Going Vegetarian at Briccocafe

Probably, my blog have felt lonely and abandoned again after several weeks of not posting. Blame it to our accommodation shifting and partying. It is true in a way because after we moved to our new place, which we haven’t fully adjusted to, we attended birthday parties for two weekends in succession. We haven’t been cooking a lot these days, we are eating out yes but I wasn’t in the mood to blog about them because we haven’t completely recovered yet from the “shifting” stress. But, I couldn’t skip this one restaurant we went to that turned me to an instant fan of their vegetarian pizza.

Briccocafe bears the slogan “the real Italian taste”. I couldn’t confirm that because I have never been to Italy to experience the authentic taste of Italian food, but what I can tell is that we would definitely go back to Briccocafe.

The branch we went to is in Khalidiya Mall at the food court level. The resto’s design is a combination of relax and on-the-go atmosphere. My reason for saying this is because half of the restaurant’s area is exposed to the hustling and bustling of the food court environment and the other half is at the back of the kitchen and food counter enclosure and within the mall’s wall façade.


Verdure Pizza at Briccocafe

Now let me go back to my instantly favourite vegetarian pizza called Verdure on the menu. Being our first time to visit the resto, we did what we usually do and that is to ask our friendly server to suggest their bestsellers on the menu. The Verdure was one of the two main courses we ordered upon our server’s suggestion and I couldn’t thank her enough because I liked what we ordered so much. The Verdure pizza was quite light to eat and very much tasty! What’s it made of is a thin crust pizza topped with thinly sliced eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms and tomato sauce. The toppings were melting in my mouth and I couldn’t contain myself from eating half of the pizza when usually I can only consume 1 or 2 slices. The pizza dough wasn’t greasy at all unlike most of what I’ve tasted so far. It was really a delight to eat. You can taste the freshness of the dough as it is being freshly prepared in the resto. When it comes to the price, I must say it is reasonable considering the quality of the pizza.

With such good food like this, I would darely say that as a fish and meat lover, it wouldn’t be worrisome if I convert as a vegetarian. Hmm, what a pleasant thought, but nah, I still love fish and meat!

Iftar Buffet at The Village Club

Our company sponsored an Iftar for its entire staff yesterday. Despite a glitch on the reservation, all went home satisfied, or at least I believe that everybody felt satisfied.

It was a night of fun and a chance of loosening up from the pressure at work especially for the top bosses on project sites.

Iftar is the evening meal taken when Muslims break their fast during Ramadan. Iftar buffets are popular in the UAE. During Ramadan, several hotels and restaurants are offering all-you-can-eat meals. Our company-sponsored Iftar was booked at The Village Club at One to One Hotel. Last night was full-packed and I wonder if it is always the same every single Iftar night.


Photo credit: Jenny (Twin Sister of Agua)

The Iftar buffet at The Village Club is priced at AED110 per head exclusive of tourism tax and service charge. I find the price quite reasonable compared to other buffets hosted by other well-known hotels that cost more. Our colleague though mentioned that the Iftar buffet package at Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi is less expensive than The Village Club.

The food was abundant, mostly Arabic cuisine and a few European dishes plus plenty of deserts such as fresh fruits, cakes, nuts and dried fruits.

I ate just enough. A little taste of almost everything I dare to taste. Everything I put on my plate was delicious. I had bow pasta in cream sauce top with parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves, salmon fillet cooked in cream and lemon, stir-fry broccoli, chicken kebab minus the skewer, circular-sliced potatoes cooked in some herbs. For deserts, I shared with hubby a platter of chocolate cake, slices of watermelon and cantaloupe, dried fruits, pecan nuts and walnuts. My most favorite desert last night was the brazo de mercedes paired with bite-size fresh fruits in season. The slight sourness of the fruits complemented the overly sweet brazo de mercedes. Hubby did not like it much though.

The chicken kebab was the only Arabic food I tried last night because it just looks like grilled chicken breast. I wasn’t brave enough to try another Arabic dish. Hubby tried the lamb biryani (I forgot the Arabic term for it but it looked like biryani to me). Biryani is a rice-based food made of basmati (long grain) rice, spices and meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. Also, he particularly liked the smoked salmon on his salad plate.

The selection of drinks were smoothies of different kinds of fruits, which I fail to remember except for the watermelon that I welcomed happily since it is my favorite, and fresh orange juice. Water on bottle is not included on the buffet but can be ordered separately, which costs at AED10 per bottle. Likewise, coffee and tea were available on separate orders, and shisha too!

Overall, the experience was great. We had fun seating on the traditional Arabic floor couch, despite the occasional gliding, and posing for lots of picture taking.

Dan Dan Noodles of Noodle Hut

Dan Dan Mian

It is our first time to have Dan Dan Noodles and what a treat, it tasted real good! I’m not sure if others would share the same sentiment, but it has instantly become one of my favorite noodle dishes. (Be warned though that it is really spicy, even without the sliced chili that they usually top it with. )

Dan dan noodles or Sichuan Spicy Noodles is a Chinese classic dish of Szechuan or Sichuan Cuisine. According to Wikipedia, it usually consists of a spicy sauce containing preserved vegetables, chili oil, Sichuan pepper, pork, and scallions served over noodles.

What we had last night was a slight variation of the usual dan dan noodles. It is one of the two Kung Fu Noodles selections on the Noodle Hut’s menu. Btw, the Noodle Hut is located at the food court of Khalidiya Mall, which just opened a couple of months back. Yesterday was our second sampling of their dishes. The charming lady at the counter recommended that we try dan dan noodles and said that it is one of their best tasting noodles, and she did not fail us.

Going back to what I was saying, the difference of the dan dan noodles on the Noodle Hut’s menu from the usual that was described on Wikipedia was the roasted duck. I couldn’t compare at the moment which one is better, pork or duck. I only hope that I could also taste the pork version in the future.

Smitten by it, I did a little research for the recipe, which I hope to prepare in the future. Meanwhile the recipe links below would serve as a record to check out with when I finally gain the courage to prepare it.

The links also discussed a few facts and history of this Spicy Sichuan Noodles. Most of these recipes are dry version, the nearest to what we had was the one from Chinesefoodfans.com.

• Dan Dan Noodles Recipe by Foodandwine.com  (It is one of the recipes in their 100 Tastes to Try in 2007)
• Spicy Szechuan Noodles: Dan Dan Mian by Emeril Lagasse of Foodnetwork.com  (I used to watch Emeril Live! shows on TV)
• Dan Dan Mian - Sichuan Spicy Noodles by Appetiteforchina.com
• Dan Dan noodles by Chinesefoodfans.com  (This is probably the nearest recipe to what we had at the Noodle Hut)
• Dan Dan Mian Recipe by KitchenChick.com

McDonald’s McArabia Sandwich

I have fallen in love with McArabia Sandwich by McDonald’s since I started to notice it about a couple of months ago. I would have not learned of its existence if not for my Lebanese boss at work who I overheard ordering McArabia sandwich.

According to Wikipedia.com, in 2003 McArabia was introduced in the Middle East by McDonalds via a large advertising campaign. It has been very well received in the region and has become popular since then especially in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

McArabia Sandwich Meal
McArabia is an Arabic-themed sandwich available in two versions, grilled chicken and grilled kofta (beef with spices). Two patties of grilled chicken or grilled kofta are wrapped in Arabic pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, onion and garlic mayonnaise. The Arabic pita bread with tiny little bits of black sesame seeds is soft and tasty. The garlic mayonnaise was a perfect dressing to the vegetables and patties.

McArabia Sandwich
I am really enjoying McArabia all the time. Actually, I should say I’m lovin it! Just like the slogan on its handy small pouch wrapper. It’s the better (and healthier) alternative to a regular McDonald’s burger.

Whenever you have the chance, try it!

Dining at Chili’s with Friends

It was more than three weeks now since Boq, I and two of our friends, Randy and Raquel, went to dine in at Chili’s. The two were my former officemates. We really bonded well together with our other Filipino co-workers in our previous company in Dubai and have maintained the friendship even when we left the company. Since they are now also based here in Abu Dhabi like me, we get together once in a while. Three Fridays ago was one of our get together moments.

Why Chili’s?

A week before the said occasion, our other friends from Dubai, Amy and Levi, introduced to us the fajita quesadillas served in Chili’s (Dubai Mall branch) during our visit to Dubai with Clifford. I was still full at that time so I could not enjoy the meal. I suggested to Boq that we try it again. I also liked the restaurant’s idea of serving bottomless tostada chips. It is common to find bottomless beverage on a restaurant’s menu but not on appetizers.


The Restaurant

Whether you are a frequent guest, a first timer or a passerby, you would immediately notice that big red chili pepper hanging from the ceiling of any Chili’s Grill and bar. That’s the restaurant’s appropriate “symbolic figure.”

The Chili’s branch we went to was in Mariah Mall located at the rightmost corner of the ground level. The mall is situated in the busy intersection of 6th and Hamdan streets. The look of the restaurant is more or less similar to other Chili’s branch I visited, specifically the high industrial type ceiling and the colorful mosaic tiled tables.

One thing I like about Chili’s is its informal ambiance. You don’t have to worry if you are dressed to kill or on your simple shirt and jeans only, or whether it is allowed to laugh out loud without being stared at by other guests. It’s simply fun and unpretentious.

The Food

Boq and I arrived at Chili’s a little early than scheduled but the restaurant was already busy then because our timing coincided with Iftar. We were made to wait for a while to be seated.

Once seated and while waiting for our friends to arrive, we ordered our drinks and the bottomless tostada chips, which took very long to arrive. It was past seven p.m. and the two haven’t arrived yet. And since the service was getting real slow, I suggested to Boq that we take our orders for the main course and thought that either Randy or Raquel wouldn’t mind. (True enough they didn’t mind at all.)

As I mentioned, I wasn’t able to take much pleasure on the feast the last time we ate at Chili’s so we mimic the same selection that Amy made then: beef fajita quesadillas, chicken crispers and our pre-ordered warm crispy tostada chips. We just added in garlic shimp alfredo pasta, as we were also craving for some pasta dish.

The bottomless tostada chips were saltier than the one served in Chili’s Dubai Mall, but the house made salsa was as great. The chips were served in a very large serving basket. We were unable to request for a refill as the first serving was more than enough for the four of us.


The fajita quesadillas was a plateful of buttery toasted tortillas filled with marinated fajita steak, grilled onions and jack cheese. It is normally being served with rice, black beans, sour cream and pico de gallo (chopped veggies). But, instead of rice we requested to replace it with sweet corn on the cob. For me, the sweet corn was a better choice than the rice as it complemented the sour cream and pico de gallo. The fajita was good. I just wished, similar to tostada chips, they would lessen the salt. Aside from the fajita steak, Chili’s other quesadilla choice is grilled chicken.


The chicken crispers were strips of hand battered fried chicken minus the bones and skin, if I’m not mistaken. It can be likened to fried chicken fillet covered with bread crumbs. The crispers were served also with sweet corn on the cob, French fries and honey mustard dip. The honey mustard dip was great for the chicken and a welcome alternative compared to the usual catsup or gravy.


The shrimp alfredo pasta consisted of penne pasta with spicy shrimps seasoned with garlic and lime tossed in creamy alfredo sauce, tomatoes, parmesan cheese and served with garlic toast. I thought the creaminess of this pasta dish was just about right. Not too heavy and not too light. The shrimps were quite tasty. I was happy with our pasta choice.


The Drinks

The usual selection of beverage from fruit juices, shakes, soft drinks, bottled water and iced tea were available. We all opted for bottomless iced lemon tea. Chili’s is one of those restaurants that served tea on ice and lemon without sugar, then you will be given a separate container with sugar syrup to sweeten your iced tea as you like.

I’d say that we all had an enjoyable evening, especially when Randy’s cool (and really expensive!) digital camera started rolling.

Disclaimer: I am not endorsing Chili’s. I am simply blogging my eating out experience.

Almost Loving Figaro’s Pizza

We had a very filling dinner at Figaro's Pizza in Marina Mall on Friday evening courtesy of our friend Cliff, who, as I mentioned in my previous post, was here in Abu Dhabi for a three-week work assignment. He is about to leave in a few days and so he took the chance last weekend to offer us a dinner treat, which Boq and I happily obliged. Some friends were supposed to be with us but were not able to make it, the result; I had a date with two gentlemen!

The Restaurant

First of all, Figaro's Pizza is not at all related to Figaro, a famous coffee shop in the Philippines. One of the staff who happened to be a kabayan confirmed this when my curiosity got into me.

Figaro's Pizza
The restaurant is located at the second level in Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi. It is rather small but with chic furniture and lighting fixtures. There were not too many service crews but most were very attentive. The service was also fast. We did not have to wait very long for the food to arrive considering that there are quite a number of guests that evening.

Figaro's Pizza House
The Food

Figaro's Pizza serves authentic Italian pizzas and pasta dishes. They have a large selection of pizza in the menu. You will be made to choose which crust you fancy from thin, medium and thick.

For appetizer, we ordered hot chicken wings and mixed salad bar, while for main course, it is seafood supreme pizza and lasagna.

Boq and Cliff rushed to the salad bar right after our order was taken by a friendly service crew. They did a decent job on filling up a small plate with enough salad for the three of us. The plate was slightly bigger than a saucer, and if you are an expert in piling up salad mix onto such a plate size, it is more than enough for a single large order.

Mixed Salad
The Figaro’s Pizza Salad Bar contains the usual items you can find in a salad bar, potato salad, corn kernel, macaroni salad, croutons, mixed steamed vegetables and some fresh produce, also with choices of the usual dressings. For our mixed salad, the guys favored for French dressing. As always, I do enjoy mixed salad and I definitely took pleasure in this one.

The hot chicken wings are super spicy indeed. I was not able to enjoy it because the spiciness overpowered the taste of the chicken. But with only eight chicken wing pieces per large serving the plateful dish was emptied.

Hot Chicken Wings
As for the lasagna, I did not like it at all. I took just a small fraction and yet had the hard time to finish it off. It is too sour. If I have to eat at Figaro's Pizza again, I will skip lasagna. Can't blame me, I tasted much better.

Lasagna
Unlike the lasagna, I did enjoy the seafood supreme pizza. When the pizza arrived I was amused by its size. Really sooo big for us three I thought, about 16 inches in diameter. We ordered the large size medium crust pizza with eight equal slices.

As expected for a seafood pizza, it contained shrimps, squid and crab sticks combined with chopped onion, green and red bell peppers. It had no sign of tomatoes for the pizza topping base, instead, aside from the mozzarella cheese, some other white sauce-like was used for the topping base. We were only able to consume 3 slices and took home the rest. Not that it's not delicious, it was just really too much for us three.

Seafood Supreme Pizza
The Drinks

A few selection of beverage in the menu include soft drinks, water, fruit juices and if I remember it right, fruit shakes. I didn’t bother to look much on the beverage selection so I couldn’t tell what type of fruit juices and shakes were available as I don’t particularly like ordering juices when I’m in a pizza house, it’s either soft drinks or iced tea for me. But since they don’t serve iced tea, I’d settled for Pepsi diet. Boq and Cliff followed suit with their choices.

The restaurant does not also serve bottomless drinks, but the soft drink is served in a big glass mug, which is just about the enough size (for my small stomach) already.

Although I did have a little issue about the lasagna and the absence of iced tea in the beverage list, I consider Figaro’s Pizza as a good alternative for a pizza house (at least for the pizza).


Disclaimer: I am not endorsing Figaro’s Pizza. I am simply blogging my eating out experience.

Chocolate Mousse Cake Delight by Café Moka

My friends and former officemates from way back in the Philippines, Cliff and Daisy, surprised me with this delectable chocolate mousse cake when we went to Cliff’s hotel to eat dinner over the weekend. (It’s their belated birthday gift. ^-^)


Cliff just came from the Philippines almost two weeks ago for a three-week work assignment here in Abu Dhabi, while Daisy moved in Abu Dhabi early this year.

The cake was bought from Café Moka in Abu Dhabi Mall. I noticed on the cake box that the shop only listed two locations, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which made me wonder if the shop is a local brand. And, I found out that it is!


Café Moka was established in 1996 in the UAE with four branches in Abu Dhabi and one in Dubai. Aside from putting up shops, they also cater to leading petrol companies in Dubai and Abu Dhabi namely EDNOC, ADNOC and EPPCO, supplying quality sandwiches, croissants and cakes.

I read in Café Moka’s website that their cake recipes are based on traditional French baking techniques. And, they pride themselves with this slogan for their cakes and pastries: “Sweet, creamy, rich pastries are the height of indulgence in our boulangeries.” Knowing this, it’s no wonder that the chocolate mousse cake was the epitome of the right sweetness and creaminess of a mousse cake. It was truly delightful!

Disclaimer: I am not endorsing Café Moka. I am simply blogging my eating out experience.

Dinner Indulgence at The Noodle House

Today is my special day and I wanted a simple dinner of my favorite cuisine, i.e. Asian.

After hearing mass, Boq and I proceeded to The Noodle House in Al Wahda Mall, as it is the nearest and most convenient place to go from the church. Besides, our initial try of the resto was pleasant so it will be nice to pay them a visit again.

The Restaurant


I like the restaurant’s atmosphere and interior. It is informal and spacious yet stylish. They designed the restaurant into two levels. The area at the entrance is on the same level with the ground level and the other is on a raised floor where the kitchen is also located. Majority of the table and seat arrangement are wooden and upholstered benches but there is a portion in the raised floor level where they arranged square tables for four with two chairs at one side and a long continuous couch at the other side set against the wall.


Prawn Wanton Noodles
I cannot tell if the Al Wahda Mall branch is a typical design for The Noodle House because I’ve never been to any other Noodle House branch. What I can tell is that I’ve seen a couple of branches that doesn’t look as stylish as the Al Wahda Mall branch from the outside. Of course, I may be wrong as I’m only judging them based on their outside appearance.


Stir Fry Vegetables
The Food

I’d be honest, I did not enjoy the food compared to our first visit there. We ordered prawn wanton noodle soup with roasted duck, stir-fried mixed vegetables, spicy lemongrass crab cakes and egg fried rice. The only dish that gave me the satisfaction was the noodle soup. The crab cake was not at all spicy as the menu suggested. It was crunchy outside and soft in the inside, just the perfect texture, but I was not really drawn to it. I’ve tasted better. The fried rice was bland for my taste. And I found the stir-fry veggies with an off-smelling ingredient. I don’t know exactly what contributed the smell but Boq said it was the mushroom, which was sad if it really was because mushroom is my favorite. I just remember now, I encountered the same smell in a stir-fry vegetable dish we ordered in one of our dinners in another Asian restaurant. I’m guessing that it’s a normal thing for authentic Asian cuisine, unfortunately, I couldn’t get used to it. Don’t get me wrong though. If I did not enjoy the food, Boq did have a good time. He is not as picky as I am. Yes that’s maybe it, I’m just too picky and I have a very high standard when it comes to Asian food. I lived in Thailand and Taiwan before where I tasted the most authentic Chinese and Thai dishes.


Spicy Lemongrass Crab Cakes
One thing though that I can recommend in The Noodle House menu, is their pad thai (or stir-fried noodles). We tried it during our first visit and made a couple of take-out orders on separate occasions. It’s not in my number one list but it’s one of the best.


Egg Fried Rice
On the whole, it was fun to dine in at The Noodle House because the service was good and the atmosphere was pleasant. They even have a different style of taking orders. Guests are given individually an order sheet (they call it order pad) where you will tick or check your orders using a pen with a nice curly detail at its end. It was even more fun if we just ordered the right food that’s pleasing for my taste. But I have no regrets. I may have not enjoyed most of what we ordered but I did enjoy the noodles and using the chopsticks. Moreover, Boq enjoyed his food and I had fun taking photos. The whole experience was all that matters to me.


Order Pad
Disclaimer: I am not endorsing The Noodle House. I am simply blogging my eating out experience.

Cheers!

Yummy Treats: Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts

I still remember how I enjoyed my first taste of Krispy Kreme donut courtesy of an old friend (Rowena) back in the Philippines. The donuts were brought fresh from the US by her elder sis who just came from her business trip. All twelve (if I’m not mistaken) of the original glazed donuts were arranged neatly in what seemed to me then was a flat oversized box (because I’d never seen similar packaging before, and, I did wonder how my friend’s sister managed to carry that box). There was no Krispy Kreme outlet yet in the Philippines at that time, so, everything was really new to me, from the packaging to the heating instruction and the taste of the famous donut. Nowadays, (if their website is updated) there are already 10 Krispy Kreme outlets in the Philippines.

In the UAE, upon also checking the Krispy Kreme store locator, there are 20 outlets that opened across four emirates (13 in Dubai, 5 in Sharjah, 1 in Ajman and 1 in Abu Dhabi). I feel lucky that we are so near the Abu Dhabi outlet. Our flat is just walking distance to Khalidiya Mall where the lone Krispy Kreme outlet in Abu Dhabi is located.

I was really intrigued about Krispy kreme donuts before because I just used to hear how delicious it is more than a couple instances during our post meeting conversations with our bosses. When I had the chance to taste it, I finally understood why they are crazy about it. It’s nothing similar to any donuts I’ve tasted. It’s simply delicious. It was like eating M&M’s that melts in the mouth.

So, today, I’m having another bite of this delicious donut product (I’m a loyalist of original glazed!) that carries the slogan: Loved by the world. This is simply true.


Disclaimer: I am not endorsing Krispy Kreme. I am simply blogging my eating out experience.

Affordable Dining at IKEA Restaurant

IKEA is a retail store of home products and furniture that are self-assembled, functional and at an affordable price. The store concept is to showcase their products thru mock-up interior arrangement and decoration for bedrooms, living rooms and kitchen. That way a shopper can pick-up some ideas on how to design a room at utmost functionality.

But there’s more about IKEA. Inside the store (of those that I’ve visited here in the UAE) is a restaurant, where a shopper can take a break from shopping to dine or snack. This was what Boq and I did last weekend in IKEA at the Marina Mall.

The Restaurant

The restaurant resembled a canteen look where tables and chairs are arranged neatly in rows, but it has a stylish design, which isn’t a surprise because it is managed by a retail store that sells well-designed products. The lamps are nicely hooked at the trellis ceiling just about at the right position and height to each table. The table linens are appropriately labeled with the material name and price per meter for diners’ information in case one fancies using the same linen in their homes.

The Food

The meal of the day or dish of the day served during our visit was oven fish hammour. They also cater vegetarian dish and meal for kids. Since I love fish, I gave the hammour a try. Boq ordered a roast beef meal.

Orders can be made for a half meal or a full meal. A half meal consists of rice, main dish and one side dish. The full meal consists of almost the same as that of a half meal but double the quantity for main dish and two side dishes. If you’re not a big eater like me, you can settle for the half meal. It will already make you very full. Likewise, when you’re on a diet like Boq (he-he!), the half meal is just about the right portion you need. And the treat there was, we got the right serving at a bargain price. Our meal together cost us half of what we could have spent in any restaurant in a food court. That’s with an extra order of double chocolate muffin for desert!

I should be honest though, the food was rather bland for my taste but it can be fixed with the help of some salt and pepper, that’s what they’re for anyway right? I liked the rice served that day, which is mixed with bits of vermicelli. The muffin bread was a little dry but satisfied the chocolate flavor.

Drinks

There is a variety of drinks available. You can choose from soft drinks, a couple of juice assortment, coffee, water or hot tea.

Overall, I enjoyed dining in IKEA Restaurant. The food may be lacking with some kick but the ambience, affordability and convenience are pleasant treats.

Oh by the way, the restaurant is self-service and so if you decide to dine-in there make sure that you clean-up your table when you’re done. It’s one of the reasons that they are able to maintain their prices low.

Cheers!

Disclaimer: I am not endorsing IKEA Restaurant. This review is just part of my eating out experiences, which I intend to share in this blog.

Thrilled about Chowking

Have you ever experience a thrilling moment over a simple dinner in a food court? I have.

Boq and I had dinner at a food court of a high end mall here in Abu Dhabi last night. I didn’t know that Chowking has opened a branch in Al Wahda Mall until Boq mentioned it yesterday. I got thrilled that I immediately dismissed my craving for Thai food.

I was really so happy to see Chowking in front of me. It brought back memories of my family’s eating out sessions during paydays back home. My father likes Chowking so much that whenever we eat out he would always suggest that we go to Chowking (although sometimes I could persuade him to try other fast food or resto).

We ordered my old time favorites, beef with wanton noodles and kangkong with bagoong. I know they don’t complement each other (he-he!), so in addition to it were vegetable chow fan, which was very yummy that I thought of preparing the same one of these days, and tofu dipped in vinegar with soy sauce and onion. As shallow as it may seem, up to now I’m still overjoyed about our dinner last night. Can’t blame me, aside from bringing me down the memory lane, the food was delicious. We will definitely go back there!

Cheesy Breadsticks for Lunch

I had breadsticks for lunch today! It was not the first, I requested Boq to buy me breadsticks sometime last month, which I also brought at work for my lunch. It's quite delicious and filling so a repeat order is inevitable. The bread is, I'm guessing, a pizza dough (since it's from Domino's Pizza house) formed in half circle and cut into thick strips, sprinkled with cheese, probably parmesan and some green bits of, which I'm again guessing, dried oregano leaves. What makes it more delicious is the marinara dipping sauce, a tomato-based dip. It’s sour taste complements the saltiness of the cheese. Really, I just love it and I'd try it again soon!

Did you know? Breadsticks originated from Turin, Italy. Its Italian translation is grissini. Generally, breadsticks are pencil-sized sticks of crispy bread but the original recipe has a more bread-like texture, is thicker and often twisted. They are usually served as appetizer in Italian restaurants.

Cheers!

Yummy Chocolate Cake Roll

I and Boq indulged into something sweet after dinner last night, a yummy chocolate roll cake from Miss J Cafe. I know it's not a healthy treat with the calories that we’re going to take but who cares when a nice rolled slice of cake comes out from a nice little box! You just can't wait to taste it I'm sure. And this one is a choco cake hottie as it tastes creamy, soft, delicious, rich but not overly sweet. It's worth the indulge, we'll just deal with the guilt later.

Did you know? There are two basic types of cake. The cakes made with fats and the cakes containing little or no fats. Those made with fats are commonly known as butter cakes or creamed cakes as they contain butter, margarine or vegetable shortening, which contribute to the cake's fine texture, tenderness and moist state. While, the cakes that do not almost contain fat are called foam or chiffon cakes. This type of cake has a larger proportion of egg than butter cakes.

So, the next time you visit a cake or pastry shop, decide which one you should order, with fats or no fats?

Refreshing Mocha Frescato

I was half hour early for my business appointment earlier today at Business Central Towers in Jebel Ali, Dubai. The temperature outside was very hot (around 40 deg. celcius!) so I welcomed the situation as an opportunity to have time for refreshment at Costa Coffee in the same building where my meeting was while I was killing time.

I would’ve liked to drink an iced cold lemon tea at that moment, unfortunately, they only serve hot tea so I ordered mocha frescato instead.

What's a frescato you might ask? Frescato is an ice blended drink. It's ideal for a cool summer drink which can be fruit or coffee-based.

I like bittersweet taste so I like my coffee to have enough cream and sugar in it to make it tastes bittersweet. That's why when I go to coffee shops, most often than not I would order mocha drink whether it's cold or hot, although I sometimes crave for hot chocolate especially during winter months. I like mocha because its coffee and cocoa mixed into one.

What about you? Are you a coffee drinker? Do you like it with cream and sugar or plain black coffee?

Burger and Chicken Salad Brunch

Yesterday was a special day for me and Boq. We planned to eat out for lunch (brunch actually) after hearing Friday Mass. I was craving for burger and fries but a fast food joint wasn’t appropriate for the occasion, so we decided to dine in Fuddruckers at Marina Mall.

After several minutes of checking out the menu, we ordered two dishes that we thought were worth to try – Specialty Burger with beef bacon and cheddar cheese (I was craving for burger & fries, remember? :) ) and Buffalo Chicken Salad.

The salad was served first on a black-colored ceramic plate with crispy chicken mixed with cheese, lettuce, snow and violet-colored cabbage, fine strips of carrots, tossed with ranch dressing and topped with franks buffalo sauce. (Wow, I did remember all the ingredients!) I wasn’t sure at the time we were ordering the salad how the buffalo sauce tastes. Maybe I was ignorant but the sauce sounded strange to me, a skeptic that I am about tastes of strange sounding food I managed to oblige to try the salad with Boq's suggestion. It turned out to be a little salty and sour and nothing strange.