Iftar the Thai way with Shang Thai

With the casual dining Thai Restaurants on a drastic slippery slope, the hubby and myself decided to try out the latest and the much recommended Shang Thai, located along Sheik Zayed Road. 

The restaurant was spacious, cozy and the service was warm and welcoming from beginning to end.  Tired of ordering from the menu, we decided to try out the Iftar Set Menu already in place for AED 75/- per person. I knew that the experience would be nothing less than overwhelming the minute the complimentary basket of Prawn Crackers were served with three different varieties of dips were served. 

The journey began with crisp a glass of Sweet Laban and Dates  along with refreshing beverages that looked like this....

I settled for a Thai Mojito and hubby settled for a Lychee Mint Tea, both ideal to wash down and settle the bellies already in shock with the spicy chillie paste and dips which accompanies the Prawn Crackers. 

Then followed a spicy hot and sour Tom Yam Soup flavoured with Lremon Grass and Kaffir Lime leaves and chicken. 

We were told it was a 4 course meal, hence I least expected a platter of appetizers which was a combination of 'Poh Pia Phak' crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls, 'Gai Satay' Grilled Chicken Satay, 'Ka-Nom Pang Na Goong' crispy fried marinated minced prawns on Toast and a bowl of Mixed Papaya Salad served with Peanut Sauce & Sweet Chilie Sauce. 

We were up to our throat, but couldn't wait to dig in to the main course. So far, every bite has been a delectable epicurean experience with perfect timing between every course and friendly staff at our beck and call. There was a choice of Fish, Beef and Chicken Dishes to choose for the main course which we settled for the Fish and Chicken option.The fish and chicken were crispy fried with Garlic Sauce and tossed with Thai herbs accompanied by Jasmine Rice and crispy Spinach.

A portion of crispy friend Tempura of Vanilla Ice Cream graced the grand finale and we walked out feeling giddy with the fusion of flavours and satisfaction after many moons of partially satisfied, mostly unsatisfied dining experiences the past month.   

Iftar Offer on Traveller Card : 
Complimentary Iftar Set Menu when 3 Iftar Set Menues are purchased
Cuisine         : Thai
Location       : Al Matloob Bldg, Al Safa 1, Jumeira (along Sheik Zayed Road)
Contact No. : 04 3805408
Website        : www.shang-thai.com

*Team Traveller UAE 

Trader Vic's

Trader Vic's, the birthplace of Mai Tai is definitely an experience not to be missed.  The newly opened outlet at Dubai Festival city is a cozy hangout with outdoor seating, live cuban music a lovely crew to make you feel like royalty.

The service is perfectly timed and carried out with a smile with every morsel cooked to perfection.

Keep in mind they have a dress code which is casual during lunch, but smart casual during dinner with no flip flops, shorts and sport-wear.

The Kang Pao Chicken was one of the best I've tasted in a while, the chicken cooked tender with celery, capsicum, cashew nuts in chilli sauce with a side dish of rice. The Hammour was perfectly grilled, not too soft and not too crispy served with wasabi mashed potatoes and oyster mushrooms. Even the side of barbecued smoked veggies were impressive, as it took a while for us to figure out that the stuff that looked like shiitake mushrooms were actually eggplant.  

We left feeling very satisfied with rock heavy bellies.

Kung Pao Chicken AED 74
Grilled Fillet of Hammour AED 108
BBQ Smoked Vegetables AED 20
Mai Tai AED 54
Coral Reef AED 36
  
Cuisine         : Polynesian

Location       : Dubai Festival City  
Contact No. : 04 2559000
Website       : www.rmalhospitality.com/portfolio/trader-vics-festival-city /
                     http://www.facebook.com/TraderVicsFC/info

*Team Traveller UAE

Piece of Cake

A chic cupcake store hidden away at Festival City Mall, with a fancy flowery seating arrangement that made it harder for me to convince the husband to make an entrance let alone dine-in.  

The only lady who was there to serve looked uninterested, which wasn't very helpful when it came to choosing our pick from the array of different flavours. Each cupcake is priced at AED 10 irrespective of the flavour you choose, which was worth every penny. 

We ordered a Red Velvet and a Pistango and within seconds we were helplessly shoving divine bits of cake and cream in to our mouth savouring every bite. They also have Cheesecakes and Macaroons on sale.

Cuisine         : Confectionery

Location       : Festival City  
Contact No. : 04 2328779
Website        : www.pieceofcake.ae

*Team Traveller UAE

Yas Island and Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi

Wanted to head off to Yas Waterworld for the long weekend Thursday, Friday and Saturday as I had a complimentary stay at the Yas Viceroy, Abu Dhabi (received by one of the kind sources). Unfortunately, Yas Waterworld didn't seem to be happening with the sleeping in and the fact that they close at 4 pm on Wednesdays to prepare for the ladies night which happens right after.

With prior reservations made, I call the hotel reservations around 3.30 pm to inform I am on the way and to hold on to the room. We arrive at Yas Viceroy at 6.00 pm to find out the lobby and check in queues buzzing with guests. It took me a few minutes to realize that there were more than a handful of guests waiting for rooms for over 2 hours. We were also informed that it would take approximately 1 1/2 hours to have the room ready. We decided to scoot off for a drive and a stop at Ikea until the hotel got their act together. 

We finally received a call from the hotel at 8.00 pm, which is 5 hours after the standard check in time. Upon check in I casually asked if we will be compensated any way, with a late check out, complimentary meal etc., to which the reply was a curt 'we will try'!

Yas Island has a lovely mixed bag of entertainment and dining options to offer from entertainment, dining, and very soon shopping with the Yas Mall. More information at - http://www.yasisland.ae

We decided to stay away from the hotels and head over to Stars and Bars located next to the Abu Dhabi Marine & Yatch Club. The venue can be made a lot more cozier and the food can be improved and it is definitely not a budget venue as some reviews claim it to be. Overall a very nice venue to unwind as long as one sticks to the basic fish & chips, sandwiches and burgers and they do justice to beverages. 

Party of 3:
Cheese Nachos AED 46
Chicken Tacos AED 54

Chicken Gorgonzo AED 65

Lemon Mint AED 30x2

Bull Frog AED 50

Heineken Bottle AED 30

Grape & Mint Shisha AED 60

Water AED 30x2

Extra Salsa & Jalopenos AED 12    
Total Bill AED 393

Cuisine         : American, Tex-Mex 

Location       : Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Contact No.  : 02 5650101
Website        : www.facebook.com/StarsNBarsAbuDhabi / www.starsnbars.ae

There quality of the breakfast at Yas Viceroy too seem to have deteriorated slightly and the valet was yet another nightmare. Our vehicle was handed over to us almost after and hour of waiting and there were others who were waiting  beyond that. No apologies, no complimentary extras and confused staff, we were happy not to extend our stay.  

*Team Traveller UAE

Yalla Momos

These guys do dimsums (dumplings or Momos) like no one does in the UAE. Not a very large outlet, with enough room for 4-5 coffee tables, yet cozy and funky located behind Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel in Bur Dubai. Commenced steaming in October 2012, they are UAE's first ever, dedicated Momo joint.

Momo is a type of dumpling native to Nepal, Tibet, the bordering regions of Bhutan, and the Himalayan states of India. (Wiki)

After savouring a portion of Chicken Momo ordered in for lunch by some of the colleagues, I could not wait to drag my partner to the outlet in the evening to have more.

It is best to park at the parking lot near Park Regis where there's ample parking and walk across to the road at the back of the property. One can choose from a variety of Momos from Vegetable, Cottage Cheese, Spinach, Mushroom and a combination of the mentioned along with Shrimp, Buffalo and Chicken for the strictly non-vegetarian. Every plate has 6 Momos and is reasonably priced between AED 10-14. In addition to their signature dish 'Momo' they also serve, French Fries, Corn Cob and Masala Maggi Noodles and a variety of beverages from Shakes, Masala Tea, Saffron Tea to Coffee.

The restaurant was empty when we entered but got crowded beyond capacity within a few minutes, with customers streaming in for a quick bite, but mostly to take away.

We ordered a plate of Cottage Cheese & Mushroom Momos and a plate of  Chicken Momos along with two cups of coffee, which was delivered to the table within 10 minutes. The Momos were warm, moist and soft enough to melt in the mouth. One must savour them with the two kinds of sauces placed on every table, but go easy on the sauces if you are not a fan of having your world spiced up. The coffee was served in unusually small paper cups, which turned out to be ideal to wash down the spicy delicacy.

We walked out the restaurant smacking our lips and making up our mind to frequent the venue.

Party of 2:
Plate of Chicken Momos AED 11
Plate of Cottage Cheese & Mushroom Momos AED 10
Coffee AED 3 x 2

Total Bill AED 27

Cuisine         : Nepali 

Location       : Bur Dubai
Contact No. : 04 3852233, 055 5521260, 055 9500704
Website        : www.facebook.com/YallaMomosUAE

*Team Traveller UAE

Al Malouf - A Meal by the Dubai Mall Waterfront

Out Door Seating Area

Few words to describe this no-nonsense venue; good food, good shisha, perfect location by the waterfront and amazing service. 

Party of 3 :
Shish Tawook AED 48

Baba Ganoush AED 25

Tabouleh AED 26

Jawaneih Dajaj AED 27

Cappuccino AED 18
Double Espresso AED 22
Strawberry Juice AED 22
Mix Sheesha AED 55

Large Water AED 18

Bill AED 261

Discount on Traveller Card (AED 65.25)

Total Bill AED 195.75

Offer on Traveller Membership Card : 

Discount of 25% on total bill

Cuisine         : North African

Location       : Souk Al Bahar, Downtown Dubai
Contact No. : 04 4574063  

*Team Traveller UAE 

Relaunch of Century Village

Century Village a cluster of 10 cozy indoor and outdoor food outlets offering a variety of different cuisines under one huge garden like compound in the Aviation Club neighboring The Irish Village. 

My partner heard about free licensed beverages being served during the re launch on the night of Halloween while dining at one of the restaurants at Century Village and decided he wanted to be there so off we scampered to Century Village right after work yesterday.

There were two hubs put up to pick up a range of licensed beverage of your choice and sit at any one of these restaurants and merry the night away. 

We picked up our beverages and headed over to Da Gama, located right in the middle where we had a clear view of the band and the rest of the happenings. 

We decided on nibbling on finger food that go for the full fledged mains. The Chili Garlic Seafood Basket was fresh, succulent and included Mussel, Prawn, Calamari and all things nice, crispy fried in a mildly sweet and spicy batter. 

The Wagyu Mini Burgers topped with vintage cheddar & tomato relish weren't the best I've tasted, but was decent enough, although it failed to stay moist for more than an hour. The Saffron and Yogurt infused Chicken Skewers were soft enough to melt in the mouth and filled with flavour. 

The waiter who collected the cheque asked if I would like to leave a tip, which I usually do if there is no service charged included. Out of sheer fatigue I left an over all tip of AED 50/- including the additional charges included in the bill, which I feel is a rip off. 

Da Gama has never failed to extend a wonderful dining experience and the revamp was a much needed one. 

The cover band is the best thing Century Village has adopted. They know their music and does a brilliant job at keeping the crowd hooked by playing the all time favourites of the 80, 90 & and the 2000s. As far as my memory goes, they can be seen at Century Village every Tuesday and Saturday. 

Party of 2:
Grape Sheesha AED 50
Wagyu Mini Burger AED 45
Chili Garlic Seafood Basket AED 32
Chicken Skewers AED 26

Municipality Fees AED 15.30
Service Charges AED 15.30
Total Bill AED 183.60

Cuisine         : International Cusine 

Location       : Century Village
Contact No.  : 04 2823636
Website        : www.worldcuisinenetwork.com

*Team Traveller UAE