Get some kabayan love
The Kabayan Fiesta themed night at Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Dubai.
If you live in the UAE and have never been introduced to Filipino cuisine, the brand new Kabayan Fiesta themed night at Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Dubai is a good place to start. The all-you-can-eat buffet is not over-the-top but extensive enough to give you a good grounding on classics such as kare-kare (stewed oxtail in peanut sauce), bulalo (beef shank soup) and pancic palabog (rice noodles topped with shrimp and hard boiled eggs). There’s also a live cooking station where you can request for your choice of seafood to be made just the way you like it. But there are no pork dishes as the restaurant requires special permission to serve it. The staff are friendly and the vibe is relaxed and chilled. Kabayan Fiesta is Dh99 with soft beverages. It’s on every Friday from 6.30-11pm at The Eatery on the ground floor of this Bur Dubai hotel. Call 04-3543333 to make your reservation.
Go meatless on Mondays
Dubai vegetarian restaurant Govinda’s is encouraging everyone to adopt the Meatless Monday movement, an international campaign that encourages people to go without meat at least once a week — hey, it’s backed by research claiming your health improves over a period of time and you help reduce your carbon footprint.
To make it more enticing, the restaurant’s Jumeirah branch is offering 15 per cent off on all food. Drinks are full price. The offer is on for the rest of the year. For reservations, call 04-3211884.
Let’s go Belgian outside
Seafood is the highlight at Cafe Belge at the Ritz Carlton, DIFC.
Feeling a little Belgian? The brunch at Cafe Belge at the Ritz Carlton, DIFC, is back, with a twist — there’s a brand new open-air dining area on the garden terrace.
Inspired by Brussels in the 1920s, this Cafe Belge Alfresco Brunch is all about vintage glamour, complete with Art Deco decor and live jazz music. Of course, seafood will be a highlight, with mussels, Belgium’s national dish, getting prime time showcase.
The Cafe Belge Alfresco Brunch is on every Friday from 12-4pm. Prices are Dh435 (soft beverages), Dh450 (house beverages) and Dh575 (bubbles). Call 04-3722323 or email cafebelgedifc@ritzcarlton.com.
What meat are you?
The Tomahawk steak at Range, Wyndham Dubai Marina, is an eye-popping 1.2kg of beef.
It’s all about the meat at Range, the bar and grill at Wyndham Dubai Marina. It opened in June but when we went to check out a preview of the food this month it still had some service issues to iron. However, the scrumptious food more than made up for it.
For starters we tried the fried boudin balls, which are essentially chicken croquettes. These were creamy, meaty and super addictive. The chicken taquitos were amazing, a sinful deep-fried bite with a magical tomatillo sauce on top.
More mains we had the Tomahawk steak, which is an eye-popping 1.2kg of beef. It’s a good thing it tasted delicious too. The chef did a great job of cooking it perfectly and it was seasoned well enough that we ate just the meat (because the accompaniments were late to the table). The beef fajitas were tender and packed full of flavour — we could have eaten that all night and been happy.
We’d give this restaurant a second chance just based on how hearty and delicious the food was. Range at Wyndham Dubai Marina is open from 4pm to 2am. Call 04-5509387.
Sushi all night
If sushi and bubbles is the kind of combination that will make your evening, Cavalli Club, Restaurant & Lounge have read your mind. Head to the popular club at Fairmont Dubai on Wednesdays and for Dh299 guests can dig into an unlimited amount of sushi and a bottomless glass of... well, bubbly. From 8.30pm until midnight, an array of sushi will be made available including California maki, prawn tempura maki, spicy tuna maki, grilled chicken teriyaki maki, tiger prawn sashimi, salmon sashimi, among others. Resident DJs Jack and Scottie B will be up on the decks spinning some classic hip hop and R’n’B as well.
And for those of you who are planning to head there on September 28, Cavalli Club are hosting American rapper Yo Gotti, whose albums include Live From the Kitchen, I Am and The Art of Hustle. Free before 11pm, voucher purchase after at Dh250/Dh500 redeemable on food and drink. For reservations, email reservations@cavalliclubdubai.com or call 800-2282554.
Crepes in Abu Dhabi
Brownie Bites crepe from Crepe Delicious is made of freshly baked brownie pieces.
Abu Dhabi breakfast champions (or people who enjoy eating breakfast food at all times of the day) have a new hangout at the mall. Crepe Delicious, Canada’s mall-based creperie, is opening its first location in the UAE. Located in Dalma Mall, the creperie offers up a wide range of signature sweet and savoury crepes including the popular Brownie Bites crepe that is made of freshly baked brownie pieces, topped with three different types of Belgian chocolate and served with fresh strawberries on the side. The Lotus Crepe made with Lotus spread, crushed Lotus biscuits and chocolate is another one of their signature crepes. The Cordon Bleu savoury crepe is made with smoked turkey, diced chicken breast, rocca leaves, tomato and mozzarella cheese. Other dining options include salads, sandwiches and pastas. And if your sweet tooth hasn’t been satisfied, they also provide a selection of handcrafted gelato flavours. Call 02-5500142.
