Taste Melanger: Dubai

Dubai

Seafood lovers of Dubai. Urban Seafood – Review

10:41 AM

Urban Seafood came as a delectable surprise to me.

Being located right opposite the clinic where I take my kids for visit to the pediatric; I had noticed this outlet on many occasions. Then named as ‘Slapfish’. But not being a big lover of seafood, plus being tucked in the quieter corner of the mall, I didn’t get around to visiting it. Till recently, when I got invited to review ‘Urban Seafood’ restaurant in Ibn Batuta. And realized that it’s the same joint, which has been rebranded.

This time, I decided to cross the bridge & taste the grub, to know for real, what makes it ‘ modern seafood shack’. As claimed by the restaurant. And to get even more authentic review, I took along a hardcore seafood lover friend with me. Yes two to tango!

We visited the place on a weekday noon for lunch and it was very quiet. Not surprising for the timing of the day, week and location. We were welcomed pleasantly by the staff on arrival and were taken in to their bright modern style décor with some vibrant reds & warm yellows. The décor was bright & airy but lacked much of character or interest. The lack of crowd or music made the place much quieter too. Yet it gave us ample room to chatter freely, which many restaurants cannot boast of.

Soon we were busy scouring the menu, which had a nice variety with seafood as central ingredient. From ‘crab quinoa salad’, ‘fried calamari’ to ‘prawn kunafa’ in appetiser; ‘tandoori salmon’, ‘thai roasted seafood basket’, lasagna & crab in the main dishes. Alongside it also had ‘handheld food’ like ‘fish tacos’ & ‘grilled lobster cheese sandwich with fries’. Not to forget the fresh juices & drool worthy desserts that was showcased. The menu definitely was well thought of and offered tasteful variety and good mix.

We ordered very simple meal, since we wanted to try the freshness of ingredients and flavour of the dishes. For starters it was ‘crab cake’ & ‘fried calamari” and for mains it was ‘grilled barramundi fillet’ along with fresh orange juice & mojito. The dishes were served promptly, which always works great on a weekday. All the dishes were absolutely fresh and delicious. My favourite was the crab cake – it was extremely tender & flavourful. So was the grilled barramundi, a delightful light dish for lunch. And the 'fried calamiri' added the contrast in texture, though I would have liked even more crunch. The refreshing mojito made the perfect complement to my food. In the end I so wanted to try their sinful ‘chocolate cake in jar with caramel sauce & toasted nuts’, yet I felt highly satiated with the savory ones. But surely will do on my next visit. And I’m sure of one soon.

My friend too totally enjoyed the experience, and we felt we should have visited the place much earlier, specially since its located in the mall we frequent so often. Moderately priced, Urban Seafood can become a cooler place if they add some energy in the restaurant, in terms of warmer hospitality, cooler décor, music just to liven up the place a bit. I would recommend you all to try this place if you are around the area. And I’m sure you will not complain.

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Baking

Photoshoots and my learnings

7:05 AM

Wow we have moved to 2016...time has a pace that noone can match. Specially not people like me who like to soak the sun and daydream. Anyone else out there? But 2015 was different, it gave me a new direction, a new dream.

We have always read about following your heart. But many times the heart is as lost as the mind. And for many of the mums who left their corporate life at the threshold of motherhood, this might be a familiar territory. Of loosing their own self in the demands of kids, family and home. The same was my story too. And I used baking & blogging to pursue my interests and to create my little world of creativity and passion. Blogging has given me a lot, apart from a hobby. It gave me lot of friends, numerous interesting events, umpteen yummy dishes and it introduced me to something new - photography. A passion, which grew over the years and made me a better blogger. Till last year, when I ventured into it professionally.

After over a dozen of such family/kids/party shoots in last few months professionally, I'm still a beginner, who is trying to create her space & style. But the important thing is that the journey has started. And like anything which is unfamiliar or new, it gets daunting & overwhelming at times. So I thought it would be good to keep making notes of my learnings & observation after every shoot. And today I want to share them with you....who knows when it might be useful to someone.

So here's my top learnings/some pointers for any of you looking to venture in the trade. Please note that its not a technical post nor do I claim to be a pro. But a glimpse of my learning...

1. Set the expectations right - This is of critical importance to understand, discuss and agree on all aspects of the shoot, like:

Duration of shoot - (whether you are particular that 2 hours is 2 or max 2 hr 15 mins). Else someone might be free to expect you to stretch to 2.5 hr. Is that fine with you? So be specific for the duration

No of shots - whether you are going to give only 'x' number of edited pics of or going to share 'y' number of unedited pics as well. At least a good range should be decided upon. I have experienced that with a birthday party of same duration of 2 hour, some clients have been happy with 80-100 pics, which covered it all; while other client expected nothing less than 500. Of course I had to politely refuse that client, since I wouldn't have liked my quality of image to be compromised by capturing only quantity.
Location/Props/ Clothes
Style/ Kind of shots - Apart from location, which I'm sure would be agreed upon, the style of shots should also be well discussed. Whether its fun style, or posed portrait or a candid shoot...share enough references with client to make them aware of your shoot plan. And for this pinterest is your best friend.
Delivery timeline
Permission to share on your social accounts/website - Don't forget to get a written/email confirmation of the same
Payment date & mode

Be as detailed & specific in your communication as you can be, and it will save a lot of pain later.

2. Make a shoot plan - Once you have it all sorted with the client, then make your own shoot plan. Even if its for a quick family portrait shoot. Plan the sequence you want to do, for eg. - first group, then individual, then 2nd group in 2nd location/dress change. This helps me firstly to plan it in my head how to compose the shot, which lens to use, and how to use the lighting as per the location. Also if a small child is there, its a good idea to get the group shot quickly when he is happy & rested, and then to move to couple shots when he is napping. And of course the basic flow needs inputs from clients to know their dress change or kids schedule.

3 3. Review your shots - This might be a very obvious one, but in the flow of covering the event or family photoshoot, I myself am guilty of not doing enough of this. And that is - Click. Review. Retake. Once you review immediately, you would either find something that is totally wrong or something that can be improved. Like a blurry shot, or low lighting or eye blink....could be anything. But you can fix it there than to regret it later.

4 4. Change your angle - I'm discovering how much wonder a change of angle can do. Again an obvious tip, but only when you put it in practice you will notice the difference. It will make the mundane more interesting, like this one.

6 5. Have fun - Don’t forget to get some fun, unique shots to make the most of the shoot. I can bet that would be the best of the lot and make the experience memorable.

1 Comments

Baking

Review - Pantry Cafe, a gourmet neighbourhood cafe

12:13 PM

The exuberance of Dubai is infectious. The excitement in the air, the buzz on the streets and the action around you, envelopes you. It prevents a shy one to hide in a cocoon. Rather encourages everyone to step out and mingle. To get introduced to different cultures, and to experience the diversity.

Thanks to being a mum and a blogger, I get to see this diversity of Dubai from various perspectives. And I keep discovering great places to be with friends and family.

One such new place that I discovered last weekend is Pantry Cafe, a friendly gourmet cafe. After the popularity of its Al Wasl branch, Pantry Cafe launched this new cafe, in Business Bay, Dubai. And they invited the blogger community for a taste of their vibrant menu and delicacies.

I visited the place with my family, which included my two kids, aged 6 and 3. And what I loved about the place, was the friendly warmth that it exuded. The cool ambience, the open kitchen and the cheerful smiles, made it all the 'friendly cafe' that it promises to be.

The tasting menu was elaborate and interesting. The kids loved their “Mango lassi” and “Cookies and cream” milkshake, along with the 'margarita pizza”. And as they got busy, relishing their treats, we got to trying their “Taster Menu”.

For starters there were some interesting options. From 'Savory Mushroom Waffles' with feta cheese, semi dried tomatoes and rocket, “Open Eggplant Sandwich” with sriracha, ricotta, roasted red pepper & tomato chutney and “Smokey tomato scramble”.

Then there was the middle eastern delight Shakshouka' - eggs cooked in a sauce of fresh tomatoes, red peppers, onions & spices, topped with crumbled feta & served with toasted pita bread.

The main course dishes kept the menu as interesting with “Baked Brie” and “Green Tea Noodles with smoked salmon”, “Mexican Chicken” and “Katafi Prawns”

For us the highlight were the eggplant sandwich and the green tea noodles. With fresh ingredients, and nice flavour combinations, the dishes were light, fresh and delectable. In fact with every dish, one could see the thought process that had been put into, making the dishes unique, fresh and cafe – style. Perfect for the weekend brunch or weekday bite.

And of course the menu would be incomplete without some yummy desserts. Pantry Cafe lived upto this challenge of giving the final course, a delicious flavour. The dessert menu included – bittersweet chocolate cake, churros, pecan nut tart, lemon curd shortbread and blueberry cheesecake. Yes sinful indeed. And quite a task, to find your favourite from such gorgeous treats. Still for me the cheesecake was like the icing on the cake.

You know you enjoyed your meal, when each member of the family, had their own favorites and loved the place equally. Would definitely recommend this “gourmet neighbourhood cafe”, if you are looking for something beyond sandwiches and wraps. And to enjoy good food in good company.

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Baking

Whisking affair - Baking Class

6:03 AM

One more birthday cake has been cut. Gifts have been opened and another year has been added next to me. To my age.

As one grows older, birthdays are less about celebrations but more about appreciation. Appreciating and being thankful for all that I have been blessed with. And I have been blessed with lots. Most importantly a lovely family.

Birthdays are also a good time to ponder, to pause and to restart. Almost like New Year. And this birthday I decided to make every day count. Do what the heart desires and to go with the flow. To keep caution away and to live the moment.

The birthday weekend started with a fun outing to the Dreamland water park. And after hours and hours of splashes and rides, giggles and laughters, we were all exhausted. So a restful night at Barracdua resort, right next door, was like a life saver. A perfect quiet way to wind a hectic action packed day.

The days after the weekend, brought a new start with a baking class. Something which I had been keeping on hold for very long, since I wasn't so sure. But then when the timing is right, the heart say yes. So yes I said for this lovely group, who wanted to learn baking. And it was so much fun.

Over chit chat, we all learnt to bake - eggless vanilla cake, checkerboard cookies and tarts. Chocolate mud cake is also on the list. The best part of baking with friends, is the camaraderie. Of sharing the experience, of tasting the treats and laughing over silly things. Yes, definitely I'm doing it again!!

While teaching these recipes, I realised that many of them are not even posted on my blog. Time to add them to my favourites. But the one that is there is the Mud cake . And I'm soon going to update that post with new pics as well.