than the ones here. The little Meringue were cute and nice. il bianco was a nice one as well. The semi freddo was more creamy in nature which made feel guilty everytime I tried it :(.  If you love their food as much as I did and you want to make them home, then good news is that they have a store inside the restaurant where you can buy their items like Italian pastas, olive oil etc.

Click here to visit their official website. Click pictures below to see them in full screen view.

[caption id="attachment_5077" align="alignnone" width="470"] Per Te Restaurant & Cafe - Interiors[/caption]

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Junoon - Shangri La Hotel - Brunch - Dhs 175

[caption id="attachment_5046" align="alignnone" width="470"] Me with Client Service Director of Junoon restaurant[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5041" align="alignnone" width="470"] Me about to have my non veg thali -[/caption]

Junoon has been making lot of buzz recently. With Michelin-stars all over it (thanks to it's first store in New York, USA) it's been easy to convince everyone to try this new restaurant.  This will be Junoon's second restaurant world wide. They have done a good job so far. Vikas Khanna who is a celeberity chef has also helped boost the visiblity of this new restaurant in Dubai and the reviews have also been very positive. The Indian cuisine served here comes with a little twist. It's a fusion concept and a welcome change to all those who love Indian cuisine.

[caption id="attachment_5037" align="alignnone" width="470"] Junoon - Interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5042" align="alignnone" width="470"] Junoon Interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5027" align="alignnone" width="470"] From left: rejuvenate (cucmber juice, lemon juice, simple syrup, basil, lemonade), Rose cardamom lassi - dhs 20, spooky manja(pineapple juice, vanilla syrup, berry, passion fruit) - dhs 35[/caption]

The interiors had a touch of traditional India along with a modern design. It's an open kitchen so you get to see what's cooking. Their mocktails were pretty good especially the Spooky Manja(pineapple juice, vanilla syrup, berry, passion fruit). A little over loaded with ice but it tasted great. Their rose cardamom lassi wasn't very convincing. I strongly recommend to try their mocktails instead.

[caption id="attachment_5028" align="alignnone" width="470"] TANDOORI PANEER POTLi - house made paneer, red chili, cinnamon, tamarind chutney.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5029" align="alignnone" width="470"] TIKKI CHAAT -
potato patty, date chutney, mint chutney, sev, carrot raita[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5032" align="alignnone" width="470"] SAMOSA CHAAT - beet, roasted onion, kabuli channa, coriander chutney[/caption]

As a part of Junoon brunch, you get to try items from three categories(snacks, breakfast,wraps and rolls) and their thalis(veg and non veg). Once you've enrolled for their brunch you can have as much as you want with no limits :D Being Indian food it's a bit challenging to eat all of it, as our food is easily filling. From the snacks menu I was quite impressed with their beetroot samosa chaat and tandoori paneer potli. The tikki chaat was also unique and the nice part everything had a new taste to it. It's not the typical chaats we find everywhere. After starting with snacks I really began to appreciate their fusion concept.

[caption id="attachment_5031" align="alignnone" width="470"] CHANNA BHATURA - green chili chickpea curry, fried bread[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5030" align="alignnone" width="470"] BREAD PAKODA - crispy vegetable tikki, meetha chutney[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5033" align="alignnone" width="470"] PAO BHAJI - vegetablecurry, red onion, coriander,green chili, soft roll[/caption]

Their bhatura felt just made at home. It came along with mango pickles. The bread pakoda made my son's day. He just wouldn't stop eating it. Pao Bhaji tasted typical, didn't find that taste different.

[caption id="attachment_5036" align="alignnone" width="470"] KEEMA & PARANTHA - mutton keema, boiled egg, roasted tomato chutney[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5035" align="alignnone" width="470"] MUSHROOM GALOUTI ROLL -[/caption]

The mushroom Galouti roll was my favourite. Both the mushrooms and the roti were amazing. They were telling me that the roti for mushroom galouti roll is made from saffron and milk which makes it extra smooth, soft and really something you will appreciate when you have it. It's a must try, please do not skip this one.

[caption id="attachment_5038" align="alignnone" width="470"] Thali - veg[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5039" align="alignnone" width="470"] Thali - veg[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5040" align="alignnone" width="470"] Thali - non veg[/caption]

Then came their ultimate thali. Love the presentation of the thali that came in a nice fancy plate. By the time I reached the thali I was literally full. But my curiosity never allowed me to give up. You have selection of rotis as well. Overall you will be satisfied. If you are here just eating their thali then you might feel the items a little less compared to the typical thali served else where. Guess the focus is on quality than quantity.

[caption id="attachment_5044" align="alignnone" width="470"] Falooda - Dhs 54 - (CHOCOLATE MATKA , SAFFRON , BLACKBERRY JELLY , ROSE , ALMOND MILK SORBET)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5043" align="alignnone" width="470"] Plate of mini desserts for Junoon brunch[/caption]

For desserts by default you get the dessert platter as complimentary with your brunch at Junoon. All that chocolate you see in the dessert platter is all made at Junoon. The chocolate date was my favourite from the dessert platter. The falooda for Dhs 54 is an additional order not included in the brunch menu. As you can see the falooda came uniquely presented. I had to break the chocolate matka to get the rabri flowing out. I would still say falooda is more fun in a glass than in a plate.

Click here to visit their official Dubai website and see their menu. Click pictures below to see them in full screen view:

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La Residence Restaurant & Lounge - Raffles Hotel

[caption id="attachment_4995" align="alignnone" width="470"] La Residence - Interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5005" align="alignnone" width="470"] We at La Residence, Raffles Hotel attached to Wafi[/caption]

This is the newly opened French restaurant. La Residence is located in Raffles Hotel found at the tip of Wafi. A perfect spot for fine dining. Warm elegant interiors with a modern touch. Dishes that are unique and beautifully presented, makes this a perfect spot to impress anyone. They are currently open only for dinner from 07:00pm onwards.

[caption id="attachment_4994" align="alignnone" width="470"] La Residence - Interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4993" align="alignnone" width="470"] La Residence - Interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4990" align="alignnone" width="470"] La residence - lounge - interiors[/caption]

The moment I entered their restaurant I was quite impressed with their interiors. Probably kept staring at those beautiful chandeliers throughout my dinner.  It sets a perfect example how a fine dining restaurant should be. The restaurant actually has two sides to it. One side is the smoking area and they call it the lounge as well. The other side is where you have the dinner. The whole warm lighting setup, candles on each table, comfortable chairs and leather sofas makes this a very cozy place.

[caption id="attachment_4992" align="alignnone" width="470"] Mocktails - Dhs 35 - From left: Tarte Du pays(Rhubarb & Elderflower topped up with housemade rosewater soda) and Fruits et creme( vanilla yoghurt, almond milk, caramel and cinnamon spices and pineapple foam)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4996" align="alignnone" width="470"] Complimentary breads[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4997" align="alignnone" width="470"] Plain butter and seaweed butter[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4991" align="alignnone" width="470"] compliments - Bread filled with cheese[/caption]

From the mock tail list I'd say just go for the Tarte Du pays (Rhubarb & Elderflower topped up with housemade rosewater soda) which is the best for me in their list. Unfortunately I couldn't enjoy their Fruits et creme mocktail simply because the overall taste was like a medicinal syrup :( We got two types of compliments for dinner. One was bread filled with cheese and the other was flat breads and hot cross buns. The Foccacia were really soft and freshly made. Thankfully they would generously come back to you for a refill of their fresh breads. There is also two types of butter given along with the breads which is the plain butter and seaweed. I enjoyed the seaweed butter more for it's flavour.

[caption id="attachment_4998" align="alignnone" width="470"] Chilled velvety Green Pea Soup - Dhs 60 along with fresh goats' curd and olive oil[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4999" align="alignnone" width="470"] Soft Boiled Egg along with royale style mushrooms - dhs 60[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5001" align="alignnone" width="470"] Nicoise style - tuna salad - Dhs 90 - seared fillet and preserved toro, olive oil[/caption]

Not very often you bump into a cold soup. The chilled velvety green soup was awesome, loved the thick goats' cheese found inside the soup. The mushrooms were the best part for me inside royale boiled egg. Although my taste buds didn't get along with the liquid foam of the boiled egg. The tuna salad was excellent. It also comes with raw tuna along with different sauces. I initially hesitated, seeing it raw but it was surprisingly good and easily finished them all. The dressing of the salad had a great taste to it.

[caption id="attachment_5006" align="alignnone" width="470"] My guest enjoying his fillet of veal - dhs 210[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5002" align="alignnone" width="470"] Fillet of VEAL - Dhs 210 with macaroni cheese and vegetables[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5003" align="alignnone" width="470"] Milk-fed lamb with citrus fruit - dhs 195 - along with piquillos pepper and tangy-spicy sauce[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5004" align="alignnone" width="470"] The piquillos pepper that comes along as a side with milk-fed lamb - dhs 195[/caption]

For the maincourse be it the lamb or Veal, we were happy with the meats but was quite shocked to see the tiny portion size. For the price the quantity was a bit too less. The piquillos pepper which came as a side for the Milk fed lamb was very good. We also tried their french fries as a side which came crisp and nice like how it should be.

[caption id="attachment_5007" align="alignnone" width="470"] choose 2 classic pastries for Dhs 95[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5008" align="alignnone" width="470"] French Toast with salted caramel ice cream - Dhs 50[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5009" align="alignnone" width="470"] Valrhona chocolate square - Dhs 95[/caption]

You must definitely try their french toast which was my favourite from the sweet section. I had lot of expectation from valrhona chocolate square but somehow it wasn't as dark on the inside as it was on the outside. Not rich enough for a chocoholic. For pastries, the good part is they bring the entire collection of patisserie to your table so you can see and pick which makes it very convenient to make a choice.

Click here to visit their official website. Click images below to see them in full screen view.

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