China Club - Radisson Blu, Deira Creek

[caption id="attachment_1609" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Private dining area surrounded by stories of great China[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1604" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Me with Deep fried crumbed prawns - Dhs 78[/caption]

Hey I finally make it to a Chinese restaurant. I think this is my first post on Chinese food. Some of you have also been insisting me to visit these restaurants. So here I am at China Club located in Radisson Blu at Deira Creek. Did you know that this hotel which China club is located was the FIRST five start hotel in Dubai! Refer to the picture below:

[caption id="attachment_1610" align="aligncenter" width="678"] Inauguration of the first five star hotel in Dubai in 1975 - Radisson Blu[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1593" align="aligncenter" width="705"] pickled cabbage and roasted peanuts[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1592" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Love the lights on their ceiling[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1594" align="aligncenter" width="705"] China club dining seats[/caption]

Those lights and those lovely long neck maroon cushioned seats, walls covered by beautiful wallpapers make china club restaurant good looking. The seats have a tall fence so you get your own privacy and you don't end up eating watching your neighbors :p I love their private dining area too. Very elegant and lot of frames talking about the Chinese tradition(worth a look in there). Once you are seated they bring in some warm towels for you.

[caption id="attachment_1595" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Mocktails - Dhs 30 - From left: Strawberry and friends, fruitpunch and virgin colada[/caption]

For the drinks we had the following:

Strawberry and friends - Fresh strawberries with orange juice, pineapple, lemon juice, grenadine, strawberry syrup.
Virgin Colada - Blend of Coconut cream and pineapple.
Fruit Punch - Combination of four kinds of juices: Orange, pineapple, cranberry , peach and grenadine.

My drink was virgin colada and it was the first time I had coconut cream in my drink. It was different and enjoyed it thoroughly. The velvet chicken sweet corn soup was good as expected.

[caption id="attachment_1601" align="aligncenter" width="705"] velvet chicken and sweet corn soup - Dhs 38[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1596" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Vegetable spring rolls - Dhs 32[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1603" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Crispy fried seafood spring roll - Dhs 42[/caption]

Yum! I love their spring rolls especially those vegetable ones. Just can't have enough of them. Thin covering, crispy and loaded with vegetables. Some of those fried items which you don't mind eating a little extra even if it can kill you.

[caption id="attachment_1599" align="aligncenter" width="705"] steamed chicken dumplings - Dhs 42[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1598" align="aligncenter" width="705"] superior siew mai with crab roe - Dhs 36[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1597" align="aligncenter" width="705"] china club 'har gau' crystal shrimp dumplings - Dhs 42[/caption]

Then came raining dim sums. I loved the superior siew mai crab roe the most. In china club everything is made from scratch when you make an order. So expect them fresh but you need to be patient cause when they make from ground zero then it's going to take some time. So whatever we ordered there was a waiting period for each of them. I was happy because I got enough time to take photos, talk about the food, eat them slowly but when you have kids it could be a different story ;)

[caption id="attachment_1605" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Noodles with vegetables - Dhs 43[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1607" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Black pepper beef fillet - Dhs 85[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1606" align="aligncenter" width="705"] steamed black cod with supreme soya and spring onion - Dhs 130[/caption]

The pepper beef fillet was awesome, no doubt on that one. My maincourse was the fish - black cod and loved it. Its that sauce on which that fish is floating makes it taste special. When it comes to seafood i think China club knows how to handle it well. If I had visited this restaurant in the afternoon I could have taken much better photos for you since they had windows where some good sunlight can fall in for better lighting. Their big glass windows face the Deira creek.

[caption id="attachment_1625" align="aligncenter" width="705"] china club chilled mango pudding with fresh strawberries - Dhs 32[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1608" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Chilled coconut cream and sago pearls - Dhs 30[/caption]

The dessert - chilled coconut cream and sago pearls stole the show. I generally love desserts with milk and this is somewhere close to it. Some people enjoy the mango mousse more. I was actually recommended to try their mango mousse but I kind of liked this one better.

Click on any photo below to enjoy them in full screen view:

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Donner Express - Bay Avenue Mall, Business Bay

[caption id="attachment_1551" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Entrance to Donner Express[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1549" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Donner meat[/caption]

After my previous post on organic beef I got hungry to eat more meat. The first time I heard this word Donner was from a Turkish restaurant and now I see a restaurant by the name Donner. Interestingly they call their kebabs, grills, curries British styled. It's called British because of the difference in marination and spices used which is more aligned to the British taste buds.

[caption id="attachment_1548" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Donner Express seatings[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1547" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Dhs 18 and above ; Drinks from Left: Chocolate shake, Mango Lassi, orange-carrot juice[/caption]

For our drinks we ordered a mix of shake, juice and a lassi. From the looks of the chocolate shake we thought it would be the killer drink out of the three but it turned out that they made one of the best mango lassi in Dubai. Their Mango lassi was one of the best I had and I am glad we ordered it.

[caption id="attachment_1562" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Stuffed Tandoori Capsicum - Dhs 28[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1554" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Masala pappad - Dhs 6[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1578" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Peri Peri fries - Dhs 12[/caption]

They had some interesting appetizers. A little different from what we normally see specially their Stuffed Tandoori Capsicum. It was nicely stuffed with vegetables and a little bit of cheese. Being an Indian, their masala pappad was not new to me. They also served fries with a special homemade peri peri sauce on them, some of you might find their peri peri fries a little soggy though.

[caption id="attachment_1552" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fresh prawns ready to be grilled[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1553" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Meat on grill[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1555" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Special Mixed Grill Platter - Dhs 120[/caption]

We ordered a special mixed grill platter since it comprised a little bit of all their meats. It was really nice. I enjoy each one of them. Some of them were a little spicy but overall it was a thrilling platter. I loved their prawns, they tasted so fresh. Their malai tikka was my other favourite in the platter.

[caption id="attachment_1557" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Biryiani rice that comes with special mix grill platter [/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1561" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Raitha that comes with Biriyani[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1556" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Butter Chicken - Dhs 36[/caption]

The only curry I tried was their butter chicken and it's supposed to be one of their best. It was good and also have noticed other people visiting this restaurant have mentioned the same about their butter chicken. The raitha that came along with biriyani rice was as good as homemade.

One thing I noticed while I was there, they had lot of take away orders coming and going. They were quite busy with take away than dine in that day.

[caption id="attachment_1560" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Kaloonji Naan(left) and Garlic Naan(right)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1559" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Achari Naan(left) and Dhaniya Naan(right)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1558" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Donner in Naan - Dhs 35[/caption]

I ordered the roti basket so I could try a little of all their rotis. My favourite was their Dhaniya Naan. I hope i got the name correct but yeah it's the one next to the Achari naan in the picture above. It was thin, crispy and felt quite light and easy to eat.

One of their happening sandwiches are those donner sandwiches and they have different types of sandwiches for you. I tried the donner that was wrapped in naan. As you can see above it came hidden between lot of vegetables and sauces on a layer of naan.

[caption id="attachment_1564" align="aligncenter" width="678"] Gulab Jamun - Dhs 12[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1563" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Rasmalai - Dhs 12[/caption]

From the desserts Gulab Jamun was the true man of the match. It was served warm in an elegant holder. I mean I've eaten Gulab Jamun's before but I've never seen Gulab Jamuns look so pretty and they tasted great too!

[caption id="attachment_1550" align="aligncenter" width="678"] Outside seating of Donner Express[/caption]

If needed you can dine out in their restaurant. You might not see an entire Burj Khalifa in front of you but atleast you get to see the tip of it like how you see in the picture above :p

[caption id="attachment_1579" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Restaurant manager(Tapajit) and his team[/caption]

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OBE organic Australian beef - Carrefour, Dubai

[caption id="attachment_1527" align="aligncenter" width="705"] OBE organic beef ribeye- 168 gms - Dhs 25 (dhs 150 per kg)[/caption]

The word organic is very encouraging now a days. More people have started looking forward to organic food whenever and wherever possible. Recently I was in carrefour at the meat section and I noticed this beef that said organic aussie beef. I do eat beef once in a while so I thought I'll try this one today. It's halal too so nothing to worry about. Went home and my wife who is a wonderful cook made me few interesting items with this organic beef. I thought I should share some of what she made me :)

[caption id="attachment_1528" align="aligncenter" width="705"] OBE organic beef ribeye- 168 gms - Dhs 25[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1529" align="aligncenter" width="705"] OBE organic beef ribeye- 168 gms - Dhs 25[/caption]

The steak has come out very well. The beef was tender and juicy. I am really happy with their beef. Surely it does help me save some money by making steak in house and most importantly it tastes great too!

[caption id="attachment_1520" align="aligncenter" width="705"] OBE organic Tside steak - Dhs 70 per kg[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1521" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Mongolian beef with steamed jasmine rice and brocolli[/caption]

That's Mongolian beef made using OBE Aussie organic beef and it went very well with no complaints.

[caption id="attachment_1522" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Mongolian beef made from OBE organic australian beef[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1525" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Beef mince puffs with my karak chai[/caption]

I love puffs. Always enjoy them. This beef tasted good inside :)

[caption id="attachment_1526" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Beef mince puffs[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1523" align="aligncenter" width="705"] beef and mushroom cups[/caption]

This was specially made to test run this beef. It was a new item for me. She made me for the first time and it turned out to be better than puffs. I really enjoyed this one. Now One of my favorites with tea.

They do have a website: http://www.obeorganic.com/ and it looks very promising. Very detailed information about their beef on their website and you really feel you can trust this beef.

[caption id="attachment_1524" align="aligncenter" width="705"] beef and mushroom cups[/caption]

















website: http://www.obeorganic.com/

Bloomsbury's - Boutique Cafe, Dubai Mall

[caption id="attachment_1475" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Afternoon tea set for 2 - Dhs 98[/caption]

Ahh it's smelling christmas everywhere. Surrounded by red and white theme specially in the malls. I am sure most of you would have heard of Bloomsbury's boutique cafe in Dubai Mall. One of their famous innovation is the most expensive cup cake made from 23 carat gold dubbed as the golden phoneix priced at Dhs 3700. Thankfully they make other cakes too which I can afford and one of their interesting to order would be the Afternoon tea set which is costing only Dhs 49 for one person or you could go for Dhs 98 for 2.

[caption id="attachment_1477" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Afternoon tea set for 2 - Dhs 98[/caption]

So when you order their afternoon tea set for 2 basically you get every item double. So what does Afternoon tea set comprise of?

Afternoon tea set items:

Mini Bakewell Tarts (Dhs 14)

homemade sweet pastry shells filled with mixed berry coulis and light almond frangipan

Mini Strawberry Tarts (Dhs 14)

homemade sweet pastry shells filled with fresh strawberries

Triple Choclate Brownies
homemade chunky chocolate brownies

Almond Rochers (Dhs 4)
crunchy almond rochers made with egg whites, sugar and toasted almond slices

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Homemade chewy chocolate chip cookies

Assorted Tea Sandwiches
mini veg and no veg sandwiches

Mini Fresh Fruit Friands
freshly baked sweet cakes with a hint of lemon zest and berries.

Cup cakes with fillings (Dhs 16)

Scones

Clotted Cream and Strawberry Jam (you can see them in the picture below on the right)

It also comes with your choice of tea or coffee.

[caption id="attachment_1476" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Afternoon tea set for 2 - Dhs 98 - top view[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1489" align="aligncenter" width="705"] From left: Glenn(Bloomsbury's Manager) and Me[/caption]

This cafe has got one of the most elegant looking interiors. Makes you feel royal. The idea of this interior has come from Britain with English teacups, dark interiors and wide maroon velvet chairs with contrasting white legs. The design is very much inspired by modern London from where this brand was actually noticed by Shafeena Yusuff Ali.

[caption id="attachment_1481" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Mini Bakewell and starwberry tarts, fresh fruit friands, Mini chocolate chip cookies[/caption]

The moment the afternoon tea set tray is put on my table I am impressed with what i see and confused where to begin from and end with. It's surely one of the best presentation I've seen. Those cakes and tarts never looked so special. It's just the way they bring to you on your table and those pastries starring at you from different floors of that tray. From the tray above my favorite were the tarts specially the mini bakewell tart.

Bakewell Tarts - Dhs 14 - Sweet tarts filled with mixed berry coulis, extra light almond frangipane, a dab of butter cream, toasted almonds and topped with fresh fruit.

[caption id="attachment_1478" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Triple Chocolate Brownies[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1479" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Cup cakes with fillings - Dhs 16[/caption]

I got 2 lovely cupcakes since I ordered the afternoon tea set for 2 people.

1. Raspberry Temptation - A chocolate sponge filled with a sweet raspberry jam and topped with two tiers of chocolate buttercream and fresh raspberries.


2. Go nuts for Adil - A rich chocolate sponge filled with dulce de leche and topped with an irresistible peanut butter buttercream.

My favorite were these delicious cup cakes. The whip on it was super smooth and no sugar feeling and chocolate cake in it was wow. The cupcake had a filling in it which made the experience eating it even more thrilling.

Triple chocolate Brownie was deadly looking but I think it could have been even softer.

[caption id="attachment_1482" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Mochachino and Cappuccino - Dhs 12[/caption]

You could order any drink for your afternoon tea menu. It doesn't have to necessarily be tea. We ordered a mix of hot and cold drinks. Surely the Iced coffee killed the hot drinks on the table. I am going to only order Iced coffee next time.

[caption id="attachment_1485" align="aligncenter" width="705"] English tea [/caption]

It's the first time I've got a timer along with my tea I ordered. The server told me I had to wait for the timer to finish so the aroma in the tea is set correctly. Interesting one, never seen that before. Thank god it's not a timer for me to stop eating.

They do bake specials for festive seasons like Christmas. Below are some of them with their pricing for you to think about.

[caption id="attachment_1486" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Festive Cupcake - dhs 15[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1487" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Plum pudding(left) - Dhs 15 and Mince Pie(right) - Dhs 5[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1473" align="aligncenter" width="705"] christmas plum cake - Dhs 99 - almost a kilo in weight[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1472" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Interiors of christmas plum cake - Dhs 99[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1474" align="aligncenter" width="705"] 4 kilo customized cake - Dhs 130/kilo[/caption]

Click on any picture below to enjoy them in full screen view:

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