Cowbell

Cowbell is pretty much every kids dream place to eat. The menu covers all angles; pizza, hamburgs, pasta, and huge sticks of garlic bread. After a long day surrounded by kids, Daniel and I refueled with carbs upon carbs. 

Caesar Salad
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1,200 yen 

 The copious amount of freshly shaved cheese on top did not disappoint. It was more cheese with lettuce leaves- just how I like it. -Mari

Crispy Grilled Potatoes
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800 yen

I felt like the little one when I saw the potatoes. I just wanted to finish my bite of salad and dig into the delicious looking chunks. -Daniel  

Margherita Pizza
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1,200 yen

 Tasty margherita pizza. Nothing to complain about, but nothing super special about it. -Daniel

Garlic Bread (2 pc)
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600 yen

Every time I went to rip a chunk off, grease would pour down my hand. Not to mention fill my mouth with every bite. -Mari

Hamburg with Mozzarella Cheese
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1,350 yen

 This definitely hit the spot. This cheesy hamburg covered with demi-gras sauce (poured on after the picture) made my stomach happy with every bite. -Daniel

Tomato and Mozzarella Cheese Pasta
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1,250 yen

 Your simple tomato and cheese pasta, nothing too great or too bad about it! -Mari 

Squid and Cod Roe Pasta
✭✭✭✩✩
1,250 yen 

No complaints. Daniel & Mari

OVERALL

The restaurant was very family orientated (it was almost like a fancier Bob Evans). The food was tasty, staff was friendly, and it was nice to have a relaxing dinner after a busy day. -Daniel

Le Petite 'Mazing

We celebrated Daniel's university acceptance at Le Petite Maison in DIFC. It also happened to be our last night in Dubai. As the following comments will tell you, there was no better way to end an amazing month in Dubai than Le Petite Maison. 

Calamars Frits
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45 Dhs 

The system at Le Petite Maison is to order a variety of dishes and share between your party. I felt reluctant to share the calamari, as I could've gone for seconds with how perfectly crisp and chewy these were. -Mari

The calamari was scrumptious. It was perfectly crispy and had a little unique twist that I've never tasted before. It was easily in the top five calamari I've ever had. -Daniel

Crevette Ti'des - l'Huile d'Olive
✭✭✭✭✩
 70 Dhs

The essence of olive oil with these plump shrimps were exquisite! -Mari

With each bite of the juicy shrimp there was a subtle hint of olive oil. Simple and delicious. -Daniel

Salad de Haricots Verts au Foie Gras
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70 Dhs

It's green beans with foie gras people. What more can I say. -Mari

Poulpe Finement Tranchés
✭✭✭✭✩
105 Dhs 

The thin sliced octopus was delicious. It wasn't chewy at all, and tasted like it was just pulled out of the water. -Daniel

Aubergine Grillée, Mozzarella et Crevettes au Pistou
✭✭✭✭✭
125 Dhs 

My absolute favorite appetizer of the night! It's literally all my favorite things (eggplant, cheese, shrimp) grilled to an absolute mouthwatering masterpiece. -Mari

Coquelet au Citron Confit
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120 Dhs 

I remember being a little skeptical when my dad first ordered this, as when we ordered it on a previous visit it wasn't up to its usual LPM standards. Hence I was pleasantly surprised when it was tender and juicy. -Mari

The chicken was delicious. The skin was crispy, the chicken was juicy, and the citron confit gave just the right amount of umph. -Daniel

Entrecôte Grillée
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265 Dhs

Perfect. -Mari

This steak was the definition of amazing. It was grilled to perfection in an awesome salt rub. It came with two sauces, but I only tried the horseradish. The steak itself was so good after one bite with horseradish I enjoyed it alone and do not regret my choice. -Daniel

Salmon Grillé
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185 Dhs

I wasn't able to accept the salmon as much as the other dishes. There was a distinct taste of the salmon that I wasn't so sure of.  -Mari 

The salmon was too fishy for me. -Daniel

Rigatoni aux Cépes
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160 Dhs 

I'm not the biggest fan of creamy pastas, but boy did this change my mind. The cream wasn't overwhelming or heavy- it melted in my mouth with every bite. -Mari 

This pasta was delicious. Each bite was extremely pleasurable, and I would love to eat it again. -Daniel

Tarte Fine
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40 Dhs

This is how every apple tart should be. The ratio of apple to crust should be 5:1. Warm, soft, baked apple topped with malt ice-cream, need I say more? -Mari

The apple tart was perfect. The crust was thin and wasn't the main attraction. -Daniel

Pain Perdu et sa Glace aux Epices
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45 Dhs 

I can't even comment about LPM's french toast without getting excited/emotional. All I can say is you have to have this simple dessert in order to understand what I'm feeling right now. -Mari

Before we went to dinner Mari was raving about the french toast. She kept saying how amazing it was, and she was right. This french toast was so simple yet so different. It's crispy on the outside but fluffy and delicious on the inside. This with spiced ice cream is divine. -Daniel

Mousse au Chocolat Chaud et Glace à l’Orge
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60 Dhs

Simplicity at its finest. Hot, gooey chocolate cake topped with creamy ice-cream. Who doesn't like that combo? -Mari

*NEW* Caramel Mousse
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This is one of LPM's new desserts! You know when you don't know what to expect when you try something new? The mouthgasm you experience when you first put this to your tongue is incredible. It was all the humanly divine textures possible in a small bowl. -Mari

We just want to thank everybody who's viewed our blog so far! The feedback and love we receive is what keeps us going :)

"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
✭✭✭✭✩
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
✭✭✭✩✩
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

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.
✭✭✭✩✩

±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.  
✭✭✩✩✩ 
±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