Homely Feel @ Indian Restaurant ‘Katis’ in Sharjah

if you ever need to eat out while still feel you’re eating at home with friendly faces and personalized service, I would recommend ‘katis restaurant’ – an indian restaurant serving north indian food in sharjah. they offer chinese cuisine too. the food was good and the staff welcomed us with warmth and smiles.

how did we find ‘katis restaurant’? we were thinking of mandi restaurant, but later decided to go for indian food. browsed ‘zomato’ and looked for the highest-rated indian restaurant in sharjah. bam! it brought us to ‘katis’.

 

here I am with mr. khairul’s family in front of ‘katis restaurant’ – his aunt maklang, me, my sis-in-law tina, and mr. khairul’s mom. they’re here in dubai for a 1-month visit. ‘katis restaurant’ is situated opposite ‘safeer mall’ at al-khan street. it’s easy to spot with its big red font and a funny cartoon of a chef holding a hot pot.

 

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for starters, we tried the popular ‘momos’ – which was regularly mentioned positively by patrons in their review of ‘katis’. ‘momos’ is a type of dumpling with filling. the one we got at ‘katis’ was steamed fresh and filled with chicken. mr. khairul loves dumpling, but me not so much. however, I can always try at least one!

 

our plate of hot steamed momos came with a delicious spicy chili dip. though I would’ve preferred pan-fried momos, but this tasted good. the crescent-shaped dough was soft and light, while the filling is tasty, with a nice portion. when you dip it in the hot chili – saucy! I would order the momos again – and this time, fried ones!

 

for the main course, we ordered the ‘chicken handi briyani’, served exotically in a claypot, covered with bread; like a lid. adorable! (if I’m not mistaken, ‘handi briyani’ means that the briyani is cooked in an earthen pot – ‘handi’ being the cooking pot for the rice – hence, the presentation). the briyani presentation looks so traditional that it beckons our hungry tummy even more!

 

mr. khairul cut-up the top of the bread to reveal the delicious briyani inside the pot.

 

the chicken handi briyani

 

the steam came up and I see soft beads of rice with wonderful color and aroma. so inviting! the chicken is hidden somewhere inside the rice, like a tasty treasure waiting to be unearthed. the combination of chicken and rice – delicious.

I’m always cautious when eating indian briyani because sometimes the spices can be a bit too much for my mild taste buds but the ‘handi briyani’ at ‘katis’ seemed just right to satisfy my tummy. highly recommended!

 

my sis-in-law fancies having fried rice so we got this ‘shanghai fried rice’ which was, funnily enough, rice fried together with noodle! interesting! this dish is simple, yet satisfying. the key is its freshly fried! (also, because I love anything with capsicum in them!)

 

my boys had their favorite ‘paratha’ and enjoyed their meal. to me the texture of the paratha at ‘katis’ is more to capati than the fluffier version of paratha that I’m used to. nevertheless, my boys had no trouble finishing up the whole basket of paratha, and that’s just fine by me! oh but I just love their dalcha, tasty and complements the paratha well.

 

my sis-in-law tina enjoying her meal with a smile. huhu. beside her is mr. khairul’s aunt mak lang – not saying a word while eating – that means the food is good! haha

 

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when I first entered ‘katis’, it seemed gloomy and cramped because of the bold wallpaper – but slowly I find the pretty wallpaper welcoming, and the gloominess was actually comfy and cozy. especially when we received personalized service from the staff at ‘katis’, including the owner himself who was very friendly and always suggests good food we might like to try.

 

beaded curtains separate our eating area with the door to the washroom which is a nice touch. and hygienic too!

 

welcome to ‘katis restaurant’!

 

this photography was taken from its facebook page. click here to go to katis restaurant’s facebook page. thank you for the memorable picture!

Yong in Dubai : Sweihan Desert & Lahbab Desert

a trip to an arab country is incomplete without a visit to the desert. gurun. padang pasir. the vast plain of nothing but sand. one huge sandpit for the kids. this is the ONE place that I can’t wait to show my nephews and niece. as expected, they went nuts rolling down the sand and running up the dunes.

mr. khairul drove us to two different deserts in another 2 emirates in the UAE : 1) sweihan desert in abu dhabi, on our way to al-ain zoo; and the weekend after to 2) lahbab desert in sharjah along the scenic road to kalba.

 

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sweihan desert, abu dhabi

 

one of the most amazing, priceless experiences ever : to witness the outing of hundreds of camels. this was a one-in-a-mil experience for me too – in our 5 years here, we’ve never seen this many camels at one time! it was an incredible sight. there were SO MANY camels!

 

SO many pictures. SO little space. just yong and her kids enjoying their first experience at the desert.

 

on the way to al-ain zoo, mr. khairul found this amazing spot – a seemingly endless road leading straight into the waves of sandy desert. gorgeous. more than words can say.

 

of course we had our own moments haha. thanks my dear cookiedough for the road trip. I don’t need a ferrari. camel pun takpe lah as long as we’re together. hihi.

 

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lahbab desert

 

the week after sweihan desert, we took my sis and her kiddos to another desert spot in UAE – the lahbab desert in sharjah. as you can see – the kiddos had the most fun.

 

yep, they *buried* khaleef. the sand was cold so it was really relaxing and cooling!

 

our designated driver just laze around with his ‘football manager’ ipad game and a picnic spread. I made egg sandwiches and yong fried some delicious cucur udang. nyam.

 

LOVE this shot. the vastness of the desert.

 

5 years here. in the middle east. alhamdulillah ala kulli hal!

 

it was cool, but it was also terik. my sis yong and her kiddos squinting to a picture.

 

they were amazed to see how easy it was to spot camels along the roads here in UAE. well, macam nampak kobau ngan lembu le kat malaysia! hihi. my nephews haiqal and haqeem braved it out to get a rare picture as close as they can alongside a camel by the roadside.

 

sebak pulak tengok gamba ni. the memories remain and never can end. the kiddos hated taking pictures haha especially the older ones (cepat la mama! mak I hate taking pictures!) but my sis and I kept telling them, that when they’re older, they would understand. they would appreciate what we were trying to do. to bottle memories, and to capture moments.

 

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* special thanks to my mr. khairul for enduring these long drives and the good sense to find interesting spot to stop for pictures. you made my dream come true to bring my nephews and niece to the desert! *love*

MCKK Old Boys United Over Grilled Fish @ Aden

a travelling guest wandered into dubai, mr. khairul’s mckk super senior dato kele of batch 70; and he requested grilled fish. only in sharjah. particularly in aden restaurant!

so the mckk old boys of dubai got together at aden restaurant in sharjah to hang out and as usual, reminisce about school. sigh.

(click here for my review of this delicious grilled fish of aden restaurant, sharjah)

 

khairul's super senior dato kele batch 70 is in town so mckk old boys of dubai got together to lepak-lepak makan ikan bakaq aden. (from left dato kele v70, kay v96, abg shon v84 & abg zaim v82)

 

best grilled fish in town – deliciously marinated, and tender juicy fish flesh. tambah cecah cili kicap (cut up onions, red and green chilli, dip in sweet soy sauce) from kak muna. heavenly.

 

I was amused at the fact that dato kelle is also a foodie who enjoys taking pictures of food! at one point mr. khairul helped pick up the fish so that he can take a better shot. it’s refreshing to see people his age embracing the current trend! hihi.

 

at the time of writing, our beloved bro zaim had left dubai for good to return to malaysia. sob sob. hilang sorang strong supporter of mcoba dubai gatherings! we will miss you abg zaim, kak na and family! thanks for the memories!

 

abg faisal shon enjoying his mandi rice. with him is abg fudzail; not a mcoba but fondly known as ‘penghulu dubai’ as he’s a malaysian ol timer who has been in dubai since forever!

 

good friends, great laughter, even better food!

 

aden restaurant in sharjah has since revamped their restaurant – beautiful carpeted majlees with comfy pillows and posh curtains. nice!

 

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hope you enjoyed your stay in dubai this time around, dato kele and datin. bila pulak malay college old boy abah ‘65 nak datang dubai lagi? hihi.

Hunting Abaya & Shawls @ Blue Souq, Sharjah

dubai has ‘naif’, sharjah has ‘blue souq’. also called the central souk or central market, the ‘blue souq’ is THE place in sharjah to get endless choices of abaya, shawls, carpets, rugs, antiques, jewellery – the list goes on. it’s a beautiful building with blue tiles – hence the name ‘blue souq’.

(sharjah is one of the 7 emirates in UAE. it’s right next to dubai)

there are two long buildings actually, connected by a pedestrian bridge. from outside, it looks like a beautiful 1950s train station with an islamic architecture-touch, complete with wind towers on top – a trademark of middle-east houses. a combo between traditional souk and modern shopping mall.

 

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over 600 shops selling all things middle east and all over.

 

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i was there looking for shawls.

you know what, mr. khairul is truly the luckiest husband. haha. i’m the kind of person who does not like to go from shop A, B, C, D, E, F and then goes back to C and then changed her mind, and goes back to the first shop, and ends up to last shop back again, and then decides to go to shop D again. or F again. or maybe just look for shop G, H, I and J…

so mr. khairul can just kick back and relax while i shop at one shop and then we can head home. and not drag him to hundreds of shops. hihi.

 

 

i went to shop A, found a good bargain, and just shopped there! yes, there we like hundreds of shops selling abayas and shawls, and i stayed in ONE shop and bought all i wanted from there, because i already found what i needed!

next time can come again and go to other shops lah! hihi.

i know sometimes it’s good to go to many, many shops before you settle on what you want to buy – you can compare prices, and when you look at other shops maybe they’ve got different designs from the previous shops, and maybe you can get the best deals of the best stuff after going round the whole place.

but i just don’t wanna go through all the hassle! haha. malas kan. lagipun dah jumpa apa yang dicari!

 

the inner syria cotton that i’ve been looking for! thanks to lin for the info *smile* – i bought like SO MANY colors, and still felt i didn’t get enough!

 

 

blue souq is the place to shop for abaya and shawls, AND the place where bargaining and tawar-menawar is to be expected, so sharpen your bargaining skills here! kadang-kadang belum tawar harga lagi, orang kedai tu dah siap-siap turunkan harga. haha.

the sharjah blue souk (central souk) opens from 9 am to 1 pm, closed for noon prayers, and opens again at 4 pm to 11 pm daily, except on friday. location sila google ye haha. malas jugak nak tulis. let’s just say it’s on the way to sharjah aquarium.

happy hunting!

Sharjah Light Festival : Al-Qasba

in malaysia, when i hear ‘festival of lights’, i think of deepavali. but here in sharjah uae, the ‘light festival’ is an annual event of colorful lights, laser show and music; running for 9 days, in 12 locations across sharjah. it runs from 7pm till midnight, FREE for all.

* sharjah is one of the 7 emirates (states) in UAE (united arab emirates). the other emirates are abu dhabi (capital), dubai, ajman, fujairah, ras al-khaimah and umm al-quwain.

 

the light show at al-qasba

 

last saturday we went to qanat al-qasba in sharjah, one of the 12 locations that hold the shows for this light festival.

qanat al-qasba is like the ‘venice of uae’ because of the man-made canal that runs through it, with rows of restaurants and cafe alongside it – dunkin donuts, thai restaurant lemongrass, japanese food sumo, nando’s and many more. you can enjoy your food with the view of the ‘river’, with occasional boats pasing by. a really nice place to hang out.

i’ve written about it here when we went with my in-laws on their visit here.

 

 

the show runs every 15 minutes – there’s a countdown on a building after each performance, so people can get ready once the countdown finishes. once the show starts, it runs for 9 minutes – 9 minutes of light play, music and laser show too. it’s like a kaleidoscope of colors which synchronized with the catchy beat that suspiciously sounded more hindustani than arab music!

very entertaining; something to be enjoyed on a lazy weekend, especially while enjoying your favorite meal, or just a cup of hot chocolate on this still-cool winter. the light show was really beautiful and my photographs DID NOT do justice to the wonderful sight and sound!

oh, and the light show is projected to both side of the building along the water canal so no matter where you’re sitting, you’d be enjoying the same show.

my boys loved it very much – khaleef even role-played that the lasers were lights from alien spaceship trying to catch them. so everytime the laser came up, he and kahfi would scream and duck behind their chair!

 

 

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the seating area to enjoy the show

 

there are 12 locations that feature this light festival all around sharjah but in al-qasba, you get TWO shows – one inside facing the canal, (with the cafes and restaurant) and one at the outer part of the building facing the road. there’s even a stadium-like seating space for people to sit and enjoy the show like in a concert.

it’s great that when the show on the inside is over, the show on the outside starts. and that’s how it is over and over. so if you’re just walking around the al-qasba area, you can catch both shows at the same venue.

really beautiful play of lights and sounds!

 

the other 10 locations are al hisn fort, palm oasis front, cultural square, al majaz waterfront, al majaz mosque, the courthouse, the central souq, sharjah consultative council, kuwait square and sharjah international airport.

 

 

the one that we saw

 

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we decided to have dinner at our favorite japanese restaurant sumo. luckily for us, sumo seemed to be the ‘less popular choice’, so it’s not as packed as nando’s and lemongrass. and when a restaurant is NOT packed, we can take our time, eat slowly, sit back and enjoy the show when it’s on.

like i mentioned, the light festival show runs every 15 minutes, for a duration of 9 minutes – so if the place is packed, and people are lining up to get seats, it’s difficult to lepak lama-lama once you’ve finished eating. also, you cannot eat slowly as you’re just being selfish hogging up the seats.

so again – we’re glad sumo was not that popular here! we just sat and sat until the show ends around midnight! it was so nice to sit around with the light show right in front of us.

 

nampak tak my nokia on the tall glass in front of him? haha

 

it was very dark, because, let’s face it – only in darkness we can truly enjoy a ‘light festival’, right? terang benderang kalu mane nak nampak kan!

but specky mr. khairul couldn’t fully enjoy his food in the dark, so i had to use my nokia’s ultra strong ‘torchlight’ to literally ‘light up’ the moment! hihi.

hmm honey where’s your BB? hihi nama je blackberry torch, tapi my 100dhs nokia jugak la yang berjasa malam tu! hihi. (mr. khairul wanted me to use his old samsung omnia, but no thanks – i’d rather use a really basic phone!)

 

as usual, i ordered my favorite chicken katsu with miso soup. yum. i’ve written a few reviews on our favorite japanese restaurant. click here for the branch in dubai media city and here for the one in jumeirah.

 

sharjah light festival will run until this coming friday, 17/2 so hurry-hurry! click here for gulfnews report on the sharjah light festival.