One Meat-er please.

Having been to Turkey before, I was really excited to re-visit Turkish cuisines tonight at Turkish Village. The neon lights and cartoon-y signs threw me off a little bit, but I was more than delighted when we received our food. Here's what we ordered: 

Turkish Shepard's Salad
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20 Dhs 

Simple and refreshing! I loved the hint of lime juice. -Mari

Tasty simple salad with some pepper and lime juice to top it off. No complaints. -Daniel

Fresh Zaater Salad
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18 Dhs

 It looked like garden weeds. It was a little sour and the black pepper was very prominent in my mouth. -Mari

The lemon was overwhelming and the thyme had a very strong presence. The tomatoes were very juicy and fresh, and the greens weren't too soggy. - Daniel

Istanbul Borek (dip in yogurt with herbs)
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20 Dhs

 As soon as I asked the waiter what borek was and he replied it was crust filled with cheese, I had to order it. It was so crispy on the outside and the cheese just melted into your mouth. I'm already craving  this again. -Mari

When my eyes ran past borek in the menu I knew I wanted it. When Mari ordered it I did a little happy dance inside, and then another once I took my first bite. -Daniel

Cheese Pide
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35 Dhs

 What can I say, I'm a sucker when it comes to melted cheese and bread. I didn't want this Pide to finish. -Mari

I had my eye on the kawarma and cheese pide but decided against it since we were already going to have a meter of kebab, and I'm happy I did. The melted halloumi on the cheese pide was perfect and I savoured every bite. -Daniel

One Meter Adana Kebab
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275 Dhs

Crispy on the edges and juicy in the middle, perfect kebab- and it was a meter long! -Mari

I was amazed when over three feet of kebab was laid in front of us.  Being a meat lover it felt like I was in heaven. The meat was perfect and I got to eat at least half of it (I love being a vacuum cleaner). The only thing you need to watch out for is the green chiles that line the sides. I thought they were green beans and stuck two in my mouth and instantly regretted my decision. -Daniel

Künefe
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30 Dhs

 I always stay away from the overly-drenched-in-syrup desserts, but when I heard that the Kunefe was freshly made on the spot, I had to try it. It was beyond sensational. Crunchy, moist, syrupy, added with that cream was just absolute perfection. -Mari 

The Kunefe came out still warm from the kitchen and tasted amazing. I devoured the piece I had and will probably dream about the taste tonight. -Daniel

Baklava with Turkish Ice Cream
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25 Dhs

A little bit too sweet and heavy for my taste! Still I could tell it was great Baklava. -Mari

The Baklava was perfect. It was flaky, rich, and the sweetness was perfect. It was complimented extremely well by the traditional Turkish ice cream, and perfected with a warm glass of Turkish tea (10Dhs). -Daniel

The restaurant looked like a tourist trap from the outside, but the tastes proved otherwise. The food was authentic Turkish food and really hit the spot. The atmosphere was very relaxed, and the decorations were modest. The service was great; our waiter (Roy) was very attentive and friendly. Overall I feel this restaurant was a great experience and I would love to go back. -Daniel

"好吃吗?" (Is it good?)

Getting ready to review Royal China!

Jasmine Flower Tea
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~30 Dhs

It was like any other tea, just with flower petals going into your mouth every sip. -Mari

Mixed Seafood Lettuce Wrap
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48 Dhs

We would have to agree that this was our favorite dish of the night, the aperitif. We loved the texture of the seafood and water chestnut combined, topped with dark soy sauce and wrapped in crisp lettuce.

Mixed Seafood on Crispy Fried Noodle
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52 Dhs

It was bland and soggy by the time I got to it. Tasteless and definitely needed some more vinegar or soy sauce for flavor. Half way through the noodles became a hassle to eat- I had to question the 'crispy' part of the name. -Mari

I didn't even bother once I took the first bite of the noodles. The flavor was extremely plain and the noodles were at an awkward state between crispy and soggy and there was plenty of good food on the table. -Daniel

Fried Rice with Diced Chicken and Salted Fish
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42 Dhs

No chinese meal is complete without a good bowl of fried rice, and this just did the trick. -Mari

Braised Bean curd with Mixed Seafood
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78 Dhs

Thinking back, this dish wasn't memorable at all. Like the 'crispy' fried noodles it lacked flavor, and the tofu was really dense. -Mari

We had braised bean curd? - Daniel

Lemon Chicken
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68 Dhs

I would say this dish is more for the Western customers, somewhat similar to the 'fried chicken' concept. The chicken is tender and crispy. Not much to complain about here! - Mari

I have to agree with Mari on this one. When I was in China I did not see lemon chicken in any restaurant we went to, and have never seen it featured as "Chinese" until today. Regardless, it was good chicken.  -Daniel

Garlic Pak Choy
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48 Dhs

Whenever I'm at a Chinese restaurant, I have to order greens. I always contemplate between Kailan and pak choy, and it has to be garlic sauteed or XO sauce. Today I chose the garlic sauteed Pak Choy, it just compliments the rest of the dishes so well! -Mari

Royal China's garlic Pak Choy was similar to Din Tai Fung's (which is amazing) and was a nice part of the meal. -Daniel

Toffee Banana with a scoop of Vanilla Ice-cream
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50 Dhs

The toffee banana was a great way to end the meal. The crispy toffee shell complimented the moist banana inside really well. The ice cream was the cherry on top and made this dessert perfect. - Daniel

The atmosphere was nice but very cliche, the food was quality Chinese food. The only thing I would change if I could is the service. Our waiter was very antsy/nervous and gave off an uncomfortable aura. Overall though the experience at Royal China was good. - Daniel

Being Asian, there's something about walking into a restaurant that stereotypes what 'Asia' is. When they use modern decorations such as red velvet curtains and white leather seats it throws me off of what's supposed to be 'authentic' Chinese food. Otherwise, I enjoyed our dinner. Nothing completes a good meal like good company. -Mari

Jones the Grocer

We just came back from Jones the Grocer (on Sheikh Zayed Road) for lunch today and Daniel and I can't stop raving about this place. The layout of the sandwiches, salads, cakes and breads were just wonderful to look at. It was a feel good restaurant with high ceilings and all natural lighting from the beaming spring sun.  I couldn't keep myself still, constantly standing up and checking around the restaurant and their array of foods whilst I waited for mine. 

Jones the Grocer menu

Casually getting ready to loosen my skirt

Cottage Pie with buttered green peas
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58Dhs

I actually spent a solid 10 minutes contemplating what to order for lunch, even having to ask our waiter to come back to us. Debating between the sandwiches and the hot meals, I finally came to a conclusion on trying out the Cottage Pie on their special Dubai Food Festival menu. Needless to say when my dish arrived I was ecstatic. There was copious amounts of melted cheese on the mashed potatoes, and the minced meat buried underneath was nutritious with various vegetables. With such heavy food it's hard to find something where each bite is as good as the first- and the Cottage Pie here served perfect forkfuls till the very last bite! -Mari

Corbit Chicken with Butternut Squash and Brussel Sprouts
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65Dhs

 When the chicken came out I was pretty happy with my choice. It looked exactly how it tasted (which was pretty good). The flavours were well balanced and there wasn't much to improve. The only cons were that the butternut squash was a bit too runny and some bites of the chicken were too tough. -Daniel

Baked Pumpkin and Feta Cheese Salad
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58 Dhs

The salad was ordered by the current sponsor of Eaternationals (aka my mom). She described it as being light and really liked how the dressings did not drench the salad leaves. She also said the baked pumpkin was her favorite and accented the feta cheese really well. Overall she enjoyed her salad until the very end. -Mari

Carrot Cake recommended by our waiter!
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 I have a complicated relationship with restaurant served carrot cake. I always feel disappointed when the cake is too dry or there's an overwhelming amount of cream cheese. On the recommendation of our waiter, I gave it a impulsive chance. However, the above was easily the best carrot cake I have ever had. Not expecting too much from it when I first put it in my mouth, I had to stop myself from talking and react immediately with "Oh my god." Everything about it was en point; the moisture of the cake, the sweetness and the amount of cream cheese, and the crunchiness of the topped crushed walnuts and almonds. -Mari

Warm Apple Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream
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When Mari and I were checking out the desserts on display my eyes locked on the apple crumble. I knew exactly what I was getting for dessert, and had no regrets when it arrived at the table. The presentation, and everything else about the crumble, was perfect. There was so much ice cream you didn't have to worry about unbalanced spoonfuls.  It wasn't too sweet and I swear it got better with every bite. -Daniel

"One camel latté.. no I didn't mean caramel."

It's not often you get to say "I drank camel milk.", so where's a better place to try it than 'The First and Finest Camel Cafe' in Dubai?  

The Majlis in the Souk Atrium of Dubai Mall

Macadamia and orange peel camel milk chocolates
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Complimentary with your drinks

How do you milk a camel let alone make chocolate out of that milk? Thank you to whoever first milked one as this was some pretty sweet chocolate (no pun intended). The texture was similar to normal milk chocolate, but once you took a bite it stuck to your teeth. If no one told us it was camel milk chocolate though we wouldn't have noticed. The only complaint was the orange peel chunks were hard and were the only things left in your mouth. 

Daniel and his first Camel Latté - only in the Middle East!
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20Dhs/ 5$ USD/ ±600 yen

"Want to try camel milk?". When Mari asked I was iffy as she previously had a bad first experience. Once I tasted the latte though I was confused as it didn't taste bad at all. The taste is hard to explain (Mari would describe it as a liquified loaf of bread) and has to be tried. It's definitely something to try though because how many people can say they've tried camel milk? The overall experience was pretty fun, and camel milk chocolate from The Majlis is a great souvenir for all your friends back home.

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Wafi Gourmet at Dubai Mall

If you weren't aware, Daniel and I are currently spending our Spring Break in Dubai! This morning I woke up with a strong craving for hummus (and I mean the lust kind of craving) so we headed to Wafi Gourmet in Dubai Mall for lunch. I personally love the entrance of Wafi Gourmet, it has a Arabic style market feel to it. All the nuts, meats and vegetables are laid out as if we had visited the Souq instead. This is what we ended up chowing down on:

The Salad Mix including Hummus, Tabbouleh, Baba Ghanoush, and Dolma
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70Dhs/ 19 USD/ ± 2000 yen

The Salad Mix came out first and we were glad that we only ordered one even though the waiter said it wouldn't be enough for both of us. The proportions were giant compared to the ones in Japan. We dug in with the freshly baked (and still puffy) pita bread. The hummus was a little too oily and neither of us were too fond of dolma (stuffed vine leaves), so the baba ghanoush (mashed eggplant) was both of our favorites. The pomegranate seeds on the baba ghanoush accented the overall taste perfectly.

The Gourmet Grill including Arayes, Lamb dices, Shesh Tawouq, Kofta and a Lamb Chop.
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90Dhs/ 24 USD/ ±2500 yen

 The Arayes (meat stuffed pita) was delicious and the lamb chop wasn't bad. The rest of the meat, especially the lamb dices, on the other hand had a pungent taste and was chewy and hard to swallow. If anything the garlic butter and pita bread helped us eat the rest of the platter.

Doing what I do best.

The location of the restaurant is great. It's by the famous water fountain and has a great view of the Burj Khalifa if you sit outside (You might even get lucky and catch one of the water shows). The service wasn't as great as the view though. The waiters sat us down and handed us menus, but then they forget about us until we flagged one down.  If you go to Wafi Gourmet in the future, tell the Filipino waiter named Junji hello! He was friendly and willing to service us better when we made small talk with him. (We asked him if he was Japanese because of his name but he kept replying "No, Filipino. Filipino.") 

Burgers. ハンバーガー. الهامبرغر

Burger Mania in Hiroo, Tokyo.
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±1300 yen/ $12 USD per person

If you're in Hiroo, you have to visit Burger Mania. The restaurant is small, cozy, and just the perfect environment for chowing down one of their delicious burgers. The 'Cherry Burger' (one of their signature items) caught my eye, but I prefer classic burgers so I ordered the Swiss Mushroom Burger instead. The bun was perfectly toasted and warm from the inside, it couldn't do the cheesy patty anymore justice. I love the simplicity of this place; good burgers, good atmosphere, and overall great experience walking out the door.  - Mari

Steak N' Shake in Vero Beach, Florida.
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±600 yen/ 5$ USD per person (more with their amazing shakes)

It was my first time to eat a Steak N' Shake burger. To be completely honest, before even entering Steak N' Shake, I was a little skeptical of this diner being the usual 'go-to-fast-food' taste. I ordered the Garlic Single Steakburger, and was pretty much drooling when a big buttery bun surrounded by crispy fries was placed in front of me. Taking a bite, I could easily say it was one of the top 3 burgers I've ever eaten. If any of you love garlic as much as I do, give the Garlic Single Steakburger a chance.  When I go back to Steak N' Shake, I'm definitely ordering the Garlic Double Steakburger. - Mari

Shake Shack in Dubai Mall, Dubai.
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±25 Dhs/ $7 USD/ 800 yen per person (without fries or water)

"We HAVE to go to Shake Shack". Mari was set on taking me to Shake Shack before we even left Tokyo. She was craving it so much that we ended up eating it on our first day in Dubai. This was my first time eating Shake Shack, and it was pretty good disregarding the price (I mean who sells Fiji water at a burger joint?). The burgers came out and the first thing I noticed was how perfect the presentation was. I never get lucky with the appearance vs reality, but at Shake Shack I did. The taste wasn't amazing enough to stick in my mind, but I did leave the diner satisfied. - Daniel

AS Classics in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo.  
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±1400 yen/ $14 USD per person

"Sorry we're sold out". Wait what? How does a burger joint sell all their burgers? We were looking at each other confused the first time we walked past and came to the conclusion that we had to try it. Mari had the avocado burger and I had the mushroom burger. Mari couldn't finish hers because she didn't like it, so I took up my nickname. The avocado burger wasn't anything special, and the portions were odd as there were only six or seven potato wedges with a burger towering over them. The swiss burger was a solid three out of five, but the overall experience wasn't what we hoped for. - Daniel

Great Burger in Shibuya, Tokyo.
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±1100 yen/10$ USD per person for lunch set (burger, fries, coleslaw, drink)

We walked past a sign with some pretty awesome looking burgers so we decided to stop and look closer. There was a map on the sign and at first we were just going to walk past to scout it out on our way to Harajuku. Once we walked past though we ended up getting sucked in. When we walked in we were immersed in a vintage diner atmosphere with some pretty sweet music playing. As soon as the waiter put the menus in front of us my eyes ran straight to the new Chipotle Burger lunch set. It came out and was pretty messy looking, but the messier the better right? That saying rang true with this burger when I took my first bite. My mouth was filled with an actual chipotle chili balanced with sharp cheddar and a perfectly cooked patty. This burger actually made me want to go into the kitchen and hug the chef. We'll definitely go back and try their other burgers.  - Daniel

Your food guides will be..

Daniel "Vacuum Cleaner"

Mari "The Sandwich Specialist"

and

Konichiwa! I'm Mari, and I'm pretty sure I am the number one carb consumer of Japan. I have always been the kid that's been told during a meal, "You're going to eat all of that?" I always looked forward to dinners at my friends' houses and choosing where to eat for lunch with my family, and I always help myself to second servings. I was born in Singapore, where I was nourished with dim sum from hawker stalls. I then moved to England; let's just say the Chinese lady at Cobham Station made the most amazing fish and chips. I spent most of my teenage years in Bahrain (Where I met Daniel!) and graduated high school from Dubai. All I can say is I get homesick living in Tokyo just thinking about hummus, shawarmas and falafel. Seriously. Here's to all the food we're about to eat! いただきます！(Ita-da-ki-masu!)

Are you going to eat that? Hey guys. I'm Daniel, and I'm pretty much a vacuum cleaner when it comes to food. I'm always hungry and ready to go. I was born in Florida and grew up in a small town on the water where fun was fishing or food. I ended up moving to Bahrain to finish up middle school, and my relationship with food rose to the next level. Since then I've tried pretty much everything I've come across; from tacos sold out of cars in Mexico to Laksa straight out of Penang, Malaysia and everything in between. I'm ready to try more amazing food, and happy to write about my experiences. Here's to a busy and fun filled journey through the world's restaurants!