Dino LIVE @ Dubai Festival City : The Good & The Bad

khaleef is a dinosaur freak now, including little kazim who likes to carry a miniature t-rex all around, and kahfi too.

so we definitely wanted to take khaleef to the ‘dino LIVE’ exhibition in dubai festival city for him to go back in time and find out what the dinosaur really look like LIVE since the dino exhibits here are said to be life-size – even the biggest dinosaur of all – the bracchiosaurus!

 

 

fun facts on ‘dino LIVE’ at dubai festival city

1. according to sources on the net, ‘dino live’ is the world’s largest dinosaur exhibition
2. the exhibition consists of more than 30 life-sized animated dinosaurs – up to 20m in length and 6m in height
3. these animatronic dinos emit actual dinosaur sounds, and also move their heads and jaws, and swish their tails
4. ext to each dinosaur, there is a 42-inch screen which displays relevant information about this dinosaur
5. there’s an educational movie and a 3D cinema, where children of all ages can learn and experience what it was like to live among the dinosaurs
6. the exhibition is divided into a ‘Dinosaur zone’, a ‘Fossil Zone’, ‘Educational Zone’ and a ‘3D cinema’.

 

 

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my excited little paleontologists!

 

 

while i find the excitement of my boys in seeing the dinosaurs very rewarding, i must give my opinion on what I DON’T LIKE about dino LIVE :

1. while the dinosaurs ARE life-sized, the setting and display of all the exhibits are amaturish. mr. khairul even went as far as saying it’s like a high-school project. why? the dinosaurs are all placed one after another in boxy enclosure, and in a haphazard manner without knowing which dino or era comes first. motorshow pun lagi lawa cara diorang display kereta! haha
2. they should’ve put a one-way path that started accordingly (like in ikea, where we would be ‘inclined’ to cover each ‘room’ as we walk since we’re following a one-way path that doesn’t have a criss-cross to another section) to make it easier to navigate through
3. they should have archways to tell us that we’re leaving a certain era like ‘triassic’, and about to enter another era ‘jurassic’, which will make it easier for kids to know which group of dinos live in the same era; or at least color coded the display panel or names so that it’s immediately recognizable
4. the TV that supposed to display information about the dinosaur is TOO HIGH UP which makes it difficult for young kids to read, thus they’re discouraged to learn more about the dino they’re seeing
5. other than the tv, the NAME of the dinosaur should be displayed boldly in front of the dinosaur
6. there’s no pamphlet with information given to visitors to enhance their experience in dino LIVE
7. entrance fee is 50dhs which include popcorn – but it’s salty popcorn without caramel. aku nak yang caramel! kedekut lah!
8. the so-called ‘educational movie’ IS educational, but i’m sorry to say that the movie they show seemed as old as the dinosaurs themselves! it’s like an old documentary taken from the 1970’s! hello? with 50dhs that we pay, can you give the kids the latest documentary on dinos from highly-acclaimed sourse like nat geo?
9. the gift-shop is a joke. should have more dino LIVE merchandise – enough to make it a lot cooler that it already is to the kids. no dino LIVE t-shirts. no books. not even a freaking fridge magnets

 

mr. khairul with the samseng of dinosaurs – the mighty t-rex

 

the biggest of them all – the bracchiosaurus with khaleef

 

now to be fair, there are a few things that I DO LIKE about dino LIVE :

1. khaleef and kahfi were screaming excitedly as they move to each dinosaur, which is more than enough to make mr. khairul feel less of a fool to spend 50dhs each this hihi it was a joy watching khaleef identfying each dino without even looking at the TV (sebab tv pun tinggi sangat kan, tak nampak!)
2. the life-sized dinosaurs are a real sight – standing majestic over us, especially the t-rex and the biggest of ‘em all the brachiosaurus – and being a highly imaginative person, i was transported back in time where i wandered among these giant lizards to a time before time – it was amazing
3. to see how small we are compared to a dinosaur – standing side by side like in the pictures above – mr. khairul with t-rex, and little khaleef with the gigantic leaf-eating brachiosaurus
4. for really young ones like kazim, seeing these dinos emitting growls and roars, while movie its head or swishing its tail is enough to make their eyes wide in wonderment and awe – kazim was very scared and cautious at first, tagging along close behing his ateh (my sis-in-law) but soon became very curious and interested later on
5. while the setting of the whole dino LIVE could be improved, i kind off like the individual setting of the dino – with the trees, rocks and stones and the plants – looks quite nice
6. also, when we went, we were THE ONLY ONES THERE! so we felt like VIP – konon-konon the dino LIVE is purposely closed just for us haha i don’t worry about kazim getting lost in the crowd. khaleef and kahfi roamed freely running around to see the dinosaurs!

 

kazim! don’t be scared, they’re fake! hihi

 

dino bones pun ade!

 

so – if you have better ways to spend 50dhs in this dubai summer sale, go ahead. you’re not losing anything! however, if your kid absolutely LOVE dinosaurs, and you have more than 50dhs to burn, this might be a memorable ‘trip’ for your kid during this school holiday.

your call!

the dino LIVE show is running now at dubai festival city, the top floor near the cinema.

Al-Fanar : Eat Emirati Food in Old Dubai Village

imagine travelling back to the past in simpler times where fishermen sat at tables drinking hot tea after a tiring day. at a corner, bedouin ladies preparing local food. pearl-divers and merchants busied themselves in souks (market), with donkeys carrying oil containers outside while passing by a camel sitting with its herder under the shade. arab merchants stopped to rest; cross-legged in a majlees while the waiter served them machboos dajaj (machboos rice with chicken).

no need time-machine for that.

 

gorgeous entrance ~ sturdy old-style oak door – and heavy to open too! (the arab dude behind me is just a mannequin ya hihi)

 

just eat at al-fanar restaurant and cafe, boasted as the first and ONLY place serving *emirati cuisine in the most incredibly charming setting – depicting the ambiance of 1960’s dubai. a time when it was just a small town in the heart of the middle east, along the shore of the arabian gulf. it was the strategic spot for merchants, pearl divers and bedouin people.

*locals of UAE (united arab emirates) are called ‘emirati’ and even the locals admit there is no restaurant selling emirati cuisine as it’s usually serves in people’s homes. realizing the lack of awareness about emirati food among the expats and tourists, the owner decided to open an emirati restaurant – and so al-fanar is born.

here at al-fanar restaurant, you feel like you’re eating at a museum; a museum set to look like an old emirati village. let the pictures show you how wonderful the outside of the restaurant is – so much to see, and to hold, and to take pictures off. my boys had so much fun. it’s good that they don’t really mind kids ‘riding’ the display. a few arab families also had their kids on the donkey and camel and take pictures.

and this is just the outside.

 

the decor outside is awesome. from left clockwise : my eldest khaleef on the camel, kahfi pulling a donkey, a blue jeep and lots of other items usually found in a typical emirati village; like the final picture showing kahfi watching a ‘bedouin woman’ making cheese – so interesting!

 

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let’s go inside!

 

kedai kopi

 

words cannot express how wonderful the decor is on the inside. this part of al-fanar restaurant is made to look like olden days coffee shop. it has this gorgeous nostalgic look, with the crumbling paint-job on the wall, the rusty look of the door hinges and the oil lamp – complete with an old bicycle resting by a wall.

 

credit : al-fanar facebook page

 

this is also where the ‘souk’ is – where patrons can buy local items usually found at emirati houses, like metal containers, little hand-woven baskets, and brushes made from leaves – which mysteriously looked like the long-lost brother of our malay penyapu lidi!

 

 

the rest of al-fanar restaurant is even more mesmerizing. every single corner and walls is a quite a sight with kerosene lamp hanging above. all around the walls you can also see classic black and white pictures depicting old dubai, scenes from life in dubai around the 1960's.

everything is so nostalgic!

 

the courtyard (credit : al-fanar facebook page)

 

there are so many places you can choose to eat at. outside you can choose to sit cross-legged in the tent, or choose a tent with tables and chairs. you can sit outside beside the donkey or with the view of the man-made canal.

inside, you can sit at the table at the ‘souq’ or go to the courtyard, where we sat. you can choose to sit by one of the ‘booth seats’ tucked in a few corners for privacy, or just in the middle under the ‘blue sky’ next to a ‘tall bushy tree’.

yes, the ceiling is painted to look like a clear blue sky, while they ‘plant’ a tree (yes, a tree!) smack in the heart of al-fanar restaurant! lovely! you really feel like eating outdoor at an arabian courtyard.

 

we sat at the ‘courtyard’. it’s so interesting dining amongst the arabs, surrounded by the ambiance of an arab house. just lovely.

 

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so, how’s the food?

the menu at al-fanar restaurant claims to offer ‘authentic emirati cuisine’. interestingly enough, i don’t see the usual street-food that i’ve had while in dubai like my favorite mandi rice, or shawarma, or even hummus – which i thought is a must-have at an arab dining table. turns out that these other food may be ARAB in origin, but not emirati.

this is exactly what the owner of al-fanar restaurant is trying to change : the perception of expats and tourist about what IS the local emirati food? there are more briyani dishes and grilled seafood in the main course, i would say. the selection of desserts is most commendable, and i guarantee you can’t decide right away which to try first.

the menu is easy to browse – it’s got pictures which makes it easy to imagine the dish you’re gonna enjoy without relying on the description alone. the names are in arabic, but the description is in english. to view full menu, click here.

 

we tried this humble little dish called ‘koftat samak’. looks like our pergedil, but it's actually fish – deep fried crumbled fish. it doesn’t look much, but it’s deliciously crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.

 

too bad blur photo – but this fish dish was the best! 'samak al-tanoor' is the name of the dish, served with steamed white rice, softest i’ve ever eaten – ntah beras apa diorang guna! the fish is simply grilled, leaving the flesh soft and juicy with rich taste of the marinade.

highly recommended! can’t wait to bring my abah here, he would love this grilled fish!

 

for the main dish, we ordered 'machboos laham' – it looks like meat mandi but sad to say, quite disappointing. the rice was ok but the meat is just too dry. i think with all the yemeni's mandi rice and iranian rice, rich-flavoured indian and pakistani briyani we’ve tried in dubai, emirati main rice dish is just a mediocre dish…sorry, sheikh!

 

we realized that we didn’t have anything with gravy but we didn’t want any curry (since we want to try something new) so we went for 'nagahr nashef' which is squid cooked in tomato sauce. this dish is quite so-so, tasty enough for me, but those who want more spice in a dish would probably not like it. it’s very mild, and for some reason, i didn’t taste the squid. was it really squid, ke potato?

 

now, i would suggest you to simply go to al-fanar JUST for their selection of local emirati sweets and desserts. just pick a table, sit back, relax and order one sweet dish.

this one that we tried was so delicious that we had to order another plate. this yummylicious dessert is called 'leqaimat' – crispy fried dough ball coated in sweet date syrup – sedap sangat! my boys loved it! served hot and fresh with a generous pour of the sweet date syrup, and a sprinkle of sesame seed.

there are a few others that i would love to try next; like the emirati doughnuts and flat bread served with date syrup and cream cheese – oh, the thought of it! check out the list of al-fanar desserts here.

 

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my malaysian readers would be interested to find out that the waiters' outfit looks like our baju melayu, siap pakai kopiah ngan kain pelikat.  i was so delightfully shocked when i first saw them! but actually they wore the green kandoora, and the kain sarong on the outside like an apron. we had to take picture with one!

while the men’s outfit looked like our lelaki melayu, the waitresses wear different colored kaftan.

when we came right at noon, the place was just starting to get packed. by the time we were waiting for our orders, more and more people came until there was a waiting line at the seating area by the cashier. however, the waiters were helpful in suggesting dishes to us, and promptly served our food.

 

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in every nook and corner you can see an item, along with its description – just like in a museum kan? so interesting!

 

another interesting finding – these plates said to be ‘dishes traditionally used in most of the houses in UAE’ are amazingly similar to the ones used in my grandma’s house in teluk intan! macam pinggan mangkok kenduri opah aku kat teluk anson je! kan kan kan…

 

al-fanar restaurant and cafe @ dubai festival city

 

al-fanar restaurant and cafe is in dubai festival city, by the man-made canal by the marina.

personally i would say that it was an enriching experience eating at this beautiful al-fanar restaurant as it was like eating in a museum, it was like eating in another moment in time in the olden days, AND because it was my first time eating local emirati food.

all these while i’ve eaten yemeni’s mandi rice countless times, lebanese food, and iranian dishes, but never local emirati food.

overall, i thoroughly enjoyed my lunch here at al-fanar – since i tried the oh-so-soft steamed rice with the deliciously juicy grilled fish and crispy fish koftat. HOWEVER, i must say i would not go there as soon, because it’s quite pricy (to me, as i prefer cheaper but equally delicious yemeni’s mandi rice and pakistani briyani elsewhere!) but i highly recommend that you go and try eating there even if it’s just that one time.

this is the place where you can say ‘enjoy your food’, ‘enjoy the view’, ‘enjoy the display’ and ‘hope you had learned something about emirati food and culture’!

click here for a very interesting article on al-fanar restaurant and the emirati food from gulfnews, along with a video of the restaurant.

The Famous Ikea Meatballs : 1st Try!

yes, yes – we’ve just jumped onto the bandwagon of ikea meatball-lovers, after practically everyone we knew had already tried it!

we went to festival city dubai, where the ikea is.

 

 

ikea meatballs, ikea meatballs. what the heck is this dish? is it a pasta dish? but it doesn’t say spaghetti meatballs. so what, there’s JUST meatballs on the plate? what the—? what kind of dish is that!

so went my sceptical self before this.

turned out, my plate of meatballs consists of 10 meatballs in cream sauce, with a huge chunk of potato and steamed veggie – all for 10dhs a plate.

to be honest, it looks like a ‘poor man’s steak plate’ – instead of a big fat steak, you got meatballs. instead of rich creamy mash potato, you’ve got that bulk of potato. and instead of crisp salad and avocado, you’ve got the instant mix veggie with peas and baby carrots.

all this, for 15dhs. we bought one plate and share, because sharing is caring haha.

 

 

the dish is SO simple, and yet, with one bite – so delicious! the juicy meatballs, the salty marinade cream sauce, the sweet potato – they all complement each other well.

in malaysia, instead of that potato bulk, this dish is served with fries, am i right? actually i’d prefer fries than the potato!

but i LOVE the veggie. i’ve always loved green peas with my lamb chops, steaks or burgers. i can eat lots and lots of green peas, so no complaints there!

 

 

mr. khairul bought this cake for JUST 7dhs. and on top of that, gets a complimentary coffee to go along with it. that’s a fantastic deal, in dubai terms. really.

mind you, in dubai you’re probably dreaming if you pay less than 10dhs for a cake. oh, you can actually get very cheap (and yummy) cheesecake and choc cake at kfc for 7dhs.

…so to get a deliciously fancy cake like in the picture, along with a free coffee – all for 7 dhs – is something you got to have!

 

kahfi doing sniffing test. as usual. :P

 

naughty kahfi

 

 

khaleef did an impromptu storytelling, while kazim listened intently

 

my youngest prince

 

being in a middle east country, there’s also chicken shawarma (like kebab) sold, alongside the western hotdog. but i’d try the swedish meatballs again the next time we come by!

what did we buy? a wooden kitchen rack, coat hanger, some kiddy placemats (with the mouse driving the chilli? cute and whimsical!), and the plush sofa cushions. *seronok!* ok, everybody let’s just shout – i love ikea!

Dubai Festival City's Funny Signs

just woke up.

hari ni macam nak demam. tapi ngade nak blog jugak. so this will be a short posting.

ok - dubai festival city is a shopping mall, and often a venue for big dubai events like 'dubai film festival', or 'dubai literature fest' and such.

one fine day we went and stumble upon a really amusing event - 'the signspotting project', a free show of the 'world's funniest signs', as discovered by travel writer and photographer doug lansky.

the funny signs that he collected were displayed along the marina promenade just outside the mall. the signs are made to look like the actual sign posts, so it's cool to read and smile at them as you take a walk.

ok.

demam sikit.

so just look at the pictures and enjoy the funny signs, ok!

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cute. there's a sign, and underneath is a big rock boulder with explanation of the sign, and where it's taken from.

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to read further on this guy's project on funny sign post, read this feature on gulfnews - click here! to my dubai friends, i'm sure the 'exhibition' is still going on, so head on to dubai festival city to have a little laugh!

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ok. demam. nak makan, and tido balik.