Indya by Vineet, colorful and economical.
With our foster dog recovering from a long overdue surgery (always spay and neuter your pets, people!) I hadn’t planned anything significant for the weekend. In the end, this was a good idea. Friday saw Hubs enjoying golf in the beautiful February weather which Dubai likes to offer, and me monitoring our little patient and generally catching up on things before a busy week ahead. Thus, having heard positive comments about the recently opened Indya by Vineet, I braved the marina (something I do on a bi-annual basis only) for a Friday night visit. In the 13+ years, I think this was actually our first visit to Le Royal Meridien Beach Hotel, which was clearly in the stages of the late late brunch crowd (yikes!). Turning right from the lobby on the ground floor is Indya, and once inside, color pops everywhere. My favorite feature had to be a giant…
Mint Leaf of London: Chef Pradeep shines.
There probably isn’t a restaurant that has been on my ‘need to review’ list longer than Mint Leaf of London. Having enjoyed our last trip to the Emirates Financial Tower, Hubs and I were happy to return to visit Chef Pradeep (who was the genius behind a memorable lunch at Jodphur), who has recently taken over the helm at Mint Leaf of London. Having seen a number of ‘grammable options in my feed, I wondered if the food would match the photos. Dodging a bit of Friday night construction in the lobby of Emirates Financial Towers, we made our way to the 16th floor and once inside, to our right into the dining room of the restaurant. Whereas the upstairs neighbors are in desperate need of an overhaul, Mint Leaf has a modern design, complete with an open kitchen. There is a good ratio of servers to diners, such that no one is…