La Passion Cafe

La Passion Cafe

La Passion Cafe has been on my mind since the past 1 month. Though I honestly wouldn't even know about this place had it not been for the voucher I was gifted, reason being, it’s located in Reem Island and I haven't really discovered much in Reem Island as yet.

In fact I also tried visiting this place about 2 weeks back but ended up losing my way and did not reach the destination. Finally last weekend I decided to go here and try out Moroccan cuisine for the very 1st time with my family.

The manager of the outlet recommended the buffet they were serving, but that did not seem to impress either of my family members and hence we decided to go with a la carte. We ordered for chicken breast in mushroom sauce, chicken tagine, seafood tagine and brochettes chicken.

Tagine, I believe is referred to as a pot which is served with a semi-gravy dish. The chicken tagine was marinated in lemon and olives. This was very appetizing, however it wasn’t boneless (And just a reminder, I can’t stand chicken with bone)

Chicken Tagine

As for the seafood tagine, this was basically fish tagine and the fish was so soft that it almost melted in my mouth. The spices used in this dish tasted very Indian and masale-dar, in fact what’s funny is that my mom thought it tasted exactly like this ‘Punjabi Machli’ she has had before.  But nonetheless, it was flavorsome.

Fish Tagine

Moving on to the Chicken in Mushroom Sauce and Chicken Brochettes, both these dishes had one thing in common; they lacked tenderness, it was almost impossible to break the chicken into pieces. The mushroom sauce was mouth-watering and really blended well with the chicken. The chicken brochette on the other hand could have been a little juicier.

Chicken Brochette

Chicken in Mushroom Sauce

We also ended our meal with Moroccan tea that was simply out of this world and was one of the best I have ever had.

Mr. Taib pouring the Moroccon tea

The interior of this place is slightly random but not bad either, it's like any other ordinary cafe in a mall. In fact the mall this is located in, i.e. the Boutik mall is filled only with cafes.

The manager Mr. Taib was attending to us and he was extremely sweet and friendly. He also spoke to us quite a bit about Moroccan food and culture.

The prices are average; it’s about 45 - 50 per dish.

Overall it was quite a good experience trying out this new cuisine.

I would rate this place a 3.5/5

Rolls N Rice

Rolls N Rice is literally a stone throw away from my office and hence I almost treat this as my pantry and have food from here very often.

It’s also one of the very few affordable restaurants in the vicinity since it’s located at Al Nahyan camp which is a commercial hub; most restaurants situated here are quite overpriced.

Coming to the food, it's not one of those restaurants with 200 options on their menu, they have about 8 - 10 options in their main course and about the same in the rolls section which makes it easier for one to come to a decision.

Unfortunately I haven't tried out the rolls yet but tried out quite a few other things such as Tarragon Chicken, Laban Chicken, Spicy Grilled Fish, Fish in Tahina and their mixed platter.

I can't really tell you what is good and what's not here, because honestly everything I've had here is really good.

However I can advise you that if you're a fan of spicy food then you should opt for Tarragon Chicken and if spicy isn't your thing you should stick to Chicken Laban which is basically grilled chicken in laban (yogurt) and herbs. Unlike most other places their laban chicken wasn't dry thankfully.

Tarragon Chicken

Chicken Laban

What I would really recommend here is the spicy grilled fish, I absolutely love this, this is glazed with spicy marinade and is extremely juicy.

Spicy Grilled Fish

Also similarly if you aren't a fan of spicy food, opt for the fish in tahina which is grilled fish in a garlic-lemon-tahina sauce, which tastes a little tangy.

All these dishes are accompanied with saffron rice and mashed potato. I don't really like the mashed potato here though so I always exchange that for its fries.

Moving on to the mixed platter consists of spring rolls, mozzarella sticks and potato wedges. Each appetizer is better than the other and the sweet chilly sauce and mozzarella sauce that comes along with it, compliments it really well.

Mixed Platter

It's not a very huge place though and can probably accommodate only 20 - 25 people and hence gets a little cramped up when it’s crowded.

As much as I like their friendly and welcoming staff, their service is quite slow and the food takes longer than usual to arrive.

Also if you're a fan of 60's music, you would have a good time here with their music collection.The also have free WiFi.

Lastly I love how they have a milkshake on their menu named after a girl who sent her recipe for a competition they had on their Facebook page. 

I would rate this place a 4.5/5.

Zaatar W Zeit

Zaatar W Zeit has a very unique, or as we Indians would say 'Hatke' concept, it's a blend of Lebanese and Italian food. 

The menu comprises of salads, wraps, pizzas and a few appetizers. I tried out two variations in the pizza and two variations in the wraps.

To start off with the pizza, I called for the Ultimate Cheese Pizza and Chicken Barbeque Pizza. 

The ultimate cheese was a complete delight for a cheese lover like me; it was smothered in 4 cheese and oregano. There wasn't too much of tomato sauce thankfully. The crust was thin and crispy. This was priced for 33 Dirham’s.

Ultimate Cheese Pizza

Moving on to the BBQ Chicken Pizza, this obviously was loaded with barbeque sauce along with chicken that was very well cooked, mushrooms, green pepper, onions and cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Here again the crust was brilliant. Also I think it would be safe for me to say that it was one of the best BBQ chicken pizza's I've had. This was priced for 42 Dirham’s.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

The quantity of the pizza is suitable for 2 people.

Next we have the Wraps; we called for the Baked Falafel Wrap and the Spizy Chicken Wrap (and no that isn’t a typo for spicy) I'm usually not a fan of spending 30 Dirham’s or so on a wrap when I can have a main course for around the same price, but thought might as well give it a try.

Starting with the Spizy Chicken, this was basically marinated chicken with bell pepper, spinach, onions, melted cheese and a spicy sauce on top. The sauce was very mild, it was barely spicy, or maybe that's just the Punjabi in me talking. But the melted cheese was extremely breath taking. This was for 33 Dirham’s.

Spizy Chicken Wrap

Lastly the Baked Falafel Wrap which was a delicately spiced falafel mix seasoned with sesame syrup topped with parsley, tomatoes, turnip, radish and mint. I think it was absolutely bizarre for my friend to pay 22 Dirham’s on a falafel wrap, you could get almost 70 falafels for that (just saying) anyhow coming back to the wrap, it was no doubt good, it was minced falafel with all the right sauces complimenting it, but not sure I would want to spend that much on falafel. (I could be a little too judgmental sometimes)

Baked Falafel Wrap

The common factor between both the wraps was that it was really filling. 

The ambiance of the place is like any other fast-food joint, but their prices are slightly more than a casual fast food restaurant. Also since I visited the branch on Salam Street there were no tables catering for larger groups. But for that you could always visit the branch at Abu Dhabi Mall. 

What I absolutely adore about Zaatar W Zeit is that, it is one of those very few brands who go all out with Social Media presence and that has also helped them create such a strong brand identity.

Overall  it was a great experience, I would definitely recommend the place and looking forward to visiting Zatar W Zeit soon. 

I would give it a 4/5

A pleasant surprise..

If you want to surprise your taste buds with some good, wait let me correct that, BRILLIANT Chinese food you should definitely visit Shanghai Surprise.

I have been here quite a few times when I was back in school and finally visited this place a few weeks back after shifting to Abu Dhabi and I was just praying the food quality hadn't deteriorated. But much to my surprise, it had just got better, much better.

On getting seated at Shanghai Surprise, you’re welcomed with a bowl of complimentary Prawn crackers which are absolutely delicious to munch on, especially with the dipping that accompanies it.

Prawn Crackers

We ordered for Fish Hakka which is basically Hakka recipe of fish cubes stir fried with garlic, ginger and chili. This was recommended by the staff. The fish was very soft and was quite spicy, which made it taste all the more better.

Fish Hakka

Apart from that we called for Steamed Chicken Dimsums which was served hot and it almost melted in my mouth. It also had the right amount of Chicken stuffing in it.

Chicken Dimsum

The last appetizer was Chicken Satay, which is chicken on satay skewers, this is served with peanut sauce. It is presented in a mini barbecue, so it’s obviously really hot. Above it lie five enticing pieces of chicken. Also surprisingly unlike the previous times I've had this, it was quite spicy which is exactly how I love my food.

Chicken Satay

As far as the main course is concerned, we decided to stick to the basics and just called for Chicken Fried Rice and Kung Pao Chicken. The Kung Pao Chicken was sweet/spicy gravy with chicken cubes and garnished with peanuts. This was simple, yet tasty and the Chicken Fried rice tasted excellent as well.

Kung Pao Chicken

We had also ordered for Wine, and honestly I can't really say anything much about wine, because I can never judge the difference of 1 wine from another. But well, it tasted good.

Wine

Since it was my dad’s birthday dinner, the Shanghai Surprise team also brought in a complimentary cake slice with a candle and wished him, which was a really sweet gesture.

My dad fascinated with the candle

The staff here is a mixture of Indians, Nepalese and Chinese and each one is friendlier than the other. They undeniably know how to treat their guests flawlessly.

The Staff 

The Kitchen

Shanghai Surprise is clearly not as cheap as Oasis, Kawloon (other Chinese restaurants in Abu Dhabi) but then again here you’re talking about a classy fine dining Chinese restaurant  and for that and the food quality Shanghai Surprise serves, it is certainly worth the price they serve it for.

I would rate this place a 5/5

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John-y John-y, Yes Papa.

Hello everybody, Ramadan Kareem to you all. 

Hope you all are having a great Ramadan. I still remember when I was back in school, I and my friends would eagerly wait for the holy month of Ramadan simply because each lecture/ class was shortened to 20 minutes and the bell would ring as soon as the teacher would start speaking. Those were indeed some good times. 

 

But now things have changed, I was definitely looking forward to Ramadan this time but just for those brilliant Iftar deals around the city. 

So a few days back, I and a few friends went to Papa John’s ( Khalidiya Mall) for an 'All you can eat' Iftar Buffet. This was for 25 Dirhams and was inclusive of Unlimited Pizzas, Cheese Breadsticks, Potato Wedges and Soft Drinks. 

Papa John’s was packed and luckily we reached just in time and managed to occupy the last available table. 

It almost felt like sports day, because as soon as the prayer started, everyone started to eat faster than the other, since most people there were starving all day (which is really commendable honestly, with the burning heat, I find it almost impossible for somebody to fast)

We tried out the Mexican Chicken Pizza, Vegetarian Pizza and Pepperoni Pizza. All three of them were really good, the toppings were fresh and it was thankfully a thin crust and crunchy pizza. The liquid cheese topping on the Pizza tasted like the cheese from the cheese burst pizza they serve in Dominos (India)

 

 

PEPPERONI, MEXICAN CHICKEN & VEGETARIAN PIZZA

It's definitely not the best pizza I've had since there are places like Pascucci and Biancorosso around, but it is definitely worth a try.

Coming to the scrumptious crispy cheese bread sticks, this was heavenly. Also make sure you ask them for their pizza sauce which compliments the bread sticks really well. The potato wedges and garlic Parmesan bread sticks on the other hand were unappetizing & seemed stale.

 

POTATO WEDGES & GARLIC PARMESAN BREADSTICKS

 CHEESE BREAD STICKS

The friendly staff here was doing a good job in making sure all their customers were being served well.

This was definitely a good experience, and honestly if I go for a few more of these Iftars I doubt I would remain an 'Anorexic' hog. 

P.S Forgive me for the bad quality of photos.

Lastly let me introduce you all to my friends beautiful 'DATE' for that evening.

I would rate this place a 4/5.

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Chicken Tikka

I faintly remember an incident about 12 years ago when my mom and brother were out of the country and my dad and I decided to go out for dinner to some restaurant on Airport Road.

Now since the food here was awful, and I being the stubborn kid that I was, I refused to eat and my dad being the Hitler that he was decided to scream his lungs off at me.

So after almost 12 years I gathered my courage and ignored my fear and decided to go back to the same restaurant (I'm joking, I dint even remember the incident until my meal was over)

 

I went there with 3 other friends who wouldn't stop talking about the food they had here a month ago, so I was honestly looking forward to a great meal since my friends had hyped it so much. 

Americana Chicken Tikka which is now called as Chicken Tikka is a small decent place, there is no ambiance as such, it’s something you would see in a fast food restaurant. In fact the furniture and interiors is quite similar to that of Pizza Hut (which is owned by the same company)

Coming to the food, I ordered for the Chicken Tikka Spicy which comes along with Puri, Garlic Sauce and Fries. The Chicken Tikka was basically grilled half chicken marinated in lemon and plenty of spices. I'm usually not a fan of any chicken that comes with a bone (Yes, I don't like chicken lollypops, go ahead and judge me) but this was something that definitely changed my mind and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

 

Along with this came the Puri which looked and pretty much tasted like a Bhatura. This was loaded with butter and tasted simply brilliant. Lastly the fries, we had asked for the spicy fries which were undoubtedly the best I've ever had. And well garlic sauce is always awesome, isn't it?

They also have something called the Potato Twister that they plan on introducing soon, I remember trying this dish out a while ago at Fingers Cross (Mumbai, Lokhandwala) I hope this is equally good. 

Coming to the pricing, the spicy chicken tikka + puri + garlic sauce + spicy fries = 22 Dirhams which is super cheap for the quantity they serve.They also have a Grilled family meal which is suitable for a family of four. 

 

So after the awesome meal, all of us were energized and pumped up about flying a toy airplane but sadly failed since it wasn't charged enough.

                                           My genius friends trying to fix the plane.

 

P.S. I loved the food here so much that I called for it again after two days. 

I would rate this place 4/5

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