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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Feast - Sheraton Grand Hotel - Friday Brunch - Dhs 295

[caption id="attachment_4550" align="alignnone" width="660"] Friday brunch at feast, sheraton grand hotel[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4570" align="alignnone" width="660"] From left: Chef, Restaurant Manager and ME[/caption]

I found about Feast Friday Brunch when I bumped into them on my instagram account. Feast is one of the restaurants inside Sheraton Grand Hotel. Friday Brunch at Feast includes LIVE cooking stations that takes you through a culinary journey across the streets of Malaysia, into northern India and to the grand french chateaux. Most of you who've been to sheikh zayed road can't miss this iconic glass building of Sheraton Grand Hotel that illuminates different colored light at night. Friday Brunch at Feast, Sheraton Grand Hotel is priced as below:

• Brunch including soft drinks                    AED 295


• Brunch including house beverages         AED 395


• Brunch including Moët & Chandon          AED 495

[caption id="attachment_4568" align="alignnone" width="660"] View from the balcony at Feast restaurant, Sheraton Grand hotel[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4567" align="alignnone" width="660"] View from the balcony at feast restaurant, Sheraton Grand Hotel[/caption]

We had our Friday brunch in open air in their balcony with beautiful views of Sheikh Zayed road. Just opposite to me is the famous Trade Center(Dubai's first tallest building). I remember back the old days we used to proudly bring visitors in front of this building and they would count all 33 floors of Trade Center. Time has changed and today it's just another tall building on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai.

[caption id="attachment_4566" align="alignnone" width="660"] Feast restaurant - interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4569" align="alignnone" width="660"] Feast restaurant - interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4571" align="alignnone" width="660"] Feast restaurant - interiors[/caption]

The interior is good looking. I love their Wooden floors and tables. You could find different sized tables and chairs to suit your group. We got a perfect table for our family in their balcony. The restaurant is not big but medium sized in space. The moment you enter this restaurant you are teased by dazzling desserts counter. The buffet space is divided between different parts of the world where each part of the world showcasing the best they have to offer.

[caption id="attachment_4556" align="alignnone" width="660"] Market selection seafood soup with corn salsa and dill cream[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4555" align="alignnone" width="660"] JOHN STONE'S Lamb 26[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4561" align="alignnone" width="660"] My plate of meat - steak, salmon and angus burger[/caption]

Don't confuse the first picture for omelette, it's actually seafood soup. Different and tasty :)  Their grass fed lamb/beef where upto the mark specially their angus beef burger. They had an interesting item called Lamb 26 which offered 3 different cuts of lamb along with 26 garnishes for you to eat with. So every table had this tray of 26 garnishes and you know they were having John Stone's Lamb 26 :p

[caption id="attachment_4551" align="alignnone" width="660"] Pomegranate & Tamarind tandoori Chicken[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4552" align="alignnone" width="660"] Butter chicken and vegetable biriyani[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4553" align="alignnone" width="470"] indian spicy chaat[/caption]

The chicken tandoori thighs marinated with curd, tamarind paste and pomegranate juice reduction was the highlight for me in the Indian Pavilion. Looked very attractive in its cute frying pan. The butter chicken was thick and tasty, although I felt chicken tandoori was more supple and tender compared to the chicken pieces in butter chicken. Their Naans were crisp and upto the mark, thankfully there were not chewy. Vegetable biriyani was also available but didn't try them. They even had the traditional indian spicy chaat which gives you the taste of real India ;)

[caption id="attachment_4547" align="alignnone" width="660"] Kelly Galway oysters[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4549" align="alignnone" width="660"] Kelly Galway oysters[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4559" align="alignnone" width="660"] Fresh mussels[/caption]

Seafood was the best part for me at Feast. They were really fresh and tasted just out of the sea. You need to try their Kelly Galway oysters which was one of the best I've had. Their mussels were fantastic, had lot of them for my Friday brunch. There were shrimps as well. In other words, seafood taste best here and I've seen guests taking complete advantage of it ;)

[caption id="attachment_4565" align="alignnone" width="660"] Beef Rendang braised with coconut curry[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4557" align="alignnone" width="660"] Malaysian street food - ice kacang[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4558" align="alignnone" width="660"] Mocktail[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4564" align="alignnone" width="660"] zaater[/caption]

Malaysian street food is where you get some stir fry, dim sums and others which you would typically find on the streets of Malaysia. You must definitely try their Beef braised with coconut curry, thick spicy and perfect for an indian like me. Also they made fresh dessert called the ice kacang which you normally would find in Singapore streets more often.

[caption id="attachment_4542" align="alignnone" width="660"] Doughnuts[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4543" align="alignnone" width="660"] chocolate fountain[/caption]





[caption id="attachment_4563" align="alignnone" width="660"] desserts[/caption]

Dessert cannot be missed by anyone here as they had it stretched across a long table and you keep bumping into it while you pick your mains and others at Friday brunch. I've seen them make fresh doughnuts while I was there and surely that's something you must try. They've got a huge collection of cakes, pastries, doughnuts and most importantly a dedicated dessert section for kids. By the way, they also serve fresh bread and cheese. They were a few arabic selection but nothing really enticing.

To know more about Feast brunch in Sheraton Grand Hotel, Please click here to visit their official page. Click on pictures below to view them in full screen view:

[gallery type="rectangular" ids="4571,4570,4569,4568,4567,4566,4565,4564,4563,4562,4561,4560,4559,4558,4557,4556,4555,4554,4553,4552,4551,4550,4549,4548,4547,4546,4545,4544,4543,4542"]

ABSOLUTE BARBECUES - Dubai Media City - Buffet

[caption id="attachment_4199" align="alignnone" width="470"] AB's at night time[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4178" align="alignnone" width="470"] Veg and non veg starters at AB's[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4184" align="alignnone" width="470"] My company at AB's[/caption]

Here I am at one of the most talked about restaurant recently. I've heard about this new restaurant many times and after reading an article in weekend magazine last week on Absolute Barbecues I thought it was high time I make a move to this place. Absolute Barbecues have just opened their first franchise in Dubai. They are doing well in India with their stores located in Hyderbard, Chennai and Bangalore. They truly believe in the spirits of barbecue and gives a unique dine in experience in Dubai.

[caption id="attachment_4173" align="alignnone" width="470"] AB's interior[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4192" align="alignnone" width="470"] AB's interior[/caption]

A buffet comprising of Unlimited veg and non-veg grills, a salad bar, a long bench of main course with a variety of desserts and most importantly priced reasonably, makes this an interesting proposition. Pricing would be as below:

• Lunch buffet: Sunday to Thursday - 55Dhs


• Lunch buffet: Friday to Saturday - 75Dhs


• Dinner buffet: Sunday to Wednesday - 80Dhs


• Dinner buffet: Thursday to Saturday - 70Dhs

The seating are comfortable and a spacious restaurant. For me the only disappointment is their location where it's in the middle of no where. It's on sheikh zayed road but not easily accessible and visible. I drive always through that road and I never realized there was Absolute Barbecues on my right just after I pass GEMS Wellington school. Many of you who still haven't started using Google maps might find it a little difficult to locate them initially. Some say it's at Media city, to me it's like at the outskirts of Dubai Media City. Parking is available below the building for AB's customers so that's taken care.

[caption id="attachment_4174" align="alignnone" width="470"] The barbeque at our table[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4193" align="alignnone" width="470"] Spice up your grill[/caption]

The center of every table you can find a BBQ grill mesh . If not in use it's normally covered by a wooden plank and this normally happens when you go for the desserts. On every table you can find extra oil to spray onto your grills if you want your grills extra spicy or more flavoured. If you are an Indian it's good idea to tell them you want it spicy else it's a little bland in taste without spice.

[caption id="attachment_4180" align="alignnone" width="470"] Drinks - Dhs 15 - From left: Mango pulp( mango pulp infused with vanilla ice cream , coconut and blended with mint), Banana bonkers(Banana puree combined with Grape juice and lemon sherbet and stirred with crushed ice), Indian tadka(Green apple spiked with celery and black salt , chat masala , coriander leaves and topped with Cola)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4181" align="alignnone" width="470"] Pineapple special with cinnamon and honey topping[/caption]

From the drinks my favourite was the Indian tadka which felt like an internal cleanser. The last time I had this drink was from 25 degrees North. The shakes such as the mango pulp and banana bonkers where more indian in standard. In Dubai, you get some of the best shakes so I believe they have some working to do here. The shakes can get better. They had this special item called BBQ churrasco which is a big chuck of pineapple coated with cinnamon and honey which is shaved onto everyone's plate whenever needed. In fact if you go to their official website they even tell you how to make it.

[caption id="attachment_4177" align="alignnone" width="470"] Non - veg grills just arrived at our table[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4175" align="alignnone" width="470"] Veg Grills at AB's[/caption]

Then came the highlight of the day which were their veg and non veg starters. They bring the entire suite of veg or non veg grills together and place them on your BBQ grill found on your table. And if you want to add some extra spice and flavour to your grill, simply lift that oil spray(smoked paparika, spicy chilly)  found on your table and shoot them onto your grill smoking those grills. It's actually fun, you are barbecuing! The taste of these grills reminded of our BBQ at parks :D I could easily enjoy both veg and non veg grills. The grills were brought quickly to our table. Luckily there wasn't much waiting for the grills. The service was also quick and responsive. Most of the servers came directly from one of the AB's Indian franchise. They spoke better hindi than english.

[caption id="attachment_4176" align="alignnone" width="470"] veg grills at AB's[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4189" align="alignnone" width="470"] Veg plate at AB's[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4179" align="alignnone" width="470"] Veg and non veg grills at AB's[/caption]

Some of their weekend starters

VEG

• char grilled mushroom


• BBQ grilled and Furit Chaat


• Crispy Corn


• American Cheese Potato


• Churrasco Pineappleveg

NON-VEG

• Chicken Shish Tawook


• American Mustard Fish


• Pesto Prawns


• Mutton Gilafi Seekh


• Lamb Chops and Pepper Sauce

The best part was that these grills were unlimited. The lamb chops, paneer tikka, mutton seekh, pesto prawns were some of my favourites here. By the way this is just the first set of starters. Now scroll below to find out their second set of interesting starters....

[caption id="attachment_4182" align="alignnone" width="470"] At the wish grill counter where you choose your main, sauce and spice[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4188" align="alignnone" width="470"] Starters 2 getting ready along with your choice of sauce and spices[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4185" align="alignnone" width="470"] wish grill served - quail, prawn and duck[/caption]

•  Wish Grill(non-veg): Turkey, Duck, Octopus, Quail, Squid and Prawn


• Wish Grill(veg): Brocooli, Zucchini, baby corn, mushroom

Just when I thought it was a great start with their starters, they introduced me to another set of starters called the wish grill. It's little more than just grill which is you choose your meat/veg, sauces and spices. They mix it all and cook them fresh and the starters just got better. The fact that it was mixed with special sauces got the taste better. Wish grill turned out to be even better than the first set of starters which were just grills.

[caption id="attachment_4190" align="alignnone" width="470"] My salad plate at AB's[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4186" align="alignnone" width="470"] AB's weekend buffet - Dhs 80[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4187" align="alignnone" width="470"] Salad table at AB's buffet[/caption]

By the time I was done with their 2 type of unlimited starters I just couldn't think about a maincourse now. But their salads looked interesting so grabbed a few of it. They had 2 different soups(chicken and veg), Biriyani, Curries and different types of Rotis. I wonder how many would be able to eat their maincourse after a heavy start.



[caption id="attachment_4198" align="alignnone" width="470"] My plate of desserts at AB's[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4196" align="alignnone" width="470"] Dessert - Gulab Jamuns at AB's[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4195" align="alignnone" width="470"] Ice cream getting ready - the cold stone way[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4194" align="alignnone" width="470"] Dessert - rabri[/caption]

They had plenty of desserts. I mainly enjoyed just two of them which was their cake and stone cold themed ice cream basically ice creams that get smashed with your chosen toppings(nuts, brownies, candy etc). Most of their desserts were a little extra sweet than needed. I think they need to just pick a few and focus on it's quality. It's been a fun ride at AB's. But at the end you leave Absolute Barbecues absolutely happy eating loads of BBQ grills. Click here to visit their facebook page.

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