Persian Dining in Dubai at the Sadaf Restaurant ~ July 2014

My first dining experience in Dubai happened to be during Ramadan when eating is not allowed from 4:30 am until 7:00 pm. 

I  landed in Dubai at 3:30 pm and by the time I unpacked, organized my clothes, and took a bath, it was around 8 pm before I left for dinner.  It was dark so I wanted to stay within walking distance of my downtown hotel.  

I found the Sadaf Persian style restaurant about three blocks from the hotel and decided to try it.  They had a full buffet upstairs, but I decided to order off the menu.  I could have tried several dishes.  Saeed, the host, suggested I try the Kabab Koubideh, which is three skewers of minced meat, a grilled tomato, french fries, and vegetables.  

I assumed that two of the three different types of meat would be chicken and lamb since it was offered several times in other dishes.  However, when I inquired with Saeed about two of the meats, he replied that they are minced meat.  I knew one meat was chicken, but questioned the other two and wasn't so sure I had any lamb in my entree.  I dipped the meat in my yogurt sauce and it tasted fine.  I was hoping for some "surprise me with some Persian style vegetables" on the side, and was disappointed to see mixed vegetables out of a can.  The salad was good and the ingredients were fresh, but needed a bigger plate since everything kept falling off the tiny dish it was stacked on.  I could have easily enjoyed just having the salad and the incredilby yummy (only when it's warm!) Taftoon bread.  

Lovely hostess!

                         

Downstairs dining area.  A buffet was being offered upstairs.

I absolutely love Persian bread!  Taftoon is a leavened flour bread from Persian cuisine made with saffron and cardamom powder, then baked in a clay oven.  I was told to eat it while it's fresh and warm versus after it cools off.  It becomes a little harder to chew once it becomes cold.  

Saeed

Saeed, the host of the Sadaf restaurant, is originally from Iran and said he moved to Dubai one year ago after living in England for several years.  Saeed said he can easily visit his family in Iran now since a plane flight is a quick 30 minutes from Dubai.  

We talked about the Iranian culture and he said the people there are given a little more freedom today than what they had several years ago.  He showed me a photo of his wife and other family members with a head covering on (not a burka), followed by another photo without their head covering since they were at a private party.  Saeed said it is the law for a woman to wear her head covering in public, and if they don't wear it, then they would be put in jail for not obeying the law.  They do not need to wear one at a private party.  

Since every woman in the restaurant had a head covering on (some were even wearing burkas) I decided to show respect and abide by the stricter Persian custom and cover mine too.  As well as the top of my shoulders.  

Me enjoying my first dinner in Dubai!

The Spice Route Restaurant in the Imperial Hotel ~ New Delhi, India ~ July 2014

This was my second visit to The Spice Route restaurant which is located inside the stunning Imperial Hotel in New Delhi, India.  The first time I was there a small group  of us went for dinner.  The restaurant was packed and it seemed like the service was a little slow.  On this occasion (July 2014), I went with one other friend for lunch and there were only two other people dining at the same time we were.  We decided to walk around the hotel before having lunch.  It was nice being there in the day time hours versus at night since we were able to see the pool area too.  I also saw more detail in the restaurant since it was fairly dark when we were there for dinner.   The dining area is divided into nine sections corresponding to the nine aspects of life.  

The following description is in the inside of the menu:  

The Spice Route is heralded as one of the top ten restaurants in the world by Conde Nast Traveler.  

The Spice Route has been designed to reflect the journey of spices from the Malabar Coast in Kerala through Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Indonesia to Thailand and Vietnam.  

Designed along the principles of Feng Shui, the restaurant has been segregated into nine different sections, portraying the various stages from 'the journey of life'.  The Knowledge section, The Fate & Fortune section or The Relationship section, every section has been thoughtfully depicted in a series of murals, laboriously hand painted by artisans over months.  These murals have always been a defining feature of The Spice Route.  

The staff told us these columns at the entrance of the restaurant are 400 years old

We were seated at this very lovely table

Nice!

Marakkala  Kukulmas

I chose this delicious Sri Lankan chicken flavored with fresh yoghurt, curry powder, cilantro simmered in coconut oil.  

My friend had the duck and we shared this bowl of rice

THE IMPERIAL HOTEL

Built in 1931 and known as New Delhi's first luxurious grand hotel.  Located in Janpath, it has the largest collection of colonial and post-colonial art and artifacts in Delhi, a museum and art gallery.  The hotel is a mix of Victorian and colonial architecture.  

3 Nagas Restaurant in Laos ~ May 2014

We were told the New York Times rated the 3 Nagas the best restaurant in Laos in 2008 and we found out why!  It has it all ~ atmosphere, indoor and outdoor dining, very friendly and attentive staff, and a menu that makes you want to go back and try something different again and again.  Even though I like to explore new and different restaurants, I couldn't resist going back to 3 Nagas for a second scrumptious meal!  

May 2014

I highly recommend the 3 Nagas Restaurant for excellent Lao cuisine if you're visiting Luang Prabang, Laos!  

Our appetizer was the Jeund Khaiphaen known as Deep-fried Mekong riverweed, served with spicy buffalo jam and fresh vegetable sticks.  The riverweed was so incredibly delicious that we decided to go back to 3 Nagas so I could have it again.   

All the ingredients are organically grown in this fresh and tasty salad

For dinner I had the Paa Neung Khing, which is a steamed whole river fish with fresh ginger.   It cost 80,000 Kip.  

Pears and sorbet for dessert!

Fresh herb tea after dinner

Masala Dosa at Shangri-La Hotel in New Delhi, India ~ June 2014

Many of us enjoy having the masala dosa at breakfast time, so I decided to inquire with the kitchen staff to ask how it's made, and what the ingredients are.  They were happy to accommodate my request and even took the time to make a dosa for me.  I asked the chef in the photo if the dosa is a common meal at home in India and he replied that it is.  

The outside of the dosa is a batter (like a pancake batter, but much lighter) made out of rice and lentil mixed together.  You can have either a plain dosa with nothing in it or the masala dosa which has several of the following ingredients:

*mashed potato

*onion

*green chili

*ginger

*mustard seed

*lentils

*curry leaves

*turmeric

*tomato

*salt

The chef showing me the pre-mixed batter made of lentils and rice

Making a dosa

The sauces on the side for dipping or spreading on the dosa are:

*the white sauce is coconut with green chili

*the red sauce is tomato

*the green sauce is curry leaves