Kazim Gets Birthday Pizza @ Sarpino’s Pizzeria, Dubai Marina

my pizza-freak boys demand pizza for birthdays – so for my youngest son’s 4th birthday, we got him a cheese pizza. naturally.

 

birthday boy kazim, his cheese pizza and the marina. awesome.

 

domino’s, papa john and pizza hut are already weekend pizza hahaha so we wanted a different pizza place, but closer to home. we didn’t want none of those super thin-crusted Italian pizza, which brings us to ‘sarpino’s pizzeria’, located next to the marina yacht club. in fact we actually walked inside the marina club, and took the stairs down and out. ‘sarpino’s pizzeria’ should be on your right.

it was a good choice. they had delicious pizza and a magnificent view. it was a great birthday dinner for kazim!

 

birthday boy and his brothers love nothing but cheese pizza, so we got them just that. the picture does not do justice to the delicious pizza crust – crispy outside, soft inside, plus generous toppings. I simply LOVE the crust, it’s exactly what I want a pizza crust to be. the texture is just a perfect combo of crispy-moist dough in my mouth.

 

for mak and bapak we got the ‘clasico italiano’ pizza – ‘loaded with pepperoni, turkey, onions, mushrooms, green and red peppers, and mozzarella cheese. doesn’t disappoint at all. delicious pizza all around.

 

I love it because of the thick crust that’s crispy outside and soft & moist inside. (one of my other favorite pizza crusts is the pizza at ‘california pizza kitchen’. check out my review here on our first visit there when the mall opened 24 hours!) other than the crust, I appreciate the generous toppings too! so thick and filled with yumminess. worth the affordable price!

 

birthday boys kazim enjoying his birthday pizza~

 

other than the pizzas, we also tried the ‘caesar salad’ – with ‘romaine and iceberg lettuce, sprinkled with parmesan cheese, topped with croutons and served with homemade caesar dressing’. mr. khairul and I are big fans of salad – and this one gets our approval. fresh and crunchy greens. on top of that we also got the creamy mushroom soup and that was just a really tasty, rich mushroom soup. yummy!

 

we had a most delicious experience at sarpino’s pizzeria – not only because of the satisfying pizza and beautiful view, but also the excellent service of the waiting staff – friendly, courteous and good with kids, I might add! haha. we would definitely come again!

 

the humble pizza place, ‘sarpino’s pizzeria’ at dubai marina

 

…and look at that view! well, this is our neighbourhood dubai marina. not bad to look at while munching pizza, eh?

 

that’s the marina yacht club at a distance

 

I dare say that I’ve finally found a great pizza place that’s 1) NOT domino’s, pizza hut or papa john, ( I know, I know – there are SO many pizza places all around dubai) but this one 2) does not have ridiculously expensive pizza with super thin crust yang tak pueh makan and 3) it’s at an awesome location – by the marina, near the marina yacht club, practically walking distance from our place.

I highly recommend ‘sarpino’s pizzeria’ for all pizza fans who want straightforward, delicious pizza with no frills but just good taste. the lovely view is a bonus. *wink*

Kahfi’s Birthday Pizza @ California Pizza Kitchen, MOE

my 2nd son kahfi turned 5 years old last 23rd december. since he’s a pizza freak, we brought the boys to a pizza place in the mall of emirates – california pizza kitchen.

 

refreshing vanilla sundae with choclate syrup – complimentary birthday treat from the california pizza kitchen to a cheerful birthday boy in his buzz lightyear space ranger hoodie!

 

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birthday boy wants strictly pepperoni and cheese pizza. no more, no less. anong khaleef moody coz he wanted JUST cheese on his pizza. at california pizza kitchen, the price for JUST cheese and cheese with pepperoni is the same, so I think it’s worth the money to take pizza with lauk sikit. haha. takde la cheese je tapi harga sama.

 

trying a new pizza for mak and bapak.

 

the ‘jamaican jerk chicken pizza’ – grilled jamaican jerk spiced chicken breast with spicy sweet caribbean sauce, mozzarella cheese, crispy beef bacon, mild onions, roasted red and yellow peppers and green onions. delicious! the spicy sweet sauce really is the star that dominates the tasty pizza; it can overwhelm after a while but overall a delicious pizza that I would definitely order again on my next visit.

 

birthday boy enjoying his birthday pizza

 

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just across MOE’s california pizza kitchen is the ‘toy’s store’. so convenient, huh for birthday boy looking for a birthday present? haha. we just tagged along while kahfi rushed in looking for the hot wheels section. bam! didn’t take long for him to choose his favorite. he has been watching youtube channels in toy reviews. adoi!

 

tada!~

California Pizza Kitchen, MOE at 2am

we went to the mall of emirates (MOE) at 2am, and ate pizza. because we can. hihi. we had our pizza supper at ‘california pizza kitchen’ because though it’s a bit more pricey than domino’s, pizza hut or papa john’s – the dough and crust are superbly delicious and soft. fluffy and tasty.

california pizza kitchen at MOE is at the 2nd floor near the cinema – same row with chilli’s and a few more restaurants. it’s opposite a toy store and we tried very hard to distract the boys from noticing the life-size lightning mcqueen on display!

 

 

there was a reasonable crowd in the mall at 2am – and they walked around like it’s only 8pm! buying groceries, stopping at shoe stores and pushing shopping carts like a normal hour.

however, the restaurants are not as lucky from the looks of it – only one or two tables occupied, and that’s just one of a few restaurants. cafes are more popular – maybe because at 2am, people just need a good cup of strong coffee and something from the bakery.

 

empty seats, as far as the eyes can see!

 

 

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the ‘thai crunch’ salad

 

mr. khairul and I are great salad-fans, so we started with this salad dish. we usually just settle for the normal, boring caesar salad with grilled chicken, but upon the waitress’ recommendation, we ordered the ‘thai crunch’ salad. she was so enthusiastic and confident about how delicious it is, that we had to try.

the ‘thai crunch salad’ consists of crisp veggies, avocado and cilantro with chicken and the crunch of peanuts, wontons and rice sticks. instead of thousand island or french dressings, the whole thing is tossed in sweet thai peanut sauce.

the verdict : good recommendation!

it was surprisingly good! the clashing of the texture – the crispy fresh veggies and the smooth soft avocado, the crunchy peanuts and the tender chicken, the savoury wontons and the sweet peanut sauce – all danced together beautifully in this simple dish. nice one!

for the main dish, we simply ordered the basic pizza – pepperoni, because the boys won’t eat anything else! less IS more, so even this simple pizza is so tasty! soft dough, crispy crust, cheezy toppings and hot from the oven. what else do we need?

 

I forgot what the deal was, but what we know is – since we ate at ‘california pizza kitchen’ after 12 midnight, we get any appetizer FREE! so we went for this shrimp dish – a little on the sweet side, since they’re using sweet chilli thai sauce but it’s a tasty appetizer nevertheless. kalau makan dengan nasi putih panas-panas, sedap ni!

 

 

our favorite family pizza place is still domino’s, but for a once-in-awhile treat, we’ll head on to ‘california pizza kitchen’ for some really soft pizza dough!

Kahfi’s Bday : Figaro’s Pizza @ Rimal JBR

my 2nd son kahfi just turned 3 and he LOVES pizza. he can eat two slices at one go, rest, and eat another one, and another one in the morning. hihi. so for his special day, we took him and the boys for pizza somewhere in JBR (jumeirah beach residences).

 

 

pizza napoletana, the pizza company, pizza express, papa john’s pizza – there are so many pizza places in JBR but we decided to try the italian figaro’s pizza that day. everybody together now – “fiiiiiiiigaro!” mesti rasa nak beropera kan hihi.

figaro’s pizza is on the first floor at the rimal JBR. you can even see its bold red signage as you walk along ‘the walk’ JBR.

 

i love the posters on the wall!

 

 

the interior is so red, haha – just like its signage. the inside is very spacious and so inviting. i love the red seats – big, sturdy, leather and looks kids-friendly – you know, one without any opening where a kid can fall out off, wouldn’t topple if a kid stood on it and it’s padded so it’s really comfy.

it’s cozy, relaxed; a family with kids could really hang out here.

 

 

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its placemats have this sweet, romantic story that keeps you occupied while you wait for the pizza. ‘romano & juliet – a tale of real cheese and true love!’ haha

 

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well, a pizza place is a pizza place. same stuff on the menu. what differentiates the pizza would be in the CRUST, combo of TOPPINGS and the CHEESE! going to a pizza place with the kids, we don’t even really need to look at the menu, since we basically know what the boys love most.

 

figaro’s pepperoni pizza

 

we quickly ordered the ‘pepperoni pizza’ especially for the boys. even if we wanted to go a little ‘wild’ and pick a pizza with different toppings or a little bit more than just pepperoni, the boys would just pick out the toppings they don’t want, and still ends up with pepperoni. so might as well get the plain ol pepperoni pizza for them!

 

birthday boy enjoying his pizza

 

it’s beef day apparently for us – since we got a second beef-based pizza

 

the crust is thick and soft, but personally i think their pizza are a little TOO SALTY. thank goodness i had my plate of mixed salad with me, from the salad bar. everytime i took a bite, i had to eat the coleslaw or potato salad together to add some sweetness. i couldn’t really eat the pizza on its own. it really is too salty for me.

 

mr. khairul ordered this hot chicken wings which looked like dry ayam goreng kunyit to me! however, mr. khairul said he really shouldn’t judge chicken wings by its look because they tasted quite delicious. i tried one but it’s so spicy! too spicy for me, but mr. khairul enjoyed every bite.

 

 

i was suprised that they brought out a plate instead of a bowl for the salad. they really don’t want people to pile up on the salad, huh? hmm, no matter – i still tried my best to pile on the coleslaw, potato salad, lettuce and mix veggie on my little plate. haha! and i actually finished everything on my plate, okay! so people like me should get bowl next time. hihi.

btw, i would just like to add that i LOVE coleslaw, and i think figaro’s pizza did really well with their coleslaw – it’s lumpy in a good way, it’s not too dry and not too watery – just nice. loved it! and it’s a good thing i have it to complement the salty pizza!

 

the salad bar

 

mr. khairul’s lime mint drink

 

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figaro’s pizza is in rimal JBR ok, if you wanna check it out.

as for me – well, i love figaro’s pizza coleslaw, but with all the other pizza places around JBR, i doubt if i would come again. this is a great place to hang out as a family with small kids, but please amend the amount of saltiness of your pizza! thank you. hihi.

 

 

sigh. gimme domino’s or pizza hut anytime…

Watch World Cup Match @ The Orchestra

malaysians are a lucky lot. you can go to any 24hour mamak corner to watch your favorite team battle it out for the ball in one of many football world cup matches. for the non-fans, you can still bask in the ambiance of the night with your friends - the shouts and cheers, the bottomless order of teh tarik and roti canai.

you pay less than rm5 and you can watch the match for the entire night.

you don't see this in dubai! instead, we have to go to nice cafes or to the mall to catch some actions with the crowd. the other day we tried looking for a place to watch the match at dubai mall and ended up at 'the orchestra cafe'.


we caught the japan - netherlands game.

the match grew boring sebab takde sape gol. then when netherlands finally dapat gol, pak-pak arab suma cheer, including us (sebab lama sangat tunggu a goal - ANY goal!). then mr khairul was like, hey kita patut sokong jepun la kan. kita je asians kat dalam cafe ni. hihi.


what can i say about 'the orchestra cafe'? i imagine classic. classic music in the air. velvet. musical instrument. old. classic.

however, it's more of classic contemporary - metal table legs, silver chandelier, metal divider with mirrors - it's all dark brown and silver all around. simple, elegant but not too eye-catching.

'the orchestra cafe' aims only to please and provide comfort for its patrons, not to be an eye-candy posh cafe. with its thick leather chairs at a round table, or plush gray couches at square ones - it spells comfort indeed.


even its salt and pepper shaker is of metal, including the napkin holder. again, very simple yet has the elegant touch.


nothing unique in the menu, in my opinion. one glance and you see all the typical lebanese cuisine, italian dish from pizza to pasta, western yummies like burgers, sandwiches and steaks, as well as the fruit juices to quench your thirst.

they should have a house specialty to stand out from the crowd of cafes - especially being in the biggest mall in the world.

the margherita pizza

since we're just hanging out for the match, we ordered the cheapest pizza in the menu! hihi. 'the margherita pizza', a MUST in the menu of ANY pizza parlour - a pizza with just tomatoes, oregano and lots and lots of mozarella cheese.

i LOVE tomatoes, i never make spaghetti without oregano, and i'm as crazy about cheese as the next mouse - so to me, this simple pizza was so heavenly!

hot and fresh from the oven, the melted cheese runny as we pick a slice, and the tomato slices oh, so juicy - are you salivating yet?

khaleef baru bangun tido

so there we were, enjoying our simple snack while watching the netherlands and japanese chased after the world cup ball.

in 'the orchestra cafe', choose the plush gray couches (like the one khaleef sat on in the picture above) or choose to hang back at a round table (macam pak arab kat gamba bawah tu), on leather chairs with comfy, thick back rest. whichever seat you choose, there's three huge tv screens for you to enjoy a world cup match.

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if you happend to be in dubai mall, they're actually showing the world cup matches at a huge high-def LED screen 20 by 10 meters, at the ice-skating rink. however when we went there, there's a big crowd hovering around the area, standing around blocking the views (especially for me yang tak tinggi ni)!

i think, even if we get good seats from any one of the many cafes and restaurants along the way next to the ice-rink, i doubt we get to watch the action satisfactorily with the big crowd blocking our view.

the ice-rink at dubai mall

anyway, from what i read, you can actually 'book' tickets for seats INSIDE the ice-rink to watch any world cup matches for 25aed. i think this is for the side seats, and for the bean bags they will put all over the ice-rink, facing the screen.

also, for the finals, you pay 50aed for the seats. you can get the tickets at the dubai ice-rink counter.

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it's summer in dubai, and the days are getting hotter than an oven turned up high. i say it's a fun idea to spend it indoors, at an ICE-rink, watching your favorite sport, eh?

outside food allowed tak? hihi.