Bob’s Fish & Chips : Simply Tasty!

a good plate of fish and chips needs no frills – just juicy freshly fried fish, crispy fat fries, and tangy tartar sauce. plain and simple. and that’s what bob’s fish & chips delivers! bob’s fish & chips is in dubai marina, opposite marina byblos hotel. you can clearly see BOB’S – can’t miss it!

 

i can eat this all day with bottomless tartar sauce!

 

bob’s fish & chips is open from 8am and they have a spread of english breakfast like all kinds of omelette and such. bob’s fish & chips not only serve seafood, but they have others like lamb kebab and chicken burgers too. of course, for their main dishes, you can choose between black cod, dory, hammour, salmon or red snapper; shrimps and calamari too. wide choice! not too hungry? soups and salad are available too.

 

free valet parking and free wifi – plus point!

 

it would be so pleasant to sit outside during dubai winter and enjoy the cool weather while eating hot fresh fish & chips!

 

 

simple and sweet decor. a comfy place to enjoy good ol fish & chips.

  

i love the presentation! served in this quirky metal pan. love it!

 

i took ‘hammour and chips’ – hammour fillet in crispy batter served with chips & tartar sauce. as good as can be! not too oily, the crisp batter is satisfying, the fish fresh and the tartar sauce deliciously tangy! i would come again!

 

 

mr khairul chose ‘grilled spicy fish fillet’ – marinated in bob’s chef’s secret spice, marinade and grilled to perfection. served with baked potato or mixed salad; and mr. khairul chose the baked potato. too pricey for a simple dish, but it’s tasty. most importantly, the fish tasted fresh!

 

 

khaleef got himself the chicken burger. satisfying, as good as any simple chicken burger.

 

opposite marina byblos, open from 8am to 4am! i’m thinking we can drop by for sahur during ramadhan!

Kazim Gets Birthday Pizza @ Sarpino’s Pizzeria, Dubai Marina

my pizza-freak boys demand pizza for birthdays – so for my youngest son’s 4th birthday, we got him a cheese pizza. naturally.

 

birthday boy kazim, his cheese pizza and the marina. awesome.

 

domino’s, papa john and pizza hut are already weekend pizza hahaha so we wanted a different pizza place, but closer to home. we didn’t want none of those super thin-crusted Italian pizza, which brings us to ‘sarpino’s pizzeria’, located next to the marina yacht club. in fact we actually walked inside the marina club, and took the stairs down and out. ‘sarpino’s pizzeria’ should be on your right.

it was a good choice. they had delicious pizza and a magnificent view. it was a great birthday dinner for kazim!

 

birthday boy and his brothers love nothing but cheese pizza, so we got them just that. the picture does not do justice to the delicious pizza crust – crispy outside, soft inside, plus generous toppings. I simply LOVE the crust, it’s exactly what I want a pizza crust to be. the texture is just a perfect combo of crispy-moist dough in my mouth.

 

for mak and bapak we got the ‘clasico italiano’ pizza – ‘loaded with pepperoni, turkey, onions, mushrooms, green and red peppers, and mozzarella cheese. doesn’t disappoint at all. delicious pizza all around.

 

I love it because of the thick crust that’s crispy outside and soft & moist inside. (one of my other favorite pizza crusts is the pizza at ‘california pizza kitchen’. check out my review here on our first visit there when the mall opened 24 hours!) other than the crust, I appreciate the generous toppings too! so thick and filled with yumminess. worth the affordable price!

 

birthday boys kazim enjoying his birthday pizza~

 

other than the pizzas, we also tried the ‘caesar salad’ – with ‘romaine and iceberg lettuce, sprinkled with parmesan cheese, topped with croutons and served with homemade caesar dressing’. mr. khairul and I are big fans of salad – and this one gets our approval. fresh and crunchy greens. on top of that we also got the creamy mushroom soup and that was just a really tasty, rich mushroom soup. yummy!

 

we had a most delicious experience at sarpino’s pizzeria – not only because of the satisfying pizza and beautiful view, but also the excellent service of the waiting staff – friendly, courteous and good with kids, I might add! haha. we would definitely come again!

 

the humble pizza place, ‘sarpino’s pizzeria’ at dubai marina

 

…and look at that view! well, this is our neighbourhood dubai marina. not bad to look at while munching pizza, eh?

 

that’s the marina yacht club at a distance

 

I dare say that I’ve finally found a great pizza place that’s 1) NOT domino’s, pizza hut or papa john, ( I know, I know – there are SO many pizza places all around dubai) but this one 2) does not have ridiculously expensive pizza with super thin crust yang tak pueh makan and 3) it’s at an awesome location – by the marina, near the marina yacht club, practically walking distance from our place.

I highly recommend ‘sarpino’s pizzeria’ for all pizza fans who want straightforward, delicious pizza with no frills but just good taste. the lovely view is a bonus. *wink*

Dubai Water Bus @ Marina Promenade to Marina Walk

it’s winter in dubai – weather is always fantastic for a day out walking. an even better day to be out cruising on a bot – or rather, the dubai water bus!

we were taking a stroll along the marina behind our place, just a short walk to arrive at the ‘marina promenade water station’, the first of FOUR around that area. the other 3 stops are at the ‘dubai marina mall’ (yes, I can easily take a 10-minute water bus trip to a mall from my place!), another stop at some building, also along the marina; and the final stop before they turn back is at the marina walk.

the fare for each ride : 2dhs, one way trip. like the brit grandpa who was with us on the boat said, the fare was “a no-brainer.” just ride on!

 

the station nearest to our place : the marina promenade water station. just approach the officer on deck, pay 2dhs, and hop on!

 

ample seats, but that morning it was just us and a brit grandpa taking his grandkid in a stroller.

 

got a seat right by the glass door – so we can see everything! nothing but tall skyscrapers along the marina. sigh. this is our neighbourhood for the past 6 years!

 

kazim totally enjoyed staring at the waves…

 

the door is ajar. agak scary huhu. the door can be opened manually by just pushing it aside, and as you can see there’s only SO much place to stand on the other side, so hang on to your kids!

 

mr. khairul getting friendly with the driver

 

safety precautions. take note!

 

the beautiful spiral building of dubai : ‘the cayan tower’ (previously known as infinity tower) in dubai marina. the tallest twisting tower in the world – twisting 90 degrees.

 

remember I told you about opening the door manually. huhu

 

* * *

 

love the water bus. it’s comfy, with great view, and cheap fare! also, makes it SO easy to go to dubai marina mall from my place. before this, it’s too far to walk, but too near to take a cab – so this really makes it easy. macam 5 minit je dah sampai sebab cuma perlu cross the marina!

a great addition to the folks at dubai marina! yay!

Birthday Lamb Cutlets @ Carlos Steakhouse

it was my 34th birthday so I was gonna eat whatever I want! and I want lamb chops!

celebrated my 34th birthday with delicious juicy lamb chops at one of the many makan places along the marina near our place dubai marina. it really is walking distance from our place!

 

alhamdulillah. 34 and I’m so *rich* with these cheeky boys plus that one big boy that I love so much. thank you Allah, for all your blessings.

 

we went to itallian restaurant ‘carlos steakhouse’, situated across the marina from dorra bay apartment building.

 

it was during really hot humid summer when we went, so not smart to dine outside. but when winter comes, this place should be nice to hang out at – with the view of beautifully-lit tourist boats passing by the marina.

 

there are a few restaurants along the marina. you can even spot joggers along this walkway. during winter, it’s a really nice place to have a nice stroll. no cars, no traffic, no noise. just walking along peaceful stream of the marina.

 

view of the marina and overhead bridge from inside carlos steakhouse

 

* * *

 

this was complimentary. best kan! instead of plain bread dip in olive oil, at carlos restaurant they serve this freshly baked, delicious garlic bread as starter. the boys loved it!

 

the butter container is cute too!

 

my birthday lamb cutlets!

 

birthday yummy for the birthday girl : ‘costolette de agnello con pesto’ which was translated in the menu as ‘bbq lamb cutlet marinated in pesto’. pesto is basically this green paste made from fresh basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts in olive oil and cheese. sound SO good. and yes, the result is this delicious taste of juicy soft lamb. not too salty, not too bland. what a yummy birthday meal!

I would come again for this!

 

assorted veggies on my plate

 

these steamed marinated assorted veggies were served together with my lamb pesto. it’s REALLY good.

after all of my western dishes experiences, this is by far THE BEST most yummy veggies (that accompanied a steak/chicken dish) I’ve ever eaten. I really wanted to ask the chef how was the veggies marinated and most importantly in WHAT? to make it taste so delicious!

the veggies were so soft and well-steamed – not overcooked or too soggy – it was perfect. the taste seeps through the veggies, and each one contributes different taste and texture to the whole dish – the sweet potato, the soft zuchinni, crunchy brocolli – loved it!

 

we ordered cheese pizza for the boys. cheese. on pizza. what’s not to love! khairul had his own steak but it was not HIS birthday so no picture of his dish. haha. besides, he said he was quite disappointed with the beef steak. and since I had a yummy time enjoying MY birthday dish, I’ll leave it at that.

 

* * *

 

that day I also received one of the biggest surprises ever – a wonderfully *shiny* birthday present that I will cherish forever, and ever – and insyaAllah will pass on to my future daughter!

I can say that this surprise tops it all along with 1) the sweet surprise when he showed up at the airport right before I left for melbourne with a huge bouquet of white roses after only 3 dates and less than a month of knowing each other, and 2) when he gave me my beloved burberry a week after I delivered kahfi in dubai.

love you always honey cookiedough!

Chocolate Cake Cheesecake VS Cheesecake Pancake

the battle is between two of my favorite cheesy desserts found in dubai! one is a cake from the cheesecake factory and another one is a pancake from IHOP!

which one do I like more?

any dessert is sweeter when shared with a BFF! my classmate in high school putri was here in dubai a while back and we spent time eating and talking. and then we eat some more. haha. we went to the cheesecake factory in dubai mall, and the IHOP in JBR the walk.

click here for my first trip to the cheesecake factory, and click here for my review of IHOP where we celebrated khaleef’s birthday.

 

* * *

 

meet our first contender : it’s called the ‘30th anniversary chocolate cake cheesecake’! in 2008, the cheesecake factory celebrates it’s 3rd decade of devilishly delicious cheesecakes, and this cake started out as a limited edition, which obviously stayed on due to its popularity.

 

in the menu, this is described as ‘layers of original cheesecake, fudge cake and chocolate truffle cream’. yes, that’s the swirl of choc truffle cream on top! you’d think that by looking at it, it would be this lump of sugary sweet icing on a cake – but it’s actually yummy rich chocolatey nutella-like cream! not too sweet, and really goes well with the moist cheesecake underneath.

 

..and on the side, there are these chocolate shavings and crunchy chocolate chips-like that gives a juxtaposed texture to the moist cake. imagine sinking your teeth into soft cake, and then greeted with a crunch of chocolate? heaven!

 

this is probably one of the more simpler types of cheesecake in the cheesecake factory : just a clear-cut layers of cheesecake and chocolate fudge cake. no coconut cream or lime taste, or hidden walnuts in between or caramel swirls in the middle – very straightforward cheese and chocolate. a beautiful marriage. for my tummy. haha.

 

if you’re looking for good chocolate cake cheesecake, this is IT.

 

me & put after munchin cheesecake!

 

* * *

 

ladies and gents, meet the challenger : the ‘new york cheesecake pancake’. the new york cheesecake itself is essentially cheesecake with sour cream. I can taste the marvelous cheesecake and feel the smooth texture as I fork through the moist pancake. delicious and melts in the mouth!

 

in the menu, this dessert is described as ‘four fluffy buttermilk pancakes, loaded with creamy rich cheesecake pieces and crowned with cool strawberry topping, powdered sugar and whipped topping.’ yum. the ‘strawberry topping’ is just a sweet delight to the pancake. however, I feel that the pancake dish would be perfect with fresh strawberries instead of this pickled ones.

 

I don’t care much about whipped cream, so this is an okay addition for me. sure makes the dish looks good, but I won’t complain if I miss it.

 

my gal pal put enjoying a late afternoon snack at JBR the walk : it was very windy and so cold after awhile that we can’t wait to leave!

 

put at IHOP in the walk JBR

 

* * *

 

…and the winner is -------

are you kidding me?

you can’t ask me to choose between two heavenly desserts! it’s like making me choose between thor and captain america. or lamb chop and lamb mandi. or ferrero rocher and kinder bueno. or mulder and scully. I love them all equally!

so the battle between the chocolate cheesecake and new york cheesecake pancake continues…

…oh, man. and now I want some!