A bit of this and that

A bit of this thing I avoid, and a bit of that which coaxes me out of bed every morning and helps me survive my 5:30 PM classes.

Chicken has not been among my favourite food items for as long as I can remember, and this fact has shocked some of my friends who are self-confessed chicken addicts and try to integrate it into as mean meals as possible. I appreciate the health benefits of opting for chicken as opposed to red meat, but I've come across very few chicken preparations that do not smell or taste foul at some point. But like everything in life, there are always exceptions, and these days I've also been more adventerous when it comes to what I eat for the sake of not clogging up this blog with too many reviews of the high-in-cholesterol-albeit-tastier meat that is beef.

Chicken Malai Kebab @ Zaika

A while ago, my friends and I had dinner at the Khaldiyah Mall food court where one of us ordered the Chicken Malai Kebab from Zaika. Since we usually sample each other's food, I had the chance to taste quite a few pieces and surprisingly, I liked it! The texture was smooth and creamy (Malai kebab afterall) and the kebab had subtle spicy undertones. Best of all, the chicken didn't smell or taste like poultry. My friend was in the mood for something hotter, so it didn't go down too well with her. The kebabs were accompanied by two naans and raita. I've heard glowing comments on their Dum Biryani from one of my friends, so I plan to sample that some other day.
Price: AED 32 with a drink
Available at: Khaldiyah Mall Food Court
Worth the money? I thought the price was too high for a plate of kebabs that only came with naan and raita. On top of that, this was food court fare, not something from a proper restaurant, so even thought it tasted pretty good, I remember raising an eyebrow when the lady at the counter read out the bill.

Shish Tawook @ Dolce Cafe

I know the menu of each food outlet in my university cafeteria like the back of my hand, and I can't say I look forward to eating there unless I had to rush out of my home at 8 in the morning after stuffing two slices of brown bread down my throat and know that I wouldn't be leaving the place before 8:30 at night (because that's when my classes usually end - not because I stick around out of choice!). From the start of this semester, almost all the outlets increased their prices considerably while the quality of their meals continued to slip down a steep slope. Anyway, there's always that rare gem which is tasty, filling and true value for money, and one of those is feaured above. Sheesh Tawook (pictured) and Sheesh Kebab from Dolce Cafe are what I opt for when I have long days. The tawook (chicken) sandwich comes with fries, hummus, fresh khubz straight from the oven (still warm and fluffy when served) and a drink from the fountain. I'm usually full after having the sandwich and fries, which I like to dip into their freshly-prepared and great-tasting hummus. The chicken pieces have a slight tinge of garlic which make them taste divine to me.
Price: AED 15
Available at: Dolce Cafe, ADU - Abu Dhabi Campus
Worth the money? Only thing worth its price tag in the entire cafeteria, along with its red-meat counterpart, Sheesh Kebab.

Coffee @ Dallmayr Kaffee

My love affair with coffee started when I was about 7. While other kids had Ovaltine or cocoa with their milk, all I wanted was coffee. A heaped tea-spoon of coffee dissolved in a mug of milk was my breakfast staple during my school days. That changed to a heaped tea-spoon of coffee in a mug of water when the former started to make me feel a little queasy. It's the one thing that injects me with instant energy and gives me the boost that I so need in the mornings and sometimes even late afternoons. There's nothing more inviting than the smell of freshly-ground coffee, but I've often discovered that the drink doesn't taste as good as it smells. I've had coffee from Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and all those places that are renowned for their coffee...but I found them to be quite disappointing. It's funny how one of the tastiest coffees I've had so far is from a vending machine. It not only smells good, but tastes great too. There's a long selection of caffeinated drinks on the machine, but I always go for the tried, tested and loved 'Long, white coffee with sugar' (pictured). Next time you see a Dallmayr vending machine, do give it a try.
Price: AED 2
Available at: I get mine from the vending machines at ADU.
Worth the money? Do you even need to ask :)

The week that was

I think it's the season of re-visiting old favourites 'cause I spent the last week eating at places I haven't been to in a year. There's something comforting about spotting your usual order in the sea of unfamiliar items crowding the updated menu. And it's a little funny when you can't quite recall why you stopped eating there in the first place!

Duo Delight @ Pizza Hut

Anyway, I started my trip down memory lane by trying to make peace with Pizza Hut. Usually, I'm the one dissuading others from going there, but this time, I was the one to suggest we have dinner there.

Since it was just my mother and me, we opted for the 'Duo Delight' - a combo meal that included a regular salad, four garlic breads, chicken BBQ roll (not pictured), a medium pizza and two drinks. I had almost forgotten all about the sweet, tangy goodness of the creamy salad, so I was glad to be eating there that night. The garlic bread was just right, and by the time we finished the rolls, we had room for only one pizza slice each. The remaining slices were duly packed by the attentive waitress for us to take home. I had a pretty nice time at Pizza Hut and the experience sort of made me ponder over why I had been avoiding the place for so long. I guess the menu can become boring if you eat there regularly, but it's not so bad that you avoid it like the plague (like I had been doing!).
Price: AED 50 for the meal, excluding service charge
Available at: Pizza Hut outlets on Hamdan Street, Khalifa Street and Airport Road.
Worth the money? On this occasion, yes!

Dinner buffet @ Caravan

Next stop was Caravan. My friend, Sana, took us to dinner there on the occasion of passing her driving test. I don't remember the last time I ate there, but I did have their buffet a few times so I was able to recognise some of the items that had survived the test of time. There was the Chicken Cashew Stir-fry and Aloo Chaana. Besides those two, the buffet was a mix of Indian, Chinese and Thai dishes. My friends and I were so hungry after the long, meal-less day we had at university that we went straight for the main course without pausing at the salad bar. My favourite item was the Chicken Lollypop (top left of the plate in the second picture), and coming from a non-chicken eater, that's a huge compliment. I apologise for the rather messy appearance of my plate, but I had basically dumped everything on it without caring much about what went where. I loved the variety of the main courses, but the desserts were a huge disappointment. My friends and I were excited at the sight of Rasmalai, but they turned out to be a pale imitation of the real deal. They tasted like they had been sweetened using some cheap artificial sweetner. The Umm Ali and Gulab Jamun were alright, but the initial disappointment of the Rasmalai made the whole dessert experience rather bitter.
Price: AED 49 per head
Available at: Caravan Restaurant, Electra Street
Worth the money? If you fill up on the main courses.

Shish Kofta, Fried Hamour and dessert @ Golden Fork

Every time I'd pass Golden Fork, it'd be packed with people. There was a time when I would eat there often because there are two branches near my house, but for some reason they had fallen out of favour with me the last few years. I was actually headed to KFC when I decided to make a detour and find out why the place is always teeming with people. And I think I found out why. Their new menu is extensive and covers a wide variety of cuisines, and the prices are very reasonable. To top it off, they provide complementary soup and bread. My mom opted for the Fried Hamour while I went for the Shish Kofta. Now I'm not a fan of sea-food, and there are only a few selected types of fish that I eat when they're cooked a certain way (deep-fried), but the Fried Hamour was one of the best fish dish I ever tasted. The Shish Kofta wasn't bad either, and it came with fries and two puri breads. For dessert, I went for the 'Watermelon Fantasy' - little scoops of watermelon drizzled with strawberry sauce. All in all, it was a very enjoyable meal even though the interiors and furniture weren't the best.
Price: Shish Kofta AED 16, Fried Hamour AED 15, Watermelon Fantasy AED 10
Available at: Golden Fork outlets on Hamdan Street, Khalifa Street and Khalidiyah Street.
Worth the money? An emphatic yes.

The Adventures resume

It's been a little over a week since I started this blog, and I've been slacking already! It's really hard to make time for anything these days. I had this window open for the last hour while I worked on a paper, and I'm finally doing what I had intended to finish last night even though it's way past my bedtime now. I'm taking this blog more seriously than my previous ones, mainly because it could actually be of some service to its readers unlike my angst-ridden, super personal blogs that I unsuccessfully tried to maintain in the not too distant past. Anyway...

Pralines'n Cream @ Baskin Robbins

I remember a time when Baskin Robbins was something to look forward to. Ever since they opened an outlet in my university cafeteria, I go out of my way to avoid having anything from there. When I do have a scoop or a drink, I rue over the fact that it just doesn't taste the way it used to. I used to appreciate BR a lot more when I wasn't familiar with their 31 different flavours or menu. Now, I don't even need to glance at the counter to know which tub is where, and that has killed the element of unpredictability I so treasure when it comes to desserts. On this particular occasion, I was forced to order something from there as I desperately needed change for a large note. I went for my old favourite, Pralines'n Cream topped with hot fudge, but didn't enjoy having it one bit.
Price: AED 8 for a kid scoop with toppings
Available at: All major malls and numerous outlets around the city (they have several in each street)
Worth the money? Only if you're really craving ice-cream.

Country-fried Steak @ Chili's

So I was at Chili's the other day and I decided to try something other than the BBQ Ranch burger for the sake of this blog. I had worked up quite an appetite after the long, tiring day I had, so I decided to go for the Country Fried Steak. Even though the place was packed, our food arrived within 20 minutes. The steak, topped with pepper sauce, came with mashed potatoes, garlic bread and corn on the cob. The mashed potato was fluffy and perfectly seasoned, while the steak was crispy yet easy to cut into, but the garlic bread was disappointing as it tasted a little stale. As usual, I found it challenging to finish everything on my plate because the portion size was huge (I hope you can tell from the picture!).
Price: AED 49
Available at: Khalidiyah Mall, Mariah Mall.
Worth the money? Yep, but like I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I wish they had an option for a smaller portion size that costs less!

From My Mom's Kitchen

Although I enjoy eating out, nothing compares to food prepared by mom, and I'll probably be featuring some of her meals from time to time. Today's featured item is mom's 'Sheek kebab' (as called by Bengalis), popularly known as 'Bihari kebab' in India and Pakistan. What makes this kebab different is, instead of using meat chunks or mincing the meat to make kebab patties or rolls, strips of beef are marinated overnight and skewered. The end result is soft lumps of kebab that literally fall off the skewers. Although Biharis are credited for this creation, many Bengalis say it is their own recipe popularised in the rest of the sub-continent by migrating Biharis, which might also explain the two different names for the same kebab. Anyway, I'd rather not get into the politics of food. All I know is, this is one form of meat I love!