Lazeez

You automatically know a restaurant is brilliant when all the top Zomato reviewers have the best things to say about it. Hence Lazeez was on my To-Do list for a very long time and I finally decided to take my parents out for dinner here.

I had spent almost an hour on the Lazeez Zomato page, going through its menu and reviews before I could actually head there.

On arriving, we were quite pleased with the fact that the restaurant offers Valet service, since parking could be an issue.

Now unfortunately my first impression about this place wasn't that great, reason being, I disliked the interiors, the sad part is that it was noticeable how they had spent money on the interiors but yet failed to create something neat. The colours used were a mismatch and the accessories used looked slightly cheap, especially the place-mat.  

But we went upstairs, got ourselves seated and went through its extensive menu (which I had already read) and decided to call for Gosht Seekh Kebab, Machli Tikka Lasooni, Murgh Kastoori Kebab, Murgh Bharwan Seekh for appetizers and Murgh Lahori and Roomali Roti for main course. 

You know how they say first impression is the last impression, Lazeez proves that wrong and how, even though I was slightly negative about the place initially, the food changed it for me. Lazeez is truly a foodie’s paradise and I undoubtedly thought it was the best Indian food I had ever tried in Abu Dhabi. It literally blew our minds.

The Gosht Seekh Kebab was wonderfully spicy and juicy; the mutton mince was blended smoothly with the coriander and mint. The Machli lasooni tikka was succulent, yummy and absolutely tender. The Murgh Kasturi Kebab was boneless chicken marinated in some spices and curd, it was grilled in such a way that it melted in our mouth just like the lasooni tikka. But what truly stole the show was the Murgh Bharwan Seekh, this was chicken seekh stuffed with creamy filling of mint, cheese and coriander. This was an out of this world dish that you simply can't miss out on.

Mutton Seekh Kebab, Murgh Kastoori, Lasooni Tikka Machi

Murgh Bharwan Seekh

Moving on to the main course, the Murgh Lahori was boneless chicken pieces cooked with spicy masala and garlic/ tomatoes and red chily. The gravy was thick and luckily not too oily (as served in most other places) the chicken was tender and this dish would taste good with any sort of Indian bread.

Murgh Lahori

Lastly since I had heard a lot about the firni here, I decided to give this a try and absolutely loved it.

Firni

 

There was absolutely nothing I could complain about with regard to the food. It was a perfect 10/10.

The service was good; the server taking our order was friendly and helpful.

Overall the place was quite a huge hit, I decided to ignore the fact that I disliked the interiors and thoroughly enjoyed the food and shall definitely come back and recommend you all to try it out.

I would rate Lazeez a 4.5/5

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Oasis - If only the restaurant was as good as the band.

Oasis is a restaurant that was a favourite for my brother and I when we were kids and back in school, after which we shifted to India for a few years. We are both back to Abu Dhabi now and decided to go to Oasis yesterday for lunch and were quite excited about it because we had shared some great times here in the past and absolutely loved the food at one point of time.

Unfortunately we were not aware of the standard of the food deteriorating and falling down and decided to call for the Chicken Wanton, Chicken in Hot Garlic Sauce and Chicken Schezwan Noodles.

Starting with the chicken wanton, this was torturous; it was fried in oil that was probably years old. It wasn't crispy either. It made us feel sick and we left the entire plate as it was.

Chicken Wanton

Moving on to the main course i.e. the Schezwan Chicken Noodles and Chicken in Hot Garlic, this was dreadful too.  Not only did its appearance disappoint us but the food taste as well. The chicken used in the noodles seemed stale, the noodles weren't cooked well either. The chicken used in the gravy dish was very rubbery and was tough to even chew.

Chicken in Hot Garlic 

Chicken Schezwan Noodles

You know there are times something is wrong with the food but the friendly staff makes up for it to some extent? Here the staff as well seemed rather arrogant except for the two Indian restaurant managers I think.

The restaurant interiors are decent, not too bad. Area wise it’s huge though.

However I would definitely not recommend this place to anybody until they change their food quality and the staff brings alters their attitude.

I would rate this place a 1/5

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It's the time for Shawarma

My colleague and I had just got done with our meeting on Najda and were discussing where to grab a quick bite from and that's when my colleague suggested Shawarma Time, a place he had heard about recently.

When I heard the name 'Shawarma Time' I thought it would be a normal Arabic restaurant and Shawarma would just be one of their many dishes,  but little did I know that the restaurant only was a Shawarma specialist and were limited to just Shawarmas. 

Their menu isn't too cluttered but at the same time they have quite a few variants of shawarmas listed, such as Shawarma Wok, Mexican Bites, Shawarma Pizza, Shawarma Saj etc. Unfortunately most items that were listed were not available.

I tried out their original ‘Chicken Shawarma’ and the ‘Mexican Bite’.

The original Chicken Shawarma was quite good, the pita bread was fresh and the chicken stuffing was done generously.  Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of the shawarma but I do have a photo of the  way it was packaged which was quite cute.

The Chicken Shawarma

But what stole the show was the Mexican Bite, which was Mexican cheese bun that was stuffed with chicken shawarma, this was a unique concept and the bun was fresh and the chicken was juicy, an absolute treat to my tummy.

Mexican Bite 

The ambiance and interiors of Shawarma Time is bright, they have an open kitchen concept and they have also managed to have a small kids section. The colour scheme of the interiors is very similar to Zaatar W Zeit.

Open Kitchen 

Kids area

Both these dishes were priced at 15 AED each which is quite expensive for a Shawarma honestly, since you could instead get a tastier Shawarma from Lebanese flower for about 6 AED. But yes I would definitely recommend you to try out the Mexican Bite.

I would rate this place a 3.5/5

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Hot Plate

Are you craving for some Indianized Chinese food? Hot Plate is where you should be then.

I've been hearing about their food from quite some time now and finally decided to give this small desi Chinese like restaurant located in Mina Mall (Abu Dhabi)

Honestly I was quite excited about my experience here because it reminded me of all those days I spent in small Chinese restaurants like Discovery, Fire Bowl etc. back in Mumbai.

Coming to the food, I had called for the Chili Potato, Prawn Crackers, Thread Chicken, Sweet Corn Chicken Soup, Schezwan Egg Fried Rice and Singapore Chicken from their extensive menu which also includes Indian food.

I thoroughly enjoyed the sweet corn chicken soup which really helped my sore throat feel relief. 

Sweet Corn Chicken Soup

Coming to the starters, the thread chicken was way too threaded for me, because I honestly found it hard to even find the chicken amidst the fried noodles. Thankfully the fried noodles tasted decent. But it was the chilly potato that I absolutely loved, this was perfectly prepared and though I initially laughed at my friend who called for this dish and argued with her to call for another non-veg starter instead,  it was definitely a treat to my taste-buds and much recommended.

Chili Potato 

Thread Chicken

Moving on to the main course, the schezwan egg fried rice was average; however there was no flaw in it as such that I can prominently point out. The Singapore chicken on the other hand was really good as the chicken was well spiced and tender.

Schezwan Egg Fried Rice 

Singapore Chicken

Also for me, prawn crackers almost invariably taste brilliant if it’s accompanied with the right sauce and thankfully Hot Plate serves great chilli sauce.

Prawn Crackers 

Location wise, this place is slightly odd as it’s located in Mina Mall and I believe not too many people visit the mall any more.

As far as the ambiance is concerned, it’s simple and not very clean. Which is definitely the major downfall of this place, they really need to make the

restaurant slightly more hygienic and clean.

Lastly the staff was friendly and was good with their service.

I would rate this restaurant a 3/5

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Alouette je te plumerai

Alouette is a French restaurant known for their crepes and surprisingly I'm not here to review their crepes, because I haven't tried them yet but intend to soon. But then again Alouette is not just about its crepes, it also had a wide range of other dishes inclusive of salads, waffles, Parisian fries and some breath taking drinks.

This place is absolutely mesmerizing and it's almost impossible to not fall in love with it at first sight due to its beautiful interiors. Alouette is filled with Eiffel tower replicas and other peculiar things you would see in Italy which makes this place a perfect location for a first date, different story that I went here alone twice. #ForeverAloneMoment.

But well coming back to Alouette, I recently went here during my lunch break to sip on some hot coffee since I had a bad throat ache and since Alouette also sells Starbucks coffee. But then I happened to see an Arab lady being offered one of the most appealing and fancy drink ever, however I wasn't sure what it was and inquired about it and told him to get it right away.

The fancy drink I had called for was a cotton candy lemonade drink, who would have ever thought of a drink like this?

The Cotton Candy Lemonade Drink

I absolutely loved the cotton candy and the refreshing drink, but what I probably LOVED was the glass. The Eiffel tower glass was absolutely adorable.

Also the last time I came here I remember trying out the cheese bolognese fries, which was so appetizing and was literally overflowing with cheese. The quantity was great too; it took 3 of us to finish it.

The staff here is quite friendly and I love their outfits.

Alouette is slightly expensive but it's a brilliant place to visit once in a while, especially since it’s hard to find such places in Abu Dhabi.   

Also have a look at their super cute feedback form in which I attempted to draw my cotton candy drink. Yep, drawing is clearly not my thing.

The Feedback Form

I'm definitely going to head back here soon and try out their crepes.

I would rate this place a 4/5