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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Vintage chocolate lounge - Dubai Mall

[caption id="attachment_4267" align="alignnone" width="660"] Me lost at Vintage Chocolate Lounge[/caption]

Love chocolates? then this is the post for you ;) Vintage chocolate lounge is a lounge for chocoholics. They've got so many treats and tricks to offer you that you will be mesmerized. This lounge is a regular sight for movie viewers at Dubai Mall as their store is located just opposite to reel cinemas. Surprisingly they even serve breakfast at their chocolate lounge which I doubt anyone would know until they have a look at their new menu. Infact, my breakfast was so good here that I thought they make better breakfast than chocolates.

[caption id="attachment_4258" align="alignnone" width="470"] Vintage Chocolate Lounge - interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4261" align="alignnone" width="660"] Vintage Hot aztetc chocolate - Dhs 28 - blended with hot chilli[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4260" align="alignnone" width="660"] drinks - From right: shrek - Dhs 24 (mint chocolate ice cream shake) and Passion fruit - Dhs 30 (blend of passion fruit, orange and pineapple)[/caption]

An elegant looking lounge from the outside with a dark theme inside having illuminated designs on the walls. A perfect spot for those love birds :D We first started with their drinks. Firstly I was happy to see their quality menu with big wide pages and pictures which was useful in guiding us to make an order. For the drinks, the green shake did attract my eye for the color. The shrek shake which was a blend of mint chocolate ice cream was pretty strong in taste that the passion fruit juice felt tasteless. Maybe it's a good idea to sip the juice first then try the shake. When I drank their hot chocolate I got two reactions. The first reaction, you appreciate the quality of their chocolate and what a divine sip it was, the next one was a frustrated one which was a spicy sensation in the mouth. I then realized I've ordered a spicy hot chocolate which got me frustrated. Later I noticed, the description clearly mentions blending chilli with their hot chocolate. I think it's good if they reconfirm with their customers if they prefer to have spice in their hot chocolate cause not everyone should necessarily notice that chilli coming.

[caption id="attachment_4259" align="alignnone" width="660"] Chocolates made by Vintage Chocolate Lounge - Dhs 4 per piece[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4264" align="alignnone" width="660"] Eggs Benedict - Dhs 31[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4263" align="alignnone" width="660"] Eggs Benedict - Dhs 31[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4262" align="alignnone" width="660"] Hallomi sandwich - Dhs 26 - hallomi cheese, olives, rocket leaves, mint, zaatar and fresh olive oil dressing[/caption]

We then started with breakfast but they said my eggs benedict will take around 15 mins to prepare. So to kill time we tried some of their quality chocolates which were made in house. They had truffles, milk and dark chocolates with different fillings like almond, caramel, honey etc. I was quite impressed with their honey filled dark chocolate where you can actually taste real honey inside the dark chocolate. If I wanted to try the same one at Godiva I'd have to pay Dhs 8 so this is affordable by half the price. Then came in our breakfast which was unbelievably good. It's one of the best eggs benedict I've had. Those plain croissants on top of eggs benedict really defined a croissant. I never appreciated a plain croissant until I had this one. Crispy, light, puffed and so fresh in the mouth. It's surely one of the best I've had. Quite surprising that a chocolate lounge can be so good with their breakfast that's totally non-chocolate. Everything so perfect with it including the mushrooms which tasted so good.

[caption id="attachment_4266" align="alignnone" width="660"] Fruit tarts - Dhs 37 - 7 types of flavour strawberry, blueberry, cranberry, pecan and almond[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4269" align="alignnone" width="660"] choco - sushi - Dhs 45 - assortment of raw cocoa rolls[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4268" align="alignnone" width="660"] Cocoa Crepe - Dhs 27[/caption]

If you don't like sushi don't worry. Here's one that you'll love to try. Although I feel assortment choco sushis are a little over priced(dhs 45) but it's got some interesting combinations for you to enjoy which also includes mini cheese cake wrapped with chocolate. Dip them in the sauces accompanied especially their chocolate one and you just want to have more of it. Actually majority of the items in the sushi assortment package reminds of crepes, so felt it was an over kill when we ordered the cocoa crepe separately. Their crepe was the only one I wasn't really happy at the vintage chocolate lounge . The crepe was on the thicker side which was a turn off :( I prefer them as thin as possible. I am sure they can make some improvement here. Assorted Tarts were made well and I loved their chocolate filled tarts.

[caption id="attachment_4272" align="alignnone" width="660"] Pecan Fondant - Dhs 37 - chocolate dessert with pecan pieces with your choice of ice cream[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4265" align="alignnone" width="660"] chocolate cake - Dhs 17[/caption]

Their hot pecan fondant was the man of the match from desserts or atleast I'd like to say it was my favourite. It came hot and once you crack open you see that hot chocolate lava flowing out. As you eat it you feel those pecan pieces which makes this dessert exciting. They have some cakes to offer and we tried their signature chocolate cake which was very rich in chocolate and you really appreciate the quality of chocolate they use in this one. Quite heavy as well.

[caption id="attachment_4270" align="alignnone" width="660"] Jewel Box - dhs 35 - chocolate dessert containing pecans, brownie, ice cream, truffle.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4274" align="alignnone" width="470"] Me with Vintage chocolate lounge staff[/caption]

So here's a valentine special. It's their special Jewel Box. You pour hot chocolate sauce over this beautiful golden dessert, melting open the top surface unveiling brownie, wafer and a floating vanilla ice cream. How cool is that? By the way, all ice creams they serve are made in house. Ice creams were ok in taste, it wasn't great like their chocolate. Overall I am quite impressed with Vintage chocolate lounge for their high quality and authentic chocolate experience. Even more impressive was their breakfast with eggs benedict. They might be a little over priced for some of us but here's a good news. They are giving away 50% off on total bill just for today(Valentine's special). Click here to view their facebook page.

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Cinnabon - Jumeirah Beach Residence, THE WALK

[caption id="attachment_3890" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Cinnabon & Seatles Best Coffee JBR[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3889" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Cinnabon entrance - JBR[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3883" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Having fun at Cinnabon, JBR[/caption]

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope some of you managed to experience some first hand fireworks if you were in Dubai ;) Yes, with NEW YEAR comes a NEW LOOK for my blog :) Hope you guyz like it. It should now be much easier for you to navigate between categories. There is no celebration without sugar and thought this would be a good time to post about the very famous Cinnabon which has been in Dubai for many years now. I've been many times to Cinnabon store at Al Ghurair and Dubai Mall. This time it's about their latest outlet at Jumeirah Beach Residence, THE WALK. We tried a little more than their famous cinnabons which would include their sandwiches, ice creams and their closely associated seattle's best coffee.

[caption id="attachment_3886" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Cinnabon upstairs - interiors[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3888" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Cinnabon downstairs[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3887" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Cinnabon upstairs - stairs[/caption]

They have 2 floors in this store. Most of their stores feel the same. They make it cozy with their leather seats, newspapers, complimentary wifi and surrounded by all kinds of inspiring posters.

[caption id="attachment_3885" align="aligncenter" width="660"] From left: ICE blended Javakula - dhs 19, HOT Raspberry mocha kiss(Espresso, steamed milk and dark chocolate) - dhs 20[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3882" align="aligncenter" width="660"] smoked turkey and cheese - Dhs 22 - smoked turkey, roasted turkey, emmental cheese, ckaskaval cheese and a red pesto dressing[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3916" align="aligncenter" width="470"] shish tawook wrap - Dhs 22[/caption]

Many of them were having seattle's warm coffee, I too tried one of them which is called Raspberry Mocha kiss(Dhs 20). Loved this warm mocha and was a pleasure having it in the cold. Their javakula was a little disappointing. It didn't give me the punch I look forward to from a typical ice blended coffee. Maybe there was too much ice to feel some punch. They had interesting sandwiches like the sheesh taouk wrap but I personally felt they could make better sandwiches. Sandwiches are not made in house and you can really tell the difference. I wish they made fresh sandwiches in house like how they made quality cinnabons.

[caption id="attachment_3879" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Pecanbon - Dhs 17[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3880" align="aligncenter" width="705"] chocobon - Dhs 16[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3881" align="aligncenter" width="705"] cinnabon - dhs 14[/caption]

Cinnabons! This is the best part of their store. Warm baked dough stuffed with cinnamon and irresistible frostings. The top 3 pictures are their fast sellers(cinnabon, chocobon and pecanbon). Except they also serve you in different sizes starting from classic roll(biggest), minibon(medium sized) and bites(tiny ones). They've also now come out with some new items like the cinnabon stix(dusted with sugar and their famous Makara Cinnamon). Most often I have a tough time to decide between chocobon and pecanbon. You cut open that chocobon and the chocolate starts oozing on the layers of the cinnamon rolls which catches your complete attention. Overall they make the best cinnamon rolls for sure and they remain fresh for a long time. We take them home and they still taste fresh as if just made. I would like to change their tag from their worlds famous cinnamon rolls to the worlds best cinnamon rolls. Atleast I haven't found a better one in Dubai.

[caption id="attachment_3894" align="aligncenter" width="660"] carvel cone ice cream - dhs 8[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3893" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Chocolate cake - Dhs 20[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3892" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Chocolate cake - Dhs 20[/caption]

Cinnabon has also partnered with caravel ice creams recently. Caravel is supposed to be America's freshest ice cream. Even though they remind me of the McDonald's ice cream, the taste is in a different level and definitely much better. You can opt for vanilla, chocolate or mix(vanilla and chocolate). The carvel icecream is something that can't disappoint you. I believe carvel ice creams can only be found at Cinnabon in Dubai. The chocolate cake was dense and good as it's looks but would be an overkill if you are having it just after the sweet cinnabon. Here's an old video where my son is making cinnabon at their store :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxpfY-hHxZM

[caption id="attachment_3895" align="alignnone" width="300"] Cinnabon team - JBR[/caption]

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