Butcha is an amazing steakhouse and butchery franchise from Turkey. It’s the closest you will get to Nusr-Et, but without the attitude, pretension, snobbery, and also without having to take a second mortgage on your house. I’m pretty sure this branch at The Piazza, in the middle section of The Beach in JBR was the … Continue reading Butcha – JBR
Hot Palayok is the Filipino answer to AB’s and Barbeque Nation, the ultimate value for money buffet. Because, for an eye-popping AED29, you can gorge yourself on a very decent quality, all-you-can-eat buffet of mainly Filipino, but also other Asian inspired dishes. FYI, A palayok is a clay, cooking pot used as the traditional food … Continue reading Hot Palayok – Karama
This is Cabritoz’s second branch. And its second name change too (from Cabrito’s to Cabritoz, and now to Cabritoz 800 Mandi). Based in the ENOC Petrol Station, just before the City Centre Me’aisem turn off on Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road (towards Dubai), its location is its biggest handicap. I mean, how often have you … Continue reading Cabritoz 800 Mandi – IMPZ
I’m still struggling to understand why this (delivery only) pizzeria in Jumeirah Village has such a high rating, its pizzas are good, but 4+ good? I’m not convinced. That said, like many (I suspect) I ordered from them based on the same high ratings I now call into question. I’ll give them this right off … Continue reading Pinza – Jumeirah Village
Lan Zhou Noodle Restaurant looks (and feels) more like a neighbourhood canteen than a restaurant, and could even pass as the staff/workers cafeteria of a small factory…in China (of course). Benches (which I am told are identical to those used in Chinese schools) rather than tables make up the dining area and set the tone … Continue reading Lan Zhou Noodle Restaurant – China Cluster, International City
Pide Keyfi is a small Turkish fast food restaurant in the Hassani Building in Jumeirah Village. Behind the counter which separates the open kitchen from the tiny, two table dining area work two young, male Turkish cooks (sorry, but I simply cannot refer to them as chefs); one of whom is responsible for the oven, … Continue reading Pide Keyfi – Jumeirah Village
The Maine Oyster Bar & Grill is Dubai’s first homegrown New England Seaside Brasserie. I don’t know what the folks at the DoubleTree in JBR smoke in their teepee but I want some; so many of their gigs are smash hits – Maine, Ramusake, Copper Dog, and of course, Stereo Arcade. The interior of Maine … Continue reading Maine Oyster Bar & Grill – DoubleTree, JBR
Couqley is the result of the Lebanese out Frenching the French. Tastefully Parisian in décor, Couqley is every bit the French bistro its owners designed it to be. Based in the Laguna Tower of the Mövenpick in Cluster A, Couqley is, without doubt, one of the best restaurants JLT has to offer. It’s also the … Continue reading Couqley French Bistro & Bar – Cluster A, JLT
There was a time when More stood for instantaneously recognisable (complements of those amazing ceiling-hanging tables), funky, avant-guard interiors, and a menu which was clever, bold and borderless. What happened? The interior of this new More at Mercato Mall is…um, not nice at all. It’s like what’s happened to the pubs in the UK, where … Continue reading More Café – Mercato Mall, Jumeirah 1
Dosa & Dhokla is a newly opened restaurant in Karama with a misleading name. Branding it Dosa & Thali would have probably done it more justice because this little eatery is as much about thalis as it is about dosas. Owned and run by two sisters from Chennai, the restaurant’s interior has that woman’s touch; … Continue reading Dosa & Dhokla – Karama
