Max Burger

Max Burger claims to be Europe's oldest and Sweden's most popular hamburger chain.  They have now conquered the Middle East and we, Abu Dhabi peeps, are fortunate enough to taste what they have been bragging about.

I know of only two branches here in Abu Dhabi; one in Abu Dhabi Mall and the other one in Al Wahda Mall.  So one day while waiting for our kids to finish from their workshop, we decided to give it a try.  We ordered their Frisco meal, which comes in beef, chicken or vegetable patties.

Frisco meal

I was really surprised when I tasted it.  The flavors were playing in my mouth.  First the bun - it was very soft and sweet!  The patties were fresh as well as the vegetables, and the sauce they had was just awesome.  It had this distinct tangy flavor that is different from the usual over-the-counter burgers that we have.  The fries were also excellent and they used sea salt instead of the ordinary table salt.  It's like Wendy's in the sense that their fries still had some skin on it.  

Yummy burger

You can also add on some dips and the dips come in different flavors - sweet mustard, teriyaki, barbecue, green garlic, mayonaise, etc.

Dipping sauce

The price was just too afordable - only AED 14 for one Frisco meal.

For me, Max burger is way better than other overhyped, if not overpriced, burger joints here claiming to be 100% organic and 100% natural.

Try Max Burger and you'll know what I am talking about.

Rolls N Rice

Hidden in the Al Nahyan area, Rolls N Rice is creating noise and slowly making a name for itself.  I have read good reviews for this resto, so we decided to give it a try.

Rolls N Rice

We were actually the only customers in the resto the night we went there and when a restaurant is empty it could only mean two things - bad food or sky high prices.  However, we still gave it a shot and conquered our fears!

Looking at their menu, I've noticed that price-wise it is very affordable considering that Al Nahyan is a commercial area surrounded by numerous business establishments and offices.  Most of the dishes they serve are Mediterranean. 

Restaurant Interior

We ordered chicken barbecue for the kids and we made the right choice.  My youngest does not usually eat chicken with any sauce in it, but this one he devoured till the last piece.  The serving was also huge!  My two kids were able to share in one order and they were both full and satisfied.

Chicken Barbecue

I had the spicy grilled chicken with safron rice and salad.  When they say it's spicy - believe me, it was the true definition of the word!  Flavor wise, I found it a bit too salty for me and I think it's very dry even with salad on the side, which was F-A-B by the way .  One should have something else, say a soup as a side perhaps?

Spicy grilled fish

My hubby ordered chelo kebab and it was divine!  It was served with yogurt cucumber and chili paste.  It was really tasty and very tender.

Chelo kebab

In addition, we also received excellent service from the staff who were very corteous and helpful.

I will definitely make sure to drop by this resto whenever I'm in the area.


Rolls N Rice
Y-Tower Near Al Mamoura
Al Nahyan Area, Muroor Street
Abu Dhabi
Telephone number:  9712-555-6589 / 9712-445-1118
Website:  www.rollsnriceuae.com

Chicken Kitchen

I have been warned by a friend of mine not to eat at the Chicken Kitchen, a new resto at Al Wahda Mall Extension.  However, I still wanted to give this resto a shot.

Chicken Kitchen

My friend and I went there and we were immediately attended to by one of the staff.  We told her that we wanted to eat at the back side of the resto since they have an open kitchen and we would not want to go out smelling like roasted chickens!  Little did we know that we will be surprised with such an amazing view.  We could oversee the Al Jazeera Stadium at the comfort of our seats!  For this, I will give them a plus point. 

The view from the window

So we started browsing their menu and, as the name implies, everything on the menu was chicken!  However, they do not have broasted or fried chicken here.  

I was eyeing for the Mexican Chop-Chop, but our attended recommended their rotisserie.  So okay, I took her word for it and ordered one.  I wanted to have the dark (meat) part, but she told me that the portion was very small and told me to have the white (meat) part instead.  Another plus for staff honesty.

So I went ahead and ordered as she suggested and this is what I got.  The portion was really too small.  Just imagine if I had the dark part!  Now the taste - the rice was "kinda" Mexican in a way but still I believe they still need a lot of improvement in terms of the flavor.  The chicken was way too spicy for me.  I love spicy food, but I think they have overdone the spices on this chicken.  The chicken was also too tender, if not overcooked!  I didn't need to chew the chicken.  It melted in my mouth instantly.  This was a no-no for me. I want to savor and enjoy the chicken, and having had the chicken done this way made my dining experience with them unpleasant. 

1/4 chicken rotisserie

My friend had the Original Chop Chop.  It's like tacos placed on top of a rice platter.  It was served with two different kinds of dippers - honey mustard and Cesar's.  According to his review, the presentation was appetizing, the portion was huge, but flavor wise - it is lacking big time!

Original chop

We also ordered steamed veggies on the side.  As the name implies, the veggies were only steamed.  They didn't add anything to give flavor to the veggies.  Another negative point from me.

Steamed veggies

The bill came out to be AED 10 shy of AED 100.  I believe that this resto has a lot of potential but still needs a lot of improvement, too.  

Magnolia Bakery

We paid Al Maryah Island a visit as we were very curious about the newly opened high-end Galleria Mall.  It was so beautiful inside, but just as I have said earlier, it was high end - meaning most of their shops are the likes of Louis Vuitton, Prada, etc.  If you are willing to splurge then this is the mall for you, but for us who are short on budget we just feast our eyes on the marvelous displays of the shop and the view of the mall itself.

Welcome to Magnolia Bakery

Then we passed by the much talked about Magnolia Bakery inside the Galleria.  This cafe is very famous in New York for its cakes.

Cafe counter

The restaurant itself has a very rustic ambience.  It was simple yet elegant.  The pastel colors of the interior are really relaxing.  The service was excellent, too.  The staff was so nice to even give my kids a sample of one of their best sellers - the red velvet cupcake.  The only thing that I noticed was that most of the customers raised brows when they saw a Filipino family dining in this restaurant.  The staff was not racist, but the customers were.  But you know what - I didn't care, as we were paying customers, too.

Rustic interior

Best seller - carrot cake

Red velvet cheesecake

Milk tea

We ordered the last piece of their carrot cake, which was the best that I have tasted so far.  Now I know why it is so popular.  We also tried their red velvet cheesecake and the mini cupcakes were given for free by the staff.  The cakes were perfect for my hot milk tea, which was served in this country style mug.

Red velvet cupcake mini

The price was awesome.  At first I thought it was expensive because it is a franchise of the popular Magnolia Bakery in New York, but I was totally wrong.  It was very affordable.  A slice of cake costs around AED 20 to 30, which costs almost the same as the ones we order from Starbucks, Dome, etc.

Dining here was such a delight and I will make sure to sit here and relax whenever we are in the area.


Magnolia Bakery
Shop 279, Level 2
The Galleria Mall
Al Maryah Island
Telephone number:  (02) 6749380

Kawloon Chinese Restaurant

This post has long been overdue.  Let me introduce you to our favorite restaurant - Kawloon Chinese Restaurant.  This restaurant is hidden behind the area of Choitram Khalidiya.  It does not look fancy nor and to be frank, its ambience is just one of those typical Chinese restaurants here in the UAE, meaning it is small, dark and crowded.

Let me tell you this, I usually dine not for the ambience but rather for the food and that is why this is our favotire restaurant.  The food tastes amazingly good at such an affordable price.  

Whenever me and my family go to this restaurant, we usually order these, from soup, appetizer to entree.

For the soup, we always order this Chicken Manchow soup with crispy noodles on top.  The soup is rich, thick and creamy.  The noodles also offer the kick and typically give the soup its kick.  It is not boring to eat compared to other soups, as there is something to nibble from this soup.

Chicken Manchow soup

Next is the fried dumplings.  I am not a fan of this, but my kids are.  They love the crunchiness of the dumplings; however, I say that the filling is lacking.  I thik that the wrapper is too much and the filling is too little.  

Fried dumplings

The egg fried rice doesn't have all the ingredients compared to the mixed fried rice; however we prefer to order this one because we will not appreciate the flavor of the other dishes if the fried rice to begin with is so flavorful.  We might end up eating just the fried rice :) 

Egg fried rice

The Singapore noodles has a distinct flavor compared to other oriental noodles.  I love the thickness of the noodles itself.  It does not taste typical Chinese.  It is spicy and crunchy that is why we always have this on our Kawloon table.  Oddly, it tastes better if you drizzle a bit of spicy vinegar on it.  

Singapore noodles

Their fried chicken is to die for.  I do not know what herbs and spices they are putting on this chicken, but I can finish a whole chicken if given a chance, hahaha!  My kids love this and always ask for it.  You have an option to make it spicier too, if your tastebuds are longing for something spicy.

Fried chicken

Lastly, this Kawloon special is made up of beef and brocolli but with a different sauce.  It is not the typical one with oyster sauce.  It is somewhat sour and salty to the taste, but the mixture was so good we ended up always ordering it whenever we're at Kawloon.

Kawloon special

If you are looking for great tasting food that is very affordable, I suggest that you give Kawloon a try.


Kawloon Chinese Restaurant
Zayed the First Street
Al Manhal, Abu Dhabi
Telephone number:  (02) 634-3436, (02) 634-3462

Ocean Chinese Restaurant

Looks can be deceiving and I totally agree with this.  Ocean Chinese Restaurant is a proof of this.  Located just opposite Zayed University between Murola and Airport road is this small and dark restaurant that caters Chinese food.  As we would like to find new restos to hang out to, we gave this resto a try.

This resto from Zomato.com received a lot of good reviews that was why we gave it a go.  We were surprised to see how dark the restaurant is.  The whole interior gave a reddish hue, the lights were dimly lit and what's worse the place was so small we could barely move.  We were the only customers during that time at 8 o'clock in the evening.  Nevertheless, we didn't turn our back and gave this resto a chance to prove itself. 

The resto's interior

First of all, I would like to apologize for the picture quality.  This is the best that my camera could do in this poorly lit resto.

For the soup, we ordered our kids' favorite - chicken manchow soup.  We weren't disappointed as it was really tasty and my kids loved it!  There were a generous amount of crispy noodles served on a separate plate and not placed on top of the soup.

Chicken manchow soup

Then we had the fried dumplings.  I was a bit disappointed here.  The dumplings lack flavor and needs more salt.  Also, the wrapper that they used were too thick that you could not barely taste the filling because of it.  I think they also over-fried the dumplings.  

Fried dumplings

For the crispy noodles, you can choose either the Asian or American toppings.  We chose Asian and I think that we made the right decision.  This, by far, is the best crispy noodles that I have ever tasted anywhere!  It was saucy and full of flavor.  The vegetables were cooked just right and I still could feel the cripiness of the veggies on every bite.  I don't want my veggies soggy.  This was a 5/5 for me.

Crispy noodles

Their mixed fried rice was not so different with other Chinese restaurant's.  It was average for me.

Mixed fried rice

Oh the sizzling seafood was awesome.  It was composed of squid, shrimp and hammour.  The sauce was slightly sour but delicious.  This dish did not even become dry even when left for a long time; this just proved how saucy the dish was. 

Sizzling seafood

The fried chicken for me was average.  It was slightly spicy so my kids were not able to enjoy it.  When we go back next time, we will make sure to instruct our attendant not to make this spicy.

Fried chicken

To sum it up, I am giving Ocean Chinese Restaurant 3.5/5.  If not for the ambience, I think we would be regular customers of this place especially with their great tasting food and value for money.


Ocean Chinese Restaurant 
Opposite Sheikh Zayed University
Between Muroola and Airport Road
Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone number (02) 446-6933

Dinner Buffet: Rosewater - Jumeirah at Etihad Towers

We have been invited by our friend for dinner at the high-end Rosewater Restaurant in Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi.  If you are an addict of Hermes, Prada or LV, Jumeirah Etihad Towers is where you should shop.  This building actually houses most if not all of the A-list brands that you could think of along with the British grocery chain - Waitrose.

This wasn't my first time to dine in at Rosewater.  I actually went there last Christmas for breakfast and was actually pleased with the food, ambience and service.  This time around, we tried their dinner buffet.

We were welcomed and greeted by the restaurant's manager and were asked for our Groupon vouchers. When we entered the resto, we were actually undressed by the judgemental stares of most of the customers in the resto that night.  Maybe they were just not used to seeing Filipinos dine in a high-end restaurant.  But hey, we did not give d*mn, as we paid the same amount that they paid (kiber sa mga nega)!

Bread basket

As soon as we were seated on the darkest corner (yes, this should be taken literally!) of the restaurnt, we were given this fresh bread basket along with their very yummy butter, which my daughter devoured!  They also gave us these welcome drinks in itty bitty glasses.  Our attendant that night explained to me what the drink was made of, but of course I didn't understand what she told us so when my daughter asked me what it was, I just told her it's a juice.

Welcome drinks

Then we went to get some soup.  There were two choices - Arabic lentil or dimsum soup.  I chose the latter.  It was okay, but I have never been a fan of clear soups so for me this was just ordinary.

Soup of the day

The restaurant offers a vast selection of food from the soup station down to the desert section, all laid out intricately and labeled correctly, if I may say.

Desert station

This is their dimsum station where oriental dishes mainly dimsums and buns can be found.

Dimsum station

My favorite amongst all the dishes is this - the wok station.  I chose the noodles, veggies and the meat that will go with the noodles then come back after 5 minutes to get the finished yummy stir fried noodles.

Wok station

Too bad I wasn't able to taste anything from the entree selection, as I was too full from the appetizers and noodles that I didn't have any space left for the mains.

Entree

For the grill, I chose two slices of King Fish, which the chef grilled perfectly - not rubbery and not undercooked.  It was plain perfect.  You can also have grilled chicken, kebabs, lamb chops, etc.

Grill station

My yummy seafood mango salad with some leaves (which I don't know the name of) on the right side.

Salad plate.

My gorgeous stir fried noddles from the Wok station.  Probably the best noodles I have ever tasted.

Stir fried noodles.

My maki and sushi rolls.  The tuna was really fresh.  The Chinese buns were so tasty and soft that it could melt in your mouth.  The Thai noodle salad was also a delight.

Oriental plate :)

Our voucher also included three house beverages per person.  I had this Virgin mojito, which was so refreshing!

Virgin mojito

As I would like to try stuff that is not familiar to me, I ordered this Bloody Mary for my second drink.  This drink was made of tomato juice, Tobasco sauce and Worcestershire sauce.  But hey, I wanted to be adventuous so I tried it.  When I had my first sip, it seemed like I was actually drinking the sauce of afritada.  Afritada is a Filipino dish that is made of chicken, tomato sauce and vegetables.  My tastebuds were not fit for this type of drink so I didn't finish it and ordered plain water for my next drink :)

Bloody Mary

Finally for desert, I had creme brulee, raspberry sauce, chocolate cake and that green stuff over there, which again I forgot what it is called.  Creme brulee was awesome.  It was creamy and the top was crystalized to perfection!  The chocolate cake was okay and the green stuff was, to my surprise, fantastic, too!

Dessert plate

For AED 333 a couple, I should say that the price is definitely worth it.  Too bad that I am really not good on buffets as I get full easily.  The choices were endless, the ambience was fab and the service was superb! I will definitely give my thumbs up to Rosewater for their dinner buffet.

Rosewater Restaurant

Podium Level 2, Jumeirah at Etihad Towers

Telephone number:  (02) 811-5666

Website

Email:  JADrestaurants@jumeirah.com

Applebee's

I have always wanted to eat at Applebee's but have always been afraid that it might be too pricy for my budget.  Last week, I braved the doors of Applebee's and dined in for the first time.  I was surprised to see that the price list of Applebee's is almost the same as that of Fuddrackers.  Good thing.  The only thing that is left for me to discover was the taste.  

The ambiance was not different to those of the usual Steakhouses in town.

For the kids, I have decided to order the kiddie pasta with white sauce.  The kids' meal includes the main dish, drinks (juice, cola or milk) and sundae (wow!).  The cost is very affordable, as it was only AED20.  Taste wise, it was yummy and my kids loved it till the last pasta strand!

Pasta in white sauce

For me, I ordered this steak with mashed potato.  Excuse me for describing this as only steak with mashed potato, as I totally forgot what this was called, haha!  Anyway, I ordered it medium well and they cooked it for me just the way I liked it.  Yummy I should say, but they did not have the steak sauce on the table unless you asked for it.

Steak with mashed potato

My friend ordered this grilled salmon with rice.  The salmon was a bit dry, but the rice was delicious.  It was very creamy and the rice grains were firm.

Grilled salmon 

This chicken with shrimps was okay.  It wasn't the tastiest chicken I have ever had, but the shrimps were fab!

Chicken and shrimps

This was the sundae from the kids' meal.  We ordered strawberry and they gave us an extra Oreo sundae for FREE!

Oreo ice cream

The service was also great and fast.  Every now and then a staff would check on us if we needed anything or if the food was okay.

Take note that Standard Chartered card holders also have a 20% discount for bills above AED 250.

Aside from Fuddrackers, we will now go to Applebee's as an alternative as my tastebuds are already getting tired from Fudds.


Applebee's
3rd level Mushrif Mall
Telephone number:  (02) 491-7799