restaurant review Archives

April 26, 2016 by annbenjamin 0

A Mystical Garden in Jumeirah (no, really).

Living on the ‘other’ side of town, I still somehow often find myself on Al Wasl or Beach Road for appointments at least once a week. Today was no different, so after finishing up, I plugged in One Cafe by Life N’One (which, my apologies to the owners, sounds like a fancy yoghurt) to trusty Dr. Google and six minutes later arrived at my destination. Firstly, if ‘curb appeal’ counts for anything, you will immediately be put off. The cafe/yoga/pilates studio is fronted by a busy parking lot (I chose street parking down the way). Inside, you will know you are in the right place by the number of life-affirming mottos on placards and windchimes. While the immediate steps lead into the studio space (which, should you be interested, offers an extensive list of courses), the back garden has been transformed into a cafe of sorts. For the record, this…

April 10, 2016 by annbenjamin 0

Dubai

An Ecelctic, Civilized Affair: Intersect by Lexus

The Entertainer has been absolutely crushing it recently! When April’s monthly offers came out and I saw a brunch with Intersect by Lexus, I was excited. Although I put the call out to other friends, in the end, it was just Hubs and myself and we had a blast (seriously, some very good people watching on offer as well as running into a former colleague from 2008). As a concept, the restaurant is one of three in the world (the other properties are in Toyko and New York, respectively). As the website itself lists, the location is “an artisanal eatery offering an authentic and evolving culinary journey with a focus on pure, handcrafted organic cuisine and beverages.” Reservations? Made online (1 day before – oops!!). Ambiance? Located in (where else), DIFC’s Gate Village. As best I can explain, it’s a bit like eating in a funky artist studio. Straight away, unlike some…

September 10, 2015 by annbenjamin 0

Netherlands

Vinkeles, a well earned Michelin star.*

To end our recent time in Amsterdam on a high note, I debated a few restaurants (including a return trip to Bridges, which I’ll cover in a later post), but ultimately decided on Vinkeles (and yes, I’m also dying to stay at the hotel it is connected to, The Dylan). For the only time in the trip I was able to wear heels (damn them taking up valuable space in my luggage and silly me for thinking I would get more use out of them!), I (gratefully) tottered just around the corner from our AirBnb. Reservations? Made online with no problems. Note that I did have to put a credit card forward to hold and confirm the booking. Ambiance? The restaurant is located after walking through the lobby, through another restaurant (?), and down some stairs. While I love how almost everything in Amsterdam is historic (and therefore charming), I’m…

September 2, 2015 by annbenjamin 0

Reykjavík

What’s the Dill?

Hubs and I were lucky enough to travel to Iceland this summer and after a small amount of research I knew Dill would be on our list. Reservation? Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Online reservation that was confirmed quickly. Given how far out in advance we made the booking, I believe we were granted the best seats in the house (practically on top of the open space kitchen). Ambiance? Not exactly what I was expecting…in a good way. The one room restaurant is located off of the main street in Reykjavik. Hubs and I walked from our AirBnb (silly me, I had every intention of wearing something nicer than jeans and a nice sweater, but it was just too cold and my trusty Loubouts remained packed). We were greeted and our jackets were taken. Seated at the bar was different than sitting at one of the small tables, but I liked…