Dim sum lunch @ Hukama
Labels:
dubai,
food,
restaurants,
travelling
·
Getting in tune with the abstract and somewhat unconventional decor of the restaurant was a rather perplexing affair to begin with. We settled down into our chairs, the rough white linen so reminiscent of the humble table cloths we had back in the olden days. A quick scan around the restaurant; we spotted a Hong Kong triad leader look-alike with freshly ironed white pants and striking white leather shoes to match and a caucasian father with 4 impish little girls in tow. Strange combination of diners.. check! Now.. our doubts perhaps rose a bar higher. Could this establishment possibly serve up a good dim sum meal?
At the very least, the presence of China-bred waitresses adorned in festive vietnamese inspired wrap-round uniforms serving us were are only form of consolation, till the food was served of course. Whilst waiting for the tardy procession of food to begin, we toyed with the exquisite cutlery placed on the table top. Admiring the sleekness of the fine instruments.
I'll spare you the details of us plodding thru the extremely unhurried meal. With an array of steamed and fried dim sum, main courses and desserts chosen from a prescribed menu for AED 108 per person, I must admit that this proved to be quite a decent deal for a yum cha buffet, or rather a pseudo one considering that you were limited to a choice of 3 steamed dim sum, 2 fried dim sum, 4 main courses and 2 desserts. Accompanied with superb ambience but pityingly sleepy spa music, it might be a place you could consider to go if you desired a quiet location for a professional meeting of sorts. Food standards wise, two thumbs up; all the dishes were wonderfully executed with the fried yam puffs and the fried prawns flavored with milk and oats being one of highlights of the crawling afternoon.
Our crystal dumplings with seafood and bamboo shoots. A master piece with its translucent skin with its melt in the mouth texture.
the piece de resistance.. the beautiful fried yam puffs featuring an almost buttery and glorious outer shell that yields very so graciously to reveal a slightly sweetened yam filling. A perfect score for this one.
and another shot of the fried turnip cake with mushroom and XO sauce. oh. so good. But still far off compared to the heftier versions in Singapore. Snipping thru the crisp exterior of the carrot cake with a scalpel of a knife just adds to the delicateness of the dish.
Overall, the experience at Hukama left me drained, physically and mentally exhausted from the stuttered periods of long waits between courses. Feeling more tired than entertained and enthralled doesn't do too well for a reputable hotel restaurant. That said, the food is worth you making a trip down. Just cross your fingers and wish the chef isn't in a swaggering mood at that point of time.
Hukama
The Address, Downtown Burj Dubai
Phone +971 (0) 44368928
Fax +971 (0) 44368880
dining @ the cabana the address dubai mall
Labels:
dubai,
restaurants,
travelling
·
The menu featured the usual poolside fare. All around the table, repeated orders of fish and chips were called out, along with my less conventional, grilled tiger prawns plus a hoegarden on the side. As quickly as we ordered, the food reached the tables at lightning speed. Everyone gave a quizzical look at the outstanding fish and chips.. didn't that look more like frozen fish sticks served in a bento box more than anything else? oh well.. the tiger prawns however fared much better apart from the measly serving and lack of creativity with the side dishes. I... wasn't entertained. Then I said a silent prayer of gratitude for my hoegarden. *phew*
After some heated debates at the table, we adjourned to the dinner host's hotel room at the address for a some after drinks and fruits. Note to self, the chardonnay from the art series by Leeuwin Esatate is just brilliant! light, with that touch of floral notes... thanks Auntie Gina for the wonderful recommendation!
With 3 weeks of living in Dubai under my swollen belt, my living quarters (literally portion of the living room) has become quite a disaster zone. On certain days, I sleep with my cupcakes; on better days, I retire on a bed spotted with crumbs that have accidentally blown off the kitchen counter top. Well, I've got my dream.. it's almost as if I'm living in a kitchen. Waking up every morning, a new battle to fight, including the powerful z monster who usually strikes in the afternoon along with the tormenting blows of sunlight instilling a major headache on the drive by. Shrouded in a cloud of flour, our creations, bundts, cupcakes and dreamy chocolate confections find their way around the city. We enter humongous villas, listen to the droning advice of local women who admire our 'clean' and 'strange' dream. Advice, suggestions and more orders later... it all seems to be a bit mystified. Catering large scale now and opening a cafe later, how exactly does that work out to be consistent? Confusion reigns but I know we'll get it sorted someway or another. encountering a bundt crisis now... Can't seem to find out the problem.. *sigh*
Making plans just to stop the aching
Chasing thoughts from a million miles away
Hypnotized as another dawn is breaking
I rehearse the words I want to say
There's one love in a lifetime
Our two hearts of a kind
These three reasons you'll be mine
For when five and six are through
Seven days without you, Seven days without you
Ping Pong: Dim sum in the middle east
Labels:
dubai,
restaurants,
travelling
·
Ping pong dim sum was our weapon of choice. Lame name in check. Sounds more like a gimmick than anything else. Stepping into the dimly lit facade, I was taken aback by the cold and stark surroundings. A suppresed warmness usually provided by the company of delicious dim sum. With a modern approach on chinese decor and black furniture filling the empty spaces, I loathed it. Feeling ever the bit out of place in the empty restaurant, vacanted even at lunch time. The presence of ang mohs trodding out of the kitchen didn't help to elevate the situation either...
Taking our seats at the back of the restaurant where the large windows allowed us to bask a little in the sun, whilst in the frigid cold of the mall, we quickly peruse the menu and ordered. The menu, with the usual dim sum items not printed in chinese made it all a little tedious to comprehend; but we made do.
The food, was nothing more than mediocre. With lamb being a inferior replacement to the staple of pork in many of the items. Yet I do admit that chomping down on lamb buns did have a certain novelty factor to it. Coupled with stickers on each basket, perhaps for most of the non-chinese staff in service, I thought that was a brilliant and fun idea initially, only to ditch that thought after turning the corner later on my way out and noticing the anal structuring of the kitchen; each stove and each burner labeled with similar tags to restrict the cooking of each item to a certain area.
To cut to the chase, aside from the soft shell crab and the prawn on toast, the other items fell a mile shot of expectations. *ouch* The tea was amazing.. served in a rather unconventional long glass that did nothing to cool down the voracious liquid to a drinkable temperature.Still, it's presentation made for a rather interesting entrance. Kept me amused... for awhile, till my thirst got the better of me.
So much for dim sum in the middle east huh? well.. stay tuned cause I've got a much better recommendation install!
Dubai Mall, Food Court
Dubai
P1 LG
UAE
Telephone: +971 (0) 43399088
website: http://pingpongdimsum.ae/
to the bear who holds a solo picture of us in his wallet,
i miss you.
Lemons Are Not Red
Labels:
dubai
·
several amendments and slight decision makings later, we derieved a little name for our holding corporation.
with our first show on the roads this saturday, hoping to score more public awareness amongst a group of high flying ladies.
Meantime, many more absorption of skittish conversations over dinners, empty glasses of liquor. Elaborate dinner menus headed by pea soup with homemade onion bread and completed with humble chai latte from our own pots and a slice of freshly baked carrot cake. Many revelations made along the way, mostly about faith and my christian belief.
To my dearest cousin: don't struggle any longer, the fight with logic is long waged, and in the end, the winner is evident. You may have many questions that are left hanging, and in actual fact, there are no answers to them, mainly because God doesn't have to. He answers to no man.
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14;1-3
Thoughts of Tuesday's Child
Labels:
dubai
·
How did I realize this? I'm stranded in the most exciting adventure with no words to describe it.
Why? easy, left my darned camera cable back home.
Talk about escapism...
Now I wish that darned blister infection would just go away. To my dearest Auntie, whom I didn't manage to catch online just now. here's the low down on the little bacteria infestation that have decidingly taken a liking to my God-forsaken foot. So it began with a simple blister that grew and grew forming another boil that combined forces over the course of 2 days. Before you knew it, the welt puffed up with an amazing amount of juices that we happily squeezed out before clipping the dead skin away. Just when we thought all things are well, the whelt protested, evolving a buzzing red tinge akin to the buttocks of Japanese Macque; Now, I was in serious pain by then. Chuffing down a painkiller at night, I winced and whined myself to sleep. Finally, I gave in and saw a pharmacist the next evening after a insane day out and running around the dubai flea market. "Many infected", he said, with a knowing sway of his head from side to side. 'Like I didn't knew that already,' I thought to myself. Now, my bactroban cream and antibiotics are my best friends. haha.
On a random note, I think I am in love with french toast. *beams*
my sweet tooth nirvana
My Sweet Tooth Nirvana
Green Tea Souffle Roll with azuki red beans
fresh waffles.
Vanilla Bean pound cake with an occupation of vanilla beans seeds taking the offensive with every bite. Moist and oh so aromatic if I should say so myself.
Waffles with my favourite cinnamon infused honey from the honey farm. These incredibly adaptive confections go down well with almost anything; peach yogurt, kaya and butter, maple syrup.. and the list extends effortlessly.
So what do you like your waffles with?
posh nosh in flip flops
Labels:
cakes,
desserts,
food,
high tea,
restaurants
·
Posh Nosh in Flip Flops
Dining at the the Royal Copenhagen Tea lounge was a considerably spontaneous decision on our part. And as we shuffled across the marbled floor to join the steadily growing queue of impatient customers, feeling rather out of place in our casual clothing admist the glitz and glamor of the surrounding retail shops, our minds were put at ease seeing the other shoddily dressed customers. More so by the young boys still in prams with legs wide open in a less than classy slumber.
As we took our seats, it took us a while to grow accustomed to the fine finishings around the dining area. The smorgasbord of exquisite cutlery perched perilously on the walls above unsuspecting diners, the fine china plates with delicate prints used for our foods and so on. Peeking at the platters of food being carried to the neighbouring tables, temptation quickly took the leash and we were quick to decide on her majesty tea set ($29.90 ++) for 2.
First to come with the set was the quiche du jour which was the onion and leek quiche. This was outstanding and it took the liberty of destroying all the revolting recollections I have had of quiche. Words such as 'cold','eggy' vanished into thin air, only to be replaced by a tyranny of poetic adjectives which manifested themselves in the form of 'ooos' and 'ahhs'
The open face sandwich served as part of the savoury deal of the high tea set featured two mini sandwiches; each drowned in a sea of rich fillings. The shrimp sandwich was delightful with the lingering creaminess of mayonaise and the gentle nuances of saltiness provided by the robustily red caviar followed by a gentle heat of the paprika sauces. The other sandwich on the other hand dealt a poorer hand with the fluffy egg wrapped with smoked salmon proving unmemorable.
Chasing closely behind were the choice of cake (from the gorgeous display in the front) and 2 scones with jam, butter and cream. Served up with our tea and coffee, one can't help but feel as though it's desserts after a mini savoury treat.
Probably familiar to those who have visited the Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge, the blueberry cheesecake was the Pièce de résistance. Creamy with a chance of tanginess, this glorious confection speckled with blueberries throughout and then enveloped with a thick blueberry compote was one of the better cheesecakes I've had in the longest time. Period.
Did I mention how much I love the blue printed porcelain cups used to serve our coffee and tea in. Incredibly quaint.
The only hiccup that occured with the service was our forgotten order of scones which took an overbearing 15 mins after the cake to arrive, and only after a gentle reminder to the staff. Hey, I admit to being an impatient person.. but it's the infamous scones we're talking about here. No grudges beared though since observation proved that the cafe was a scene of hyper bustling activity for the better of the afternoon. The scones of course turned out great, with a tender crumb and warm thoroughly. Perfect when washed down with a cup of english tea.
So next time you're in the vicinity and craving for some good english high tea, do give the Royal Copenhagen a go. But word of caution, do take note of the snaking queues on weekends.
Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge
Takashimaya Singapore Department Store
391 Orchard Road, Level 2
Singapore 238873
Singapore
Phone: +65 6735 6833
Just another manic monday
Labels:
desserts,
food,
restaurants
·
Just another Manic Monday
Our little sanctuary for the afternoon. Shaded from the char-grill effects of the raging sun and the hustle of the lunch crowd.
The story behind my second visit despite the displeasing first; simply the blackboard perched outside the shop front with the words '1-1 dessert on Mondays'. With lips still greasy from the dim sum feasting, I couldn't resist the seductive efforts of these words playing in my head, with that, I dragged the boyfriend across the stoned patio through the cool glass doors of the facade. Tea time it would be then.
slurping on his pretty in pink drink, the beestung. A strawberry yogurt granita.
Once again, the granny smith and aloe vera crumble. Not quite how I remembered it on my previous visit; the new version had retained a tighter and crispier crumb that maintained its structure for the longest time despite the steady incoming attacks from the thawing scoop of vanilla ice cream and the moist apple and aloe vera mixture below.
The Lava, a chocolate molten lava cake. standard wise, this would be stuck between the grades 'awesome' and 'mediocre'. Still, a rather good rendition of the classic served conveniently in a martini glass to avoid the pesky leaks of chocolate goodness all over the plate.
Mykii
17d lorong liput
holland village
t +65 6468 2838
you are what you buy..
·
oh darn it... why is the woman in the front taking such a long time to check out? Inching my inquisitive self forward, I took a peek into her healthily packed basket. Literally, it was a feast for health nuts.. 7 packets of the same wholewheat sesame cracker. In my mind, my evil convictions that perhaps wholesome products claiming to be good for you were in fact stripped of any of it's self acclaimed health benefits. Why would she need so many anyway? As I re-adjusted the tiny sweltering on my shorts, my eyes trailed to the floor. What the... There were 14 more replicates of the same product already bagged neatly in the largest Cold Storage plastic bag. Was she buying all the products on the shelf for a reason? Big party I guess? These would probably make wonderful hor-devours with a bit of cream cheese and smoked salmon with fresh dill on it. oh gosh, I digress.
Slowly, I came to attention of the other possessions the other shoppers around me had laid claim of. A large bottle of house brand apple juice snuggled tightly in the arms of a young teenage boy, a clever move defying the dark marketing magic of the mcdonalds just opposite the counter. A punnet of luscious red strawberries and a bottle of white wine. A young caucasian couple, very much in love, yet still trying ignite the burning white coals of passion. A young working adult male, with a carton of eggs in tow, perhaps a quick solution to his after-work hunger pangs or perhaps his curious attempt at a protein rich diet.
What did I have? Sugar and butter. That was it, along with the fundamentals of the egg ruling, I could easily have produced a cake of sorts which of course I was intending to do (speaking of which, I've got a butter walnut pound cake fresh out of the oven) Guess that was it, you could tell a lot about a person from what she/he purchases even at a supermarket.
Maybe they should even have character analysis exercises through grocery shopping...
Yellow fingers
Cooking Cross Culturally(CCC): Indian Night!
Garam Masala, cumin powder, coriander powder and tumeric. Reciting the names of the bottles off my recently expanded spice rack, I realised that visiting the spice souk in Dubai probably imposed a sound impact on me. Taking in deep drawls of the potent air mixed with the tantalizing aroma of spices of vivid rainbow colors set in clear drawers as we strolled thru the narrow pathways; I was most certain that cuisine nothing short of the description, ravishing, could be made out of these amazing spices.
Outfitted with an armful of bottles and a few recipes for Indian grills and butter chicken; I set out to create a Indian feast for the family. Sure.. it did take my procrastinating self long to get down to it; but at least I got the job done in the end didn't I? *Smirks*
Many oil-splatterings and consequential yelps later, the food was ready to be served. On the menu, butter chicken, tandoori fish, vegetable seekh patties served with garlic and herb naan and spiced rice. Crowned off with the jewel of wines, my exclusive rosemount 'O' that I had sucessfully lugged home from the airport. A slightly sparkling white with pronounced fruity notes to balance out the heat from the dishes; perfect in my opinion.
And as the family sat down at the table savouring the food, we contemplated and debated the next cooking cross culture (ccc). Thai or Japanese? Tough choice... what say you guys?
Tandoori Fish
500g of any firm fish (cod/snapper)
1 tsp tumeric powder
50ml natural yogurt
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt, to taste
oil, for basting
- Cut fish into cubes. Rub salt and tumeric into the fish and leave for 30mins.
- Put yogurt, garlic and ginger paste and black pepper into a food processor and blend well.
- Cover the fish pieces with the yogurt mixture for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator. ( I did the speedy version and only had an hour grace.. it still worked out fine though)
- When ready to cook, brush oil on fish and grill on a griddle pan.
- Remove from heat, squeeze some lime juice and serve hot.
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