Shabestan - Radisson Blu Deira Creek - Pre Iftar Dinner party

[caption id="attachment_3000" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Welcome speech by GM of Radisson Blu Deira creek - Tim Cordon[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3002" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Me with Tim Cordon (GM of Radisson Blu Deira Creek)[/caption]

I luckily got a chance to be at shabestan for dinner at their Pre-Iftar dinner event. It was a packed one. I dreamt of being seated and eating comfortably like a fine dining restaurant but it was a different story here. To accommodate more people they had removed the seats and placed high tables. So we were just standing around those high tables and grabbing whatever came along our way at Shebastan.

[caption id="attachment_3003" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Me with my guest at Shabestan[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2988" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Traditional instruments being played in the background[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2998" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Food bloggers at the event[/caption]

There were people from the media, bloggers and their regular guests. It's one of those rare events where I got to see lot of Arabs for a complimentary dinner. The GM was walking around making contacts, handshaking and made a short speech telling us the history of Shabestan and how much they have achieved in their long years in Dubai. Ofcourse Shabestan has won many awards in these long years.

[caption id="attachment_2992" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Left - Melon juice, Middle - saffron and rose water sharbat, Right - DOOGH(yoghurt drink seasoned with mint)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2989" align="aligncenter" width="705"] SALAD OLIVIEH - Mayonnaise sauce mixed with green beans and chopped pickles topped with chicken breast fillet[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3006" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Sabzi Khordan - Seasonal fresh vegetables with feta cheese - AED 25[/caption]

As soon as you enter you are greeted with their welcome drinks which was their famous persian drink Doogh(yoghurt based beverage seasoned with mint) and Saffron rose water. Doogh is normally served complimentary whenever you eat in a Persian restaurant. I was trying the Saffron rose water for the first time. It tastes purely like sugared water in saffron. I enjoyed their Doogh very much and is something I always look forward into in an Iranian restaurant normally.

[caption id="attachment_2996" align="aligncenter" width="705"] chicken and fish in saffron rice[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2995" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Tikkeh - KhodmoniVenture to the Southern regions of Bandar Abbas to savour this delicious speciality of veal or chicken marinated in kashk
AED 130[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2994" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Khoresht - E – Meygu From Persian South,  Prawn stew served with Rice - AED 165[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2993" align="aligncenter" width="705"] JOJEH KABAB - Dhs 145[/caption]

There were so many items being served to us that day that I started confusing myself with names. However I tried my best to label you the right info. I can assure you one thing that they serve you one of the best meat grills. I thoroughly enjoyed all their quality grills. I still can't forget their Joojeh kebab. So juicy and just wanted to grab more of it. Their Fish grills were yummy as well. Different meats were served on different types of iranian rice. All came in a sample size portion so I really don't have a full portion size to show you here :( In a way it was good I got to try a lot more :).

[caption id="attachment_2997" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Persian cookies - complimentary for in house diners[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3001" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Muhallabia(ARABIC sweets)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2999" align="aligncenter" width="705"] CREAM CARAMEL - caramel undertones - AED42[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3004" align="aligncenter" width="678"] FALOODEH
Traditional Iranian Ice cream with its unusual blend of ingredients and rose water
AED 48[/caption]

There famous collection of desserts were also being passed around. My first favourite were the persian cookies. Never expected it to be this good. They were soft as sand stones and would quickly melt of in the mouth with your first bite. Muhallabia was light and nice. I felt their falooda was a little too blank. Came as a snow white in front of us. I prefer they add some saffron and rose water on top to add more flavour to it. Overall its been good food and definitely a persian restaurant that you should visit.

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Pavilion Downtown Dubai - Downtown - Brunch - Dhs 99

[caption id="attachment_2960" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Saturday Brunch at Pavilion Downtown - Dhs 99[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2951" align="aligncenter" width="705"] From the bench on our table at Pavilion Downtown - Dhs 99[/caption]

Our Saturday morning has been fun filled last weekend. Thanks to this interesting brunch provided at the good looking Pavilion Downtown cafe located at Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard. It's hard to notice this cafe until someone tells you about it. If you appreciate architecture, design and have been wanting to know your options in buying a property this could be an all in one stop shop for some of you.

[caption id="attachment_2935" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Make yourself at home at the Pavilion Downtown[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2962" align="aligncenter" width="705"] The Pavilion Downtown - interiors - connect station[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2958" align="aligncenter" width="705"] The bench at the Pavilion Downtown[/caption]

The building where this cafe is located can be divided into two sides. One side is where you explore new properties and buildings happening at Downtown. The other side is where this trendy cafe is located. The moment you enter this building you notice its pure, clean, modern design, spacious hall and you get to see latest models of buildings which you see being built around Downtown. This pavilion downtown Dubai will be found on the right side.

[caption id="attachment_2938" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Tables and interiors with a unique design at the Pavilion Downtown - noticed the bulb in a jar[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2959" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Kids play area at the Pavilion Downtown[/caption]

So I take right and enter this Pavilion Downtown cafe. To my delight the very first thing I was happy to see was the kids play area and so were the kids happy to see it :D I could now dream about enjoying my brunch peacefully :) This spot did play an important role in giving me that extra freedom to focus on my brunch today, as they were busy playing inside their new space. Pretty impressive, especially when I think about all those quality branded toys they have for the kids. My favourite was the SAAB car they have in there for the kids. Girl or a boy I am sure none of them would want to be disturbed once they are in there. :)

[caption id="attachment_2937" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Tarts, cakes, cookies and croissants at The Pavilion Downtown Brunch[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2939" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Assorted Danish pastries[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2940" align="aligncenter" width="678"] Woopie[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2942" align="aligncenter" width="705"] My son enjoyin pickin his choice at the brunch in The Pavilion Downtown Dubai[/caption]

Once I went further inside the cafe I was impressed to see the english brunch arranged on a wooden bench and the looks that were coming from those brunch menu on that table was so attractive that you just would stare at it for a while before you picked your seat. One side of this cafe is glass so you get some nice natural light pouring in. The ambience was healthy too. I thought not much people knew about this cafe but to my surprise there seemed a great inflow that day. Maybe it was the effects of their saturday brunch menu.

[caption id="attachment_2943" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Jams and honey[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2944" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fruit juices and Fruits[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2947" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fruits and fruit juices[/caption]

I love their cakes, tarts, freshly made cookies. I remember how the freshly baked cookies came hot and was soft in the mouth. Their tarts and cakes were the best sellers. They make it very well and I could see a good demand for it. I enjoyed their woopie too I mistook the woopie for macaroons initially until my wife told me that it was woopie.  You had ample of options for your fresh juices like apple, mango, water melon, mixed fruit, pineapple and orange juice. If you like cut fruits then you could pick up their fruit jar :). Around the same corner you would find other cold items like yoghurt and muesli.

[caption id="attachment_2945" align="aligncenter" width="678"] Sandwiches[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2946" align="aligncenter" width="705"] All the Meats(chicken, beef, turkey, salmon)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2954" align="aligncenter" width="705"] wraps and sandwiches[/caption]

I wasn't very impressed with their wraps and sandwiches. Although Some were nice but most were not great.  If I compare their sandwiches to their other items like cakes, tarts etc then I'd say they can do better here as I thought it didn't have enough to be a crowd puller as much as the other items on the menu did.

[caption id="attachment_2955" align="aligncenter" width="705"] My plate of cookies, biscuits and danish assortments[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2948" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Drinks - Passion Punch(left - Dhs 35) and Blackberry detox(right - Dhs 35)[/caption]

We had a fantastic start to our brunch by ordering some of their top class drinks such as the Passion Punch and Blackberry detox. They've got a big list of drinks and the passion punch was definitely giving us a punch at every sip to our taste buds. Of course you need to pay for them separately as it's not part of their saturday brunch for Dhs 99. But the good news for the saturday brunch is that you do get a complimentary tea/coffee which is worth Dhs 25. That could be any hot drink from their list such as:

• Espresso - Dhs 20


• Americano - Dhs 22


• Cappuccino|Latte|Moka - Dhs 26


• Turkish Coffee - Dhs 22


• Hot Chocolate - Dhs 25


• English breakfast tea - Dhs 20


• Green tea - Dhs 20


• Chamomile tea - Dhs 20


• Moroccan tea - Dhs 25


• Ear grey tea - Dhs 20

I did try their latte and noticed most of their coffees come elegantly to you with different layers. Pouring coffee into a glass is now turning out to be an art of it's own. You see that coffee on that desk and even if you drink only tea in your life you get tempted to taste it.

[caption id="attachment_2949" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Eggs Benedict Dhs 55 - with whole bisquit, sauteed chard veal bacon - included as a choice for your Sat brunch Dhs 99)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2950" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Blueberry pancakes - Dhs 25 - (included as a choice for your Dhs 99 saturday brunch)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2952" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Blueberry pancakes - Dhs 25 - included in Saturday Brunch(Dhs 99) at Pavilion Downtown[/caption]

For your brunch you could pick one from their Kitchen category:

• Pancakes | blueberry compote cinnamon | orange zest


• Eggs Benedict | whole wheat bisquit | sauteed chard


• Two eggs | veal bacon | chicken sausage | mushroom | basked vine tomato | potato


• Omlette | egg whites | spinach | feta cheese | herbs

As you can see we tried two of them. Eggs benedict and Pancakes. The only reason why I ordered Eggs benedict was cause I could see the whole house going for the eggs benedict :p  So I too got one of their famous eggs benedict. The fancy egg was attractive and yummy ;) . The pancakes were soft, light with a strong blueberry sauce on top.

[caption id="attachment_2957" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Me with my breakfast plate - Dhs 80[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2956" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Breakfast plate - Dhs 80[/caption]

Breakfast plate for Dhs 80 consist of two eggs | veal bacon | yoghurt granola | cold cuts | smoked salmon | croissant toast and jam | cheese | veggies | fruits.

Their saturday brunch only exist on a saturday. But the other days you can try their regular breakfast. So here I've ordered a breakfast plate for you to see what it looks like. You know to be honest, I couldn't see much value for their breakfast plate(Dhs 80) after trying their wide variety brunch for only Dhs 99. My favorite in their breakfast plate was their yoghurt granola with berries :)

[caption id="attachment_2961" align="aligncenter" width="705"] work bench at the Pavilion Downtown[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2963" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Enjoying my work at connect station inside Pavilion Downtown Dubai while I sip a coffee  [/caption]

Connect station is another area at Pavilion Cafe Downtown where people sit and get most of their work done on their laptops. Benefit of being at the connect station is that there are power outlets at most points so you conveniently work powering your laptop and other gadgets.

[caption id="attachment_2964" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Me with the Pavilion Downtown team[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2965" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Outside seatings at Pavilion Downtown Dubai[/caption]

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DAR AL BABA - Downtown - Shk Mohammad bin Rashid Boulevard

[caption id="attachment_2909" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Me with CHEF(right) and Bachir El Baba(owner) of DAR AL BABA[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2894" align="aligncenter" width="705"] DAR AL BABA interiors[/caption]

DAR AL BABA is the first restaurant initiated by the famous lebanese sweet brand AL BABA. The brand AL BABA has been in Dubai for many years known for their premium sweets and now they've decided to move to the next level serving you authentic lebanese cuisine along with their delicious sweets. This is witnessed only if you visit DAR AL BABA located at Downtown. Rest of the AL BABA branches around Dubai serve you only arabic sweets. The funny part is you don't realize they serve you any cuisine until they tell you about it cause this new restaurant is designed similar to their other signature sweet shops.

[caption id="attachment_2906" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Different types of Konafa with cheese or cream - Dhs 30 per plate[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2902" align="aligncenter" width="678"] Son showing of his father(Mohammad Bashir Al Baba - founder Al BABA sweets)[/caption]

Al BABA sweets has always been my first choice whenever I needed to impress anyone with arabic sweets. My first encounter with Al BABA sweets is the branch opposite to Deira City Center. I still remember their first sweet I tasted was their famous kunafa. The quality of the dairy cream which was covered by a perfect dough made it very special. Sweets from Al BABA is of the highest quality and comes with a premium tag. I remember the first time I bought a kilo of kunafa it was priced at Dhs 60 per kg but today the same is now costing Dhs 110 per kg.

[caption id="attachment_2896" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Drinks - Jellab with pine nuts(Dhs 15) and fresh juice -Dhs 20 - orange and minted lemonade[/caption]

It all started with their drinks and appetizers. I was actually very much looking forward to Jellab with pinenuts which is a drink made from syrup of raisins. It was a bit too strong for me. I would have preferred a lighter version of it. The best drink in the lot for me was their mint lemonade. They need to have more exciting drinks compared to what we get from other lebanese joints. This is definitely an area where they can make some improvement.

[caption id="attachment_2900" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Makanek - Dhs 30(left) and Vine leaves - Dhs 20(right)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2903" align="aligncenter" width="705"] WITH yoghurt - Zucchini Dhs 30(right) and Meat & pasta balls (Dhs 45)[/caption]

Today would be the first time I am having the owner of a restaurant having dinner along with us. We had the perfect host on our table. He gave us some great insights about his stores and how he manages them. He and his brother shuttles between Dubai and Lebanon every 20 days. He spoke about lebanese tradition and how it is rooted in their food. It was a dinner with open mind and facts.

We were quite impressed with those that came after the drinks. The Makanek I've never been able to enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed it here. Normally I just have a bit and leave it there but this was something that you'd really appreciate. I was told by the owner that the meat came from Lebanon. The other items dipped in yoghurt was tried for the first time but surely something we all enjoyed specially the Meat(kibbeh) balls in yoghurt. I've had kibbehs before but something about the meat and it dipped in yoghurt gave it a better taste than those dry ones. Vines leaves had a nice filling in it as well which kept us going for more.

[caption id="attachment_2898" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Hummus - Dhs 15, bezeit - Dhs 15, Moutabal - Dhs 15, Foull[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2897" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Fattouch - Dhs 20 - chopped lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cucumber, radish, mint leaves and promenade on top[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2901" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Tabouleh - Dhs 20 - chopped parsley with onions, tomatoes, mint leaves and burghul[/caption]

Of course the hummus, moutabel is all standard.  A lebanese restaurant can't go wrong in this department. The Fattouch with pomegranate syrup was really nice and so was it Mr. Bachir's favourite as he ensured he finished it ;) . The foull bezeit is a new item that we often don't see. It's beans with sauteed coriander and garlic. It's seems like vegetarians would be happy here, they've good lot of interesting items to order.

[caption id="attachment_2904" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Grilled chicken with saffron rice topped with rasin and nuts - Dhs 35[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2905" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Our dinner at DAR AL BABA[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2899" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Moudardara - Dhs 15[/caption]

The Grilled chicken with saffron rice which came loaded with raisins and nuts stole the show. I thought it would just be a typical yellow rice but this was totally different. A must order if you are here. It's worth the price too. I feel here their food in the restaurant is much cheaper than their sweets they sell. Even the moudardara is satisfying. Like I said there is so much here for the vegetarians to look forward to :)

[caption id="attachment_2930" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Kunafa with dairy cream - Dhs 30 per plate[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2908" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Bennaren kunafa (My favourite) - Dhs 30 per plate[/caption]

The Kunafas took a while to reach our table as they were freshly made. So it's a good idea to order them a little early. It came hot and each of them was divided into 4 pieces, poured some sugar syrup on top and the rest was history. One of my favourite arabic sweets and the best kunafa I've had in this town so far. If you want to have authentic arabic sweets then this is the place to be ;)

[caption id="attachment_2910" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Konafa with cheese - Dhs 25[/caption]

Their official website would be: http://www.albaba-sweets.com
You can find their menu on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DARELBABA

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