I enjoy caviar but confess I am no caviar connoisseur and cannot afford it in any case – the best in the world can cost over € 10,000 a kilo. But until I met Sara Morales, global sales and marketing director of Caviar Nacarii, Spain’s premier caviar brand, I had no idea that there was quite etiquette about eating it.

George and I met her at the ‘Spain Food & Passion, Dubai 2010’ dinner, which we attended at Dubai’s Radisson Blu Hotel on the invitation of the Spanish Embassy.

If we thought the evening would be all about tapas, paella and the Spanish spirits that go so well with that cuisine, we were delightfully mistaken. Sara changed the flavour of the evening for us enticing us with a caviar tasting ritual that was at once passionate and informative.

 Having red wine prior to tasting caviar is a big ‘no no’. It should ideally be taken after ‘cleaning one’s taste buds’ with a sip of white wine or better still vodka to remove flavours of anything else we may have had, explained Sara.

Though Caviar is served fresh on a bed of ice, it should never be eaten cold she said.  Its best eaten straight from the back of the hand, she explained, putting a tiny blob on ours.

“You then chat with your companions and wait for the caviar to warm up naturally with your body temperature. You then pop it into your mouth taking time to hold it against your palate and let it melt in your mouth. As it does you will savour the different flavours it produces,” she said urging us to do so.

And we did. It was a delicious experience and a far cry from all the caviar I had tasted served as toppings on hors d’oeuvres.

It was a good start to a very pleasant evening – we tried some tapas accompanied by some of Spain’s best wines from Aragon. Dinner was served on the terrace where you could enjoy both Spain’s culinary specialities as well as the view of the night lights of Dubai and the dhow cruises sailing gently on the creek. Added gourmet glamour of the evening was the presence of UAE’s leading chefs - members of the Emirates Culinary Guild - in their distinct chef’s uniforms.

At our table was Troy Rodrigues of Royal Blue, UAE distributors of Solan de Cabras, Spain’s premium brand mineral water which has just entered the UAE market.

It is considered a ‘vintage’ mineral water, a premium brand used in the most prestigious restaurants in Spain. Solán de Cabras has a light mineral content and comes in deep blue bottles protecting it from sunlight and preserving its mineral and medicinal properties.

That’s two premium brands from Spain I discovered that night – Caviar Nacarii and Solan de Cabras – which tells us that there is more to that country than just olive oil and olives.

Olé!

-Kokila-

The gift hampers from Federal Foods were heavy and packed with goodies, the dinner voucher from Cucina, JW Marriott Dubai was light but heavy with the promise of a yummy culinary experience… and the Valentine’s Click & Win winners were all smiles when they dropped into our office to receive their prizes.

Millet Salem and Ritu Pagarani (see pictures) received their gift hampers from Ritika Ahmed of Federal Foods.

Mailee Marts, an Abu Dhabi resident, drove down to Dubai all the way to pick up her Cucina dinner voucher and said she was looking forward to enjoying her prize at the JW Marriott Dubai.

For those who missed these competitions, keep visiting our site as there are more things coming up!

-Kokila-

Bamboo Lagoon reminds me of all things exotic about South East Asia – I always liked the ambience with its bamboo décor, the waterways, the bridges over it and the huts.

Relaxful, subliminal, and of course with a yummy buffet featuring a vast variety of dishes from Asia, Bamboo Lagoon is a delightful place to dine. My first stop is always their sushi bar and I can always start and end my meal with just sushi. But this is not possible when you have so many other cuisines tickling your taste buds – the teppanyaki table, the sea food, Peking duck and dim sums, variety of noodles, Asian salads and soups, and aromatic Thai rice/curry dishes to name just a few.

So the Bamboo Lagoon’s re-launch after a two month refurbishment was an occasion worth attending. And it was quite a dramatic one too. The Polynesian band put up quite a show invoking their traditional rites to welcome the guests into the Bamboo Lagoon. It was a feast for the eyes and ears! (See the photographs)

Now let’s see what I had that evening: I started with some light fresh salads, as a second course plied my plate full of sushi with a bit of wasabi and pickled ginger on the side. Resisting the urge to go for second helpings of sushi I followed it up with some Peking duck and dim sums. I skipped the noodles, teppanyaki and the seafood sections as I felt quite sated by then.

Just when I decided that was it for me, my lively table members enticed me to the Thai section of a variety of rice and curries. Well, I took some small helpings ‘just to try it out’. I rounded it all off with chocolate mouse and fruit salad. However I wish I had tried out the dessert which everybody mistook for spring rolls if not for the waiter who was on hand to alert everyone that it was a dessert. I am still quite curious about it.

The indefatigable Bobby Subramaniam, JW Marriott’s Cluster Director Cluster Director of Public Relations and Marketing Communications, the hotel’s Executive Chef Damien Chorley Damien Chorley and his team were all there to ensure that guests were well looked after.

-Kokila-

At Yas Island you cannot escape reminders of the F1 formula racing its everywhere of course. The lobby of the Radisson Blu Hotel across the main entrance of the Yas Circuit (which hosts the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix) is teeming with race teams distinctive in their bright orange overalls. They are here for the GP2 Asian Series.

Ody and I are there too (last week) but for a different reason. We want to try out Radisson’s contemporary Italian restaurant Filini. Over lunch we soak in the view which is beautiful even through a thin veil of sand whipped up by a fading shamal.

Filini is a branded restaurant of the Rezidor Group and overlooks the emerging golf greens and the blue green waters of the bay with its mangroves.

We enjoy an Italian meal prepared by Chef Thomas Marchi. As I pore over the menu, which has a good selection of reasonably priced dishes, I hear the waiter mention Gnocci and I instantly opt for that all time favourite of mine. I take mine with white sauce while Ody, influenced by my decision, also asks for Gnocci but with tomato sauce. We order Pizza Margherita on the side. Next time I would like to try out the pastas since Filini stands for match stick thin pasta. As we wait for our orders to arrive we try not to gorge on the yummy freshly baked breads dipped in olive oil. It’s hard but fortunately we did not have to wait too long for our entrés.

We wrap up the meal with typical Italian desserts. The chocolate addict that I am I go for ricotta pudding served with chocolate mousse and crunchy nut brittle, called Tortino di Ricotta con Mousse al Cioccolato Nero e Coroccante. A long tongue twister of a name for a light and delightful dessert. Ody opts for Tiramisu. It was a fitting end to a good meeting before we headed back to Dubai.

-Kokila-

Have you ever won a competition or a raffle? Have you ever won a lottery or sweepstakes? Well if you did … WOW congratulations!

Having the opportunity to call the winners (for dineoutemirates competition) has been exciting for me, listening to the happy tones of their voices makes me feel a winner too!

I wonder how I will feel if somebody will call me and tell me that I have won something. Well that ended when I tried joining competitions online and in magazines. I once entered a competition I saw in a magazine where the prize was a dinner in the sky. Wow I got excited and lost no time in joining that. After a few weeks voila I got a call saying that I had won! I enjoyed the experience since the dinner table was hoisted high into the air by a huge crane and we had dinner at the top!

Then another fine evening while browsing the net I saw this gadget which I had always wanted, I saw that it was up’ for grabs and immediately I joined that competition. Who say’s lightning never strikes twice? I WON again. My reaction?
Shock, awe, overwhelmed and happy. I called all my friends and told them about it.

Then I realised this is what our dineoutemirates members feel when I call them and inform them that they have won a free dinner at the exclusive fine dining restaurants featured on our website.

It’s not about the price, it’s not about the company or even it’s not about you. What matters is taking your chance, trying your luck… who knows maybe you are our next winner.

-ody-

Our producer George brings his new year message from Dubai’s famed creek and on an ‘abra’ the traditional transport that is so unique to this city.

Why the creek?
The past year has been a tough one for many – some may have felt that they were up the creek without a paddle – but many of us are paddling on up and down the creek and have ushered in the new year with extra verve and energy.

On behalf of MovieMedia and dineoutemirates.com we wish to thank all who have been supportive over the years and with your blessings we have managed to put behind us 2009 with no upheavals. From all of us, sincere wishes to all of you for a wonderful 2010!

I love Asian food maybe because I am from Asia and probably because I just love eating.  When I was still working back home I used to go around the city and eat at restaurants and play like a restaurant reviewer.   I never thought that later on I can use what I have learned or tasted.  Friends used to call me where to eat or where are the best deals in town and thankfully they were all happy after they tried.

Recently, we visited Assia in Wok in Dubai Mall, as expected to try their food.  We arrived around lunch time. The big signage assured us we were in the right place and I really like their logo and colours. We sat at a table overlooking the ice rink as we enjoyed the view.  The menu had an interesting choice. We first tried the Prawn Rolls and crispy Calamari for appetizers.  The Calamari was crunchy and the squid was tender. I tried to stop my fingers from getting more but couldn’t stop!  The shrimp wrap was crispy outside and soft inside.  Then we tried the Tom Yum Soup, which I’m not a big fan of, but it was ok.

For the main course, we tried the Yellow Coconut and Beef Curry, the Red Chicken Curry and Hoisin Duck. The beef curry was ok since the beef was tender, but I loved the chicken curry.  The taste was really flavourful and exotic. It was medium spicy just the way I like it. The sauce was superb and the chicken was cooked perfectly. I could have eaten this stuff the whole day. The Hoisin Duck was quite ok but I found that there was too much sauce on it. Maybe next time I will ask them to reduce the sauce.

I was hoping to take a breather first and relax but I did not want to miss my favourite part of the meal - the dessert.  I was advised to try out the cheese cake as it was a popular dish and customers returned for this. It was tasty and not so sweet, but it’s not my favourite.

When my task (eating) was over my tummy looked larger than ever (well it is actually). Honestly I will come back and eat again.  What more you can ask, warm crew, nice food and perfect view, definitely exotic and only at Assia in Wok

-ody-

PS.  If you want to get some discounts and special offers from Assia inWok check our discount page for details.

Few months back somebody asked me about dineoutemirates.com videos.  They
asked me what’s the difference between dineoutemirates.com and other food and
restaurant sites in the region.  I told them that it’s not only unique, since we are using videos, but it also builds the credibility of the restaurant.

So they asked me why? I told them that by watching a restaurant video before making reservations might help visitors to decide for themselves rather than reading someone else’s review. I am not against restaurant comments and reviews, which other online directories have, but how sure are you that the person writing and commenting about that particular restaurant is real or not a representative of the other restaurant?  Who cares right? But at the end of the day you want to eat good food and see a nice place…

So I told them the difference… and told them that dineoutemirates is making that difference… here you can easily watch, learn and know what kind of restaurant you are going to and what to expect.  Yes, if a person reviewing a particular restaurant is a well known Chef or food fanatic then I’ll believe his stuff but if not… hey we have different taste buds right? =) Peace Love

-ody-

It was indeed a pleasure to attend a romantic candle light tango dance performance at the Town Square, JW Marriott Dubai which lived up to its claims of being a night of elegance and grace.

Just picture this:  Graceful dancers tangoing the night away in the soft glow of the myriad candles everywhere – not just the experts and world champions - Ryo and Hazuki - but Dubai’s own tango fans too. Ryo and Hazuki are world-renowned for their unique dynamic style and technique in tango. And yes, they are Japanese and are currently residing in Japan. Tango obviously cuts across national boundaries judging by the enthusiasts on the dance floor at Town Square. A group of enthusiasts in Dubai called Tango Dubai were out in force and kept us all enthralled with their elegant footwork.

I don’t do the Tango, but after that night I sure would love to learn.

-Kokila-

dineoutemirates would like to thank all who participated in the Halloween
Click and Win competition and the Scary Story competition.
Congratulations to the winners and better luck next time to those who did not.

Namrata Keswani, winner of the scary story competition on dineoutemirates.com:

I turned WITCH for a night!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was a December night, I was with staying with one of my friends. We went out for dinner, had so much fun and then it was time to go to bed. We talked for a little while and around 1 am we slept. Around 3 am I got up and started throwing things here and there and started shouting like a WITCH.
My friend got up and tried to control me but I started hitting and pushing her hard. That moment I was so strong that I started pushing the heavy wooden bed we were sleeping on. For 15 minutes it went on and my friend freaked out.
After shouting, yelling, hitting I sat on the floor and started crying loud. My friend was scared to come next to me as I had already hit her hard. So after crying for a few minutes I dont know how but I came to my senses. I was shocked at what happened to me and what I did to my friend……. The amazing part is I remembered everything I did but I was not in control.
It’s been five years now and I still shiver and get goose bumps when I think of it. Thankfully it never happened again to me but I REALLY TURNED A WITCH FOR A NIGHT!!!!!!!!!