Desserts: Alison Nelson’s Chocolate Bar NYC

Having multiple branches across UAE (11 to be exact), Alison Nelson’s Chocolate Bar makes it’s way to Palm Jumeirah’s Golden Mile.

I actually got the chance to speak to Alison Nelson herself – who is extremely down to earth and humble. Having started out with writing, poetry and journalism she stumbled into New York kitchens and found her love for chocolate. The first store in New York mainly focused on desserts and sweet treats, for the second store she decided that she wanted chocolate bar to not only be known for their sweet menu and launched a savory menu.

On that note, the all day menu has an afternoon tea set available – with sandwiches, fluffy croissants, savory and sweet pastries. Favorites being: carrot and caramelized onion buttered pastry, kofta sandwich and cream cheese slider. 

New restaurant alert: Dean and Deluca

Dean and Deluca recently opened up their newest branch in Mall of the Emirates – as part of the new extension. Cafe style seating and separate stations including: cafe kitchen, espersso bar, fatayer and pizza. Each station is decked out with an array of Dean and Deluca’s fabulous retail items! (more on that below)

Can’t start the day without caffeine, and that meant coffee – this latte and caramel frappe sure makes you feel human again!

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The Dean and Deluca breakfast platter is quite filling with: crisp beef bacon, meaty beef sausages, sauteed mushrooms, roasted potatoes, grilled tomatoes and 2 eggs of your choice (sunny side up for me).

A healthy option would be granola which for the first few bites tastes great but as you dig deeper there’ll be an overpowering sweet flavor of honey which makes it a tab bit too sweet, especially for breakfast.

I dined alongside a few other bloggers and they spoke highly of their dishes: the halloumi, breakfast pizza, pancakes and carrot cake!

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Walked away with some really nice goodies, addicted to their peanut butter milk chocolate paired with some chamomile tea!

Food: The Counter – an all American meal!

The Counter recently opened up it’s newest branch in The Dubai Mall and I was happy to find a great burger place close by.

Famous for their burgers (voted LA’s best burger) and the customizable  options on the menu – I decided to make my own milkshake.

My shake consisted of sweet butterscotch, strong espresso and bits of salted pretzels in every sip!

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Fries are life, and the offerings at the Counter sure back up that philosophy. Loved everything that was tried: from chili cheese fries with a subtle yet spicy chili with sour cream and onions to complete the dish –  to a sweet and tangy mixture that is sweet sriracha fries with sweet onion and sesame seeds for a crunchy kick. There were also light sweet potato fries with horseradish aioli, onion strings and parmesan shoestring fries. This was definitely fry heaven!

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The un-brie-lievable was the perfect burger choice for me, grilled chicken lying atop a bed of mixed greens and tomatoes then topped with a layer of brie cheese and juicy cranberries. This crisp multigrain bread was another winner and the sweet apricot sauce served on the side made this burger seem a little festive!

Tried out the build your own burger which consisted of 1/3 lb ground beef patty with organic greens, spicy pepperocinis, tomatoes, tillamook cheddar, red relish and topped with smoked beef bacon in a hamburger bun.

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Overall a fantastic lunch I’m sure my instagram caption summarizes it befittingly – Burgers, iced tea and a date with fries at the newly opened @thecounterme

Food: Crumble revamped!

Crumble recently went through a huge overhaul – with brand new interiors, new menu and a new concept. The interiors have a rustic yet modern feel to it, steel tables and chairs with brick walls and tea lights adorning every corner.

As for the menu, it is completely different with diverse healthy options – the breakfast menu especially looks delicious, will be back to try that!

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Started off with a detox juice (green apple, celery, cucumber, kale, lemon, parsley, spinach) which had a peppery kick and a hint of celery.

Christmas at the Eloquent Elephant!

Christmas came a bit early at Eloquent Elephant located in the Taj Dubai, Business Bay. The place was buzzing for a Wednesday night and was lit up; the dining area was quite decked out and the mini Christmas trees first caught my attention.

Virgin mojito! Minty, refreshing and very cooling! Served with corn and purple potato chips.

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The first starter was the smoked salmon which had been sliced thinly and smoked to perfection, the wasabi guacamole went exceptionally well with the smoked fish. And look at that presentation :O

The second starter was duck foie gras ballotine with fig chutney. The pate spread on the crisp bread and topped with a sweet rich fig chutney was an incredible medley of flavors.

New restaurant alert: Burger Rebel

Need a place in Souk Al Bahar which doesn’t serve alcohol but has delicious food = Burger Rebel.

The place itself has a modernistic take on a diner hence it looks quite funky, an open kitchen with bar stools, archie comic chairs, graffiti on the walls!

Our drinks were the non sweet strawberry daiquiri and the refreshing new watermelon cucumber cooler!

Salad in a jar

Un-jarred

Salad in a jar that comes with dressings so you can self dress, count me in! We chose the roasted beets and halloumi salad, extremely fresh loved the tangy oranges, crunchy spiced cashew nuts and zesty orange dressing mixed with aged balsamic vinegar and a hint of olive oil.

The melt is a crossover between a sandwich and a hamburger and is really enjoyable. Tender, juicy caramelized shreds of beef topped with cabbage relish, Monterrey jack cheese, chipotle mayo and pickles. Can choose to keep it meaty or dress with sauce and pickles which are served on the side.

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My choice were the roma sliders which was the perfect combination of some of my favorite flavors: sliced grilled tenderloin beef, layered with arugula, parmesan cheese and a balsamic glaze sandwiched between toasted buns!

Beetroot chips

Alongside those options we munched on crispy beetroot chips mmm!

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The warm chocolate fondant served with vanilla ice cream was oozing from the inside, rupturing the cake and watching the chocolate abundantly gush out is definitely worth the 15 minute wait!

The sweet corn cake was also well liked, a fluffy spongy corn cake with a sweet berry sauce and whipped cream!

Must definitely come back for those sliders and vegetarians do not fret they do have a few veggies options apart from the salads!

Food: Original Wings & Rings – a messy affair

Located at level C in Liberty House DIFC, Original Wings & Rings has “great food. no bull”.
As you walk in, the brightly lit wall catches your attention. The interiors itself scream sporty with flags, flat-screens and a foosball table.

The walls are covered with words to live by, eg: a dropped wing is grounds for a food fight!
For a Thursday night the place was buzzing with people watching the cricket match with drinks in one hand and a wing in the other!

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We started off with a few juices and mocktails.
Jamaica (upper left) was an orangey blend, kiwi apple freezer (upper right) was fruity and sweet, pina colada (bottom left) was creamy and my minted lemonade (bottom right) was refreshing.

Beware they have huge portions and we enjoyed every bite of the starters!

Food: Eggspectation, The Beach JBR

Dinner this week was at Eggspectation, since I’m not well versed with the Beach Mall it took us a while to find Eggspectation; it’s right in the beginning opposite Hilton Hotel.

The restaurant itself was spotted a mile away and has beautifully rustic interiors with barren chairs painted white and bright light bulbs making the scene instaworthy! The restaurant sticks to the white color scheme throughout which is quite a refreshing change.

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I was really looking forward to drinks and they didn’t disappoint. We tried the refreshing page, a tropical paradise which was a fruity mix and the balanced green light.

The crispy breaded onion rings were extremely soft on the inside!

New branch alert: Tony Roma’s in Wasl Vita

Recently I was invited to Tony Roma’s new Wasl Vita branch for a tasting of their menu (instagram followers will know). Being a fan of Tony Roma’s (for over 7 years) we jumped at the chance. The staff here is super sweet and we even got to meet the chef who explained the components in each dish!

Let’s begin: for drinks we tried the citrus surprise, vanilla shake and banana strawberry freeze. We also tried the pina swirl (picture above).

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Food: Silver Fox – The Undeniable American Steakhouse

Open kitchen

Where we were seated

Fire place

Stairs

Second floor

Second floor

Drinks Menu

Open kitchen

Table

Bread

Six cheese potatoes

Since my brother is a huge steak fan, we ended up at Silver Fox for his birthday – boy was it a treat! The interiors are beautifully done, alluding to the fine establishment within.
There are two main dining areas: inside with open kitchens and another outside. Moreover, the service here is impeccable, since they don’t have dish descriptions, the servers have to know their stuff which they really do! Their recommendations were spot on. Special shout out to our server: Marie – she was brilliant, very attentive. Additionally, she appeared when needed and made sure the meal progressed smoothly.

Silver Fox differs from the abundant food joints here in more than one perspective: the main reason is the USDA certified steak. I recently learned that only the top 2% of all beef is graded USDA prime and so the price tag is a tad bit higher, but with the updated menu I think the prices are quite reasonable. Plus if you visit before 1st Feb you’ll be in a draw to win an all inclusive trip to the USA; just check in to their WIFI network and follow them on social media.