Grab a Charley's Until Your Car Gets Pampered

Two hungry belly's and a very dirty card made it's way to Epco Lube in Qusais, one of the few places offering a manual car wash around the area. Left the drive for a scrub and hopped in to Charley's to take advantage of the offer on Traveller.

I ordered a BBQ Cheddar Steak Sub which included Steak, Grilled Onions, Sauce, Cheddar. I wish I had eliminated the grilled onions as it gave a curry like flavour to the sandwich.

My partner ordered Philly Chicken Sub with Steak, Grilled Onions, Green Peppers, Mushroom, Mozzarella, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

The bread and other ingredients were fresh, crunchy and this was definitely the best Charley's Sub I've tasted in the UAE.  Their infamous chunky fries with the thick cheddar dip is worth the few calories that comes with it.

Party of 2:
BBQ Cheddar Steak Combo AED 25

Philly Chicken with Steak Combo AED 26

Extra (Spicy) AED 2

Bill AED 53

Discount on Traveller Card (AED 16) for 2 fry and 2 drinks

Total Bill AED 37

Offer on Traveller Membership Card : 

Receive a complimentary regular fries and drink when a regular sandwich is purchased.

Cuisine         : Fast Food

Location       : Epco Lube, Qusais (Opposite Al Bustan Centre)
Contact No. :  04 2510022 / 800-67337

*Team Traveller UAE 

Dreamland Aqua Park at Half The Price

After a 45 minute drive to Umm Al Quwain and losing the way as some smart individual had tagged Dream Land Aqua Park wrong on google maps we finally reached the water park around 2 pm.

2 admission tickets were purchased for a mere AED 135/- with the 'Buy 1 get 1 Offer' on Traveller and we were on our way to look for the locker rooms. The lockers were a safe bet with numeric settings where we dumped all our belonging only to realize that the much required towel element had been left behind. Fortunately the premises has a full fledged sports shop selling everything one would require at the Water Park.

Not being a fan of water based activities and heights the rides and slides in front of me made my stomach cringe with fear but wore a brave face and proceeded towards the first ride.

Ride No. 1 - The Black Hole  
Picked up the inflated raft like floaters which had seating for two and commenced clambering the flight of stairs all the way to the top to be pushed down the winding black hole. Being the first ride to experience and and the dark nothingness in front of us was enough to keep us on the edge and let out horrifying shrieks.

Ride No. 2 -   Kamikaze  
Two to choose from, the Orange with a significant hump midway and the Blue, slightly steeper with no twists. Though it is safe and your body is well bound with the elements of the slide the feeling you get is as if you will be thrown out of the slide and probably not hit the pool at the bottom awaiting to catch your splat.

Ride No. 3 - Slide 5
Almost drowned in the knee deep pool coz I didn't know what hit me. It is exactly what their website describes it to be, looks easy, but one is definitely in for a huge surprise.

Ride No. 4 - Twister
A 40 meter long tunnel with gushing water and a couple of spins in the inner walls of the large bowl and a final nose dive in to deepness

Ride No. 5 - Family Raft Ride
An ideal ride for the entire family of 4 or 5 to experience together.

Ride No. 6 - Twisting Dragons
Honestly stating, I got weak hearted by the time I got to this ride, hence did not try it out, but my friend who did stated it was the freakiest experience out of all the rides and a must try.

     

Ride No. 7 - Wave Pool 
The most chilled out activity out of the lot. One can laze around on a floater and enjoy the summer sun all day long. The waves are turned on every other 15 minutes, so do not be fooled by the calmness of Wave Pool, it can be loads of fun with plenty pushing, shoving and falling off your floater.

There are plenty other rides especially meant for kids and a few for the entire family that we missed such as the Giant Slide, where you get to slide your self down on a doughnut and the Bumper Boats and the Dream Stream, which we did not come across, but is apparently there and operative.

Ride of Lifetime -  The Pool Bar
Bullfrogs, Breezers and the entire variety you find in a full fledged bar all going for a measly AED 20 - AED 45. Cool yourself in the pool while sipping away your beverage, lounge around on the grass or a deck chair and bask in the sun, it doesn't matter coz either way it would feel like heaven after all the battering your usually inflexible body went through.

The property also hosts a number of food outlets to pick up a quick bite and to have a full fledged meal.

Offer on Traveller Membership Card : 
Receive a complimentary Admission Ticket when an Admission Ticket is purchased.

Location      : Umm Al Quwain
Contact No. : 06 7681888
Website       : www.dreamlanduae.com

*Team Traveller UAE

Share and Win a Meal for 2 at Olive Gourmet with Traveller

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Olive Gourmet - Burjuman Centre

Scrumptious and healthy lunch from Olive Gourmet. The Zaatar & Labneh Manaeesh was served fresh from the oven with a generous amount of stuffing. The bread was soft and every bite was a delightful explosion of creamy cheesiness.

The Baba Ghanouj was a perfect 10 and the Falafels were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside bursting with flavour just the way it should be, unlike the usual hard and bland ones served in most places.  

The 'Plat De Jour' or the dish of the day, which was not from the menu and was not entirely what we  were expecting, how ever was a delicious combination of lamb, potato and peas cooked in to a creamy curry served with long grained ghee rice. For some reason the signage portrayed at the entrance made us expect a platter of grilled lamb & chops. 

The restaurant is located right next to Burjuman metro station with outside seating and is an ideal spot to watch the world go by. 

Party of 3 :
Zaatar & Cheese Manaeesh AED 10

Baba Ghanouj AED 14

Falafel AED 18

Plat De Jour AED 24

Large Water AED 10

Bill AED 76

Discount on Traveller Card (AED 18)

Total Bill AED 58

Offer on Traveller Membership Card : 

Buy a Main Course and receive a complimentary Main Course of equal or lesser value.

Cuisine         : Lebanese

Location       : Burjuman Centre, Bur Dubai
Contact No. :  04 355 8013  

*Team Traveller UAE 

Silver Falcon Spur - Festival Centre, Skywalk

A quick bite before heading off to watch 'Battleship'. Starved and with only 40 minutes in hand we knew we made a good choice the minute we entered the restaurant. Greeted by a bubbly host we were quickly shown to our seats, the menus were extended just as quick and the food was severed in under 20 minutes. The food was as mentioned on the no nonsense menu with no additional surprises.

The stripped up steak in my BBQ Steak Salad was juicy and flavourful, served on a bed of fresh salad leaves, red onions, tomato, peppers, cucumber served with French vinaigrette & blue cheese.

My partner enjoyed his 200g Sirloin Steak grilled to perfection, served with baked potatoes and fried onion crisps. We felt the two hot veggies of the day as side dishes would have been a better option instead (next time).

Satisfying MEAL...period !!

Party of 2:
BBQ Steak Salad AED 38
Sirloin Steak AED 78
Water AED 8
Total Bill AED 124

Cuisine         : Steakhouse

Location       : Festival Centre, Skywalk Level
Contact No. : 04 2328866
Website        : www.spur.ae

*Team Traveller UAE

Leil Nhar - Festival Centre, Marina Pavilion

Amazing Food . Good Service . Balmy Water Front . Best Shisha Ever . Live Music . 

Even the basic Pizza just topped up with plain cheese tastes divine here. You also find some of the best French Fries in generous servings.  

Party of 3:
Leil Nhar Shisha AED 58
Lemon & Mint Shisha AED 58

Orange & Mint Shisha AED 58

Strawberry Milkshake AED 22

Chicken Tenders AED 25

Quatro Staggion Pizza AED 38

Caramel Macchiato AED 15 x 2

Total Bill AED 289

Loving the live music organised by the Dubai Festival City management on Fridays (Arabic) & Saturdays (English). Kudos to 'Take Three' who performed, the selection of music was just perfect. Unfortunately the live performances are not scheduled during the summer and will only commence once again sometime in September. 

Cuisine         :  Mediterranean, Italian   

Location       : Festival Centre, Marina Pavilion 

Contact No. : 04 2328666 

Website       : www.leilnhar.com

*Team Traveller UAE 

Tea Junction Cafe & Lounge - Oud Metha

A cozy cafe hidden behind Movenpick Hotel Oud Metha, which is by far the homeliest lounge to chill down around Dubai with a contemporary architectural style, high ceilings and colourful windows.      

My favourite being Cutting Chai, which is a specialty tea with a tinge of dry ginger all the way from the road vendors of Mumbai, my partner tried the Zaffrani Chai served in an earthen cup where the blend of tea which includes cardomon, sugar and saffron is simmered until reduced to half.

The Junction Chicken Sandwich which we gobbled down was made to perfection with chicken breast halves with low fat mayonnaise, plum tomato and mixed baby greens. The customer service also compliments the mouthwatering array of goodies they have to offer.

Definitely a place I will frequent more than a few times a week for a tea or coffee fix.

Party of 2:
Honey Lime Chicken Sandwich AED 20

Cutting Chai AED 4

Zaffrani Chai AED 8

Total Bill AED 32

Cuisine         :  Indian, Italian 
Location       : Oud Metha
Contact No. : 04 3576677 
Website        : www.teajunction.ae

*Team Traveller UAE