Weekend links.
Donate here, in honor of Breonna Taylor. Her life was worth far more than the drywall the cops were charged for. This verdict, plus the death of RBG, has made for an incredibly difficult week. Is it November 3rd yet? In less disheartening news, a delivery from The Kakao Guy, including burnt cheesecake (AED35 per individual cheesecake), and then Dan’s Home Food (my first taste of mac and cheese pie – !) had my need for carbs well met at the start of the week. Casinetto also sent me a beautiful collection of nibbles for aperitivo (my affiliate link is still active). Hubs and I tried to go to Reform with Poppy for his birthday on Tuesday, but she wasn’t super interested. As guests, we liked that they were dog friendly, and had local still and sparkling water in reusable containers. I also swung by the new Simply Kitchen store at MOE, and found a…
Maintaining Optimum Health When Visiting A Hot Country.
Today we welcome a collaborative post from a talented contributor. Enjoy, C. Visiting a hot country can be such an exciting adventure, and the chance to experience a different culture and environment is one that should not be missed. Staying healthy isn’t always your main priority when you jet off on vacation, but it’s important that you can make an effort to protect yourself and maintain optimum wellbeing so that you can truly make the most of your holiday! Luckily it doesn’t have to be that difficult, as there are a few key tips and tricks that you can make the most of to stay as healthy as possible no matter where in the world you are. Eating Healthy Food Though it’s tempting to overindulge when you’re on vacation, it’s important that you can make an effort to eat healthy foods to fuel your mind and body with the nutrients…
Weekend links.
Finishing two 70,000 word projects this week has me feeling like woah. A relatively busy week of food. On Sunday, I stopped by MMI to finally (!!!) purchase Side Hustle‘s hard seltzer (a perfect drink for when you want something low calorie/low sugar). I also stopped by Kaffe Bloom with friend and travel journalist Sarah. We liked the food (and the pricing) and had our first taste of Bingsoo, a Korean shaved ice dish, which was perfect for a hot day. Afterward, I picked up a few specialty items from 1004 Gourmet. I also finally made it for an overdue visit to LPM, which continues to be deliciously and stylishly consistent. Some goodies arrived at the house, including the Sundae Kit from 3 Fils, as well as Levantine vegetarian food from newly launched Dayma. That’s not all, we also received Cheese On Board on Thursday and some delicious Italian biscuits…
Weekend links.
Out and about this week at The Lighthouse (and stopping in to say hello at Akiba Dori) in D3. I visited ages ago for lunch, and I’m happy to note that the consistency has held up. They’re offering a fairly amazing 3-course set dinner now, AED200 with drinks that is definitely worth a trip. Similarly, visiting KUSHI by Reif was an easy ‘yes,’ for lunch on Thursday. I’m pleased to advise that portion sizes are massive, and a lot of Chef Reif’s signature flavors are in effect (order the Portobello Kinoko Katsu for a treat). El Grocer was kind enough to send me products by Marks and Spencer, which are available on the app (save 15% by ordering by September 20th). Not having to leave the house is my favorite form of cooking, how about you? Links, please! Racial justice can start at the table. Heated The title says it…
Weekend links.
Reader, I have something to admit. For the past two weeks, I’ve been categorically ‘off’ in choosing places to dine out and events to attend. When accepting invitations, there’s a lot to consider, but choices I’ve made in the past two weeks have almost all been for the worse, and have me wondering why I spent money on Careem fares. Fortunately, the one highlight of dining out was long time favorite High Joint, who invited me to try their new plant-based burgers, one of which will be permanently added to the menu. I can tell you that whatever you think a veggie burger should be, these guys are doing it differently. Otherwise, I finished an (almost) final draft complete for my next novel, but it kind of felt like I was swimming upstream. Was the full moon in Pisces to blame? For those ordering groceries, the fine folks at Kitopi are offering AED25 off your first purchase…
Weekend links.
Donate here for Jacob Blake. Extremely proud to see many Dubai F&B groups getting together for Save Beirut on August 30th. If you plan on dining out next week, why not go to one of the establishments supporting the cause? Words, words, words this week as I edit a final draft for an upcoming manuscript. Palazzo Versace was kind enough to send over their signature afternoon tea (with lots of amazing pastry details), and Oregano sent their DIY pizza kit (nice, but I’ll stick with the professionals at PitFire). Rise & Dawn also sent me an incredible selection of goodies (the garlic bread was a big fave), and Eat Go See and I went to KYO for dinner (and were surprised at the immense usage of dry ice). 3 Fils generously sent me their new African Powerhouse cake, which was luxurious. Finally, some meetings this week have me excited for…
Weekend links.
So, my week ‘off’ has been a success. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed not writing or editing, but I think it’s time to get back to a manuscript. Honestly, it feels like something is missing in my day. I have a relatively clear schedule next week to get started, and a novel that’s in need of moving to a final draft. In other news, Dubai is back! I received the most amount of invitations since March, and I’m booked through the end of the month. This week saw me visiting Claw BBQ with the Bookers (come for the margaritas, stay for the people watching and overheard loo conversations), a trip to Tresind to see Chef Himanshu and Helen in conjunction with Dubai Summer Surprises (thanks to the team for sending me home with some treats for Hubs), and back to BOCA to try some upcoming dishes for the menu (the mushroom risotto is insanely…
Weekend links.
I finished! Yesterday I turned in a new draft of a 70K manuscript. This comes after writing another 70K, editing an additional 80K book, and publishing a novella. My life has pretty much been non-stop writing since March. Guess what? I’m going to take a few days off! We went to Radisson RED with Poppy last night and were generally disappointed (not in our dog, of course, she was amazing). The hotel seems to suffer from not really knowing who it wants to cater to, the food was nearly inedible, and the property needs to do more with helping those who have pets. I’m not in a hurry to return, and it’s 2020, can Dubai be done with ‘those seats are reserved/we’re fully booked’ with zero tables occupied approach? Links, please? Always sign me up for more food shows. (Eater) Do you use Instagram as a place for information? A similar read here, in case…
Weekend links.
My thoughts go out to Beirut. Here are some suggestions on how you can help. With the explosion in Lebanon, the tragedy puts perspective on things, and I hope you’ll take this week’s newsletter as a short few minutes to enjoy reading about food and hospitality. This week was steady, starting with delivery from Ugly Burger (v. good, but not good enough to knock off favorites Pickl and High Joint), then I went with friends to La Cantine du Faubourg (my first time that I enjoyed the restaurant, after years of average visits). I also went to a local restaurant and, after a nearly inedible meal, ended up giving a lot more feedback than I expected (I sincerely hope they take my notes as the constructive criticism it was intended). On Tuesday afternoon, I was over to long time favorite BOCA as part of the Dubai Summer Surprises in partnership with Dubai 103.8 for a masterclass.…