Izakaya ,, when delicious meets creative

I admire the work of Chef Ahmad Al-Bader, starting from The Burger Hub (love the patty! Best fulfilling burger ever) to Prime & Toast with a killer breakfast menu, love their poached eggs (on multi-grain bagel & the NY bagel with Zereshk), Pizzetta and now!!!! Izakaya.

The place is cozy, contemporary, with grey brown'ish look, small but elegant. The food? Is amazing, it blew us away and when they saw us taking pictures and admiring the food complimentary dishes were served from the Chef! I was up for tasting this new restaurant's food, I ended up having a FEAST

For the salad we took Rasberry and baby spinach
and

Green crisp salad

Both were amazing, right balance of greens/ dressing and.. FRUIT! You see the rasbery gave a bit of a tangy taste while the pears in the 2nd one gave this rich crusty flavor.

Shrimp popcorn ,, lovely,  the taste was not too surprising but also good, however the 3 sauces on the side made all the difference.

Then the chef decided to give us two complimentary dishes :}

Cucumber strips with sesame dressing

and

Asparagus with miso hollandaise

Both were light and tasty, the veggies were not veggies anymore! A lot of taste and infusion made them delicious, eating asparagus was a task in my diet, with Izakaya it became a pleasure :> 

The rest of our appetizers arrived....

Honey soy mushroom
and

Nut crusted shrimp

The infusion of honey and soy, in the oven baked mushrooms was to die for! Sweet, tangy sauce with smooth mushroom texture and flavor, you can't go wrong with it. As for the nut crusted shrimp, its another story.....

The nuts with their crusty texture and smooth rich flavor were exceptional with the taste of shrimp, I would have NEVER pictured the two together, I think Chef Ahmad Al-Bader created this piece of art just to take your sense of taste off track and try something out of this world.

Now for the main courses...

We took 3 maki'es from right to left : Izakaya roll "removed salmon, not a fan!" - Dynamite spider - Poached butter ebi & avocado. 

I can't really do them good with saying YUMMY, I recommend all three if you are a maki fan, I do like Japanese food but not into Sashimi nor Sushi thats why we skipped them in the menu.

The highlight in the Izakaya roll is the smooth flavors mixture, the poached butter ebi maki the zesty ginger flavor and oddly!! Dynamite was very safe :p

Continuing with the mains...

Grilled local shrimp

Grilled local Crab

I'm not a dill fan, BUT the amount used in the shrimp was PERFECT, the infusion of flavors was well balanced. The crab as per my friend who had a fight with it was delicious too.

Although we were FULL but with all the good food we tasted, we could not stop the "dessert" temptation....

Nutmeg and hazelnut icecream
and

Pain perdue with raspberry shisho jam 

The icecream was yummy as expected, but the Pain perdue, was a taste test. Just as we though that the food can't get any better, the Pain perdue flipped the coin! Izakaya won. The infusion of the crusty bread, raspberry jam and ice cream was thrilling, you can imagine each alone but the combination was a surprise, rich bread taste with the strong a bit zesty/ berry raspberry flavor topped with vanilla ice cream, made all the sense in this world :}

Another complimentary dish from the chef, 6 home made ice cream flavors: dark chocolate - banana chocolate chip - cranberry - butterscotch .. All were nice the cranberry was the most exceptional one, it did taste like fresh cranberry!!

Now the last 2, the cherry on top, the surprise (can you count how many surprises we got? :p),,,,

Basil and bird-eye chilly and the Balsamic vinegar  ICE CREAM!!

YES Balsamic vinegar and CHILLY!! Green one is the chilly

To taste iced chilly was not on my list :} Again, he broke the senses rule, the regularity of taste, but since I'm not a chilly fan I didn't like it much, but was really surprised with it, it blew me away. Now the Balsamic one on the other hand, tasted really delicious, I didn't expect it to taste this good

We had a great time in Izakaya, from food, to atmosphere to service, a place I would defiantly go back to and try to finish the menu :) I thank everyone there for preparing such a lovely meal.

And yes, I will have to work hard in gym to burn off this meal, I broke every diet rule Wednesday night, and it was defiantly WORTH IT, and yes I will still blame Iakaya for the extra kg or two gained.

B-Day dinner @ MELENZANÈ

Melenzane was the place to go, when we decided to celebrate our friend's B-day :D the Vespa was waiting on the door, an odd decoration touch for an unusual place, Melenzane all in all is very different when it comes to interior design the whole place is flipped upside down from the inside

Now this Special thanks board really attracted me, I love personal touches!

This is from Melenzane to all the people who participated in the making of the place :} a very gently and nice gesture from the owners

Now the FOOD

I loved this drink called ruby red or red ruby! am bad with names :p yummy red thingie!

For appetizers and salad we took:
Rocca Bed
Ammaru
Fritta mozarilla

All were yummy! Ammaru is highly recommended for shrimp lovers, we all liked the starters
 
Now for the MAINS

Pasta alla norma
Pelemaro risotto

I'm not into aubergine "and I dare to come to, Melenzane = aubergine in Italian :p" BUT this alla norma changed my mind! really nice, The risotto is very nice also, not too creamy nor too dry! both dishes won!

Also we ordered for the main

Vitelo Rosmarino
Gambroni

Now the Rosmarino was much liked by our friend :} but my favorite fried shrimp in Kuwait is Gambroni! I was really glad one of the gals ordered it because I totally forgot about it, and I really think its the best around, it became the appetizer I always order when I go to Melenzane. Again all dishes were winners

The Surprise cake!

A big RED VELVET made specially for the birthday :} you can pre-order it, on a normal basis its a single person desert dish that P0ach wrote about a while ago, and he is DAMN right, it is a YUMMY cake, even took the place of the November Bakery's red velvet to me, it was the 1st now its the 2nd :p Because their red velvet has the right amount of the cheese flavor and cake! not too sweet nor too cheesy, especially that the top layer/ covering is cake not frosting so it made all the difference

and that's how the 25th of December of 2010 was celebrated :> Kudos to the place owners & workers, a good restaurant to visit

Social House - The Dubai Mall

Saw this restaurant as we were walking in The Dubai Mall, the name was appealing so we said lets take a look at the menu! What mostly caught our attention that its so diverse, Asian, European, North American, in other words international by what the word holds of meanings :>

So we decided to give it a go, the atmosphere is very nice and very different from other restaurants around

The slogan was a bit nice and somewhat funny :p

Wooden interior was amazing, loved those boxes with prints on them

This is a close up, loved the nostalgic graphics and the creative idea of staking boxes on the side :}

Our first course was the "Dragon Roll" which was a winner, I wasn't so fond of the sardine but it added a nice flavor

Then the DELICIOUS Mozzarella en caroza came, which is fried mozzarella  covered with bread and a delicious chunky tomato sauce to accompany it. An amazing representation of mozzarella away from the usual breaded sticks or chunks, was light although I was fearing the frilled issue, but it wasnt fatty at all

Then my sister's main course arrived, she took the Mediterranean marinated Angus rib eye, PERFECT medium well, pink & tender inside, mash side was creamy & salty exactly how it should be :) and a simple rocca and balsamic salad was on the side, nice compliment for the dish

I took the "Entercote al gorgonzola" which is a rib eye steak pan fried with gorgonzola cheese sauce, I am not a potato person but these above were perfectly tender with a hint of the frying with meat taste, perfectly done and was very delicious :}

The whole atmosphere, music, workers was calming, the only thing stopped us from merging into it is the really crowded entrance near by! Yet we decided to enjoy a cup of tea before we left

And this is the check, only 316 Derhams!  which is like 20 something KD, VERY resonable, value of money was excellent

Location? check out the map :}

Annnnd their website, telephone and else shown above. Now the shocking piece of information is that the restaurant is originally INDONESIAN :} well done! Great food, lovely atmosphere, very enjoyable, highly recommended when ever you drop by Dubai Mall

56 : The Early Bird - Jabriya

So far I had the french toast & pancakes :>, both were YUMMY! Tried them at The early bird that I read so much about, and wanted to go to :p back when the only branch was in Fahaheel but didn't till date but I got to eat in it twice so far due to its new lovely location in Jabriya. They also have a blog now! And a new addict :p *me*

The place:
The jabriyah branch is located after the Champions ladies gym, only one building away from it, go inside the area putting the new gym "gray building seen form the 4th ring road" on your right, just walk a few meters up front, it will be on your right :> Cozy and small! careful when you bring a large group of people there, limited seating! The atmosphere is simple and charming. Tried the outdoor seating and indoor, I recommend the outdoor while the weather is nice.

Service:
Quick and efficient all I can say about them in that area :> loved their friendliness.

FOOD:
The two times I went there tried two items from the menu: French Toast - Pancakes ,, BOTH were winners for me! the food is absolutely amazing, right on the spot! the best french toast I ever tried in Kuwait with the right amount of sugar and cinnamon :) *I ♥ Cinnamon* also the pancakes were really good, light and moist. My companions tried different things and liked them too! one tried the pancakes the other had an omelet, both praised the food. Beverages are normal, coffee and orange juice are good. All in all, I will keep coming back till I finish their menu :p try all the dishes, will come back for more when ever I have the chance to do so. It is a really good American breakfast place. Worth trying and loving :>

The other side of the coin:
Bianca the place owner collects plastic bags :) now with the two locations, Fahaheel and Jabriyah, you can drop your bags when ever you can :> other than this lovely contribution to the community of women in need, the restaurant had pieces done by the Kuwaiti artist Ghada Al-Kandari :] it is really impressive how a simple business owner contributes to the art and society around her. Kudos to the lovely Bianca :> for being a great cook, person and a caring business owner.

Sawah

So we went to Sawah in the Eid period. The location is amazing and the decoration / interior design is simply creative! it's the middle east meets pop culture sort of theme, and it also intersects with old Arabic designs. Tables and seating was nice, although my mother hated the single chairs but there were cushions for the help.

Food, nothing out of the ordinary, I still prefer to go to Cafe Blanc if I want a contemporary Lebanese cuisine. We tried Hot and Cold Mazza, they were all right. Unfortunately they forgot to serve us the main course we requested, and at the time that we got really bored with the poor service and decided to leave, therefore I can not say anything about it, didn't try it!

Service, CRAPPY! I don't know what was wrong but they forgot half of our starters! When I asked for it they brought them, and again they forgot the ONE main dish we ordered! The waiters were busy wondering around but not making eye contact with the guests, I had to call them every time and raise my voice to catch their attention! a thing that I hated very much! Although they were friendly, but not focused. I don't know if we caught them in a bad time but forgetting an order is not an option in a restaurant and it does not depend on the bad or good timing, its about the efficiency of the workers.

IL Tetto

Il Tetto is the roof in Italian and is also the latest addition to the Marina Waves, its an Italian restaurant that has a killer location! amazing view from the Marina Waves and a great landscape of Salmiyah especially this time of the year, it is breathtaking, and btw the picture in this post was for center piece at one of their tables the first time I was there.

Picture from Il Tetto facebook group

What is it that makes the place so attracting?


The chairs is the first thing I noticed as I approached the waves, they were huge and I thought to my self, a giant restaurant with giant plates! not so me, And was highly impressed with the outdoor seating the chairs and tables had this unfinished/ old look, all white, big and cozy along with the amazing view all made me eager to be wow'ed by the food.

Picture from Il Tetto facebook group

So what I tried was:

Mushroom Soup: Not my ideal mushroom soup, not a familiar taste and was not mushroom'ie enough for my taste :) but I did notice that they used potatoes for the thickness instead of filling it up with cream. I would have preferred more mushroom to be added to it, then again it is a trial to see how they cook their food :>

garlic bread: a pizza like bread with tiny diced garlic and herbs that really captured the flavor of garlic in a fresh yet not too intence way!

garlic mushrooms: I'm not that big of a garlic fan BUT that is a must in this place! I adore mushroom and their garlic mushroom was deliciously swimming in a creamy sauce that really wow'ed me. A must

parmigiana di melanazane: Now this one fooled me! I'm not an eggplant fan, but I only tasted yummy'ness. It looked like a lasagna but it actually was "Eggplant baked with tomato sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese" It was edgy with a strong savory flavor from the tomato sauce & parmesan that was even down with the eggplant soft flavor. An other must!

chicken napoletana: Its a very creamy conservative starter, delicious also but a safe one to go for, not too over the edge but a good one too.

pouttanesca: A good pizza to try out on a first time, I'm not a hot chilly girl (yes the nickname does NOT relate to chilly its chillout :> the music) Back to the pizza, the only down side I had on it is the oil, its a little oily and was told that pepperoni does that to it, yet I still prefer to see my pizza plate oil-less when I lift up a piece.

penne al la contadina: That is one great dish, it is done with a pink sauce! containing the much adored by me "Pink Pepper", I don't like chilly as I said but the pink pepper is an other story, the dish was delicious except for the pasta which I was told that I can order specifically how cooked I like it to be ,,, yet it was still a yummy dish too! sun dried tomatoes never lose with me, especially that they were placed in a dish that needed them the sauce was not salty yet peppery :) and the tomatoes gave it a perfect sour mix.

pumkin ravioli: I HATE PUMPKIN, but that is one tasty dish! WHY? the ravioli is somewhat neutral it is very conservative, but its the dangerous mixture of the Pumpkin sweetness and the gorgonzola cheese that I did not have the pleasure to try before that dish :) its cheese bitterness sweetness and ravioli. Yet an other must try!

tiramisu: very light and not too sugary, I'm not a tiramisu fan and probably not the best to judge it BUT, me likey :)

caramel cheese cake: As a cheesy cheese cake lover that is hard to please, since I am a cheese lover and prefer the sweetness to come from the topping of a cheese cake, this one was nice, too caramel'eee for my taste, however it was nice.

The perfect way to dine in Il Tetto is to test & taste!, go with a crowd and try to pick things you would've never imagined your self trying! Give it a go take a bit of every dish on the table "not menu ;p", enjoy the out doors in that roof and customize when you wish, especially with the pizza. Do not go for the good old Italian restaurant orders: mushroom soup, margarita pizza, lasagna or spaghetti! gamble in this one and try to discover new tastes for you to conquer your mouth's regular flavors :D

Last but not least, a big thank you for the place owner who really cares about what people think.