Churrasco Lunch Date @ Pachanga, Hilton Jumeirah

our kids make our world go round, give meaning to our lives and the colorful sprinkles in our marriage – but hey, count your blessings if you have the luxury to just go out at a moment’s notice for a simple coffee time, supper at mamak at 2am, or movie date at the cinema alone with your spouse!

mr. khairul and I had a quick ‘getaway’ during lunch one weekend, to this latin american steakhouse ‘pachanga’ in hilton jumeirah. with 3 boys aged 8, 5 and 3; and no maid, a date like this is too precious.

(thanks yong for babysitting the kids! this was when she was still here in dubai with her kids enjoying school holiday!)

 

 

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thanks honey for the scrumptious lunch date!

 

we had ‘churrasco’ at pachanga. say what?

‘churrasco’ is a portuguese and spanish term referring to beef or grilled meat; usually serving as much as you can eat, with waiters going around offering you meat cut from the skewers. very popular in brazil, colombia, guatemala, chile, argentina, uruguay – what’s expected in a latin american steakhouse, obviously!

it’s basically all-you-can-eat steak. a lot of steak.

 

this is the meat station. from the picture you can see how medium rare the meat is

 

the chef would have a huge chunk of grilled meat in front of him, and with request from patrons, he would cut away. the meat itself was well-marinated, juicy and tender BUT it was cold. not freshly grilled. and looks medium well to medium rare. very pinkish. personally, we no likey.

so mr. khairul asked for ours to be grilled again for that heat, and for a more medium-well – well done texture. I think they should have the grill right next to where he is cutting, so that the grilled meat is freshly grilled and more inviting!

 

my friendly mr. khairul. making friends wherever he goes.

 

there are dips, sauce and gravy in front of the meat station – take what you will, or eat the steak on its own.

I LOVE steak, so I totally enjoyed the all-you-can-eat steak concept – but trust me, two trips and you are already so full. plus the steak that the chef brings to your table!

cakap alhamdulillah aje lah!

 

my plate, round ONE. haha. I was actually frustrated with the salad bar – there were some of my fav choices like rocket salad, and potato salad but where is the plain lettuce or a simple steamed broccoli? hmm. but that little dough that looks like karipap? delicious!

 

my plate. round TWO. juicy, tender, delicious. the chef sent this plateful of meat cuts to our table with black pepper gravy. I put my salad in a separate plate. haha. I promise you I did have an accompanying salad. (as if that makes this less fatty and makes me sound like I’m eating healthier! haha)

 

I love desserts so the dessert section in any buffet spread is just heavenly for me. there was a delightful chocolate fountain, and the chocolate is delicious BUT I was very disappointed to see the choice of stuff to dip into the choc – I saw only honey dew. and dates. that’s all. where is the classic strawberry and banana? or the fun marshmallow?

 

cinnamon & dulce de leche tart, quince cream layers and blueberry cheesecake; among others. the honey dew dipped in choclate is NOT good. but I just LOVE the cinnamon & dulce de leche tart on top of this picture.

 

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a memorable lunch because 1) I was stuffing my face with all-you-can-eat steak with a fancy name like ‘churrasco’! and 2) I love buffet meals, and 3) this was a long-awaited date with my mr. khairul

thanks honey for this treat, and thanks yong for keeping an eye on the kids. *big hug*!

Birthday Lamb Cutlets @ Carlos Steakhouse

it was my 34th birthday so I was gonna eat whatever I want! and I want lamb chops!

celebrated my 34th birthday with delicious juicy lamb chops at one of the many makan places along the marina near our place dubai marina. it really is walking distance from our place!

 

alhamdulillah. 34 and I’m so *rich* with these cheeky boys plus that one big boy that I love so much. thank you Allah, for all your blessings.

 

we went to itallian restaurant ‘carlos steakhouse’, situated across the marina from dorra bay apartment building.

 

it was during really hot humid summer when we went, so not smart to dine outside. but when winter comes, this place should be nice to hang out at – with the view of beautifully-lit tourist boats passing by the marina.

 

there are a few restaurants along the marina. you can even spot joggers along this walkway. during winter, it’s a really nice place to have a nice stroll. no cars, no traffic, no noise. just walking along peaceful stream of the marina.

 

view of the marina and overhead bridge from inside carlos steakhouse

 

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this was complimentary. best kan! instead of plain bread dip in olive oil, at carlos restaurant they serve this freshly baked, delicious garlic bread as starter. the boys loved it!

 

the butter container is cute too!

 

my birthday lamb cutlets!

 

birthday yummy for the birthday girl : ‘costolette de agnello con pesto’ which was translated in the menu as ‘bbq lamb cutlet marinated in pesto’. pesto is basically this green paste made from fresh basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts in olive oil and cheese. sound SO good. and yes, the result is this delicious taste of juicy soft lamb. not too salty, not too bland. what a yummy birthday meal!

I would come again for this!

 

assorted veggies on my plate

 

these steamed marinated assorted veggies were served together with my lamb pesto. it’s REALLY good.

after all of my western dishes experiences, this is by far THE BEST most yummy veggies (that accompanied a steak/chicken dish) I’ve ever eaten. I really wanted to ask the chef how was the veggies marinated and most importantly in WHAT? to make it taste so delicious!

the veggies were so soft and well-steamed – not overcooked or too soggy – it was perfect. the taste seeps through the veggies, and each one contributes different taste and texture to the whole dish – the sweet potato, the soft zuchinni, crunchy brocolli – loved it!

 

we ordered cheese pizza for the boys. cheese. on pizza. what’s not to love! khairul had his own steak but it was not HIS birthday so no picture of his dish. haha. besides, he said he was quite disappointed with the beef steak. and since I had a yummy time enjoying MY birthday dish, I’ll leave it at that.

 

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that day I also received one of the biggest surprises ever – a wonderfully *shiny* birthday present that I will cherish forever, and ever – and insyaAllah will pass on to my future daughter!

I can say that this surprise tops it all along with 1) the sweet surprise when he showed up at the airport right before I left for melbourne with a huge bouquet of white roses after only 3 dates and less than a month of knowing each other, and 2) when he gave me my beloved burberry a week after I delivered kahfi in dubai.

love you always honey cookiedough!

First Taste of Peking Duck @ Lan Kwai Fong, Dubai

‘lan kwai fong’ is the name of a popular street in hong kong; filled with hawkers once upon a time, but now a night life hotspot for the party people of hong kong. this is also the name of a hong kong restaurant in dubai.

the restaurant ‘lan kwai fong’ is situated in oud metha. we came here strictly for the ‘peking duck’, as we heard and read good reviews about the duck at this place being one of the best, most affordable in dubai.

I’ve never eaten peking duck, and would probably never have tried it if it wasn’t for my adventurous foodie husband mr. khairul who is always looking for new exotic (halal) stuff to eat!

 

delicious peking duck

 

the dish is called ‘peking duck’, named after the place it originates from I assumed. peking duck is beijing's most famous dish since the imperial era, and is now considered a national dish of china.

at ‘lan kwai fong’ dubai, the duck is well marinated, but I wonder whether it’s supposed to be THAT dry. I would prefer it to be more juicy than that. but the meat is still soft and tender, with thin crispy skin, served on a bed of lettuce and rice sticks.

it’s said that the best part of peking duck is the ones with mostly skin and little meat. daging yang tebal-tebal diorang tak suka!

 

the ‘chinese pancake’

 

peking duck is not eaten with rice or noodle. it’s traditionally served with mandarin pancakes, cucumber cut julienne, green onions, as well as a special brown-colored sauce called ‘the hoisin sauce’ made from some sweet beans – and there’s an interesting way to eat peking duck!

 

how to eat peking duck?

 

you take a piece of cut-up peking duck, and place it in the ‘chinese pancake’ that looks like kulit popiah, but not as soft. tebal sikit. then you add cut up cucumber and onion, and top it all up with a spoonful of ‘hoisin sauce’ (the sweet bean sauce). wrap it up, and take a bite.

and that’s how you eat peking duck. delicious!

 

 

this was my first time trying peking duck, and I quite like it!

the delicious marinated duck is tender, eaten together with the crispy cucumber and the sweet taste of the hoisin sauce go together really well. the chinese pancake holds everything together.

the contrasting texture of the pancake, duck and cucumber is also a plus – I love anything crunchy in my food. altogether, a tasty meal that’s worth a try at least once. even my unadventurous little eater khaleef loves it, and that says a lot about peking duck!

 

we also ordered the fried rice – yummy? well, it has prawn – good, chicken – good. carrot, eggs – good. it’s all good.

 

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I love the tables at ‘lan kwai fong’ – very oriental. not the posh kind, but nicely decorated enough to know that we’re eating at a chinese restaurant! I love the little tall black tables by the side of each table to put tissue box. a nice touch.

 

a big wall-décor showing sights of hong kong. I’ve been to hong kong once with abah and my sisters and all I can see are sky-scrappers!

 

lovely tanglung-lamp dangling high above. I love that they’re not the same size and are scattered haphazardly up the ceiling. there are even a few in different colors and shape. nice. (the second picture is from google)

 

also one prominent décor of ‘lan kwai fong’ are these dudes – the terracotta warrior. i took the chance to tell khaleef about the first emperor of china, emperor qiin who wanted to live forever in the afterlife with all his wealth, possessions and even his guards that he ordered the building of terracotta sculptures to ‘protect’ him in the ‘afterlife’.

 

I am totally in love with this plate! I love the unfinished look, the misshapen shape and the rough texture of the plate. suka!

 

this little green-tea cup gives the authentic feel of eating at a chinese restaurant! love the cup! hate the tea! haha – am not a fan of green tea.

 

of course, you can try other chinese dishes at ‘lan kwai fong’ from chicken, beef to seafood. all looks good, but then again, I’m a big fan of chinese food.

 

 

‘lan kwai fong peking duck restaurant’ is behind lamcy plaza, in the same row as our favorite roti canai place, green city. it’s also a few doors away from vegetarian restaurant ‘saravanan bhavan’.

opens daily at 12pm-3.3pm, and for dinner: 6.30pm – 11pm. try the peking duck!

Delicious ‘Student Biryani’ is Cheap?

is it called ‘Student Biryani’ because it’s made to cater for student-budget? well, I found out that the food at this pakistan restaurant may NOT the cheapest biryani that I’ve found but it’s still comparatively cheap, especially when you see the HUGE servings in one plate of biryani!

(the cheapest biryani I’ve ever eaten in dubai is in LIYARI (also a pakistani biryani restaurant) – which is incidentally dubbed the BEST biryani in dubai! click here for my review)

we came here unplanned actually – we were around deira area to get new spectacles for khaleef, and while waiting for it to be fixed, we hung out here and decided to have a light dinner.

LIGHT, huh? haha.

 

‘student biryani’ established in 1969? must be GOOD to last that long!

 

there’s an open counter at the front, just like in a fast food restaurant like McD or KFC. and you know what – it’s because they DO have food like KFC!

 

other than delicious biryani, they also have ‘set meal’ like in KFC – with pieces of chicken, fries, coleslaw, soda and a bun. there are also set meal that comes with a plate of biryani with the biryani chicken as well as the crunchy fried chicken. you can mix and match!

and eating biryani rice with crunchy chicken like KFC is actually very satisfying!

 

the restaurant itself is very simple, looks like any other decent indian or pakistani restaurants in dubai. and SO unlike fast-food restaurant like burger king or KFC! haha. it’s clean, and the staff is friendly and helpful.

 

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…and this is the plate of biryani that we got. see what I mean by HUGE serving? it’s a mountain of rice, brimming on the edge of the plate. the juicy beads of rice look mighty delicious even before the first bite.

yes, the biryani lives up to its first impression – the rice is deliciously soft and yummy, and the chicken is tender and not too spicy. I like this kind of biryani – not too much spices, yet the taste is still rich and strong. I will be back!

 

can’t see how big the serving is? here is a comparison with khaleef. I’m telling ya, you can share this plate of biryani – unless you’re really really hungry!

 

this may not be the best angle for the crunchy chicken, but the chicken is nice and crunchy, a really good lauk to eat with the biryani, if you want a change from the usual biryani chicken curry.

 

they also deliver!

 

this one that I went to was in deira, but there are many other branches around dubai. the biryani is reasonably cheap, with big portion, and delicious too. try it!

Khaleef Gets Birthday Pancake @ IHOP, JBR

this is one last bit from khaleef’s birthday – we didn’t get him any birthday cake, but he got something he really likes – birthday pancakes!

 

 

IHOP just opened in the walk JBR (jumeirah beach residence, walking distance from our place) and I’ve been wanting to take the boys there since forever! my boys are pancake-freaks so I know they would absolutely enjoy the meals there.

IHOP stands for ‘international house of pancakes’, a very popular american franchise boasting delicious breakfast meals since 1958! it has then evolved into serving lunch and dinner meals as well. IHOP in dubai is the first oversea branch they have.

(..just like the cheesecake factory. magnolia bakery. hummingbird bakery – all their first branches overseas are opened in dubai!)

 

the new york cheesecake pancakes

 

we got the birthday boy this delicious treat – ‘the new york cheesecake pancakes’ which is four fluffy buttermilk pancakes loaded with creamy rich cheesecake pieces topped with cool strawberry syrup and whipped cream. I saw the words ‘pancake’ and ‘cheesecake’ in a sentence and I just flipped – I gotta have this for my boy!

the pancakes are as excellent as good pancakes should be – fluffy and soft, with slight brownish to give it character. it’s thick and and the portion is large, enough to be shared with your loved ones.

 

enjoy your birthday pancake, khaleef!

 

khaleef enjoying the birthday song from the lovely staff at IHOP jbr

 

I didn’t know that IHOP staff has this singing-birthday-song gig like in TGIF – but I simply told the staff to bring the pancakes with a candle and wish khaleef happy birthday. when the pancakes came, about 10 of the staff came to our table and sing an upbeat birthday song – and birthday boy was really surprised, and bashfully enjoying this treat.

thank you to the fun bunch of IHOP staff at jbr! you guys rock!

 

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did we get anymore pancakes for ourselves? of course! we’re at the international HOUSE of PANCAKES!

I let mr. khairul choose this next one. he picked the ‘double blueberry pancakes’. it’s four buttermilk pancakes filled with blueberries, topped with blueberry sauce and whipped cream. absolutely divine!

again, lovely fluffy pancakes with a dollop of blueberries everywhere. what I really love about it is that as we fork the pancakes up to the middle, the insides are still hot, with steam visible. fantastic!

 

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what else can you get at IHOP besides gorgeous fluffy pancakes?

there are other delicious desserts to choose from the waffle list and the crepe list. if you want savoury food, there are burgers, sandwiches, and chicken and fish dishes. I really thought that IHOP serves desserts and only light savoury snacks! they’ve got steaks as well!

 

mr khairul wanna keep it simple so he went for this beef bacon cheeseburger – thick juicy beef burger with cheese and strips of beef bacon, served with onion rings. well, it’s a cheeseburger. beef is tender, bun is soft, veggies are fresh, onion rings are crispy crunchy – it’s an alright meal.

 

I got myself this deliciously simple dish – the ‘philly cheese steak stacker’ – grilled philly-style steak and onions topped with MELTED cheese, served on long grilled bread with fries on the side. it’s just so simple and tasty. steak, sauteed onions and cheese? party in my tummy!

 

we got the mac & cheese for the boys from the kids’ menu. sadly, this was a disappointing meal. other than looking like an instant mac & cheese you can get at lulu, it’s really DRY. cammon lah, nak guna instant pun, at least have the courtesy of making sure it IS tasty and presentable. khaleef even asked for more cheese sauce…

 

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having pancakes at IHOP? you have lotsa syrups to choose from : the old-fashioned maple syrup, blueberry, strawberry or butter pecan syrup!

 

anyways, other than the microwaved-lookin mac & cheese, everything else was fantastic!

the food was delicious, the setting was very family-friendly and the staff were wonderful. if I remember correctly, the staff waiting at our table was ‘chona’ (pronounced ‘shawna’) and she was a darling. if you’re reading this, keep up the high spirits and great smile!

I like the fact that IHOP is a NOISY, festive place to hang out with a family with 3 boisterous boys! the décor was a bit boring and dull, but it’s staying true to the old 50’s feel, I guess!

there’s a waiting list to sit outside in the open, so we got a seat inside, no waiting. no matter – the booth seat that we got was perfect to block kazim from going out (haha) and we had a great view of the sea!

we’re definitely coming again – for kahfi’s birthday this december, perhaps?

 

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IHOP jbr is next to movenpick hotel, and there’s another branch at the mall of emirates too. enjoy!