Cinnabon, Mumbai

Cinnabon, R City Mall

Though I am not a huge fan of sweet dishes and stuff, I had had very strong cravings for something sweet for almost 2 weeks. I was first thinking of having some freak shakes from some where and they are everywhere now. Then, decided let's give a shot to something different. Well, not completely different, because I have had Cinnabon before. Not just in India. I think Cinnabon outlets keep opening and closing. My vague memory tells me there was one in Bandra a few years ago, though I am not too sure. Even the one in R City had been closed in between. So whenever I thought of actually visiting (Bandra and then R City), the place would be shut? Does that mean the crowd of Mumbai hasn't really taken to Cinnabon? Well, they should i.e. if they haven't.

I had given a break to the foodie in me after Dubai, rest period, but now I am full fledged back in action. I have eaten 5 times out already in the last 9-10 days, which is every alternate day.

This outlet based in situated in the midst of R City Mall. I love places, like these placed in the middle of Malls, from where you can see everyone rush past, while you stay still. I have mentioned this before. But it had to be said again. It's not exactly a proper outlet or a restaurant but a little take away cum sit-down type place with no defined walls marking territory, a kiosk, if you please. (I really didn't know how else to describe it. ) 

I like my dessert warm, from gulab jamuns to cake that has just been taken out of the over, they taste infinitely better than after being kept in the freezer, except cheese cakes. Cheesecake is Life! So when you order a cinnamon roll from cinnabon, it's presented hot, so it automatically warms you up. I went for the Caramel one while my friend opted for chocolate. I will take caramel over chocolate any day. Even though I don't like things to be overtly sweetened, I strangely love caramel and nothing gets more sweeter than that. The Caramel one had nuts drizzled, with a little cream and generously slathered with caramel. Sweet Heaven. That first bite, even thinking of it now takes me back to that moment. You can't have enough of it. The chocolate one was drizzled with chocolate sauce and was equally lovingly made. Only, like I mentioned, I like my chocolate i bits, and not too much at one time. Very rarely will I go all out with chocolate.

Well, I for one really hope, this outlet doesn't close down any type soon, because whether or not I sit down for it, I will definitely be picking some up time and again.

WHAT WE HAD - Caramel & Nuts (Sweet Heaven)

                          Chocolate (Heaven)

DAMAGES - Rs 300/- 

WHERE -  Cinnabon India,Ground Floor, R City Maill, LBS Marg, Phase 2, Ghatkopar West, Mumbai

Gustoso, Mumbai

Gustoso, Lower Parel

Can one ever have enough of Pizzas? No. And now that the Gourmet Pizza trend has caught on in this side of the world, there is even more no stopping us Pizza Lovers. Although my main reason, for visiting this place was the pasta and not the pizza. Though obviously, I would dig into scrumptious pizza as well. So, Win Win!

A catch-up session with 2 dearest friends brought us here and the one thing I like about being in my position i.e. loving food as much as I do, I am always the one deciding on the place. And hence, I fulfill my all places to be list from here. I will make sure, it's a place that is on my bucket list. Though, the bucket list only increases. So one fine day, we landed here much to my delight. I am glad they didn't abuse me for selecting a place so far away from where all of us live. 

The one thing I love about Bombay is the many restaurants in practically every nook and corner of the city and what it has to offer in terms of ambiance. The interiors speak volumes for the places here. This place speaks Italian. From the way the tables are designed to a Vespa placed in the middle of the restaurant, not to forget this cozy corner with a round table and a huge chandelier lighting it up, the bar and most definitely the little garden type out door seating. We decided to take the party outside as we wanted a quieter place, where conversations take over and it was a pleasant day! Nothing quite like it. Bliss. 

The service is warm, the attendants know the menu well. So even if you don't know how to pronounce half the stuff (like me )or understand the ingredients well, the staff will come to your rescue. 

So we started off with the appetizers or antipasti - Arancini & Involtini Di Pollo (Sounds like the name of some sexy brooding painter  The arancini is fried balls consisting of arborio rice, mushrooms and mozerella. In short, a risotto fried into balls. Sounds good right? It is and goes wonderfully with the truffle aioli. I have a thing for aioli. I have a thing for anything that is creamy and cheesy. The involtini is chicken roulade (Why won't you make my life easy and just call it chicken roulade?! ) and is again stuffed with Mozzarella (Long Live the Italian for using cheese and letting us have cheese!). The roulade is swimming in lemon mint sauce, and I almost wonder if you are supposed to be drinking this. I am guessing that would look weird. But it does add an extra edge to the dish. Though I do wish the chicken was just a little more juicier. Then for the pizza, as recommended by the attending staff, we ordered the Stella Pizza which is shaped like a Star. It does look beautiful, the dough bread is the softest I have encountered, to the point where I have to be careful holding it. The tanginess of the tomato sauce is just right and everything is almost perfect but for the ricotta cheese used. I had kind of imagined that it would be either in spread form or melted form or something and not just blocks of ricotta cheese put on the pizza.So that was a tad bit disappointing. 

Then let's talk of the highlight of the meal, my reason for dragging my lovely friends here - Tagliolini Bombay. I don't know what's Bombay about it. So what's so special about this? They makw this in front of you. They take Pasta, flambe it, in a cheese wheel, in actual bowl which is a bowl made of cheese, toss in as much cheese as you desire and serve it to you. Lo and Behold! Do you see my eyes popping out? Watching it is an experience in itself. I would also want to share a little experience. Always, always take charge of capturing such epic moments yourself, do not pass off the responsibility to a friend, no matter how much they mean to you. They will screw it up. Especially if you have my luck. We took the entire video and by the end of it my friend realized she hadn't even clicked on record. You can't even begin to imagine my grief at this moment. I am not instagram crazy. Well, maybe, a little. But this is one of those moments that you do put on Instagram! Why wouldn't you let me have my moment of glory or show off??!!  I got over it, a little grudgingly. After everything said and done, the pasta was cheesilicious and that's what matters. We had a few mocktails as well, Frozen Currant, Into the Blue and Iced tea. Strangely, the Iced tea was not my order this time. I opted for the Frozen Currant, which is like an ice slush of black currant. I like slushes. The other two were refreshing as well. Looked Pretty too. 

WHAT WE HAD - Arancini (Yumness)

                           Involtini Di Pollo (Yumness)

                           Stella Pizza (Yumness Personified)

                           Tagliolini Bombay (Yumness)

                           Frozen Currant (Yum)

                           Peach Iced Tea (Yum)

                           Into the Blue (Yum)

DAMAGES - Rs 3500/- Approx

WHERE - Gustoso., Plot 109, Kwality House, August Kranti Marg, Below Kemps Corner Bridge, Mumbai, Kemps Corner, Mumbai

Coffee by Di Bella, Mumbai

Coffee By Di Bella

I think Di Bella is synonym for waffles. They are known for their waffles and probably the first to introduce the trend. You will find them everywhere now, but a few years back Di Bella was the only chain or rather the only place that was affordable. Hence, college kids and everybody else would flock alike to this place. Point being? Let's just name them Di Bella Waffles. It's fine either ways. Also, they are still my favorite. Though I have tried from quite a few places by now including the savory kind. 

Di Bella also is one of those places where I frequently visit. Even on broke days, which is I think more than half the time. However, the experience I am going to mention today is sort of bitter sweet, one is from when I paid visit to the Bandra outlet which was very welcoming and the other is almost next to my place in Equinox, BKC where I vouch never to return. 

Bandra

You will Find this place quite crowded and a waiting time almost always, because, well it's Bandra and this is where the action is. Whatever that means.

Even though we had to wait for almost 30 minutes to get a place here, we were more than happy to do so. Our names were taken down, the service staff ensured that we didn't feel uncomfortable and genuinely seemed like they cared about creating a place for us. Apologized, even though it was no fault of theirs, that we had to wait for an extra 15 minutes. Initially, we were told 15 minutes only. Quite courteous, in general. This is one reason why I keep going back to Di Bella, the warmth that you feel. 

Since freak shakes are the craze everywhere now. Di Bella has done their own version of it, which I had been dying to have and I finally did on this blessed day. We ordered for the Gold Coast Shake and the Melbourne Shake. One had a more caramel texture to it and the other was chocolate divine. My preference leans towards everything caramel so my obvious choice was the gold coast. They topped this one with caramel sauce, whipped cream, pretzels, twix and WAFFLES! What more do you need in life? The outside of the glass was lined with nuts and drizzled with caramel sauce. Now here, I actually wonder, is one supposed to have this or waste it? I am a strong believer that you shouldn't waste food but you can't even try to scrape this off and eat. So I am guessing it's more for show. Though i wish, it wasn't. The Melbourne is almost dark chocolate and my sister and friends preferred this more. So if you worship chocolate, this one's for you.

Over All, I would say you go back more than just with a happy and satisfied tummy. You go back with a fat one. I wonder how many days you will have to run to burn this off??!! Not even 3 hours in the gym could fix this.

DAMAGES - Rs 1000/- Approx

WHERE - Title Waves, Ground Floor, St Pauls Media Complex, 24th Road TPS III, Pali Hill, Bandra West

Equinox Center, Kurla

I have been here once before and almost had  a similar experience. I put it down to a one time off thing but unfortunately, this time I don't think it's a one time off thing. I almost wonder how can one outlet be so welcoming and the other put you so off. 

I had come here so happy because Hey! Waffle time. I happily even placed my order for blue berry waffles and a Junglee Chicken Sandwich because as much as I love waffles, I need to balance the sweetness with something savory. Everything seemed to be going well till this point. It was downhill from here. It took more than 30 minutes for the waffles to be served, and when inquired after about 20 minutes, we were met with a very cool "it will take time" and back to work. I tried spotting a smile but it wasn't found to be found for miles. We went back to pur place and patiently waited. I told her at least serve the sandwich, since all you need to to is heat it up. But I think she had forgotten that we had ordered that even. Never the less after the reminder, the sandwich arrived. And in another 5 minutes the waffles came piping hot. Half my mood had improved, only to be crushed again. The waffles had the side of whipped cream and ice cream missing. Once again, I was like but what about the whipped cream and the ice cream? I was met with a blank stare. Almost, like I am asking for something that is no where on the menu. At this point I was a little pissed. It is only when I clearly stated that you are supposed to serve whipped cream and ice cream on the side, she acknowledged. It was kind of like if you didn't know this piece of information, she wouldn't serve it to you. There after I was very curtly informed that the whipped cream was not available, she would instead give me 2 cups of ice cream. (Why does this store never have whipped cream? It didn't the last time I was here which was almost 1 and a half years back!) The ice cream finally came to us and it was not even in the china ware that they generally use, it was in those take away ice cream cups? Shortage of utensils even? Who ever is managing this store needs to seriously pull up their socks. If you think that these little things don't matter, THEY DO! Dining out is an experience. 

If this was not enough, I just want to add on to something me and my friend overheard happening at the table next to us. The girl had placed order for one type of waffles. Let's even assume that the girl ordered the wrong kind. Why I say this is because when the girl asked for her order and repeated that this is what she wants, she was met with a "No, you ordered this!" It seemed more like she was ordering the guest rather than the other way round (Guests are not supposed to be rude either, just to clarify. Ever heard of guest courtesy? Even if she hadn't ordered the particular waffles, you could have politely explained the situation to her. The girl (guest here) almost seemed startled and with a very meek "okay" said fine bring the ones that was ordered or something along those lines. Also, please note that the waffles were not even made at this point. Because, we could see her pouring the waffle batter from where we were sitting. 

I normally don't do this. I let it slide. Attending staff are not exactly in the high income bracket area. I am not even saying that this girl should be dealt with seriously or something. But please, please teach your staff, a little about guest interaction. Give them training on it. If they lack confidence, it's one thing. Being rude and blatant is another. 

Even though I would come back to Di Bella. Definitely not stepping into this place.

DAMAGES - Rs 800/- Approx

WHERE -  Coffee By Di Bella., Equinox Commerce Centre, Tower 3, Lal Bahadur Shastri Road, Kurla West, Kurla, Mumbai

Burger Fuel, DUBAI

Burger Fuel, Dubai

Okay, so I have to admit this. No Burger I have had in my favorite city in the world (at least yet, burger I refer to, favorite city it shall always remain!) has matched up to the burgers that I have had back home. And I really, haven't had much, for that matter. So that says a lot. (Nothing Like the Original Big Mac!) 

This place because well, I don't know Dubai and I have to trust my friend when they say this place is good or the best frickin' burgers ever had. Also, it's organic. Everything on the menu is Organic. Not to be rude or something but I almost felt like saying, and I think did even, You know me right??!! (My refrigerator is full of Sadia Chicken Burgers, Sausages, Nuggets and Meatballs). But I have got to say Organic or not the burgers were actually kind of great. I finished the entire thing, which is a new thing for me! Burgers fill me up pretty quickly in my experience. But I had the entire thing and ate again in like 2 hours I think. Is that what they mean when they say organic? Point to be pondered over. 

The place is tucked away amidst the food court that I would have missed it, but for my friend. I guess the world looks a bit different from that height. Why did God make me short?!  The thing I liked most about this place in terms of the way it was set up, was the cozy corners overlooking the crowds passing by the mall, like you are sitting on your balcony and can watch the world pass by downstairs. Time stands still for that little time when you are sitting and enjoying a meal while the world rushes by. That's a different feeling. 

I was more than just a little confused on what to order. At one hand, I wanted to have beef because well, it's not readily available anywhere in Bombay. But on the other hand, burgers are really filling for me. And a beef burger? That is even more heavier. So in the end I decided to go with chicken itself. My friend did order beef, so I thought I could steal a few bites. So the Monster which had beef and Burn out which is chicken was our final orders. We also ordered Organic Coca Cola. Coca Cola and Organic, doesn't sound right? It isn't. It tasted like a cough syrup to me but my proud friend still downed it. Why? Just admit it sucks and leave it. I ordered some organic flavor juice which is all 100% natural or something. Wel, it had mango an stuff in it, which will not taste like cough syrup so it was all okay. Refreshing in fact. The Burgers are messy. I think I am the worst burger eater in the world, I should be eating it in my own home only. I end up using like 100 tissues while eating a messy burger, which this was. And no, I am not exaggerating. Well, a little maybe. But by the end of my meal, I had used up half the tissue box. That says something. Also, this is after they provide like a paper card holder for your burger.  How was the burger? I think I have become a fan of avocado. Though I am still too proud to admit. At least with burgers I think they bring it up a notch higher. And it had bacon. I love how everything has bacon here. Like Aloha! Me so Happy. In burgers, In Pasta, part of your breakfast meal. Bombay, why you not introduce beef bacon for us poor people who can't have the pork version?! I don't have anything against the real bacon, it's just that I have been conditioned to not eating and I just can't make myself break that rule now. Eat whatever makes you happy otherwise. The burger in short, I grudgingly, admit was probably the best I have had. (I hate someone else being right when it comes to food) The only thing is who doesn't order a side of fries or wedges with burgers?! Though, I didn't tell this to my friend at the point, I pretty much thought it but didn't want to complain too much. I am keeping my cribbing streak in check. Though I don't think I am too successful at that. 

WHAT WE HAD - Monster Burger (Yumness)

                           Burn Out Burger (Heavenly)

                           Phoenix Organic Coke (Avoid)

                           Phoenix Organic Mango Drink ( Refreshing)

DAMAGES - AED 100- 120

WHERE -  BurgerFuel., Food Court, Level 3, The Dubai Mall, Downtown Dubai, Dubai

Breakfast at Jam Jar, Mumbai

Breakfast at Jam Jar Diner, Andheri

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I have an attachment to breakfasts - getting up early morning, with sleep in your eyes, but with the first bite, and chai maybe, how it just transforms your day. Suddenly it all seems alright! I can handle today. There was a time when I wouldn't eat breakfast, some times to tell myself I am just cutting calories and others because who is going to put in the effort to prepare breakfast. If your mom has been harping about the importance and the charisma that this meal holds, she is absolutely correct. I don't cook generally, but I will always, always make breakfast if I have to now! And it's just improved my outlook on the day. I wouldn't say I feel chirpier, but the crankiness definitely reduces. And knowing me that's a lot. 

Though my friends don't necessarily feel the same way especially if they have to get out of bed to and drive to a place for breakfast, but I did make one of my friends do exactly this and even though he whined about it, when the food finally arrived he resonated my feels. Try it!

I have written about this place before, I am absolutely in love with the quirkiness of this place. The interiors are a class apart and also an example of how a comparatively small space can do so much, things seem thrown in randomness and yet it looks like it belongs there. Also, the juke box lends the much vintage charm to the place and blue indeed is my favorite color! So the place is extremely appealing to me

Yes, it's perfectly okay to have French fries for breakfast. You would know this If you were born and brought up in the Middle East. That's what we did in our Physical Education period. Devour on French Fries.  We went for the savory waffles for my friend and Egg Florentine for me with Oreo SHake and Orange Juice. Also, like I said French Fries. I have always preferred waffles to be sweet but I have always been intrigued of the savory kind and this place does full justice to it. Second to Di Bella's which does the sweet version. My friend wanted to go for seconds. The Eggs Florentine, I like the yellow liquidy eggs, which is why I had opted for this particular item off the menu. For some reason the roasted mushrooms seemed missing from the meal, even though it is mentioned in the description. It was served with roasted potatoes. I happen to love potatoes as well. The egg Florentine looks one of the most easiest things to make technically, but don't be fooled. It is one of the hardest to pull off. I am a times wary as I am not a huge fan of  even a little raw spinach, but here I was more than happy to eat my share. The Oreo shake, I believe no one can go wrong with it, especially if it is me who has ordered it. It is an all time favorite. The Orange juice was refreshing as per my friend, I didn't even bother having a sip, because I am allergic to everything healthy. . The French fries were perfection and I even liked the way the plating was done.

Jam Jar is the city's favorite breakfast spot. It's mine too and it should be yours too, if it isn't already. 

WHAT WE HAD  - French Fries (Yumness)

                            Spicy Jalapeno & Quesso Waffles (Yumness)

                            Eggs Florentine (Yumness Personified)

                            Oreo Milkshake (DA-YUM)

                            Orange Juice (Refrehsing)

DAMAGES - Rs 1200/- (Approx)

WHERE - Jamjar Diner.7A & B, Arram Nagar 2, Behind Washing Bay, Yari Road, Versova, Andheri West

Three Chicks and a Bear, Mumbai

Three Chicks and a Bear, Lower Parel

Long Long over due. I had been trying to drag almost everyone I knew to this place and no body just seemed interested. Mostly because of the location. Situated in Lower Parel and most of my friends staying on the other side of town. I am the only one who would cross oceans for a meal.  Well, maybe fly over the ocean.  On a completely different note I just traveled for the first time in my life out of India. Well, I have lived in Bahrain, but that's home and who counts that. So what if it's Dubai and it's just next door.

So how did I finally get to a pay visit to this place? My college buddy was in town and she was staying in Mahalaxmi and then I just ganged up and told her that if she has to see me she has to drop by her and since it was near by to her, she didn't complain much. Also, I Dragged another friend with emotional blackmail of long had reunions to get her out of bed and come all the way here. I can be persuasive if I want to. Mission accomplished.

The place is another offering from the famous Theobroma offering more in ranges of burgers. The limited burgers etc that they offer in Theobroma gives you a good enough idea of what to expect when they provide you with a full blown menu for the carnivore lover. There are vegetarian options but a little limited and I don't know anyone who has tried it out to be able to comment on it. This place is much more spacious in comparison to their Theobroma outlets, and less crowded too. The latter is surprising because a Theobroma on a week day, forget weekend, you would be lucky to find a place. Also, their dessert aisle will transport you to Christmas Charlie and the chocolate factory type feel. I was besotted and taken away with just the aisle itself.

The service is warm as is always with Theobroma. The menu, confusing, because you want to have everything. However, I had as usual, come decided with what I would have. My hobby includes browsing through restaurant menus and day dream of what I would be eating. (No, that's not weird. ) So we called for the meatballs and Canadian pulled BBQ chicken burger. Even though I over all had liked the meatballs, I had expected the tomato basil to be more cooked tomato sauce than on the raw side. I think it would have tasted better if the tomato was sautéed to a point where you don't really see the tomato even, the meat balls would have soaked the flavor from the sauce better then or maybe I prefer it that way. It has the potential to be a 4/5 but it was a 3.5/5. The burger is another story. HUGE! and messy, just how they are supposed to be. The burger was actually ordered by my friend so even though I can't give my complete view on it, it was appetizing in the one bite I tried. Moreover, I have always felt that you can't go wrong with BBQ sauce and chicken. I would definitely want to come back and try more.

Okay, now for the main reason I had dragged my friends here - The Red Velvet Freak Shake. If you are ordering this, please note that this is a meal in itself. It is also not something you would want to share and if someone dared to you would resent them. And even if you tell yourself, you will just have a bite, you CAN'T! So, even though we had thought initially we would share this, I completely regret my decision. I wish I hadn't used that word. You know that the red velvet used is rich and also they haven't been stingy in their usage of it is because of the color of the shake. I have always seen most red velvet shake to be a shade of baby pink or lighter, this was reddish-pink. you can taste the richness of the red velvet in every sip you take of the shake. Add to that the generous amount of whipped cream. And who doesn't like whipped cream??!! That is not it. It has an entire slice of red velvet creamcheese cake on top. If you have had red velvet from here, you know it's second only to their luscious brownies which I think the world also should know about by now! So share, only at your own risk and regret.

WHAT WE HAD - Meatballs (Yumess)

                        Canadian Pull BBQ Chicken Burger (Yumness Personified)

                           Red Velvet Freak Shake (Another reason to Live)

                           Masala Chai

DAMAGES - Rs 1400/- (Approx)

WHERE -  Three Chicks & A Bear.Lodha Supremus, Survey 453, Senapati Bapat Marg, Railway Colony, Lower Parel, Mumbai

IHOP, DUBAI

IHOP, Dubai

So to my imaginary audience, this is the second time I am writing this. In all my school years I have never rechecked my paper before submission, that's how lazy I have been. So Imagine my frustration when I ended up erasing half of what I had written (Well, typed. But at this very moment, I think writing is a better option, at least it doesn't get erased with no fault of yours. Good Old Days -1, Technology & blah di blah - 0 ). 

This wasn't planned and you know how much I enjoy doing that. It is a journey after all. From searching for places, browsing through menu cards and reviews, day dreaming of what I would want to have and the anticipation of it all till you get there. Okay, I have got to say this wouldn't be possible without the Internet and Technology. So, maybe it's not so bad ). Back to IHOP, I didn't even know there was an IHOP in Dubai, so imagine my delight when while taking a stroll in JBR, what do I see? IHOP!! 

I have come to realize that most International food chains look well very standard, there is no x factor to it when it comes to ambiance. It almost looks the same. Hence, there is nothing much to write about the interiors and ambiance except for that it is a cross over between a fine dine and a Fast Food Chain.  

I can't have too much sweet, I prefer savory items over sweet. Though I need my sweet intake as well, I just can't over do it. Hence, ordering a whole stack of pancakes which is what most people would order when they visit an IHOP is never a good idea for me. Though I did want pancakes and hence, the best option turned out for me to combine my love of English breakfasts with Pancakes on the side. I went for the Breakfast sampler minus the veal sausages. Also, Spinach Mushroom and tomato omelette. Don't ask me why we ordered the Vegetarian Omelette. Clearly not my choice seeing that the only thing I liked about it was the mushroom. Moreover who orders a side of hash brown? Whatever happened to the regular Toast? Clearly, I wasn't happy about the choice made by my friend but I kept quiet. But I loved everything on my plate especially the beef bacon. I like my eggs to be sunny side up, I love the squishy yellow part, and turkey ham. I am a turkey fan. So it was all things I love in one plate plus the pancakes. Though they are known for their pancakes, I have got to say that it wasn't exactly the best pancakes I have had. It's good but not great and I imagined it to be great. The Omelette? If only it had meat. I think that's something my friend will have to be taught over time. Not that I mind vegetarian food but I like my food to be cooked. So it was a good fluffy omelette. No complaints there.

Over time I have come to realize that I like the local- not so local restaurants more than the international chains. Not that I don't like the international chains, I like what more they bring to the table in terms of different interiors, ambiance and their own innovation in the little things.

But yeah, I will definitely want more breakfasts at IHOP! 

WHAT WE HAD - Breakfast Sampler (Yumness)

                           Spinach Mushroom & Tomato Omelette (Yum)

DAMAGES - AED 120-150

WHERE -  IHOP, Next to Movenpick Hotel, The Walk, Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), Dubai

Dome Cafe, DUBAI

Dome Café, Dubai

This was my first night in the country and since we didn't want to venture too far away, neither did I have the energy for it after the amount of traveling. It might just have been a 4 hour flight but when you haven't slept properly 3 days prior to that (wedding festivities), and stayed up the entire night on the last day because the pheras complete by 7 in the morning and you have to drive down 4 hour from the hill station to the International Airport, you will be nothing but exhausted. Even, exhausted is an understatement. Life Lesson Learnt? I would do it again if I had to. It is all worth it, if it is for the right people and the right cause. 

So after walking through this mall, whose name I clearly don't recall the name but maybe it was Burjaman Centre (At least that looks the most familiar of their outlets from Zomato) This was the safest best as this is one place that is there in Bahrain and my friend's safe bet, so after walking around and checking out every other option, I was like, fine, Dome it is! Nothing else looked very interesting. Open seated café and the interiors like most other cafes around the world. Another problem I see to have is understanding the English of our Asian friends, Pilipino I presume. I have been out of the Middle east for too long. I have truly become an Indian. (That internally creates a sad feeling in me).

So I opted for the Carbonara Pasta and my friend Chicken and Mushroom Au Gratin along with an iced tea. I don't know what made me order the Carbonara here because up until now, I have never had a good experience with it. I had just put it down to things I will probably never completely like. Turns out, you just need the right place. Turns out this was my right place! Also, a huge shout out to whoever decided to make bacon out of beef. (It was added in the Carbonara in case you are wondering why am I bringing this up). Yes, Beef bacon is not bacon but just like Vegetable Biryani is not Biryani. But pyaase ko pani dikhta hai - regular tap water & mineral water nahi. (I know I make so much sense, right?). The Chicken Au Gratin, I well, love anything that has cheese in it , especially when it's melted and baked a little and this is one of the cheesiest dish you could have, so who's complaining. I also had an ice tea on the side. The one thing I like about Iced teas in most places around the Gulf is that they give you the sugar syrup on the side in a small jar, and you can add as per swaad anusar. 

Well, to sum it, I hadn't expected to like this place much. I have always been of the opinion that cafes and coffee shops can never really do complete justice to proper meals (What would you call an improper meal?  Everything I eat probably.  but the heart wants what it wants). I surprisingly wouldn't mind eating again from here i.e. if somebody is generous enough to buy me a plain ticket to Dubai )

WHAT WE HAD - Carbonara Pasta (Yumness Personified)

                           Chicken Au Gratin (Yumness Personified)

                           Lemon Iced tea (Yum)

DAMAGES - 120 -140 AED

WHERE -  Dome Cafe., Level 2, BurJuman Centre, Mankhool, Dubai