Chowking Restaurant

Chowking is one of the famous restos back in Manila.  It serves oriental dishes and is well liked by expats here in the UAE.  We frequent this place a lot before, but this is the first time that I got the chance to blog about this resto.

I suck at giving directions for places.  The best that I can do to describe its location is to say that it is behind Crowne Plaza in Hamdan Street.  Better yet, you can check this out for directions.

Anyhoo, I get full easily so I don't usually follow the soup, appetiser, salad, entree, desert sequence.  For me, I go straight to the main course!

Speaking of which, we ordered this tempting fresh lumpia.  However, in reality there's nothing more to this lumpia than just cabbage, cabbage and more cabbage.  This was a major fail for me!  They used to serve better lumpias before.  I wonder whatever happened to that.

Lumpiang sariwa

My friend ordered this beef wanton noodle soup.  There's nothing special about this, it's just so-so for me.

Beef wanton noodles

The very thing that I cannot eat without in Chowking is this - chilli paste and soy sauce.  Kudos to the food attendant who gave this without us even asking for it.

Chili sauce and soy sauce

We also had the bulalo or marrow soup, which was just perfect!  The soup was not salty and it was not bland either.  The  beef was tender and the vegetables were cooked just the way I like - crisp.

Beef bulalo

Of course, this is the staple food in our family - fried chicken, well in this case it's Chowking chicken supreme.  The kids loved it especially the crispiness of the skin.  However, the gravy didn't really impress us at all.

Chowking chicken supreme

Then comes the desert, which my daughter asked me to get for her just   because of the pink and yellow Igloo ice cream on top.  This was okay but again - nothing special.

Halo-halo special

The resto's ambience is okay.  They have a second floor which also serves as their function hall.  I also would like to make a special mention about their washroom.  It's kinda uncomfortable for me having had the women share the same washroom with men especially in this conservative country.  Yes, they provide separate cubicles for men and women, but I find  it rather uneasy for me to come out from the lady's cubicle and see a man in the same room!

They also have several branches around Abu Dhabi such as in Al Wahda Mall and in Mushrif Mall.  Special promotions are also being offered every month.

So if you're in a tight budget and craving for oriental cuisine then give Chowking a try.


Chowking Restaurant
Hamdan Street, Abu Dhabi
Telephone number:  (02) 633-4727
Opening hours:  10 AM to 1 AM

Jollibee Padala

It has been by my habit to send my family back home food from different food chains every time there is a special occasion such as my parents' birthday, anniversary, etc.  During the last few years, I had been ordering from three different food chains only since they were the only ones who had the facility for online food purchase.  There were times that I had to order from some third party companies just to have variety on the food that I send, but these companies charge double or sometimes three times more!

Thanks to Jollibee Padala, now I have one more option to choose from to send to my family back home.

Photo credits to Jollibee Padala

They have several packages to choose from that you can check out here.

They have two options for payment.  The first one is via credit card (Visa and Mastercard only) online purchase and the second one is via over-the-counter remittance with their partners such as BDO, BPI, filgifts.com, Iremit, PNB, RCBC, Sendah, TechAlley, and TransTech.  Please note that if you choose the first option, you have to send a copy of your government issued photo identification card for verification purposes.

Jollibee is still new on this venture and in my opinion they can probably give better service taking into consideration the following:

• The sender should be given the option of choosing the date and time of delivery.  The current process is a Jollibee representative will call the beneficiary as to when the beneficiary is available for delivery.  Hence, the element of surprise will be gone as the recipients will know beforehand that they will receive something from the sender.
• Jollibee Padala only has packages available and does not give the option of choosing individual food items , which do not give the sender the freedom to mix and match what he/she would like to send.  
• The sender can view the status of his/her order online; however when it shows that the status of your order is complete - it doesn't  mean that it has been delivered.  Complete, according to their customer service representative, means that the order is being processed.  When I asked the CSR if the status will change to Delivered once the recipient received the package, the CSR told me that the status will still remain as Complete and that the only way to check if the package has been delivered is by confirming with the beneficiary.  This is really stupid ridiculous because there is no distinction whether your order is still being processed or it has already been delivered, thus defeating the purpose of this online status check.

My feedback as stated above can easily be corrected and taken care of.  I am hoping that Jollibee Padala will further improve their service in time. 

So what are you waiting for?  Send some Langhap-Sarap goodness to your family back home now.

More information can be found on their website.

Qian Zhou Hot Pot

I was craving for the salty and spicy soup that a hot pot offers, so I decided to invite the whole gang at Qian Zhou Hot Pot located in the same building as The Philippine House Restaurant. 

The variety of food that it offers, for me, is limited.  If you have kids who are rather picky eaters, I suggest that you order dimsum for them.  You can either have it fried or steamed, but you must inform the waiter beforehand if you'd like to have it fried  because the standard that they serve is steamed.

Their sauce corner was enticing!

Their sauces are endless!

We ordered a Ying-yang pot, which is good for five persons.  The soup base were beef and hot and spicy.  It costs 25 AED.

Ying-Yang soup

Squid, chicken balls, spinach

Lettuce, squid, chicken balls

We then ordered lettuce, spinach, squid, and chicken balls, which I think was a bit expensive.  We also ordered sticky rice, which was 2 AED per bowl. 

The verdict:  Not everyone enjoyed it.  The complaint was it was either too spicy or too bland.  If you are not really adventurous when it comes to food, I wouldn't recommend this because for the soup to be tastier, you have to be more creative with the sauce. 

The face of the unhappy gang, hehehe...

Will I go there again?  Yes but not with this gang :)

Qian Zhou Hot Pot

Najda Street

Marzakiyah, Abu Dhabi

Telephone number:  (02) 674-5677

Children's City

After five years, we were finally able to go back to Children's City in Dubai.  Children's City is located within  Creek Park so it means that in addition to the  entrance fee of AED 5 to Creek Park, AED 25 for adults and AED 10 for kids has to be paid as entrance fee for Children's City.

Murshid - Children's city's mascot

Children's City is like a museum for kids.  The complex consists of three floors.  The ground floor houses the workshop, Al Aiyal Theater, Toddler's area, and Play Space.

On the first floor, you can find the Nature Center and International Area.

Blocks, which kids can use to build a Burjeel

Burjeel or wind tower

A simulated magic carpet ride - it really moves!

The Holy Quran

Life-sized flamingoes

Arabic majilis

An igloo in the desert

Animal fossil

Black gold - oil

Finally, the third floor is where the Planetarium sits along with the Resource Center.

A giant telephone

A humongous PC

Learning about sounds using the drums

Hello???

How people communicate

Inside a computer's CPU

Children's city is definitely a place where children can learn and play at the same time.  I think I do not need to further describe this place as the pictures are enough.  If asked if we will go back there - the answer will definitely be a big YES!


Children's City
Creek Park Gate 1
Telephone number:  (04) 334-0808
Fax number:  (04) 334-1122
Website:  www.childrencity.dm.gov.ae

Ramadan Kareem

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

The Holy month of Ramadan is the time when our Muslim brothers undergo spiritual renewal through fasting.  Ramadan can last between 29 to 30 days each year depending upon the lunar cycle.  Fasting starts at sunrise and ends at sunset each day. 


As a reminder to non-Muslims during this time when Muslims are undergoing spiritual renewal and avoiding non-religious practices, it is important that non-Muslims, especially those in a Muslim country, respect the Holy Month.  We can do this by not eating, drinking or smoking in public. It is also advisable to wear modest and non-revealing clothes and avoid playing loud music or laughing like there is no more tomorrow.  Finally, as Muslims are required to fast during Ramadan, we could be more patient with our brothers as they sometimes may be grumpy and tired.  We can also join them in their reflection and recollection.

Ramadan Kareem!

Murjan Splash Park

Murjan Splash Park is a water based attraction located within Khalifa Park.

Photo credits to Abu Dhabi Municipality.

At the center of Murjan is a water play structure with slides, tipping buckets, umbrellas, water guns, tunnels, etc.  This is the area where most of the action takes place.  The water is very shallow and even a baby won't be afraid to dip into the refreshing waters of Murjan and play.

Near the water play structure is like a pop jet fountain where the water sprouts from the ground, which my little Xanti loved.

Kids also have the chance to play captain of the ship in a day, as Murjan has an area where they can drive the ship using miniature helms.

Mcxene as the Captain

They also have the lazy liver where the kids can float on float tubes and let the water current drive them into the course of the river.

Kids can also enjoy playing in the bumper boat lagoon where they get to drive battery operated boats and bump gently with other kids just like driving a bump car.

The bigger kids can try out the balloon wars where they can hit the target using water-filled balloons in a sling-shot in their opponent's base to get them wet.  There is also the bucket wars where two kids can play, one on each side, and whoever fills the opponent's bucket first will have the fun of getting the opponent splashed with a bucket full of water.

During our first time in 2012

Back again in 2013

For the adventure seekers, there is the Lilipad Hop where kids, secured with harnesses, can jump and flip over trampolines.  There is also the Surf Wrangler that simulates a rather beginner surfing experience.

I say during the summer season, a visit to Murjan Splash Park is a must as it will definitely bring a smile to your little one's face.

Here is the summary of the basic information that you need to know about Murjan Splash Park:

1. Location
   Khalifa Park near Falcon Entrance.
2. Operating hours
   Sunday to Saturday 2:00 to 6:00 and 7:00 to 11:00
   Please note that the park closes at 6:00 pm and reopens at 7:00 pm.  Those who are already inside the park should go out during this time and purchase another ticket to reenter the park.
3. Entrance fee
   AED 40 for adults and children taller than 75 cm.
   Children below 75 cm can go inside for free.
4. Dress code
   Yes.  Swim shorts and t-shirt for both male and female.
5. Food
   It is not allowed to bring food or water from outside.
6. Floaters
   Not allowed.  This has to be left in the reception area.
7. Lockers
   Available at a rate of 10 AED.

After spending almost half a day at Murjan, there are also other attractions in Khalifa Park such as the train, museum, etc., which you can also enjoy.

Murjan Splash Park

Khalifa Park near Falcon Entrance

Telephone number: (0097150) 8781009

Email:  murjan@adm.abudhabi.ae

Website:  www.adm.gov.ae/murjan