Fortnum & Mason - Downtown Dubai

[caption id="attachment_4975" align="alignnone" width="470"] Fortnum & Mason[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4972" align="alignnone" width="470"] Gift hampers at Fortnum & Mason Retail Shop[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4959" align="alignnone" width="470"] Family enjoying their Afternoon tea package - Dhs 245 per person[/caption]

Discovered an interesting treasure next to Dubai Mall. A British classic called Fortnum & Mason, one of the oldest stores in Britain which was established in 1707. This is their second branch after the original one. If you look at the history of Fortnum & Mason, they started this store by selling the remains in the palace like the candles but today it's a full blown setup which comprises of a restaurant, tea salon, an ice cream parlour and a retail shop.

[caption id="attachment_4954" align="alignnone" width="470"] Fortnum & Mason - interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4955" align="alignnone" width="470"] Fortnum & Mason - balcony with burj khalifa view and dancing fountain view[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4974" align="alignnone" width="470"] Fortnum and Mason ice cream parlour floor[/caption]

Fortnum & Mason is located in a dedicated building between Dubai Mall and The Address hotel. They've got 3 floors to the building. Ground floor being their retail shop where you can buy some of their souvenirs, biscuits, jams, tea powder etc.  This retail shop had a grand sale when I was there where some items where upto 70% off their regular price. Second floor comprised of the tea salon where you have tea and their savories. The top most floor was their ice cream parlour which was the best part for me at Fortnum & Mason. Both the floors have a nice balcony which gives you a good view of Burj Khalifa and the dancing fountain.

[caption id="attachment_4957" align="alignnone" width="470"] Milkshake - Dhs 50 - pistachio and coconut icecream[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4977" align="alignnone" width="470"] Beetroot Tatin with Goat’s Cheese - Dhs 70[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4958" align="alignnone" width="470"] Mushroom & Tarragon Soup - Dhs 60[/caption]

The Mushroom & Tarragon Soup was perfect in all ways. The breads came in their signature picnic basket. The Beetroot Tatin was one of a kind presentation and it was pretty interesting even to my son who normally would ignore such items. It's that pastry and lovely beetroot puree that does the trick. Their goat cheese was authentic. The ice cream parlour of Fortnum & Mason is very famous and well know for their quality and taste. So I had a milk shake made from a mix of their ice creams which was a combination of pistachio and coconut. The milk shake was so rich and pure that I couldn't stop sipping it till it finished.

[caption id="attachment_4961" align="alignnone" width="470"] Butternut Squash Risotto, Parmesan shavings - dhs 120[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4964" align="alignnone" width="470"] Roast Rack of Lamb with Provencale Vegetables & Rosemary Jus - Dhs 185[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4965" align="alignnone" width="470"] Salmon Fishcakes with Sautéed Spinach & Lemon Butter Sauce - Dhs 115[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4963" align="alignnone" width="470"] Side dishes -dhs 25 - Mashed Potatoes(left) and Mixed Organic Leaf Salad[/caption]

The rack lamb was very well presented and you definitely wanted to get your hands on that one first! but to be honest I wasn't happy with the amount of fat I came across this lamb. The Butternut Squash Risotto was well made but might not be the one for everyone as it is more on the sweeter side. I felt the rice was a little hard too :( Salmon fish cakes were yummy and that lemon butter sauce gave a nice touch to the fish.

[caption id="attachment_4968" align="alignnone" width="470"] Knickerbocker Glory sundae - dhs 115[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4970" align="alignnone" width="470"] Victoria sponge - dhs 70 - raspberry and vanilla[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4956" align="alignnone" width="470"] Sacher torte - dhs 70 - valrhona chocolate[/caption]

Then came the best part of the day which were their magnificent cakes and sundaes. There was no surprise that everyone had a cake or a sundae on their table. The full cakes were kept on the center table and it was really difficult for me to just pick one. I remember when I was given a show around of the cakes, there was this strong gush of smell from the valrhona chocolate when he opened the covering of Sacher torte. You can truly appreciate the quality in these bakes. At the end, I went with their finest and simple cake which was Victoria sponge.

The sundaes had to be made fresh and the descriptions looked very tempting. Not sure what to order I just asked them to get me the most common sundae I could see around my table which was knickerbocker glory, just so that I don't miss out on the happening sundae. The quality of ice creams at Mason and Fortnum is definitely at a higher grade. They say it's english milk churned in Dubai. By the time we ended our lunch almost everyone surrounding us were having the afternoon tea. The scones looked tempting and so we tried a couple of that one as well. It came warm and was one of the finest scones we've had.

[caption id="attachment_4969" align="alignnone" width="470"] Duo of scones - Dhs 65 - fruit and plain[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4971" align="alignnone" width="470"] Royal blend tea - dhs 40[/caption]

One of their other specialty is the varieties of blended tea they offer. They have a separate menu book just offering different types of tea and blended tea. I am more of a karak chai fan which the english can't offer :(   If you are a serious fan of black tea, then you will appreciate this one and you can even find their tea to take home at their retail store below. During my lunch I've noticed many of them were having their famous afternoon tea package starting at Dhs 245 per person.

Click here to visit their official website. Click here to visit their official Dubai page on facebook.

[caption id="attachment_4973" align="alignnone" width="470"] Fortnum & Mason retail shop[/caption]

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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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Al Forsan - International Sports Resort - AbuDhabi

[caption id="attachment_4910" align="alignnone" width="470"] Al Forsan Amazing race - Team Green at Al Forsan Equestrian[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4872" align="alignnone" width="470"] Al Forsan Amazing race - Team Green - Go Kart racing team[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4898" align="alignnone" width="470"] Al Forsan Amazing Race - Paintball team[/caption]

I recently had the opportunity to play at Al Forsan International Sports Resort. The event was called Al Forsan Amazing race where media parties were invited to compete with each other. This resort is one stop shot for all kinds of sports activity. Al Forsan provides world class facilities be it any sport along with professionals who can guide, train and help you nurture your talent. I've been so impressed with this place that I recommend this to be the best place for those corporate team building events.

[caption id="attachment_4868" align="alignnone" width="660"] Before the paintball game -Me(left) and my guest(right) - Dhs 95 for 100paintballs(a game of 15 mins)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4901" align="alignnone" width="470"] Paintball - Dhs 95 for 100paintballs(a game of 15 mins) - photo courtesy Al Forsan[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4869" align="alignnone" width="660"] After the paintball game - Me(left) and my guest(right) - Dhs 95 for 100paintballs(a game of 15 mins)[/caption]

We started our day with Paintball. Each of us were given a clean uniform for paintball. At the site, we were briefed on the sport and were given our loaded paintball guns. 10 of us were made 5 a side for the game. Each team had to steal the flag from their opponent and bring it back to their base. So we advance together as a team, we get attacked as we get closer to our enemy territory. You can duck in their artificial buildings, houses, huts etc. Peep through the fox holes and fire at your enemy making way to the flag. It was my first time. The game was literally as if we were in war. You had very little time, needed to think and act quick. Never did I expect the paintball to be so painful. All this time I imagined paintball to have a water balloon effect. But actually speaking, if you get a shot from paintball gun it really hurts. One of the shot I received hit my finger which gave it a cut. So you need to be really careful when you play this sport. You also don't want to be shooting someone very close, make sure you keep safe distance to avoid any real harm. They did mention all this during the initial briefing. In this 15 mins game our team eventually won, simple because each of our opponents when out of ammunition as they constantly had to fire to defend and shoo us from getting closer to their base. So that's one thing you need to keep in mind. There is no refilling. So when you are done with your loaded gun, the game is literally over for you. So fire wisely!

Pricing for 100 paintballs - Dhs 95 per person (weekend rates) - 15 mins game maximum

[caption id="attachment_4871" align="alignnone" width="660"] Equestrian - Myself(left) and My guest(right)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4893" align="alignnone" width="470"] Me Getting ready to be on the horse - photo courtesy Al Forsan[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4894" align="alignnone" width="470"] On my horse at Al Forsan Equestrian - photo courtesy Al Forsan[/caption]

Then we were taken to Al Forsan's polo field for horse riding where we were given private lesson on how to ride a horse. We were given the option to choose our horse. The instructor would stand in the middle and give us instructions on how to climb on a horse, how to sit on a horse(getting your posture right), how stand on a horse, move along with the horse when it starts to move quicker, how to stop a moving horse etc. Eventually I thought I did more work than the horse. Its not as easy as you see in the movies, horse riding does take a little bit out of you :p

The pricing for semi-private lessons for beginners would be: Dhs 360

[caption id="attachment_4906" align="alignnone" width="470"] Go Kart racing - Dhs 140 for 15 mins[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4873" align="alignnone" width="470"] Instructor briefing on safety and rules of the Go Kart racing[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4875" align="alignnone" width="470"] Getting ready for Go Kart racing - Dhs 140 for 15 mins[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4876" align="alignnone" width="470"] seated and ready to take it out for a race - 15 mins Go Kart - Dhs 140[/caption]

Kart racing was the most exciting race for us. From the beginning we were just looking forward to this one. I think it's normal, everyone loves to kart race. Before the race, every racer had to register themselves at the screens available at the station with their photo taken. Our profile is then linked to our assigned car. Each kart has an electronic tag to it and once the race starts our details would be visible on the big screens inside, moving up and down in the rankings according to our performance in the race. After the race, an e-mail is also sent to you instantly with your score and rank list. When registering you also have the option for the scorecard to be directly uploaded to your facebook page which I thought was a quite risky if you were to be in the bottom of the scorecard :D The 15 mins felt so long. The whole pressure goes onto your forearm when driving due to constant turning at high speeds. Eventually in the last 5 minutes I just wanted to get over with it.

Pricing is Dhs 140 for 15 mins of Go Karting.

[caption id="attachment_4878" align="alignnone" width="470"] 1 hour wakeboarding - Dhs 140[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4877" align="alignnone" width="470"] 1 hour wakeboarding - Dhs 140[/caption]

Water sports at Al Forsan is powered by their high tech cable system which is basically long cables that travel at a speed between 29 to 38 kph and we just need to grab one of them and skate along with it on water. Be it wakeboard, kneeboard, water ski/skate etc. It was a little embarrassing to see the little local kids do it so well while we just hold that cable and fall right into the water. Ofcourse, its all about practice but surely their cable system is quite unique and a thriller for water sport enthusiasts.

Pricing for 1 hour wake boarding would be Dhs 140

[caption id="attachment_4879" align="alignnone" width="470"] Me shooting - pistol - 25shots - Dhs 190[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4880" align="alignnone" width="470"] My score of 85 with 10 shots - Dhs 190 for 25 shots[/caption]

Shooting is where I actually excelled. I was one of the top shooters scoring 85 with 10 bullets. I myself was surprised how accurate I was for a first timer. But it was loud. So loud that even after wearing that ear piece your hands still shiver expecting the burst of sound on your next trigger. And when participants shoot together, it gets even crazy. This probably was the only sport where you could actually relax and play the game. Rest of the sports we played today took the most out of our body.

Pricing would be Dhs 190 for 25 shots. Click here to visit the official page of Al Forsan - International Sports Resort. Click pictures below to screen them in full screen view:

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