• Added: 1st of August 2008
• Area: Dubai
• Category: Restaurants

Dubai
+971 4 366 9111

shelo9 said
One of the best italians in dubai
The restaurant is a typical looking restaurant in a hotel with the nice tables, etc. Nothing amazing to discuss but the food is what makes this restaurant stand above other Italians in this town.
I would tell you what I ordered, but due to the extensiveness of the menu I just picked randomly and ate the food without really acknowledging what I had. What I remember having for my mains was duck with pasta. My companion ordered the sea bass for her mains which she loved. For dessert I thought I would try the tiramisu as they are generally extremely bad in Dubai restaurants. The dessert came in three little pots. One of the pots seems to have missed the spongy base and was mostly delicious cream but the other two pots were delicious creamy tiramisu.
The service was good, but the only downside was that we had to walk through the hotel lobby to the icon bar outside section to smoke. In this summer heat, it will be unbearable so wear a patch if you smoke.

• Added: 1st of August 2008
• Area: Dubai
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Dubai
+971 4324 8888

shelo9 said
Hideous club, what happened to the classy bar??
Further to my review I decided to revist New Asia with the same friends to relieve the great time we had before. As predicted word had got around the town of the place and the bar was heaving. However the marketing for this place has gone crazy and from a classy bar in a beautiful hotel, its become a sleazy, smoke filled to the point of choking club. The people were awful, the service crap. It was awful. We were supposed to feel special as we came up the special lift from Noodle House but I got the hell out of there as fast as i could push people out of the way. Maybe this place goes back to its classy roots during the weekdays but avoid on the weekend unless you want to get a headache (from the people and the ultra loud house music!)

• Added: 1st of August 2008
• Area: Dubai
• Category: Restaurants

Dubai
+971 4 426 7313

shelo9 said
Good thai food in an empty resturant
The Mango tree is an outlet of the London branch in the new Old Town district (under the Burj Dubai). We booked a table but there didn’t seem any reason to make the call as the restaurant was completely empty when we went there. The area itself is empty currently but I’m sure it will pick up.
There was no alcohol licence so our companion was disappointed. The staff were plentiful and very attentive (almost overbearing ) but were helpful with their suggestions on what to eat as the menu was extensive. We order the mixed appetisers and the papaya salad. The appetisers were good but the salad was too spicy. We then ordered two types of crab, green chicken curry and red duck curry. The curries were delicious and the right side of spiciness. The crab in a yellow curry sauce was delicious and the crab was meaty but that other type of crab which was dry (and supposedly a Thai speciality) was not tasty and generally a waste of money.
The meal was on the side of expensive but the food was delicious and the service was friendly. The decor is very hip which might be a problem when the pretentious crowd start going there but for now a good place for good Thai food.

• Added: 1st of August 2008
• Area: Dubai
• Category: Restaurants

Dubai
+971 4 317 1234

shelo9 said
overrated
Decided to go here for a special occasion. I had heard rave reviews for this restaurant from friends for a few years so I thought that it was a no-brainer. Was I wrong!
The waiter was a brash Russian who we could not understand. The menu is not too extensive but who cares when you are going to have the famous peppercrab. To start we had the mixed appetisers. The food was ok but nothing spectacular and the satay was bland
We then moved onto the crab. We ordered the snow crab but they had sold out at 8pm!! So we had to order the more gritty mud crab. We ordered the peppercrab (when in Rome!). It tasted ok but the crab was gritty and you could smell the mudness and the sauce was nothing outstanding.
Eating here is not cheap and is somewhere people go for a special occasion or if they are rich (ok that happens a lot here). For the price the food was disappointing and the service was not attentive or friendly. Of course we were not regulars like the table near us but that does not mean the service should be any lax. All in all give this a miss unless you are going with a bunch of regulars.

• Added: 16th of March 2008
• Area: Notting Hill
• Category: Restaurants

London W11 2AA
020 7229 2907

shelo9 said
Amazing looking venue shame about the accident
The venue is amazing as people may tell you. There are lots of little alleys and rooms with different themes which are fab. We were in one small level which was overlooking the kitchen. Unfortuantely the chefs thought that it would be great to stare at us all night which was not nice.

There is a great choice of food and the food was good. The burger which i had was a bit difficult to eat so i had to use the knife and fork which is not normal burger behaviour.

The desserts were also good. Unfortunately we only had a small amount of it as the waiter dropped the sugar bowl on my glass which shattered all over us! We had to get away from the table as we were covered in glass. We thought we would stand by the bar (which had been empty before) but was now rammed. The waiter wanted us to stay at the table have extra dessert and pay the bill there which was not happening in our shocked state. We eventually got to pay the bill. The manager had taken off the desserts (which we had not really eaten) but found it difficult to remove the service charge which we thought should be removed. Eventually we got to pay what we wanted to pay and ran out of the place as fast as we could.

The place is a very cool looking, and i think what happened to us (is hopefully) a one off situation. If you want to get out of central and be somewhere different this place is a good choice, but just dont go to the bar after eating as its full of the normal pretentious nonsense.

• Added: 9th of March 2008
• Area: Dubai
• Category: Restaurants

Dubai
+971 4 283 3000

shelo9 said
Best indian in town?
The hotel is in a funny location (near Irish village), and the muzak aint great, but this is a reasonable priced indian.

There are set menus for vegetarians and non-veg which change every week. You can also change the dishes in the set menu if you need to.

There is an emphasis on the grilled food, but the butter chicken was really delicious.

The service was attentive and friendly and there was no desire to rush us out as quickly as possible.

If you want to have an indian meal in a non grungy place but at a good price this is the place to go to.

• Added: 9th of March 2008
• Area: Dubai
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Dubai
+971 4 4068999

shelo9 said
Great bar in jumeirah
The bar is dark and retro looking inside, but the best part of this bar is the outside terrace which gives you views of the Burj, sea and the Dubai skyline whilst sitting on big couches. When the weather was a bit chilly, the staff supplied all patrons with nice clean pashmina's which you could keep.

The drinks choice was not as great as you would expect in a Jumeirah hotel and the amount of drink you get in a glass (such as whiskey) was scandalously low. The drinks were not cheap but the ambience made this a great place to catch up with friends and relax whilst seeing the good part of Dubai.

• Added: 9th of March 2008
• Area: Dubai
• Category: Nightlife

Dubai
00971 4345 5995

shelo9 said
French nightclub with pizzaz
Great place to go when you cant think of any other club to go to. The venue is intimate (just like a boudoir). The music is mostly R&B, hip hop and dance. The dj's acutally know how to mix the records here so you always know you are dancing to good tunes!

The only problem with this place is the lack of places to sit if you dont want to pay a huge amount for a table. If you did want to pay a few thousand dirhams for a table you usually wont get one unless you pre book. The other way of getting on a table to rest your feet is to be a women in a short outfit ;).

The vibe is good and for now there are no problems from the clientle. It does help that the place is heaving with security to take out any troublemakers.

The drinks prices are reasonable unless you are getting a giant (and i mean giant) bottle of vodka or champagne!

• Added: 9th of March 2008
• Area: Dubai
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Dubai
+971 4 319 8088

shelo9 said
Beautiful Vu
Great bar at the top of Emirates Towers with great views. The service as in all Jumeirah places is great and quick. THe cocktails are on the more expensive side but thats what you get in a five star hotel.

The only problem with the bar is the fact that the dress code despite being smart casual requires the men to wear shirts. Men will not be allowed in if they are wearing a non collar shirt and the security can be quite rude about this. The other problem is seeing the high amount of high class prostitutes. Its fine if they have to make their money but you end up having the leery fat old business men trying to get these women which can put you off your cocktails.

Great place to take your friends and family when they come and visit.

• Added: 9th of March 2008
• Area: Dubai
• Category: Restaurants

Dubai
043491303

shelo9 said
Kooky setting with a great outdoor venue
The venue is great. Located on beach road with a big outdoor area to eat and smoke shisha. Inside the place is decorated with kooky bookshelfs and chandeliers. The food menu was extensive but unfortunately the food was not great especailly the grills. The hommos was nice though.

The service was really really slow but on a plus you can do shisha inside if you cant get a seat outside. We did get an outdoor table to smoke shisha after eating inside. It did help that we chatted to the manger and complained about the fact that we had been on the list for the outdoor tables for 30 minutes. Due to complaining we got the nice sofa area which i guess sort of made up for the situation.

This place is great for people watching and smoking shisha (which is very strong) but dont order the food!