Al Amoor Express - Barsha - Dubai

Al Amoor Express – Next to Al Ansari Exchange, Near Mall of the Emirates, Barsha 1, Dubai

Cuisine: Egyptian

All reviews will be based on the Cuisine and Fare the restaurant/outlet is known for / specialised in.

ALL RATING ARE IN THE SCALE OF 5. A rating of 5 mean Excellent while 1 is Poor.

This review is based on inputs from myself as well as fellow foodies who have accompanied me.

FOOD: RATING 4 OUT OF 5.

Item 1 – Sandwiches – Falafel Sandwiches – The Egyptian Falafel unlike their other Arab Counterparts are bigger and crispier. It is more like the Indian Vada. Big, Crunchy, Moist inside and tasty! Amoor has a variety of Falafel sandwiches but here are my best picks

•         Falafel (Mixed Fried Veg) – Normal Falafel Sandwich. Yum!
•         Falafel (Stuffed) – This is a bomb! A good filler!
•        Falafel (Foul) – This is the stuff of legends. A Whole Meal itself.

Item 2 – Sandwiches – Foul Sandwiches – The Egyptian Fouls (Fava Beans) are to die for and Amoor makes sure you die with a hearty tummy and an irreversible smile!

I am not a huge fan of Sandwiches with a Foul filling (unless they mix falafel with it!). If you are new to Foul and do not know how it tastes, I suggest you try on of the Fouls Sandwiches as a sampler before ordering foul as a main dish / course.

I suggest you try the Alexandrian Foul Sandwich with a tinge of hot sauce.

PS: The word Foul is pronounced as Fo-oul

Item 3 – Dishes – Foul: The Foul dishes that Al Amoor carves out of those Fava beans are the true representation of Amoor’s rich Egyptian heritage. There is quite a few legendary dishes the best are as follows 

•        Alexandria Foul – If you are in for authentic Egyptian then this is must try and is true to its name. The fava beans are mashed to a more creamy texture.
•         Foul With Eggs – This is typical foul dish where you can see the whole cooked fava beans that is topped with boiled egg pieces.
•         Foul with Sauce – Name here is a misnomer, the Sauce here actually mean a Salsa salad which is topped on to the fava beans.



Alexandria Foul

All dishes are served with freshly made bread. There is some olive oil and sauces on each table for you to add as condiments to flavour the dish.

Freshly Made Bread

Item 4 – Dishes - Falafel: This is easy, Just order a plate of Falafel. They in a plate of 5 wonderful falafel accompanied by fresh bread and tahini.

Falafel

Item 5 – Dishes – Others:  Egytpian cuisine is not just about falafel and fouls. They do have some other killer dishes. Al Amoor does its part in getting them in the spotlight but I believe these dishes are so traditional Egyptian that the more orders are from Egyptian expats rather than from expats.

All I can say is the other expats are missing a huge part!

Here is my pick of the lot

• Musa-quaa – I call it the Egyptian Lasagne. Slices of Eggplant with a filling in them baked and topped with cheese. Yum!
• Liver Dishes – Wow! This is a true Egyptian dish. The flavour profile of Liver is very much an acquired one so newbies may have a little difficultly in tasting this dish but it is good.
• Brain Dish – Now this is where Andrew Zimmern makes his entry! Many amongst us may have an eerie feeling about this dish but it is a famous dish. I am not a brain fan, even after the fact that my hometown in South India is famous for this delicacy. But it seems my fellow foodies (aka one who accept brain as a delicacy) says Al Amoor makes a good dish.

Item 6 – Tagines : Tagines is an authentic Moroccan Dish and I do not know how almost all Egyptian restaurants in Dubai landed this dish in their menu.

Hence I dropped the review

Item 7 – Koshari : I am not a Koshari fan but yet all the reviews I have got from my Arab buddies who have eaten from Al Amoor has said the Koshari is worth the visit.

Item 8 – Pie (aka the Egyptian Fatayers) : The art of fatayers are said to be mastered by the Levantine. I totally agree to that but I would like to add to it that the magic of elevating the art of fatatyer to a hearty meal is totally Egyptian.

Al Amoor does try their hand in it but then not all are top drawer stuff. Here is my pick of the lot

Zaatar Pie

•        Chicken Pie – This is the pick of the lot in the meat & seafood varieties. Shredded chicken filling with cheese and olives. Nice but not wow!
•       Thyme (Zaatar) Pie – This is a Zaatar bomb and the zaatar lover in you will love it.
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•        Thyme (Zaatar) and Labneh Pie – This is for the one who loves Zaatar but do not die for it.
•        Labneh with Falafel – This is a wonderful pie for the veggie lover and also for the Falafel Fan. I just loved this.
•        Roumy Cheese Pie – This is a true Egyptian dish with their all time favourite cheese – Roumy cheese. The cheese does have a good salt quotient to it and distinctive smell / flavour. It is a must have for all cheese lovers (people who classify cheeses as Mozarellla, Cheddar ,Puck, Cream Cheese, Kraft etc are excluded)

 

Chicken Pie

Chicken Pie

Chicken Pie

Item 9– The Honeymoon Pies! – What a strange name for pies! Order one of them and you taste buds will hit the moon with that sweetness and dash of honey!

A sweet tooth foodie will love this part of the menu. The best of them all is Kunafa, Basboosa & Cream pie. SLURP!!

Kunafa,Basboosa & Cream Pie

Kunafa,Basboosa & Cream Pie

SERVICE – 1 OUT OF 5

Oh the agony! The service is bad. Really bad. It is more like they stick loyal to serving their regulars and patrons. Why I say this is because, I have experienced the waiter’s attitude changing from “you don’t exist look” on visit one to “Hello Sir” after half a dozen visits.

The only reason I come here is it is an awesome Egyptian food joint and worth the wait.

LOCATION – 2.5 OUT 5
Al Amoor Express is located just next to the Mall of Emirate and quiet easy to find. The parking is big hassle and you may end up doing the merry-go-round.

If it is during off peak hours, you can park in the Ground Floor Parking of the MoE and just cross the road as well.

PRICING: 5 means cheapest while 1 means expensive.

I rate this place 4.5 (Peanuts is a Currrency!!)

Al Amoor keeps their prices almost uniform no matter which branch you visit.

The Quantity you get for that price is quiet large. For example, any Small pie you order is very much a meal for two.

AMBIANCE: 3.5 OUT 5

Nice Ambiance and well set up. There is pie furnace as well as the whole live kitchen that is visible to the customer but this does not make the place uneasy. As a matter of fact, the live kitchen makes us a little more eager to try out the dishes that come out of the furnace.

There is a lot of wall décor and wall art that depicts a lot of Egyptian themes and personalities.

DECOR AND SEATING CAPACITY – 3.5 OUT 5

The place is quite capable of hosting good group of foodies. They also have an outdoor seating but mind you this is dead bang on the busy road of the MoE so can be noisy.

OVERALL RATING: 3.5 OUT OF 5.

Al Amoor is an all-out Egyptian Fare maestro that serves their nation’s favourite dishes with pride. I usually hit this place when I am ravishingly hungry and need an Arabic place that does not do the usual fare of grilled chicken and Shawarma.

Yes! Al Amoor has NO SHAWARMA! That is how authentic they are to Egyptian cuisine.

I always suggest this place for cheap and lazy Arabic Weekend brunch.

Al Shami Restaurant - Dubai

Al Shami Restaurant – Near Emirates NBD, Al Muraqqabat - Dubai

Cuisine: Arabic, Middle Eastern, Lebanese, Seafood

All reviews will be based on the Cuisine and Fare the restaurant/outlet is known for / specialised in.

This review is based on inputs from myself as well as fellow foodies who have accompanied me to this restaurant.

ALL RATING ARE IN THE SCALE OF 5. A rating of 5 mean Excellent while 1 is Poor.

FOOD: RATING 4 OUT OF 5.

Item 1 – Appetisers – Hummus with Meat: Hummus is a very staple dish of any Arabic Cuisine and hence the flavour profile tends to vary from each Cuisine. I always believed the Syrians and the Lebanese made the hummus because of their skill in ensuring the right mix of Tahini and Chickpeas.

Al Shami hits this mix to perfection and top it off with the meat, it is just brilliant.

Mind you there is 2 variants for this dish. I opted the normal Hummus with Meat. The other variant is Hummus with Meat Cubes.

Item 2 – Appetisers – Hummus: The regular hummus with a drizzle of olive oil. The Taste still lingers!!

Item 3 – Appetisers – Falafel

Once there was Lebanese

He made Falafel with ease

Served it with a great pride

With a Tahini dip on the side

Al Shami knew the Lebanese & the Falafel

I ordered a few for a thrill

Oh! It was indeed a treat

For it is destined to be a great

Item 4 – Main Item – Shish Tawook – Shish! It was not what I expected. The chicken pieces were a little dry and bland. The hummus saved the Tawook.

Item 5 – Main Item – Half Grilled Chicken (charcoal): He who fails to order a grilled item from an Arabic Restaurant is worthy of being called a loser.

That being said, I am easy bait for grilled items.

One look at the Menu and you wonder “why the hell do they have only Half Grilled Chicken?”

The answer to that lay on the plate of half grilled chicken served on my table. Me, my wife and my son had a pretty decent meal with it.

I presume the word “half” here meant HALF a tray and not Half a chicken!

The chicken “charcoaled” to perfection and served with some French fries & a slice of bread that has one heck of a sauce spread on it. Tangy, spicy and creamy!

My advice is that you take piece of bread and rub the sauce on to the chicken and then much away the bread without feeling guilty of not having enough sauce for the chicken!

Item 6 – Main Item – Arayes: The Syrians make the best Arayes but then Al Shami just rewrote my taste bud preferences with their version of the Arayes.

Hands down, this was the star of the show! A brilliant pastry of meat filling that just kept me wanting for more.

The best part of the Arayes was that the meat was not overcooked.  It had a good succulent kebab feel to it.

Item 7– Main Item – Plate of Chicken Shawarma:

Shawarma – My Wife’s Opinion - Always good as a Wrap or a Sandwich.

Shawarma – My Opinion – Just Serve the meat well. The bread and fries can wait.

Shawarma – Our joint Opinion – “Museem! Order the Sandwich!”

Shawarma – Al Shami Version – We serve you well

It was a very risky affair trying to order a plate shawarma knowing that your better-half has already geared up with enough ammunition of criticism to blow you huge appetite away.

Al Shami seemed to know my predicament and dished out a plate worthy of my better half’s accolades.

The meat was moist and fresh of the “shawarma tower”.  The sauce was something very different, not very garlicy nor very “tahiniy”

Being a self-confessed “plate shawarma expert” the plate was not the greatest of them all for me but it was surely one among the best.

Item 8– Desserts:

We had to skip the desserts because we were too full. But the Kunafe served at the other tables looked wow!

Item 9 – Ayran: Do not miss this drink. We got to know about it when were about to exit the restaurant after a hearty meal. There was a drinks machine that was churning some white juice in it. Upon enquiry, the staff explained it was a yoghurt drink and he gave a sample cup.

SMACK! It was good!

SERVICE – 4 OUT OF 5

Arabic is the preferred Modus of Operandi but the menu is Bi-lingual so all you have to do is point to the menu item and mention your serving size.

The waiters were really friendly and well mannered.

LOCATION – 3.5 OUT 5

It is in Muraqabbat. Right in the centre of the hustle & bustle.

Easy to find.

The parking can be a pain during peak hours, hence the rating drop a little bit.

PRICING: 5 means cheapest while 1 means expensive.

I RATE THIS PLACE 3.5 (Good for the Wallet)

For the serving size and quality of the food that is served, I must say the price is worth it.

AMBIANCE: 3.5 OUT 5

It is a huge place that is serving almost at full capacity most of the time. The noise levels can be a little high at times but the food makes up for it.

I must say though, if you are planning a fun banter of family or friends gathering over a good meal of Arabic dishes, then this is the place.

DECOR AND SEATING CAPACITY – 4 OUT 5

The décor is the standard Arabic restaurant theme but not that gaudy and “elaborate”

The seating capacity is huge and can cater to large groups as well.

OVERALL RATING: 4 OUT OF 5.

The legendary foodie, Le Consumptions De Foodus, once said “When in Rome, Dine like a Roman!”

The foodie in me, Gastro Mallu, always say “When in Arabia, Dine like a Shiekh!”

I presume, Al Shami Restaurant always believes “When we meet, We will serve you Meat”

This Restaurant does justice to the taste buds of an Arabic food lover.

If one feels that there is an utmost need to have a good serving of Arabic Food with a light wallet, then this is the place to be.

For me, Al Shami has become one of them must visit places Arabic Places when you have guests in town!

Note : All Arabic Fare is best when eaten hot and served fresh.

The Hot Dog Stand - Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai

The Hot Dog Stand – China Court, Ibn Battuta Mall, Jebel Ali Village - Dubai

Cuisine: Street Food, American (Hot Dogs!!)

All reviews will be based on the Cuisine and Fare the restaurant/outlet is known for / specialised in.

This review is based on inputs from myself as well as fellow foodies who have accompanied me to this restaurant.

ALL RATING ARE IN THE SCALE OF 5. A rating of 5 mean Excellent while 1 is Poor.

This review is based on inputs from myself as well as fellow foodies from The Tasty Life Group who have accompanied me.

FOOD: RATING 3.5 OUT OF 5.
As the restaurant name suggests, it is all about the Hot-Dog and his Cool Buddies!

Now there is a huge chance that my upbringing might cause a ruckus on my affinity towards a dog but then the Foodie in me only see the food factor!

Item 1 – Signature Hot-Dog – Cheese Coney – The typical Hot Dog with a topping of Augus Beef Chilli, White Onions and Cheddar cheese. The Hot Dog is moist but the sandwich is too cheesy for me.

Item 2 – Signature Hot-Dog – Monster Hot Dog: Now this is a Hot Dog that fills your taste buds. Tomatoes, Pickles, Jalapeno, Ketchup, Mustard & Mayo is one wow combo from the Hot Dog Stand.

A MUST TRY!!

PS: I suggest you skip the mayo and a little more mustard!

Item 3 – Chicken Wings – Buffalo (Boneless): Now! This is a speciality. The spiced up Buffalo sauce does give you little burn and the blue cheese dip gives the super counter to the Buffalo sauce. The downside though is that we ordered the Boneless version so it had a very nugget texture and feel. I am sure the Bone In one will be wow!

PS: This Blue Cheese is cheesy, hence this Chicken wing can be limited to the true cheese lover.

Item 4 – Chicken Wings – Spicy Garlic (Bone In):  Like I said earlier, a bone in Chicken Wing will be WOW! The Spicy Garlic version by The Hot Dog Stand seems to give the chicken wing a good taste.

Item 5– Chicken Sliders – Blue Fig:

A Potato Bun – NICE!! The True Bread for a Slider

Lettuce – Crunchy!

Chicken Breast – Moist

Fig Marmalade – Nice Combo but a little Overpowering. Less is better.

Item 6– Augus Beef Sliders - Mexider:

A Potato Bun – The Augus Bread!

Jalapeno, Guacamole, Salsa & Sour Cream – Hola Amigo!

Angus Beef – Moist and Juicy.

Nachos & Lettuce – Crunch and Munch

Fig Marmalade – Nice Combo but a little Overpowering. Less is better

Item 7– The Sides:

Skin on Fries – Nice!! Really Nice

Curly Fries – It is such a good feeling to have a crunchy yet soft curly fries!

Chili Cheese Fries – It is good but not good as the other two fries!

SERVICE – 4 OUT OF 5

It takes about 5-15 minutes to get your order ready but then I always believed a good street is always fresh from the grill and not precooked.

The Staff is welcoming and do know what they have in their Menu.

LOCATION – 4 OUT 5

The first restaurant on the left from the Novo China Entrance (China Court), Ibn Battuta Mall. Parking is a part of the Mall.

PRICING: 5 means cheapest while 1 means expensive.

I rate this place 2.5 (Affordable for a craving)

All the sandwiches are priced all their speciality burgers between AED 25 – 35 while you need to add another 10 for a meal combo.

AMBIANCE: 3 OUT 5

Nice American Cafe joint feel. It is an open restaurant that is a part of the Food Court area hence no family section or any sort of private dining area. Can be a little loud at times because of the Cinema and the Mall Entrance. But then if you want to “feel” the street food ambiance then I presume noise is a mandatory option.

DECOR AND SEATING CAPACITY – 3 OUT 5

Nice Décor and seating. It does have ample seating for small outing in but then not for a big bunch of loud movie goers. You can join some chairs and tables for a long table but then the space for manoeuvre can be an issue of you as well as your fellow diners.

OVERALL RATING: 3.5 OUT OF 5.

If you are into Hot Dogs then please do visit the Hot Dog Stand.

It does have a street food taste but then it the price is a little too much for a regular meal.

Spice Bowl - Dubai

Spice Bowl – Fashion Parking level P1, Dubai Mall, Downtown - Dubai

Cuisine: Indian (Predominantly Kerala with a good flair for North Indian) & Asian

All reviews will be based on the Cuisine and Fare the restaurant/outlet is known for / specialised in.

This review is based on inputs from myself as well as fellow foodies who have accompanied me to this restaurant.

ALL RATING ARE IN THE SCALE OF 5. A rating of 5 mean Excellent while 1 is Poor.

The art of creative cooking can be quiet tricky at times for creativity and fusion of ingredients usually tend to go off tangent. Spice Bowl along with their Creative chef Anil has taken on the tangent to make a parallel world of unique food in the spheres of Indian / Asian cuisine.

I happen to be one of them individuals from the sphere of foodies who happen to be interested in geometry and got myself to Spice Bowl for a little tasting session!

So here I go with my linguistic sketches of Spice Bowl’s food platter!

PS: Since this was a very elaborate tasting session with numerous menu items, I had to use the good old voice recording technique in my phone to note down my reviews.

Hence this review is almost a Running Commentary Review please bear with me!

FOOD: RATING 3 OUT OF 5.

Item 1 – All Time Snacks & Starters – Teriyaki Wings: Terikayi is now one of them usual suspects in the Sauce world but being usual makes it a tough sauce to judge because the flavour varies from place to place. It seems like Spice Bowl has made it in their unique way. It was good!

Teriyaki Wings

Item 2 – All Time Snacks & Starters – Chemeen Kolakuthi: Cheemeen is the south Indian name (Malayalam name to be precise) for Prawns. Kolakuthi, well, google translate failed!

Luckily that was the only thing that failed for the Prawns was absolutely delish! The Mallu in me is impressed.

Chemeen Kolakuthi

Item 3 – All Time Snacks & Starters – TNT Prawns:

Inspiration from Legendary Fare is a wonderful emotion.

Replicating it in a New Avatar is a risky venture.

Spice Bowl TNT Shrimps does make a taste bud commotion

The black sesame seeds take you to a new taste adventure.

TNT Prawns

Item 4 – All Time Snacks & Starters – Aloo Tikki: YUM! I rest my case! Slurp!

Aloo Tikki

Item 5 – Breakfast Item – Porotta Stuffed with Kheema: Now this was very rich dish that was well buttered / oiled with ample ghee. I am not sure I can call it a starter for it was indeed more than that. Flavour wise it was good but then a Punjabi / Lucknowi cuisine lover may take have a WOW! Moment.

 Porotta Stuffed with Kheema

Item 6 – Breakfast Item – Egg Porotta: I love my breakfasts and Spice bowl has just given me yet another reason to love it more!

  

Item 7 – Main Item – Thai Chicken Curry (Red) – The Thai food scene here in Dubai is making huge waves and Spice Bowl has taken there menu for a surf in those waves. The curry is definitely a worth wave surfer. Aromatic, Flavourful and Feel but I felt the Rice on the side was dragging the taste surfing down.

Item 8 – Main Item – Dragon Chicken – My voice recording captured only the crunch of the cashews and sizzling reaction from me on the spice. To be honest I cannot give a verdict on this. Apologises, I am human after all.

Dragon Chicken

Item 9 – Main Item – Mini Oyster Steak on Noodles: I love my steak, medium rare with a side of slaw or mashed potatoes. Please put the sauce on the side.

I am not sure if the South Asian cuisine use tenderloin cuts for their dishes, if they do I am a bit disappointed on how Spice Bowl has interpreted it. The sauce was wow! But overall, this dish felt more like a fusion that could have been served separately.

Mini Oyster Steak on Noodles

Item 10 – Main Item – Nasi Goreng: Nasi Goreng to Indonesian is what Pizza is to Italians. They are proper home-breeds that need to stay within the realms of their motherland. There is no harm in bringing them out of that realm but one has to be wise. Since I was not an expert, I asked a fellow foodie of mine to do a check on the same. He visited Spice Bowl and he said it was worth the mention.

Nasi Goreng

Item 11 – Main Item – Hakka Noodles: Booyaka!!

 

Hakka Noodles

Item 12 – Mains – Tikka Platter

Chicken Tikka – Teek Hai lekin all boxes tick nahi hua.

Malai Tikka – A Malai Tikka is all about that cream! For me this one did not feel like a dream.

Panner Tikka – I am not a veggie but then I can have some more of these!

Haryali Tikka – Hare Ram! Hare Krishna! Arrey Wah!

 

Tikka Platter

Item 13 – Main Item – Salmon Chutney Tikka: Salmon is not at all Indian and I feel it is never to be mixed with any Indian spice nor should it be made a part of the Indian Fare. Just imagine trying to make succulent Butter Chicken in Marinara Sauce. A mix of the best in the world can cause confusion.

I am not sure if Seahorse Salmon is a species of Salmon. The most common Salmon is Asian fare is the Pink or Cherry Salmon. I may be wrong because Seahorse Salmon may be another name of the Pink Salmon.

 

Salmon Chutney Tikka

Item 14– Main Item – Keralite Beef Curry:

Beef – A Keralite’s (aka Mallu) national pride.

Curry – A Keralite’s Essential dish

Keralite Beef Curry – ബ്രോ! ഇതിലും കിടിലം ഒന്നും ഇല്ല! (Google  translate is a good option)

Spice Bowls takes the Mallu to Food Heaven

Item 15– Main Item – Dhum Biryani:

I am from Thalassery (Kerala,India), one of the legendary towns that is known for their Biryani!

Dhum Biryani is my birth right.

You can try to advocate my birth right in your kitchens but I stay rooted to my motherland!

I rest my case.

Dhum Biryani

Item 16– Desserts – FINALLY!!!!!:

I had to skip the desserts because my taste buds died of overdose but here is a quick take

Asian Lotus – Nice! Very Nice!

SB Trifle Pudding – Hmmm! My voice note only mentions the name and then it is static!

My phone battery is dead. No More Voice Recording made!

SERVICE – 3 OUT OF 5

I came in for a tasting session so it was all served well.

I did have look around on how the Waiters went around with the other customers. It looked good.

LOCATION – 3 OUT 5

Well, it is in the Dubai Mall, hence you will surely get lost.

Unlike all the other restaurants, Spice Bowl is away from the Hustle bustle of the mall.

A little tricky to find if you miss the corridor to the hotel but not as painstaking as walking from the Metro to the Mall!

PRICING: 5 means cheapest while 1 means expensive.

I RATE THIS PLACE 3.5 (Good for the Wallet)

For the serving size and quality of the food that is served, I must say the price is worth it.

Moreover, to get a good food for this price in the Dubai Mall from a dedicated dine in place is indeed a great boon.

AMBIANCE: 2.5 OUT 5

The hotel vicinity can be noisy and the feel of “I am in the Dubai Mall” is evidently absent.

DECOR AND SEATING CAPACITY – 3 OUT 5

Good Standard Décor and pretty well maintained.

OVERALL RATING: 3 OUT OF 5.

Spice Bowl is indeed a good place to dine in when in Dubai mall especially if you are craving for some good Indian / South East Asian fare which does not taste anything like the food court servings!

Spice Bowl is genuinely a multi-cuisine restaurant who is currently a Jack of all Dishes but not a King of all. They have taken the Wok and the Kadai to entice all taste buds. Their effort is valiant and commendable.