Per Te Ristorante – Truly Italian For You + Giveaway (200 dhs Voucher)

Per Te Ristorante E Café, is an Italian restaurant with a modern twist. It has opened its doors in the UAE on January, 14th 2015. Nestled in the by lanes of Jumeirah 1, away from the hustle-bustle of the modern day chaos. It is a quiet and serene corner haven with elegant and welcoming interiors. Per Te is tastefully designed to offer multiple dining experiences consisting of a cozy coffee lounge, an elegant dining section overlooking the open kitchen, alfresco terrace seating for exclusive corporate or private events. It’s serving authentic Italian cuisine made from fresh and carefully sourced ingredients mostly from Italy. While celebrating Italian Cuisine on Mahi Blog we decided to explore the taste at this venue and it’s splendid.

  

Upon our arrival, we were greeted warmly by Kaye and a very humble and ever smiling host & Manager Anushka, who then gave us a tour of the premises. He also introduced us to Chef Glady, who has an impressive list of credentials on his CV. I noticed him being so well-versed in Italian cooking and found him too involved in, and aware of every aspect/every ingredient in Per Te kitchen. We also noticed lots of coordination and team bonding he had with team of other chefs which is commendable. He has worked for the likes of Sheraton, Urbano Dubai, Carluccios and Ferrari World. Originally from Chennai, India Chef Glady has worked with big names in the Italian food business and his twelve year long career in some of the world’s most prestigious kitchens has given him a sixth sense when it comes to Italian flavors. Chef Glady owes his success to Chef Samuele Crestale who helped him realize his true culinary strength.

STARTERs

Antipasto Classico

Tartare di tonno al frutto della passione

Tuna tartare with passion fruit

Fritto Misto

Mixed fried seafood and vegetables with rock salt and pepper served with pesto mayonnaise and lemon wedges

While we waited for chefs team to plump up above starters, we were served the squashy cubes of bread Focaccia stuffed mushrooms with three delectable dips and it was divine; Basil Pesto, Arabiata Sauce, and Sundried Tomato. All three were thoroughly enjoyable but the sundried tomatoes sauce was op notch. We even requested for chili oil and were promptly obliged.

First Starter had arrived  which has Beef bresaola, spicy salami, rocket and parmesan, black sesame tuna fish, grilled vegetables, semi- dried tomatoes, olives, focaccia, prawns wrapped with turkey bacon, sun dried tomato pesto and buffalo mozarella cheese, in short it’s a mini world on antipasti and Per Te does complete justice to it. It is full of taste and every minor details is been well taken care of on this black round slab. The Seafood Fritters were a big attention grabber, served in a stainless steal Colander it consists of Calamari, Shrimps, Broccoli and Fried Potatoes. This was just a regular dish you will find in other places too however it had lots of flavour and is cordially accompanied Tartar sauce. Next up, we received a numinous Tuna tartare placed on a bed of passion fruit and topped with olive tapenade. Hubby was a little undecided about raw fish, but as soon as I had a guarded little nibble, I just dove right into and couldn’t stop munching in anticipation of more passion fruit tangy taste with tuna . It was the such a tropical and invigorating amalgamation between the softness of the fish and the crusty sourness of the fruit. It is indeed a sensational starter ❤

MAIN COURSE

Orecchiette con Polpette

Typical Italian ear shaped pasta with spicy meat balls

Bistecca alla’ Grigilia

Grilled beef rib-eye steak with mashed potato and wild mushrooms

Pollo Piccante Pizza

Marinated chicken, red onion, roasted bell pepper, oregano and chili

Pure di Patate di Tartufo

Mashed Potato with truffle

The next spectacle, Grilled beef rib-eye steak from the main courses arrived, it is well done and the premium quality meat just presented itself very well being tender and juicy along with perfect concotion of spices and herbs. We tasted our main course steak with Mashed Potato with truffle along with that arrived Pollo Piccante Pizza being inspired by Antonnio Carluccio they kept it simple and concentrate more on core elements i-e great crust, fresh sauce and good quality cheese this pizza was very much like an attainable dream. Larger on size but compact on attainability.

DESSERT

Lieto di Cioccolato

At the end the chef himself came along with the manager to ask if we enjoyed our meal and well presented his unique Per te dessert platter. The whole presentation of the dessert was fantastic and it seems indeed prepared with special care and complete dedication.  It is 75% Cocoa smooth and shiny chocolate brick with roasted nuts, orange sweet zest (beautifully crafted and placed), creamy coffee sauce served with passion fruit semi freddo, vanilla semi freddo and mixed berry semi freddo.

Chef gladdy also shared his simple recipe of tuna tarter that we loved. Team Per Te also invited us to visit their newly opened branch in which we are heading to very soon. In actual fact their service was tremendously awesome. Per Te in it’s literal sense means ‘for you’! Kaye, Anushka, Chef Glady and the whole staff do make sure to make us feel that they are there for us by giving exceptional service and notice! The vision of the owners literally speaks in it’s true version by hospitality at Per Te and its presentable & best taste dishes. The portion size was decent and so were the prices. If I had to give some criticism, I’d suggest softening the lights in the Restaurant to strike out more into their wall hangings etc.  Though I love the variety of set-up and you may still choose a corner suiting your mood and gathering actually. Other than that, these guys need to just keep putting that awesome food on our plates and keep up the great service. After visiting Per Te I feel more vicinity Italian restaurants should definitely be introduced in Dubai with same temperament and this is indeed a hail toting up in the Italian cuisine

All in all, a great find and a new favorite for Mahi Blog. Can’t wait to go back and take friends and family with us.

GIVEAWAY/ COMPETITION: (1 WINNER)

Mahi Blog and Per Te have teamed up to offer One lucky reader “200 DHS value voucher valid for 2“ to spend at the restaurant.

How to win:

For your chance to win simply do the following:

1- Subscribe (via email id) on Mahi Blog,

2- LIKE & FOLLOW Per Te Dubai Facebook & Twitter pages and mention that @mahiblog has sent you.

2- Share this post using buttons below of FB, Twitter, IG etc

Tag Mahi Blog on FB, Instagram, Twitter to let us know that you share !!!!

“WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN ON MAXIMUM SHARES BASIS”

To win you must do all the above steps. Winners will be announced on October 5th, 2015.  Only UAE fans can take part.

Disclaimer & Notes: A huge Thank you to Anushka, Per Te’s Management & humble staff for coordination. We were invited however it did not influence our thoughts and reviews, all opinions content are our own. Please do not use any pics without prior permission.

 

Congratulations – Mahi Blog #EID #Giveaways Winners Announced.

“CONGRATULATIONS”

Thank you for immense participation by all on behalf of Mahi Blog and our Clients, there were many shortlisted on participation basis as so many of you have shared day and night and on different social media pages and have also encouraged and liked our posts respectively.

 “Have a sneak preview of our upcoming Re-Branded website HERE ! “

Unfortunately not everyone can be a winner, however we do notice efforts from many other participants too like Sahar, Marsha, Ayat, Shameela, Shamee Khadija, Arham, Dina, Nabila (just to name few of them), don’t be disappointed as there are many more Prizes coming soon.

Also not to forget 5 beauty hampers are still there to Win.

You may find the Winners chosen for each category in their own post (Click the contest name- linked below)

Find Winners’ names here:

• PIZZA DI ROCCO (2 Winners ) – 200 dhs voucher for each

• PREGO’S @ Media Rotana – (1 Winner) – Meal voucher for 2

• Mahi Blog Thankyou Giveaway – Beauty Hamper – (Still 5 more winners to be announced)

• 60 Min MASSAGE – Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana (1 Winner)
  

THANK YOU 

 

“PREGO’S” at Media Rotana – Petite bit of Italy + Giveaway

CONGRATULATIONS:

Winner is Selma Romola . Please send email with your full name and contact details to mahiblog.ae@gmail.com to claim your voucher within 2 days, incase of failure another winner will be chosen.

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Keeping up with Italian Cuisine celebration on Mahi Blog, we are featuring some of the best Italian restaurants around UAE. Hence decided to explore Prego’s, one of the 5 exquisite dining venues at Media Rotana, offering Italian cuisine. We love this place and planned to return back after we visited last in Ramadan and reviewed Channels.

Media Rotana is a luxury 5-star hotel ideally located in the Heart of Dubai, TECOM area and within easy reach of the Dubai Internet City Metro Station & Major Shopping Malls. Prego’s is known for its authentic spirit, with various award achievements such as the Time Out Dubai Restaurant Awards, World’s Best Italian Pizza Competition and the Italian Industry & Commerce Office in the UAE. Prego’s is able to be distinguished as one of the leading Italian restaurants in the city over years.

Opening its doors daily, they serves a wide range of Italian specialties from thin crusted pizzas to freshly baked homemade breads blazed in a wood-fired oven. We completely fell in love with ambiance and interior featuring an exclusive chic and fashionable design with great use of red light. Mosaic tiles at the entrance, wood flooring and open kitchen make it a lively, manageable and welcoming atmosphere. This venue is extremely popular with diners as you get to see a lot of cooking and baking going on in the kitchen. An open front kitchen (Which I must say is very well organized and well divided into sections, in spite of its compact size) showcases their chefs creating the finest in Italian cuisine. Prego’s offer all time culinary favorites and delightful monthly specials. This specially designed menu is known for its noted delicacies, ranging from white asparagus, artichokes, porcini mushroom, white and black truffles.

Pictured below: Linguini Carbonara, Fried Calamari/ shrimps , margarita pizza, breaded veal chop with rucola.

 

Food we tasted;

Oven fresh bread with cheese & white canolini beans sauce welcomed us on the table. From soup options we tried creamy porcini mushroom soup on chef’s recommendation, it was served real hot and we could smell the aroma of white truffle oil coming out of the bowl. It was too rich and creamy though, hence too filling on our stomach.

Burratra di Andria was first antipasti to hit the table and wow what an impression it made. It was good looking and simple yet delicious, Chef stick to the basics and presented the classic Burrata Cheese  in a platter served with semi dried cherry tomatoes, baby spinach and Taggiasca olives with a sprinkle of oregano on top, very fresh and crunchy at the same time.

Our very favorite antipasti amongst all was Eggplant rolls with ricotta cheese, the basil pesto sauce and tomato confir combo was so well balanced that it made the dish mouthwatering. From Carpacci section we tried Tuna Tartare with mango, avocado and aged balsamic vinegar reduction, I loved the sweet sour and tangy taste of it at the same time balsamic jus adds to its flavor.

I still remember the mouthwatering taste of the Grilled lamb chops with vegetable ratatouille and sautéed potatoes in olive oil, lemon zest which gives this extra tang and flavor to sauce with garlic and rosemary. Very well done and perfectly grilled and juicy in taste.

 

Finally, we concluded on desserts, the highlight of the evening. Tiramisu was so moist and delectable, drenched in coffee was so imperious it certainly raised our expectations hence we went on and ordered another star of the evening “Hot Lava Chocolate Cake with lemon sorbet and berry coulis.

With a comfy, convivial ambiance, warm and friendly interiors, this restaurant offered us a delectable journey with the true flavors of Italy. Dress Code is Smart Casual however you can’t show up wearing shorts. Pastas are freshly made on a daily basis, and the pizzas are baked in a traditional wood-fired oven. Prego’s Chefs’ team showed us petite bit of Italy with their selection of authentic dishes for which we rate them 4.5 out of 5.

 

For more details on Media Rotana & Prego’s click HERE

Contact – To Book a table call +971 (4) 4350201

Email – fb.media@rotana.com

VOUCHER GIVEAWAY/ COMPETITION:

Mahi Blog and Media Rotana have teamed up to offer Mahi Blog readers “Meal Voucher for 2 at Prego’s – Media Rotana“

How to win:

For your chance to win simply do the following:

1- Subscribe (via email id) on Mahi Blog,

2- Share this post using buttons below of FB, Twitter, IG etc

Tag Mahi Blog on FB, Instagram, Twitter to let us know that you share!!!!

“WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN ON MAXIMUM SHARES BASIS”

To win you must do all the above steps. Winners will be announced on September 22nd, 2015.  Only UAE fans can take part.

Disclaimer & Notes: A huge Thank you to Media Rotana Management, Sahil Gour, our host Marketing team, Chefs, Staff at Prego’s. We were guests there however it did not influence our thoughts and reviews, all opinions content are our own. You cannot use any pics without prior permission.

 

Thankyou #Giveaway on Mahi Blog – Beauty / Skin care / Lifestyle

We will have One winner each week! Winner’s name will be displayed here on top of this post !!

“Congratulations”     Guess what ! Contest is Still on….. Good Luck – 4 more weeks to go 🙂 but we will give 5 more boxes 🙂

THIS CONTEST WILL CONTINUE ON WWW.MAHIBLOG.COM NOW !!!

CLICK HERE !

Week 1 Winner – IRMINA TEODORO

Week 2 Winner – Fatema Nooruddin

Week 3 Winner – Shruti Mathew

Week 4 Winner – Saman Nasir

Week 5 Winner – Rabia Sameer

Week 6 Winner – Shamila Mehtab

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And it begins. Thank you very much readers and followers for giving such an immense response over our social media and Mahi Blog. Sine we promise once we hit 2k mark on FB we will announce a mega #contest. Here it is; we will be giving away “10 Thankyou beautiful hampers” (each per week) full of goodness from beauty / hair care / skin care and lifestyle world. It has mix of makeup products / samples / full size / pocket-size, minis of my favorite brands products. Also some simple day-to-day items which we like (Jewelry, notes diaries etc).

How to win:

For your chance to win simply do the following:

1- Subscribe (via email id) on Mahi Blog (Make sure to confirm you subscription through email which you receive in your mailbox (inbox), when you press follow button on top right side on the page after mentioning you email id)

2- Share this post on as many social widgets as you can. (Use only buttons below at the bottom of this post, of FB, Twitter, IG, Pinterest etc)

3- Like, Follow, Share us on following:

• Facebook (/mahiblog)
• Twitter (@mahiblog)
• Instagram (@mahiblog)

To win you must do all the above steps. Winners will be announced on each Saturday starting August 29th, 2015 .  All UAE fans can take part.

#Share #Repost & #Tag friends through below social media buttons

The more active you are the greater the chances. We will choose winners on varied basis each week.

– Most active ones,

– Randomly Chosen

Even if you not sharing each hour/day but have liked and subscribed on all above you can get lucky via random picker application too. So let’s get started and if during this campaign we hit another milestone of 3k on FB or any pretty number on any of our pages, we will bring in more prizes!! Now that’s called.. JACKPOT of #giveaways. There will be regular routine reviews (Food / Restaurant / Hotels / Spa / Events / Salon / Fashion Brands / Lifestyle) with contest on our blog through out hence more you share each review . those reviews too you will even increase the chance here too.. (We are keeping a keen eye on how active you are !)

First winner will be announced this Saturday!! All the best to all. All UAE fans can take part, Incase you are outside UAE and still wish to participate please mention in comments too, if you can arrange for shipment via friend/ family / courier, we shall keep your prize for only 2 weeks (as we face some difficulties previously as some winners and back home in their countries and are planning to return after months), if not claimed in 14 days another winner will be chosen.

Once again, ❤  THANK YOU ! it’s possible because of YOU !

P.s. Product may vary from the pic as we might kept including more brands and more hampers will be made, not all products / items are displayed here. We will have some surprise entries too ❤

 

FUKUROU HOUSE – Intuitive Dining at its finest + WIN #Free Dining Vouchers of 200 dhs

CONGRATULATIONS !!

2 Winners are:

Parveen Sheikh

Chrisfarrales

Send an email asap with your full name and contact details at mahiblog.ae@gmail.com. You have 3 days to claim your prize, incase of failure we will choose new winners.

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Me & Hubby went for a Colorful plate and Vibrant Dinner Date to Fukurou House, located in the ground floor of Emirates Financial Towers, behind the Financial Metro Station. I was totally impressed by the picture in link over an invitation by Fukurou House and planned to visit later that month! This is an Armenian place, However restaurant’s name (signifies an old wise bird Owl) doesn’t give out anything regarding the cuisine & it is relatively new in town as well.

Ambiance:

Loved the ambience of the place. A very contemporary look with vibrant decoration made it extra glam. If you go in events time the mood in the restaurant will be brilliant with the classical jazz music playing and dimmed lighting associating with the type of event they are having. The purple hue to the place with the orange table tops  are complemented well by the large wall drawings in black & gold. A very unique fusion of colors and retro type I would say.

 

Management, Service & Staff: 

The staff was quite friendly, services were timely. Each course was well-timed basis, the expected time to finish the dish was continuously communicated by them. The Chef was giving the short description of the dishes making it a very pleasant service experience, I love the fact how the MD himself was involved as he is a great chef himself and his passion for food and cooking just gave him this whole inspiration of making him dream project to come to life and standing its base in DIFC  Dubai today.

Indeed we are talking about Managing Director, Mr. Armen Kostanyan, you will strained to become fraction of his vision once you chat with him regarding his dream project, how he blend in and did fuse the whole concept of Armenian food, contemporary health and Art all under one roof. Once you enter you will witness gallant shades of either colors or lights, don’t worry it won’t blind you, but in fact attract you to move forward and glaring at the walls on left which is so rouge and bling . Striking art pieces and frames from around the world, specifically focused on women empowerment. Freedom, and Soul, creates responsiveness. There is a classic stage with retro mic been placed making it a perfect and ideal location for Art, Brands, and book launches and, presentations or open mic sessions.

We were seated on prim and porch sofas along with our host Armen, while he gave a brief info about the concept. Origin, food, creativity behind FH and then gave us electronic menu to order. I loved the whole idea of browsing through their iPads for menu as I loved the stylishly dressed images and description of each dish, I would envy my hubby if he would order a better looking dish than me, but luckily both our dishes were to look on. It was customer-friendly and easy to navigate thanks to tech savvy UAE.

Food:

We had sampled 2 appetizers and they were so appealing and vibrant in colors and texture and are served completely fresh and gorgeous. To grind our craving we were served complimentary freshly prepared eggplant caviar with Armenian bread. The bread was fresh from the oven.

The first appetizer was smoked salmon roll with zesty orange portions, avocado and organic dill and red capsicum in it, it was served with tangy lime and ginger sauce and gave that extra oomph to this fresh appetizer.  It was indeed spot on! Armen explained us about the quality of the Salmon which is actually sourced and smoked for the restaurant specifically.

2^nd appetizer was Chicken Crepe served a bit warm, it sounds avenue food, but delivered way higher on the appetite as the crepe was soft and crispy at the same time and is also flavored with some extra spices, the crunch of carrot pieces added the shredded chicken’s flavor. This is the first time I have tasted my crepes with yogurt dip with walnuts chunks on it and every bite of that was a journey to fantasy. It looks big in portion for an appetizer but tasted very light.

My favorite dish in the restaurant is the main I have ordered on owner’s recommendation it’s Portobello chicken with a side of tangy salad, while hubby had lamb chops with sweet potatoes puree, Mine was one large mushroom stuffed with oven-baked grilled chicken, cheese and a pineapple salsa side. The dish was brought to the table by Armen, unfortunately I did not find this dish on recent menu but it truly was the captivating factor of that night and would be worth re-visiting for and to order on demand 😉

 

For their carbs portion what I loved is that they serve quinoa or spinach as side with mains too.

In desserts we have tried their cake of the day which is so yummy.

Extra:

In case you are not being a wine drinker, you won’t get apprehended as, they will quickly ask and quell it by this very rich concentrated flavored drink, non Alcoholic Red & White Wine. Hence if you are in a party with friends and are a non-alcoholic it is the perfect way to go about with your meal.

WOW Element:

• Organic, healthy, gorgeous and soulful food . 
• Eggplant Caviar.
• Gleaming chandeliers.
• Bespoke Art Venue; Art gallery is changing dynamically and on Sunday for example it has live painting event, the main column will be changed into street art piece, guests can enjoy their food and witness its creation, starts at 1 pm.
• Large jeweled rack with Mystique and Imperial bracelets and accessories.
• They also have Lunch Specials with 7 types of salmon, 3 types of authentic stews, meatballs, chicken and vegetarian options, starting AED 45.
• Good news is they’ve launched delivery service as well 🙂

Price:

Price is not too less, but excellent value for money. As all items in menu were healthy, fresh and calorie conscious.

All in all Armen’s passion is clearly apparent from his amusing menu, commendations about ingredients and practical loom, an unusual find in Dubai. Fukurou House most definitely offers value for money with soaring quality, ingenious and artistic dishes. Their menu changes on regular intervals and they substitute less selling dishes with newly created ones hence I am willing to return to taste soon. We would rate them 4.4 / 5 on our likeness meter 🙂

For more information or reservations, please contact Fukurou House or visit their FB & Instagram pages

Fukurou House – Ground Floor of Emirates Financial Towers, DIFC in Dubai, UAE

Phone +971 4 552 1540

Email armen@fukurouhouse.com

GIVEAWAY/ COMPETITION:  (2 WINNERS)

Mahi Blog and Fukurou House have teamed up to offer Mahi Blog readers“2 Dine-in Voucher for 200 dhs each”

How to win:

For your chance to win simply do the following:

1- Answer the following question in comments; Name any one of the main course item at Fukurou House?

2- Subscribe (via email id) on Mahi Blog, Share this post on social widgets. (Use buttons below of FB, Twitter, IG etc)

3- Like, Follow, Share us on following:

• Facebook (/mahiblog)
• Twitter (@mahiblog)
• Instagram (@mahiblog)

To win you must do all the above steps. Winners will be announced on August 17th, 2015.  Only UAE fans can take part in contest.

Disclaimer & Notes: A huge Thank you to Fukurou House Staff &  Armen. We were guests there however it did not influence our thoughts and reviews, all opinions content are our own. You can not use any pics without prior permission.

 

Iftar Review: Sufra – Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights+ “WIN Table for 2 for Dinner Buffet”.

We have been invited to dine-in at a luxurious location at Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights. This the first year they offer Iftar Buffet in Ramadan at their all day dine-in restaurant “SUFRA”.

 

Venue Details:

The venue was pleasant and startling. It’s been ornamented with amazing interiors and bits representing great sense of leg room and being chic at the same time. While you are being seated in one corner can actually have a fair view of overall restaurant. The ambiance was quite bright compare to other fine dining restaurants. Incase you prefer not to open sitting they have a wide Private chamber for customized group booking, private reservation and gatherings

 

Iftar Buffet:

They were “Live action stations” preparing Lamb Shawarma (was best), Falafel, Cheese Rokkat, Kibbeh, Chicken Ouzi and Lamb and Iranian Jeejeh Kebab which were the most delicious of all the BBQ items. In their hot dishes my favorites were Chicken Tagine and Ajwani Prawn Masala. Aloo mutter (potatoes and Green peas curry) tasted so good with Steamed rice. Fish tasted very tender and juicy along with mashed potatoes. Arabic dishes were not in abundance though however the few which represent it did not disappoint us either. (Harissa rubbed Lamb Chops, Bamiya bill ahem, shek almahshe were tastiest)

Steaks were scrumptious and WE LOVED Cheese and Zatar condiments at Saj Station.

  

Breads were prepared fresh and were served to the table. Buffet was not too large however items have been carefully selected and each tasted delicious. I love Shorbet Adas Soup along with Croutons.

   

Salad and Cheese counters were to be commended it has a variety of seasonal salads as well as chef attended live salad preparation for Fattoush. Assorted round bites of plain Labaneh, with dry mint and with Paprika were mouth-watering.

Desserts were great especially Um ali, macrons, Baklawa and Ash alsraya. Fruit cakes and Lintzer tart were yummy. Ice creams made my kids really happy as they loved variety of toppings long with their favorite desserts.

It’s a simple buffet but indeed very tasteful. Staff gesture was great we even noticed they were clearing up table and folding napkins for kids each time we went out of our seats. Staff alertness was very evident as they go an extra mile to serve to your table.

For more details, check these pages for Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights: FB, INSTAGRAM

GIVEAWAY/ COMPETITION: 

Mahi Blog and Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights have teamed up to offer Mahi Blog readers “Dinner Buffet Voucher for 2 at SUFRA”

How to win:

For your chance to win simply do the following:

1- Answer the following question in comments; Name any one of the restaurants at Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights?

2- Subscribe (via email id) on Mahi Blog, Share this post on social widgets. (Use buttons below of FB, Twitter, IG etc)

3- Like, Follow, Share us on following:

• Facebook (/mahiblog)
• Twitter (@mahiblog)
• Instagram (@mahiblog)

To win you must do all the above steps. Winners will be announced on July 20th, 2015.  All UAE fans can take part.

Disclaimer & Notes: A huge Thank you to Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights Management, Leenu and our host staff at restaurant. We were guests there however it did not influence our thoughts and reviews, all opinions content are our own. You can not use any pics without prior permission.

 

Time-Out at Pool and Dinner @ ‘SHERATON JUMEIRAH BEACH RESORT’ / Giveaway

CONGRATS Krithigha and Nadia Victor. You are choosen as winners. Indivisual msgs are been sent to both in how to claim ur prize.

I had visited SHERATON JUMEIRAH BEACH RESORT along with my family where we enjoyed Pool & Beach Access plus refreshments at Azure Pool. From the moment we entered we found the staff much courteous and even at the reception they made us felt very welcomed.

While we were waiting for our lovely host Sofia, took a trance look at the lobby and admired its elegant structure. After a brief meeting another host has guided us to our way to Beach side of the resort.

 

Pool & Refreshment at Azure Restaurant:

There we reached Azure restaurant & Pool which is very big and spacious, adjacent to same is the kid’s pool, showers and changing rooms are situated nearby.

   

 The pools are temperature controlled while life guard is available throughout to assist further. Azure Pool bar and restaurant is located connected within the pool hence swimmers can enjoy sitting in the pool and enjoying their snacks. However the very prompt and courteous staff will bring your order to you while you are even sitting in the big gardens just in front of the pool full of beach benches & relaxing chairs. You can relax under sun or under tree overseeing the calm sea and jet skies splashing the water. We enjoyed our refreshment i-e Mini Burgers, pizza and Fish and chips, what actually takes all our attention were the refreshing drinks and shakes.

 

All in all it’s a great out-door locations where guests enjoy the outdoors as well as snacks, mezzeh, salads, sandwiches, barbecue, and refreshing drinks as light fare cuisine and in quite a laid back and fun environment. Kids have enjoyed their banana Ice-cream split with chocolate sauce on top.

PLUS POINT: Setting is along the pool side, however being a resort  you have a large area to choose a spot and rest your head on to the relaxing chair, if you are going with the kids they have inflated slides fun area for those mini-goers, do check in the closing time though.

After enjoying a mesmerizing view of sea and sun-set, we relaxed in the lobby for a while and enjoyed their speedy internet services; you can’t live without updating social media.. yeah!

Dinner at the Palm Garden Restaurant and Terrace

It is all day dining restaurant serves delicious meals originating from such destinations as Lebanon, Italy, Germany, and India. It is also home to one of the best themed nights on Jumeirah Beach.

It was Spanish & Portuguese theme night the day we dine-in. Food was good, menu spread is quite interesting with some hot mezzeh. As meat dishes are many, salad bar comes to rescue it is so hefty and full of variety of them. For main course it’s a round station that has predominantly Spanish and Portuguese dishes, the chef is on hand to assist you with any content details & choices that you might need  to  make.

 

I loved the Fried Calamari in Oriental spices and another knock out dish was “Sirloin” A Portuguese Style. The food is luscious and delectable, full of flavor. The staff is caring and knowledgeable and will assist in anything from changing your seat to helping you with the buffet selection or to bring Mocktail of the day to your table, it was “Wake Up” Minty Strawberry flavored drink which we really have enjoyed.  Live music was there to entertain the guests.

We even had witnessed their earth hour activities on another visit and it’s quite interactive and awareness campaign.

 

Cuisine:                International

Dress Code:          Smart Casual

Parking:                Free parking is available.

Atmosphere:         Garden View

 

The hotel has lush trees and a good stretch of beach. It was admirable location, finer service where the front desk was particularly helpful and very courteous. Food was special as it was a new cuisine we had tried. One of the best times I have spent in throughout the summer with kids in splash and joy. You can have more information about the property via their social media pages FB, Twitter & IG.

    

GIVEAWAY/ COMPETITION: (2 WINNERS)

Mahi Blog and SHERATON JUMEIRAH BEACH RESORT have teamed up to offer Mahi Blog readers the following vouchers:

• 1 for pool access and refreshment (2 pax)
• 1 dining voucher for Palm Garden (2 pax with soft drinks included)

How to win:

For your chance to win simply do the following:

1- Answer the following question in comments; Name any one of the restaurants at SHERATON JUMEIRAH BEACH RESORT?

2- Subscribe (via email id) on Mahi Blog, Share this post on social widgets. (Use buttons below of FB, Twitter, IG etc)

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To win you must do all the above steps. Winners will be announced on July 20th, 2015.  All UAE fans can take part.

 

Ramadan at SHERATON JUMEIRAH BEACH RESORT:

Embrace the Spirit of Ramadan at the Hotel as it brings to town the true “Ramadan Nights”. This year they offers a delightful Iftar Buffet at The Palm Garden as well as Iftar and Suhoor A la Carte at Hadiqa Tent during the Holy month. Buffet has wide selection of Arabic and International dishes.

WOW Factor: Supervises kids’ activities are available throughout Ramadan during Iftar, where kids will be busy at Kids’ Club near the Palm Garden Restaurant.

Disclaimer & Notes: A huge Thank you to SHERATON JUMEIRAH BEACH RESORT Marketing Team & Management, Sofia & all Staff. We were guests there however it did not influence our thoughts and reviews, all opinions content are our own. You can not use any pics without prior permission.

 

Iftar Review: Holiday Inn – Al Barsha – Embracing Ramadan

Holiday Inn – Al Barsha is more like a second home to us now, saying that actually means it’s a really close to heart destination and indeed “The 4Star Hotel with a 5Star look”.

Issa Juha, CFO of EFS Group , Zied Merichko, Head of Middle East, Alcatel One Touch, Atiq Rehman, Citi’s Chief Executive Officer for the Middle East and North Africa  Roxana Jaffer, CEO of Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha

We really enjoyed our Hotel Stay and Dine in earlier at Holiday Inn – Al Barsha, read about that review HERE.  We have been invited over for Iftar and a night stay this Ramadan again at the  property. HIAB is hosting Ramadan in its true colors like each year. They are celebrating Ramadan in Embracing spirit, where every After meal generates  funds to feed FOUR needy persons with United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). They set their practices as per Dubai’s CSR Initiatives. Ms. Roxana Jaffer, CEO of Holiday Inn – Al Barsha, has pledged that every Iftar meal at The Gem Garden restaurant will enable a donation to feed FOUR needy people in the world.

“Let us Break Fast Together and help feed the needy.”

Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha, a partner with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Citi UAE, Alcatel Onetouch and EFS Facilities Services partnered in the true spirit of Ramadan to help the disadvantaged and embraced Ramadan yesterday at The Gem Garden.

I love the fact how HIAB is involved in such initiative and social responsible cause. In the five year’s since its initiation, the hotel staff have triumphantly held numerous awareness and fund-raising drives under this remarkable campaign thus providing, in their own small way, to building civil society in the UAE whilst aiding the needy. Recently they even partnered with Citi UAE partner to Provide Meals for Fasting Workers, where Alcatel Onetouch donates 150 phones to EFS workers while they all enjoyed the delicious iftar and shared great moments of happiness.

Let’s talk about our iftar at The Gem Garden, the outlet  never fails  to astound us. As this is the first time we had their Iftar cuisine we were not left blasé ! Traditional drinks served in Iftar menu i-e Jallab and Kamaralden along with prunes and sultana in assorted dry fruits and dates corner.

Cold mezzeh has the most tempted Fasouleya and tomato-summak Salad, we loved how well marrow is fried and eggplant Mousakaa staood out in this section.

The Condiments section is always a favorite attraction for me here at The Gem Garden, as I love their collection of Home-made pickles and flavorsome jams. Olives and Garlic and Tahina sauces were well prepared too.

Hot Mezzeh counter was concise yet well-maintained to it true temperature their assorted fatayer and pakoras have been freshly prepared and are brought to the section with frequent intervals hence are extremely fresh.

Lentil Soup was my favorite and I literally had 2 bowls of it ! lamb Ouzi with traditional Rice is delicious too. Moving on to Main Course, Mix Grill and Baked Pasta with Mance and Bachamel Sauce were so authentic and Fried Fish Fillet with Tahina Sauce was extra juicy and tender. I was not a big fan of Okra, however hubby loved the Stew of with Lamb in tomato sauce.

In desserts I tasted Umm Ali with sufficient nuts portion and mixed fruit cake, I found more of the Arabia sweets in menu but you won’t complaint as they are too tasty and fish fruit cuts are there too for calorie conscious eaters.

All in all it’s a great iftar buffet in such value and with great mix of cuisines and caters to the taste buds of all nationalities and mix.

Details:

Price AED 109

For more Information regarding Holiday Inn – Al Barsha: www.hialbarshadubai.com

Tel: +971 4 3234333 www.facebook.com/hidubai

 

City Walk – Event Review: “Short+Sweet” theatre festival.

Abu Dhabi enjoyed its first taste of the international theatre festival ‘Short+Sweet’ this weekend, when a touring show of the festival’s 10-minute plays visited the capital as part of a day of theatre events at Abu Dhabi Theatre. The Short+Sweet festival has run successfully in Dubai for the last three years, and organisers hosted the theatre day to give locals a taste of the fun and energy involved in the event and to promote the idea of having a full Short+Sweet Abu Dhabi theatre festival in early 2016. The day began with an acting workshop on stage, a  playwriting workshop in the afternoon and a performance of ‘Short+Sweet – the Best of Short+Sweet Dubai’ showing some of the most successful, and funniest, 10-minute plays in the world.

Says Alex Broun, world-leading playwright and producer of Short+Sweet Dubai: “Short+Sweet has really helped to promote homegrown theatre talent in Dubai. Last February we had over 250 actors, writers and directors involved in staging 70, 10-minute plays and it really brought out the best from local theatre groups”. He continues “there is some incredible creative talent in Abu Dhabi, both Emirati and expatriate. We want to start a full festival of 10-minute plays here, Short+Sweet Abu Dhabi, to give local people a challenge and to enable them to collaborate across cultural divides”.

Short+Sweet currently runs across 23 cities, in seven different countries, although Dubai is currently the only Emirate to host it. The Shorter+Sweeter show, a touring production, hopes to tour the GCC and then Italy later in the year. Anyone who wants to get involved in Short+Sweet Abu Dhabi should contact alex@constellation.ae, at Dubai’s newest performing arts company Constellation.

 

Californian Review+WIN ‘Dusit Thani Dxb’ Dine-in Voucher for 2!

And the Winner is “Arti Bhatia”

Please email your full name, contact details to mahiblog.ae@gmail.com to clolletc your voucher.

Recently we Dine in style and enjoy sensational views of Burj Khalifa over an international buffet restaurant, It’s in Dusit Thani Dubai, the hotel is an exciting and exclusive addition to a sophisticated global group. For over 25 years, Dusit Thani hotels have offered travelers exceptional luxury and classic Thai elegance and refinement in a number of exotic locations around the world.

We have been invited to enjoy Tandoori Night at “The Californian”, which is available every Sunday Night. The restaurant plays host to tantalising dishes from across the globe with its theme nights which change from day to day to offer diners an endless amount of choice, satisfying any taste. The relaxed space offers stunning views of the tallest structure of the world and downtown Dubai, making it the perfect place for a relaxed breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Some of the highlights of the themed night dinner were:

1. Pani Puri & prawn curry
2. Tandoori station with delicious kebabs
3. Rasmalai (dessert)

We loved the view on Sheikh Zayed Road but that won’t be enough alone to send us back to the place so let’s talk about the main thing i-e FOOD. The menu selection was not scarce & their BBQ items and Tandoori Chicken is unbeatable very tender and juicy at the same time rich in taste. They offer much oriental fare. I must commend on their kindliness & courtesy of the staff however they need some refit in ambiance and lighting through the restaurant.

I was actually confused on what to eat all items look so tempting, with in the capacity of the same buffet I loved the selection of the salads, and my favourite was mushroom and potato cold salad. The waiter introduced himself and took the order for our drinks and special starters – yummy pani puri. While we were scanning the buffet area, the Executive Chef Tissa Kuragodage described to us some of the mains on the buffet. Californian has a simple menu but simultaneously caters to different tastes. Chef Tissa has indeed brought a lot of variety and fusion to the menu at the same time. We chat long about his expertise and journey in the region and the kitchen challenges of day-to-day allocation. He has been so gracious in his gestures and serving both, we heard some great stories of his kitchen pickets and guards, it was indeed a lovely afternoon very well hosted that we dint feel our 3 hours there.

Each of the mains and desserts were tasty and delicious, and also replenished swiftly by the chef at live counters. The only thing I wasn’t satisfies was the light at night time, I am sure it must have been great natural light in the day time which might have been enough to brighten the area however there is nothing to complain about the food, we liked it alot.

 

Astounding views of the surrounding area made our dinner even more interesting at this novel vantage point. I can’t wait to explore more if the other restaurant’s offerings are relatively this adventurous in Dusit Thani; this all in one buffet is a reasonably-priced desi menu with some interesting Chat/Pani Puri Trolley alongside the spreaded menu items. There Tandoori items are indeed much to stand out about the Californian.

If you’re in the market for fuss-free, frill-free lunch/dinner and a reasonable buffet deal, you could give this a try and will not be disappointed. You may also enjoy their Mexican night on Monday (Being famous for Quesadilla) & New Orleans on Tuesdays. (Must try their Chicken Jambalaya)

Hours:

Buffet Breakfast: Daily; 6:30 – 10:30 except on Fridays until 11:00

Buffet Lunch: Saturdays to Thursdays; 12:00 – 15:00

Buffet Dinner: Sundays to Fridays; 19:00 – 22:30 except on Thursdays until 23:30 ; Closed on Saturdays

Friday Brunch: 12:30 – 16:00

To find more info about the restaurant you can go to Dusit Thani Dubai website here, or “The Californian” FB page.

MEGA GIVEAWAY / COMPETITION:

They offered Mahi Blog Readers more reason to enjoy, hence in collaboration we are having a #giveaway of #TheCalifornian Retsaurant dining voucher (valid for 2 persons) for Tandoori themed Buffet at Dusit Thani Dubai Hotel.

How to win:

1- Subscribe (via email id) on wordpress.com

2- Must SHARE this post on as many social widgets AND tag along ur friends. (Use buttons below of FB, Twitter, IG etc)

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To win you must do all the above steps. Winners will be announced on MAY 21st, 2015.The more you share this post & Mahi Blog on social widgets, better the chance to win! All UAE fans can take part.

Scrumptiously yours,

Mahi.

Disclaimer & Notes: A huge Thank you to those who made this trip extra special: Dusit Thani Dubai, Danelle Ruth, Chef Tissa, F&B team at the property & Kaby Klick. We were guests at the venue but it did not influence our thoughts and reviews and all opinions are our own.

P.s. You cannot use any images from Article without prior permission.