Tabe-Aruki

Department stores in Japan like Seibu, Tobu and Mitsukoshi always have a floor full of bento stores, bakeries, chocolatiers and confectionary. So when we went to the biggest depachika in Japan (over 250 food stores) we were in heaven. We did what we're great at, 'Tabe-Aruki' (eating while walking) and we're here today to talk about what we ate! 

Matcha Cream Taiyaki (from Aji-Saki)
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147 yen

Matcha flavored cake filled with milky cream; fluffy on the inside and crispy on the edges. Devoured in seconds. -Mari

I didn't want to share this with Mari because it was so freakin' delish. I easily could have ate 100 or more of these and not had any post-"snack" guilt.  -Daniel

Matcha Mochi Bread with White Chocolate (from Don Q)
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242 yen for 5-6 pieces

Any time I come across food labeled 'Limited Edition' I subconsciously pull my wallet out and find myself buying it. These Spring edition mochi bread with white chocolate chips were chewy and filling. They were tasty but it's not something I'd consider buying again. -Mari

These matcha mochi breads weren't bad but they didn't stick. The flavour was pretty neutral and I have to agree with Mari. -Daniel

Mini Chocolate Croissant (from Don Q)
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185 yen for 4-5 pieces

Regarding both the croissants, they are the most nostalgic things to put in my mouth. Growing up and spending my summers in Japan, Don Q's mini pastries were seriously part of my childhood. I bought 5 of each yesterday and was reluctant to share them with Daniel. -Mari

Both of the croissants were awesome. I loved how the chocolate croissants had melted chocolate in the middle. -Daniel

Mini Croissant (from Don Q)
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152 yen for 4-5 pieces

Ten-Musubi 5 pieces (from Jiraiya)
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550 yen (but we got it on time sale for 450 yen! woop woop!) 

Fried shrimp in little rice balls are seriously the bomb dot com. Perfect for the cherry blossom season picnics! -Mari

Simple and tasty. -Daniel

"Eating is an agricultural act."

Have you guys heard of Eataly? Everything is fresh and straight off the plane from Italy. You can watch your food go through the process of being made from scratch. I think it's a nice getaway lunch from the busy scene of Dubai. - Mari

Nothing goes better with crisp fluffy bread than olive oil and balsamic vinegar (and a pinch of salt)!

Mozzarella in Carrozza
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35 Dhs
(Picture credit to our wonderful sponsor!) 

I could barely stay still and patiently take angle shots of the fried mozzarella when they were laid in front of us. It was fried to the perfect golden crisp, and I'm not sure if it's because I was absolutely starving, but they tasted like heaven in fine breadcrumbs. -Mari 

I stuffed my face furiously with bread while waiting for Mari to get the right photo for the fried mozzarella. These fried mozzarella triangles were divine and had the perfect amount of dried tomato and pesto. The only bad thing about this appetizer was that it ended. -Daniel

Look at this bad boy.

Tagliatelle Alla Genovese
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52 Dhs 

"Eat your greens" doesn't sound so bad when you have this on your plate. -Mari

Lasagne Alla Genovese
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56 Dhs 

This dish defies the stereotype of lasagna having to be meat/tomato sauce based. It was a unique texture and I loved it. It was my favorite vegetables (yes, potato being one of them) covered in pasta and cheese. -Mari

Elegante
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49 Dhs

The sliced pears accented this salad perfectly. The cherry tomatoes were the perfect hardness and the cheese, oh my goodness the cheese- it pulled the whole salad together. It's hard to find an enjoyable salad, but I definitely felt satisfied after eating this one. -Mari 

Spaghetti Alla Chitarra in Pecorino Cream Sauce
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56 Dhs

I had a craving for cheese today and this definitely hit the spot. This mountain of spaghetti had a generous amount of cheese and was lightly peppered. I opted for the parmigiano reggiano on top and the mix of the two cheeses was mouthwatering. If I need any future cheese fixes I know exactly where to go. -Daniel

Overall the Eataly experience was satisfying. The only complaints we had are minor and not food related. The tables could have been a bit farther from the products though as it felt like people kept walking by. The chairs could have also been a bit sturdier. Service was excellent and we will probably return again when we're craving Eatalian. -Daniel

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

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.")