I'm Not a Fiend

Food & Travel Dubai/Beyond We like to search Old Dubai for its hidden treasures.

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Han Cheng Guan, Deira

There’s plenty of Korean restaurants in Dubai, but they tend to be on the expensive side. Han Cheng Guan however, is cooking up delicious authentic Korean cuisine at way more affordable prices. Located just down the road from Al Ghurair Centre, this is yet another Deira eatery that proves you can’t judge a tasty book by it’s nondescript cover.

You might notice from the exterior shot that these guys also offer Chinese and Japanese food. While I didn’t try either, my gut instinct says avoid! Too many restaurants in Dubai try to cover too much ground, rather than just doing their thang and doing it well. If I wanted sushi, I’d go to a Japanese restaurant. Amiright?! 

I can never resist ordering bibimbap when having Korean food, and Han Cheng Guan’s is a treat! A hot stone bowl filled with rice, topped with a neat display of meat, vegetables and a fried egg, to be mixed altogether with the accompanying gochujang sauce (a red pepper and sesame oil based paste). That stone bowl gets the bottom of the rice beautifully crisp and chewy, an integral aspect in the beauty of the bibimbap. The result is pure mouth-shovelling pleasure.

Korean menus can be pretty confusing if you’re new to the cuisine, so if you’re stuck on what else to order, here’s our tip: you’ve got to get grilling. Here at Han Cheng Guan they’ll bring out a little portable grill to your table, which brings a lovely interactive vibe to your eating experience.

Whether you go for the Bulgogi (sirloin), galbi (short ribs) or branch out with the Sogogi Jumulleok (beef short steak), the thinly sliced meat comes marinated in that wonderful typical Korean style. A little bit sweet and fruity, plenty of garlic and sesame, and with the most mouth-watering aromatics wafting around your table as it sizzles. There is nothing better than grilling well-marinated meat, in the middle of a table filled with condiments and various assortments of spicy, sweet, and tangy little dishes. 

Here’s what you do next: load up all that juicy grilled meat into a crisp lettuce leaf, add some sauce, a little kimchi, garlic, a slice of chili if you dare. Maybe even some rice from the bibimbap, turn that lettuce taco into a lettuce burrito. Wrap it up, and enjoy. Sweet tender meat, crunchy lettuce, sour kimchi, a whole load of flavours partying it up together. That’s why I love Korean food so damn much. 

For Korean food without the fancy decor and hefty price tag, Han Cheng Guan have got it covered (although hey, who doesn’t love a beaded curtain). Sure, it might not be the greatest Korean food ever, I’m not sat here crying over the memories. But if you’ve got a craving for those flavas and aren’t feeling spendy, get your butt over to Deira and fire up the grill at Han Cheng Guan. Cravings will be fulfilled. 

Han Cheng Guan Address: Omar Bin Al-Khattab Rd, next to Union Bank Phone:[phone]

If you’re looking for Korean food, you might also like: Mannaland, Satwa

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Soarikh, Al Rigga

NOTE: This post is an extended version of a feature we did for the new issue of Al Ghurair Centre Magazine. Pick it up now to see our five favourite places to eat in Deira, Soarikh included. 

We've been exploring Deira a lot more lately, and each trip has been truly eye-opening. Here I was, for the past two years, naively thinking that the whole of Deira was on par with the madness of the souq area, or Naif Street. Well I guess I'm the fool here. Turns out there's vast suburban villa vibes and calm shopping areas full of international offerings around Abu Hail; and the wide streets of Al Rigga, packed with restaurants with outdoors seating, feels almost like a European high street. Except alongside the hotels, Subway and mobile shops, it's all shawarmas, Arabic sweets, and an Egyptian eatery called Soarikh.

I've been having a craving for Egyptian food for way too long, in particular koshary. Koshary is one of those things that shouldn’t exist. But it does, and it’s beautiful. The popular Egyptian dish was invented as a cheap yet delicious way to get filled up quickly. Macaroni, spaghetti, lentils, chickpeas, crispy fried onions, and spicy tomato sauce layered up in a mountainous bowl of carb-laden happiness. Head to Soarikh - a casual Egyptian restaurant in Al Rigga - for a taste of true Egyptian street food, and you won’t look back. 

And it’s not just about the koshary at Soarikh. They also do a mean feteer, listed innocuously on the menu as “Pies”. Feteers are crispy layered pastries, as wide and addictive as pizza, stuffed with sweet or savoury fillings. Go for the Turkish cheese and pastrami filling: stretchy cheese and salty pastrami oozing out of their flakey pastry casing like nobody’s business. 

The side dishes are equally as delicious. There’s perfectly crisp falafel; rich and smooth foul for scooping up generously with bread; or shanklish, a smooth and tangy aged cheese served with fresh tomato (amusingly translated on the menu as 'Old Cheese'). Now I'm a blue cheese lover, and I die for a sharp mature cheddar. But this is the most intense cheese I've had in my life. The juicy tomato slices are so necesary to cut through the pungency. It' probably not for everyone, but if you're like me, this old cheese is addictive stuff. 

It probably goes without saying, but don’t visit Soarikh if you’re calorie-counting. This food might not be light, but it’s pure pleasure. And here's what I always say - if in doubt, it's always better to over-order and have leftovers for later than to deny yourself trying five dishes. 

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Java Padang Cafe, Karama

There’s a certain block in Karama that pulls me back time and again, with a gravitational pull stronger than the sun. Somehow, these quiet streets behind the Park Regis Kris Kin Hotel are home to many of my favourite places to eat in Dubai. Yalla Momos for the best momos outside of Nepal, Raju Omlet for spicy Indian-style eggs in all forms, Zagol for a relaxing shared Ethiopian meal. Kulcha King, Betawi, I could go on!! And every time we wander these streets, a new eatery catches our eye, and we make a mental promise to return. Most recently it was Java Padang Cafe.

The first time we visited Java Padang, it was called Chef Bali, and we posted a photo on Instagram of the rather confusing menu. They are covering all corners. Indonesian, Filipino, Mexican, shawarma, AND fried chicken. Hello, you guys forgot sushi?  We figured that sticking to the Indonesian specialties would be wise. 

The walls in this friendly little Indonesian cafe are covered in photos of families and friends sharing their meals, giving it that community vibe I love in a restaurant. The TV is of course on in the background with Indonesian news anchors soundtracking our meal. A petite lady we presume is the owner of the business is sitting down casually at a table, hanging out and greeting customers as if they were relatives. 

From our many trips to Betawi, my knowledge of Indonesian cuisine has somewhat developed a little and I’m now able to just about make my way around a menu. We started with some oxtail soup, which was packed with umami and depth of flavour; served with spicy fried chunks of oxtail. A little bit fiddly, sure, but so worth it for the tender, fatty chunks of spice-smothered meat. And those prawn crackers! Forget the polystyrene nasties you get at your local Chinese takeaway. These Indonesian prawn crackers are made fresh on site, taste 10 times fishier, and serve as the perfect little scoops for your meal.

Nasi Bali was an attractive little selection of rice, skewers of chicken and fragrant fishcake, crispy grilled chicken, tofu, fried egg, and vegetables. Although I’ve got to say I was a little disappointed it wasn’t served on the banana leaf in the menu photo, there is still something infinitely satisfying about this Indonesian way of presenting a platter of food. We might be in dusty, concrete Karama, but for a second you’re transported to tropical island life with these flavours. Although the chicken was a bit dry, and the whole plate could have done with a dipping sauce to bring it all together, regardless, I had a great time eating this beauty!

Beef skewers with peanut sauce - Sate Kambing - were certainly one of the better versions of satay we’ve tried. Plus that tasty peanut sauce - reassuringly chunky with a home-made feel - came in handy with the Nasi Bali selection! 

We were waved off with a cheerful smile, and “goodbye, my friends!” Back out into the scorching sun and concrete jungle, our taste of island life beautiful but fleeting. Betawi is still my favourite Indonesian outpost, but Java certainly comes close, and is packed with charm and delicious cheap food. 

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Special Ostadi, Bur Dubai

When does a restaurant stop being just a popular place to eat, and elevate itself to being an institution? It’s got to have more than just great food. The atmosphere is important, for sure. Let’s look to Special Ostadi, an Iranian restaurant in Bur Dubai, for answers. Is it the chirping birds in hanging cages, or the mountains of complimentary dates that greet you at the door? Is it the walls, covered in photos of Dubai’s past and smiling customers throughout the years? Is it the tables, with currencies of the world overlapping like old friends under the glass top? It’s all and none of the above.

There’s something in the air at Special Ostadi that is rare to witness in Dubai. There’s history in those photo-covered walls. It’s a family-run establishment, with three eccentric brothers and their father grabbing each day and each customer by the horns, to make everyone’s experience memorable. 

Their father came to Dubai from Iran back in the 1940s, and this family have seen it all. He was witness to Dubai’s transformation, and the restaurant is still standing, more popular than ever, since 1978. On a Monday mid-afternoon, the place will be packed with tourists, locals, and expats alike. Everyone is welcomed with open arms, and they get a fierce fondness and loyalty from their customers in response. 

You’ll probably get a little gentle teasing from the brothers if you dine at Special Ostadi. But you’ve got to laugh, in their own weird and wonderful way, this is how they welcome you into their home for food. Their unpredictable energy as they serve you, bouncing and buzzing around the room, is what makes this place special.

The first time we visited Special Ostadi, our dreadlock-toting friend was greeted by a pair of scissors and a pretend haircut. Another occasion, our visiting friend from the UK was treated to being tenderly hand-fed fries, while I earned the nickname ‘Barbie’ for having the nerve to stop my eating for a few second’s breather. This is Iranian food, after all. You must eat, eat, and eat some more! 

And of course, a restaurant does not survive in Dubai for over 35 years without serving brilliant food. This is homestyle Iranian cooking: grilled meats, hearty soups, and all the accompaniments. It might be simple, but they do it so right. 

Skewers of saffron marinated chicken (joujeh kabab), yogurt coated mutton (kabab khas), preserved lemon Bahraini kebab; all are perfectly flavoured, charred, juicy and tender time after time. Squeeze over some fresh lemon for tang, roll it up in some bread with a slice of tomato and onion, dip in your bowl of cucumber yogurt sauce. There’s no way this won’t make you happy. 

And if you’re lucky, on your way out you’ll be stopped for a photograph to add to the walls. That’s how you’ll know you’re really part of Special Ostadi’s massive, loving family. Bring your friends, bring your visiting relatives, bring your colleagues for a work dinner that for once won’t be awkward. Eat, laugh, share, and enjoy. It’s all about the experience. 

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Xinjiang Style Spicy Tomato Noodles - with Caramelised Pork Belly

This dish is inspired by the fiery hot saucy noodles of the Xinjiang province in China. This chilly northwestern province borders with Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan, and is known for its lip-numbingly spiced grilled meats, soups, and noodles. Think lots of cumin, red chilli and various peppers! Just what you need to warm you up on a brisk winter’s night (or just crank up your A/C to get the same vibe).

The cuisine also features my only known instance of tomatoes cooked with noodles, which add a delicious freshness to the sauce, while also thickening it up brilliantly. The addition of pork belly might not be completely authentic (the region is known more for it’s mutton, lamb and chicken), but it certainly works here. When does caramelised pork belly not work, exactly? 

The sauce is simple to make, but a couple of ingredients are a bit specialised. If you’re in Dubai, you can track down Yoricho vinegar and red pepper powder at 1004 Mart, a wonderful Asian supermarket in Barsha. 

Ingredients

Pork Marinade - 1 tbsp cumin - 1/2 tbsp red pepper powder - 1 tsp chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds - 2 tbsp white vinegar - 2 tbsp Yoricho fruit vinegar - 2 tbsp brown sugar - thinly sliced pork belly for two people

Sauce - 2 tbsp brown sugar - 1 tsp red pepper powder - 1 tsp cumin - 1 tsp chilli powder - 1 tbsp sesame oil - 1 tbsp Yoricho fruit vinegar

Noodles - Noodles of your choice for two people - One large tomato, diced - Handful of mushrooms, diced - 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped - 1 red chilli, finely chopped

Method

Mix together the pork marinade ingredients, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cover the pork belly all over, and marinate for 2 hours, or at least ten minutes if you’re in a hurry. 

In a bowl, mix the sauce spices with some salt, pepper, and the sesame oil until it becomes a paste. Add in the vinegar, then taste and add more spices and seasoning if you like. 

Heat a wide pan on medium-high with a little sunflower or vegetable oil. Add the pork belly slices, making sure to leave out any excess liquid from the marinade so that the pork can caramelise properly. This is where the sticky brown sugar in the marinade comes into action, getting that pork beautifully sticky and crisp, but still moist and tender. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side until nearly burnt, then set aside. 

In a separate pan, gently fry the tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic and chilli for about five minutes. 

Meanwhile, cook your noodles. We used egg noodles, you want something a bit robust for a meal like this! 

Mix together the noodles, tomatoes, mushrooms and the sauce you made earlier. Do this in a hot pan and stir around for a minute or two to get everything sticking to the noodles nicely. 

Serve with the sliced pork on top, and garnish with chopped fresh coriander. We also used finely sliced pickled ginger for extra crunch and tang. 

Disclaimer: eating these noodles will give you a runny nose and tingly tongue. But you will love them all the more for it. 

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The Gates of Satwa

Walking the busy streets of Satwa is a unique experience. But turn a corner down a different direction to usual, and you'll find yourself in the back streets. Cycling these back streets is a different experience altogether. 

From the urban neon lights of Satwa Road and Al Diyafah, just seconds later you feel transported to a sandy village. One storey buildings as far as the eye can see, dusty palm trees, and scrawny cats that eye you up and down from the top of a dumpster. Cockerels crow and goats bleat from behind fences. Who lives in these ramshackle abodes is an eternal mystery to me. In many, it seems to all be men, up to twenty. What are their lives like? It's another world, and it's right under our noses. 

This is Satwa still though, and commerce remains a dominant fixture. Only now it's nothing but bakeries, tiny grocery stores, and the odd building supplies shop, whose supplies seem to have remained toppled up in the dusty shelves for decades. If you need just a couple of nails to hang up some pictures, perhaps a bearded old man will let you have them for free. It's no skin off his back, in his jungle of bits and bobs. 

Every Friday afternoon, under a certain tree at a certain crossroads, a group of cheering men huddles around an ironing board. Some kind of illegal activity is afoot! Nothing more than a simple card game, but a rowdy one at that. Don't look too closely or they'll get antsy.

Cycling is the way to explore these streets. The roads are narrow, but they're flat and straight. The only traffic will be the occasional 'Satwa truck guy', and a lot of other bicycles. You can speed past house after house, peering into any gates left open. You'll catch glimpses inside, flashes of stoney courtyards and damp stairwells. Clothes seem to hang from every possible surface. Trees double as laundry stands and bike racks. 

Bikes might be commonplace in Satwa, but girls on bikes aren't. I get a lot of funny looks as I speed past the jostling crowds that gather outside the chai and shawarma joints at the weekend. Bemused, confused, appalled, or admiring? I'm not exactly sure! But I'm gone a second later. 

The gates themselves are a thing of beauty. Metal wrought into arabesque patterns, timeworn paint peeling and chipping away. Birds, fish, stars, and hearts, made in a bygone era. The falcons of the UAE. The bricks crumble around them, but these gates remain steadfast. They don't make buildings like this anymore. Behind the gates is usually a central courtyard. Beyond that, who knows?

One afternoon we stopped outside a house with a sculpture of two majestic fish above the front door. We were mesmerised. The house had geometric grate-work, a blue and white patterned gate, and turquoise fencing. It was simultaneously beautiful and outrageous. When an Asian man on a bicycle pulled up in front and started getting his keys out, we had to speak to him. Finally an opportunity for insight into these gates. 

The friendly man revealed he was Vietnamese, and had only been in Dubai for two weeks. He was working in ship repairs. And as far as he knew about the fish? They were put there by the Arabic owners of the house. He hadn't really paid them much attention, it seemed. 

The mystery of these houses remains. Because amongst all the crumbling buildings, there'll be the occasional villa painted in vibrant turquoise or terracotta. There will be carefully tended to plants outside, proud UAE flags on the walls. Love and attention has gone into this presentation. 

And therein lies the beauty of Satwa. The loyalty and pride felt by its people, combined with the eternal sense of the unknown. You really never know what you're going to find around the next corner. Sandy lots are transformed into rugged football pitches or cricket lawns. Carparks are turned into town squares, housing huddles of men with cups of hot chai. But above all, these little fortresses and gates of Satwa continue to fascinate and bemuse me.

Beth

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Lola's Best Restaurant, Satwa

Almost all the kitchen staff at my work are Filipino. So every lunchtime, when it comes to making staff food, there'll be big vats of Filipino specialties for everyone. I'll be given a small mountain of rice, accompanied by Bicol Express one day, sinigang another day, bulalo the next. I never really know what I'm going to get. Granted, sometimes it's a boring beef stew, shovelled into my mouth methodically like the pure body fuel it is. Sometimes it will be a completely unfathomable pairing of rice with creamy spaghetti. But these daily meals have introduced me to a lot of great dishes I wouldn't otherwise have tried, and I really look forward each day to my lunchtime education!

So in the spirit of trying new things, and not always succumbing to the call of the tapsilog, we branched out at Lola's Best Restaurant. Down a road in Satwa we don't usually go down, Lola's is another neighbourhood-style casual Filipino eatery, with good vibes aplenty. The booth seating arrangement feels a little like a diner, and of course, there's some variety of singing competition playing on the TV. 

One unknown dish in the menu with a really weird photo caught our eyes immediately (side note - I made the bold statement over this meal that no independent restaurant EVER has good food photos in its menu, and I stand by it). Ginataang Puso ng Saging turned out to be the heart of the banana palm tree, also known as banana blossom, cooked in a spicy coconut milk sauce. A dish that foreign had to be tried. 

The thinly sliced banana blossom was soft, with a tropical flavour and tiny hints of banana. It was ever so slightly bitter, but with the delicious coconut milk sauce the whole concoction was insanely good! Serious island vibes. I will definitely be looking out for this one again. 

Pinaputok na Tilapia was a cute little tilapia stuffed with onions, tomatoes and peppers and topped with lots of crispy garlic. We shredded it up, happily eating the juicy flakes of fish dipped in spicy vinegar. 

For some reason we have subconsciously avoided ordering the soups in other Filipino restaurants. But today was different. Disclaimer - we were a little hungover. A big, steaming bowl of hot, comforting soup was pretty damn appealing. We went for the Sinigang Na Hipon, a sour tomato broth with lots of juicy, fresh prawns floating about in it. Oh and it was comforting alright! 

Finally, tokwa. This is chunks of tofu, deep-fried till crispy, then drenched in a tangy sauce of vinegar, soy sauce, chilli and red onion. Often tofu can be bland, but with this Filipino-style of cooking it, the spongey tofu soaks up that wonderful sauce, and all the tangy flavours along with it. So simple, but so good. 

And as if the prospect of great Filipino home-cooking along with a friendly atmosphere wasn't enough to tempt you, wait till you hear about the prices. That tofu dish? 5 dirhams. The whole bill? Under 70 dirhams. That's some wild shit! Lola's is a satisfyingly old fashioned joint with a whole load of soul. We would recommend going to experience the banana blossom alone.

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Kimchee Prawn Noodles

It's been a long time since we've posted something we've cooked ourselves. It's too easy in Satwa. We got sucked into that typically Dubai cycle of never cooking for ourselves. There's a whole world of cheap cultural food experiences on our doorstep. I guess we got lazy. 

But I started to miss that personal process of creating something from scratch; and the satisfaction of eating something delicious, proudly knowing that you made it yourself. After too many months, I finally fell in love with cooking again. So let's hope this is the first of many recipe posts. 

So on that note, allow me to introduce a certain holy elixir we have discovered known as "Kimchee Base". This little bottle of hot, sour, spicy sauce makes everything taste of kimchee x100. Two weeks in, and we are addicted. I'll give you this tip for free: if you ever find a bottle of this stuff, cook your bacon in it. Smother your bacon in it. Fry it up with eggs and serve on toast. Welcome to the sourest, saltiest, spiciest, and downright BEST bacon you've ever had in your life. Thank me later.

Anyway, here is a recipe for a quick dinner of kimchee noodles with prawns (for two people). The sauce is simple, letting the beautiful Korean flavours of the kimchee base speak loud and proud for itself. We pick up a load of fresh prawns from our local fishmonger for outrageously cheap prices (another advantage of the Satwa neighbourhood), keep them in the freezer and just pick out a few for meals as needed. This meal would also work with any veggies you have fresh, or of course, actual kimchee!

Finely chop two cloves of garlic, two small red chillis, and a handful of fresh coriander.

Prepare your sauce: in a bowl, mix plenty of kimchee base, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar, roughly equal amounts of each. 

Gently fry with around ten fat prawns. Keep the heads on, that's the good stuff in there.

Put some egg noodles in boiling water.

Once the noodles are cooked, add to the pan with the prawns, tip in the sauce, and mix till all is covered in silky goodness. 

Serve up with a sprinkling of coriander, you can also add sliced spring onion or toasted sesame seeds. 

Beth

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خبز

Sometimes I'll wander down the same street a hundred times and never notice something that's staring right at me. It's easy to ignore that there are people all around you doing things, maybe it's interesting, maybe it's a craft you haven't appreciated before. 

Growing up in Bahrain, Khubz played a big part of my life. In the region, khubz bakeries can be spotted in most neighbourhoods making only one thing and doing it right, supplying both restaurants and families the same. The bread plays a fundamental role in Arab life and yet, sometimes you forget that there is an art form behind it. These men have dedicated their lives to getting great at it, and it's quite marvelous to watch. 

The scenario is always the same: four guys huddled around a wood fired oven, each assigned to a different job, working together to create that stretchy, warm and comforting perfection. Rolling, kneading, throwing. Sliding it in and out of the hot oven in what seems a matter of seconds. My dad and I used to drive over to our local just before my mom finished cooking, so we could ensure it would get there warm and fresh for dinner.

On occasion, my brother and I would talk about opening a late night Khubz joint to be placed outside a bar or club, as it works so great as a drunken snack - especially when you add in some cream cheese and tabasco hot sauce (the dream). 

I now live in Satwa with about 5 khubz bakeries surrounding my pad. Each one of these places makes it differently, styles from Afghanistan to Pakistan to the traditional local style. I tend to stop more and watch them make it these days too, the speed, the agility, the throw. It's all beautiful in my eyes. 

Kamal

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Shamsuddin, Satwa

Aahh, meat. Sometimes I love the stuff. Sometimes I go weeks feeling completely ambivalent about it. Sometimes I read depressing articles and the thought of meat consumption makes me feel sick. Sometimes I eat Iranian food and remember just how beautiful meat really is. How could I ever have thought otherwise?? Those Persians know how to treat meat right. You haven't experienced tender meat till you've had a good Iranian kebab.

So I was excited to spot Shamsuddin on Satwa Road recently. It's pretty bare bones, but that's just the way I like it. Basic furniture. Tissue boxes. TV on the news channel. Two guys running the whole place. The guy working the grill must have been someone's son, a baby-faced meat apprentice. Shamsuddin don't even have a menu. Just decide if you want mutton or chicken, minced or pieces. Simple as that. The rest will come to you.

 In the face of such choices, we ordered a plate of everything. A housemade laban, heavy on the fresh mint, kept our tastebuds happy while waiting, the aroma of grilled meat wafting through the room. The gruff waiter drops small bowls of dal and vegetable curry on the table, with fresh green salad, and a raita each.

This is the important thing I've come to learn about Iranian food - at first you think it's just meat. But when you order a mutton kebab, there are all these different elements that come with it. You build each bite differently - a slice of onion, a dollop of minty raita, a spoonful of dal. Pick it up with lavash flatbread, or scoop it with some buttery saffron rice. The simple things make for the most satisfying feast. 

Someone's go to explain to me how Iranians get their meat so damn tender. Sumac-sprinkled chelow kebab, which was minced meat in this case, was buttery soft to the point of ridiculousness. What's going on here? What kind of sorcery? 

Mutton chunks, marinated in sour lemon, continued the meat odyssey with aplomb. The chicken kebab - or jujeh kebab to give it's real name - comes in tender boneless nuggets, or a neat row of skewered wings and thigh chunks. The vibrantly yellow marinade is mild yet moreish, and soaked through to the bones. That beautiful char adds a smokiness I can't get enough of!

Whenever I see chefs and restaurants talking out of their arses about "rustic" dishes, I want to take them to a place like Shamsuddin.This is an old-school establishment, grilling skewered chunks of meat the way it's been done for centuries. If anything's "rustic", it's this. 

Shamsuddin didn't take me to the highest heights of meat ecstasy that other Iranian restaurants have (namely one in Global Village, if you can believe it). But if you're in the mood for some tasy, affordable grilled meat, these guys have got your back! 

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Mannaland, Satwa

We recently moved to Satwa and were looking for something a bit different to eat to our usual shawarma and fresh juice affair (a great combination, but one that can sadly grow old fast). We looked up Korean restaurants in the area and the only one to pop up was the very sign above.

Apart from looking like a mattress or office supplies shop from the outside, Mannaland is actually pretty cute inside, a casual, laid back setting filled with family and friends getting together. This is something of a rarity in the high-class, pristine decor of the usual Korean joint, in Dubai at least. 

So we delve in, as we always do, with an open mind and an open belly, ready to take on Mannaland for all it's worth. Will this be our new hang out spot? Will we come back for their bibimpap? What does 'Mannaland' mean?? There's only one way to find out!

Straight off the bat, Korean restaurants always butter me up good with these complementary appetizers. Kimchi, spicy cucumber salad, sesame-dressed beansprouts, mysterious pancakes, these are all good things. 

And then downhill a bit. The beef bulgogi isn't the best we've had. A little dry, lacking in flavour, and it looked way juicier in the photo in the menu. We were fooled! There was a hot plate but it wasn't even sizzling! Even so, it was passable, an enjoyable dish when combined with lettuce leave wraps and a smudge of soybean paste.

Back on track with this warming seafood dish! Belt fish came in a sweet, hot and delicious red sauce, with slices of potato. The flesh was soft and tender, slipping perfectly off the bones. Even with my clumsy hands attempting to maneuvre with metal chopsticks (my nemesis!). This was a massive serving for one, just right for sharing between two people! The best dish of the meal, I loved sopping up every last scrap of fish and soupy, sour sauce. 

Having shakily braved raw oysters for the first time this summer like a real trooper, I was pleasantly surprised to grow a real affection for the slimy freaks. So pan-fried oysters in an eggy batter was childsplay for a seasoned pro such as myself. These tasted satisfyingly fresh and seafoody, as obvious as that sounds. As always with oysters, the texture won't be for some people, but you've just got to go with it. It kind of bursts out squirts of delicious flavour in your mouth. Dipped in the accompanying oyster and chilli sauce, now we're talking! 

So of course this wasn't the best Korean food we've had. I'm not going mental for Mannaland. The prices are a little expensive for the casual vibes and the Satwa setting. But the place has a certain friendly charm. If you order correctly, you can have a decent meal! If you want a mind-blowing Korean experience, don't go here (Sonamu in the Asiana Hotel in Deira will sort you out for that); but if you're in the area with a kimchi craving, you can't go too wrong at Mannaland. How's that for glowing praise. 

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Vandna, Satwa

Blink and you'll miss it. The people and streets of Satwa hurry you along, but fight it for a second. Slow down next to the big mosque, the beating heart of the town. Look around you. A window full of spicy snacks will catch your eye. Behind the chips, nuts, and noodles, thali awaits. 

Vandna serves up a small menu of chaat and thali, from the Gujarati region to be precise. Gujarati food is mostly vegetarian, due to the traditional Hindu influence in the region, and thali is a staple. So much so that if you visit Vandna at lunchtime, this is the only thing on the menu.

You won't have been shifting your bum on the hard seating for long before a metal tray is swiftly placed in front of you. There's little bowls of vegetable curries, dal, yogurt, curds, and pickles. A papad and pulka roti in the middle for dipping and scooping. It might not look like much food at first, but don't worry, when they say unlimited thali on the menu, they mean it. The friendly waiters will keep ladling you up till you say, NO MORE! At just 15dhs for an unlimited thali, this is outrageously cheap & delicious eating. 

They throw another roti on your plate every two minutes whether you're ready for it or not. I kinda felt like I was slacking behind and had to keep up with the bread onslaught. My dipping and scooping techniques are nowhere near perfected, I felt like a complete novice each time I resorted to the spoon. This just means there's a lot more thali to be eaten, and I am willing to undertake that task. 

The thing I love about thali is the variety in one meal. Each bite you can customise with different flavours, adding sour mango pickle, hot green chutney, or sweet curds. There's even a bowl of sugar for if you're feeling particularly mental. I'm not ready for that shit. These curries are delicious enough for me savoury. 

The regular top ups feel so welcoming, as though Vandna is your overly hospitable host, not letting you stop eating until you're full. Then twisting your arm to eat just a little more, because it tastes so damn good, why not.

Step inside Vandna in the evening, and you'll get a different experience. Thali is still on tap, but there's also a selection of chaat. I've discussed my love of chaat time and time again. HERE, HERE, and even HERE. Your fellow diners will be guys stepping in for a quick plate of chaat after work. On our last visit, a guy in a DEWA uniform sporting an inspiring beard was going to town on that shit. The samosa chaat is my favourite. Hacked up vegetable samosa, topped with tangy tamarind chutney, mini crispy sev noodles, fresh tomato, red onion and coriander. 

Bhel puri is like a big bowl of sticky, spicy rice crispies, and I mean that in a good way. Puffed crispy rice, a few cornflakes for good measure, a whole lot of crispy noodles, and you know there's plenty of tamarind chutney up in here. This stuff is so good, it makes me sad for all the sweet, sugary cereal I've eaten in my life. Never again. Once you've had chaat there's no going back. 

The waiters don't speak much English at Vandna. Even getting water is a struggle, but that's cool! Just point to what you want. That thali, that chaat, and all of those nuts, chips, and noodles in a mixed bag to go, please. 

[imnotafiend]

Betawi, Karama

The evening we discovered Betawi was one of those jarring moments when you realise your brain plays tricks on you. We had walked down that road a hundred times before, and at least ten times in the previous week alone. And yet suddenly, Betawi appeared out of nowhere. How had we missed it? Where was it hiding before?? Surely this place wasn't always here??? The questions were many, but the answers were none. Despite having been on our way to a different restaurant, we had no choice but to go inside. 

The cute interior is brightly decorated, with Indonesian artifacts, plants, and black and white photos of  Indonesian scenes. I noticed a framed picture of a couple in traditional dress sharing a bicycle, with a tropical scene behind them. We started discussing how much we've been wanting to travel to Indonesia, Bali and Java in particular! The gamelan, the temples, the street food, the tropics; it's another world we're keen to explore. 

What made me immediately happy upon sitting down at Betawi was the complementary crackers on the table. I've since learned that there's loads of varieties of fried crisps and crackers in Indonesian cuisine, often eaten as a street food snack, or accompanying a main meal.   

These crackers at Betawi were the kind of snack that I could happily eat for an hour straight without coming up for air. Seemingly flavoured with spring onion and coriander, and served with a peanut sauce to dip, these were bloody delicious. It's a good thing they aren't readily available to me on a daily basis, because we would have a dangerous addiction on our hands. 

So after whetting my appetite with some cracker crack, we started with a plate of siomay - steamed fish dumplings served with wedges of egg, covered in peanut sauce. These were a little bit chewy and gelatinous, and only moderately fishy. Once you gave yourself a minute to get used to the texture, these tasty guys were great! And clearly anything covered in that peanut sauce is going to be awesome. 

While we waiting for the next dishes, we noticed a group of guys that left had left their table and gone to sit outisde. These dudes were chilling hard! After watching the world go by for a while, chatting with other guests on their way in and out, and enjoying a bit of guitar, they headed back inside to finish their meal. 

Next up, ketoprak, a dish with a long-ass description in the menu: rice cakes with steamed bihon (rice noodles) and bean sprouts, covered in a sauce of peanuts, palm sugar, chilli, garlic, and Indonesian sweet soy sauce, served with prawn crackers! At this point in the game a terrible thought occurred to me. Imagine being allergic to peanuts in Indonesia! I can't even contemplate such a twisted fate.  

The textures and flavours of this dish blew my mind. It was all completely new to me. We liked to build up little bites using the prawn crackers as mini spoons! Much like the siomay, the first bite confused me. The second bite, I started to get it. I was full-on hooked and weeping with joy by the third bite. 

We had to have Betawi's special dish, Pecel Ayam. This basket is a thing of beauty! Presented alluringly here is every texture you need in life! Grilled crispy chicken, a wedge of fried silken tofu, warming tamarind soup, crackers, rice, and a little pile of stickily-spiced peanuts and fried soybeans. In the middle is sambal terasi, a hot chilli sauce with a hint of shrimp paste. They warn us it's hot, forgetting to mention "oh yeah btw guys this is also the tastiest shit you'll eat for weeks". 

We're pretty cocky when it comes to chicken wings. But just when you think you've had it all, a place like Betawi comes along and throws you a curveball. A delicious, charred, sticky, spicy curveball. I don't know what kind of sorcery that marinade was.  

If you ever doubt the merits of heading over to old Dubai, an experience like Betawi will remind you. It's a place so unshowy that you can walk past twenty times without realising; yet inside is so cosy and full of good vibes that you want to stay for hours. A friendly hub for the Indonesian community in Dubai to get their favourite foods, and an opportunity for hungry fiends like me to get an authentic taste of their cuisine, without hopping on a plane. I can't wait to get back and try more!

P.S. Betawi also quite randomly have a mini outlet inside Emirates Towers Metro Station. However, the food isn't made onsite (only reheated, I'm guessing they make it all at the Karama branch), and it doesn't have the same vibes. It is still worth stopping by though, if you fancy a quick beef rendang on the go! 

[imnotafiend]

Rodrigues, Karama

We've been covering Filipino food in Dubai extensively for the past two years and I feel that now is as good a time as any for a disclaimer of sorts. I must point out that most Pinoy joints we have visited so far have not been mind blowing on the food front. Don't go into these places expecting gourmet shit. Filipino food is comfort food; to be enjoyed in an atmosphere of pure camaraderie and relaxation, surrounded by friendly faces. 

You feel at ease when you eat in a Filipino joint, as if you are sitting in your best friend's living room, sharing a homemade bite to eat and watching soap operas on the television. It's simple but delicious. And who cares about Michelin goddamn stars anyway. 

If you can dig that, then you should really check these places out. Just understand that the food should not be judged alone, but as a part of the whole experience.  

Rodrigues, in Karama, continues this odyssey of cosiness. It's a warm and colourful haven from the busy streets of Karama, with a dash of festivity added with paper bunting! Most of the customers seem to have either come straight from work, or are changed into their comfy post-work clothes. For a cheap and quick dinner, Rodrigues offers a daily buffet selection reminiscent of a school cafeteria, with unlimited rice, and bottomless sweet ice tea to wash it down. 

We skipped the buffet and ordered straight up from the menu instead. We got the Bicol Express, which is a favourite of mine. This is a coconut milk based curry, with tender chunks of beef or chicken, and lots of vegetables, mostly green beans. The name hails from the region of Bicol, which is apparently renowned for its hot and spicy cuisine! As Filipino food goes, Bicol Express is fiery hot. But as world food in general goes, well let's just say Man vs. Food wouldn't bat an eyelid. I'm a sucker for coconut milk, so Bicol Express is all kinds of tasty to me. 

Egg and rice are kindred spirits. These two lovers were made for each other. The fact that Filipino cuisine has a word for this pairing makes me question all other cuisines for not having a word for this pairing. Dishes that end in the suffix "-silog" all come with a fried egg and rice. The term is a shortening of sinangag (fried rice) and itlog (egg).

Tosilog, to give an example, is usually sweet cured pork, with the garlic rice and fried egg. Here in Dubai of course, the license to serve pork is hard to come by, so a lot of places have improvised a chicken version. Now I love a juicy bit of pork probably more than your average gal. But this sticky chicken version kept me just as satisfied. 

The so-called "Seafood Basket" came in a plate, but hey, who am I to question these things. It consisted of grilled prawns marinated in garlic, chilli, and lemon (a prawn's best friend!), deep fried squid, rice and salad. This was a cute little combo meal, and delicious dipping in the spicy vinegar, but was nothing outrageously interesting. 

Above all, the reason I fall in love with a place like Rodrigues is the good vibes. That and their logo (you can just make it out in the top photo), which they appear to have hijacked from American Idol. That's a bold move. 

Beth

[imnotafiend]

Singapore Deli, Karama

I visited Singapore with my family when I was 11 years old as a stopover on the way to Australia. The thing is, I remember nothing from that trip. I can barely remember last week. My brain is worryingly sponge-adjacent these days. So despite having actually been to the country, I'm still pretty clueless when it comes to the food from Singapore. 

The weather over here in Dubai these days is bang on. The kind of balmy evening temperature you're lucky to get for one evening a year in England, but for opposite reasons. Here it's usually too hot, but right now, sitting out on the streets is a pleasure. As the cars drive by, chatter from two supremely relaxed elderly Singaporean dudes drifts past you, along with their cigarette smoke. 

Nothing on the menu at Singapore Deli was familiar to me, and that made me very happy. To try a new cuisine is to ride a bike for the first time, or learning a new language; the excitement, the wonder, the mystery, the confusion, the fear of getting hurt! My brain couldn't process such unfamiliarity. My stomach was confused. But pleasantly so. 

We started with Sambal Goreng Tempe. Fried soybean cake, potato chips and peanuts in a sweet sambal sauce - those words are music to my ears. This snack mix would have been perfect washed down with a cold beer. It reminded us a little of bhatmas sandheko, which we discovered in Nepal, but stickier, sweeter, smokier. So damn good!! The drinking foods of the world continue to fascinate me. 

I had Lontong Sayur, a soupy dish of rice cakes, tofu, boiled egg and mixed vegetables in coconut milk. This is the kind of dish I could eat till the day I die. Creamy coconut milk, a little bit of spice, some egg for good measure, and a ton of mystery vegetables floating around as tasty surprises. I love it! Rice cakes aren't going to get any Valentine's Cards from me any time soon. As bland starchy fillers go, they are my least favourite. Give me some noodles. Give me a pile of fluffy rice. Give me anything but rice formed into moist, pointless cakes.

Nasi Peper was an intoxicating blend of rice, fried tofu, chicken, salted fish, bay leaf and lemongrass, wrapped in a banana leaf. The combination had a smokey, slightly bitter flavour that was completely foreign to me, but strangely comforting! The colours of this dish were so painstakingly bleak that we don't dare share with you what the dish looked like inside this pretty banana leaf. Not all meals were designed to be instagrammed. This was just designed to taste good. 

Ayam Rica-Rica, as well as being a brilliantly named dish, was fried chicken smothered with red chilli sambal. This was deliciously hot and got destroyed in a matter of seconds. Every culture has their own version of fried chicken, and each is beautiful in its own unique way. Singapore Deli's has got that heat! 

It's inspiring to see a place like Singapore Deli exist in Dubai. These guys don't water down their recipes for no one and don't give a damn if your Western gut can't understand their dishes.

It's great to find time and time again that there are joints in the older parts of town churning out authentic food that is true to their culture. I may not remember much of my trip to Singapore from my youth, but at least now I have an excuse to go back again and explore like the fiend I am. 

[imnotafiend]

Yalla Momos, Karama

Momos have been on my mind ever since our trip to Nepal back in February. It was on that trip that I finally came to fully understand the complex beauty of the momo. The soft pastry blanket, the hot billow of air that puffs out as you take that first scorching bite. The balance of minced meat, garlic, chilli and coriander, the tangy home-made chutney for dipping. I've been on a mission ever since to re-create those experiences here in Dubai ever since.

Finally we managed to visit Yalla Momos in Bur Dubai this weekend. As well as a great name and cute logo, these guys are in a great location just down the road from Kulcha King and Zagol, in a block that seems to be made up of purely great places to eat! 

It's a tiny little cafe, with furniture so diminutive it almost looks stolen from kindergarten. They've certainly made use of their narrow shop unit well. The friendly Nepali team there are excited to share their cuisine, and we were excited to try it!

The menu is likewise small - just a few momos, noodles, and masala fries. These guys just do a few items, but they do them well.

As we waited impatiently for our momos to arrive, we noticed the ceiling was covered in posters featuring "inspirational" quotes from dead famous people. Steve Jobs, Bob Marley, Oscar Wilde, Marilyn Monroe. The usual suspects. Former geniuses and icons who have since been reduced to nothing but posters and internet memes in bad fonts and photoshop jobs. I hope never to be so successful. 

Led Zeppelin played gently in the background. It all felt like Yalla Momos had been transplanted from the streets of Kathmandu and planted in Dubai. As we found out when we visited, Kathmandu has a massive hippie culture leftover from the 60s. Hoards of travelers came to the city as one of the last stops on the hippie trail. Those days are long gone, but some never left, and young travelers these days experience remnants of that past. Jimi Hendrix plays everywhere, certain smells pervade the air. Yalla Momos, with its rock posters and 70s guitar band soundtrack, would fit right in.  

Back to the food. All momos come steamed, or fried for 1dh extra. We had the chicken momos steamed (stuffed with minced chicken, vinegar, garlic, chilli and coriander), and they were perfect. Just the right amount of bite, they were soft without being floppy, held their shape, and above all were tasty as hell. 

Spinach and cottage cheese (or paneer) momos we had fried. These tempting little parcels tasted fresh, crispy, not greasy at all, and as light as a fried snack can get. This filling was new to me, I hadn't seen it in Nepal. Perhaps it was inspired by the familiarity of saag paneer to people in Dubai?

Buff (buffalo meat) momos we also had fried. They took me straight back to Kathmandu in one bite. Familiar flavours of coriander, chilli and garlic, tangy vinegar, and we were back on a rooftop over looking the chaotic Durbar Square temples. Dipped in the home-made tomato chilli sauce, we were atop the hill next to the Peace Pagoda, overlooking the lake in Pokhara. It's amazing how food and flavours can transport you back to the past so vividly. Like muscle memory, but in tastebuds. 

Alright so the masala fries are taking a bit of liberty with the limits of what you can call probably Nepali cuisine - but my god they were good. You can really taste the difference when fries are made fresh using real potatoes. These had a light sprinkling of masala spice seasoning and salt that was completely addictive. I didn't even need any mayonnaise. These masala fries are a great example of how to simply take the flavours of a cuisine and add it to a universally appealing snack, without bastardising both. Success, in chip form. 

Don't judge a small place like Yalla Momos before you go in. In Karama, or Bur Dubai, or any of these parts of town, the most unassuming places are quietly representing a country's culture, serving up food from their homeland that represents generations of history. Head to Yalla Momos for a cheap tasty snack (between 10-15dhs for six momos!), of course. But also head to Yalla Momos for a taste of Nepal. 

Beth

[imnotafiend]

Kulcha King, Bur Dubai

Since my discovery of Kulcha King, I have been confused. Where has kulcha been all my life? Kulcha, a type of Punjabi flatbread, is baked in a clay oven till crispy and golden, and usually served with a dollop of butter melting on top, and a bowl of spicy chole (channa/chickpea masala) for dipping.

It has many stuffed varieties hailing from the city of Amritsar, including aloo (curried potatoes), paneer, minced meat, and melty cheese. The tangy chole cuts through the richness of the melted cheese perfectly. It is every bit as glorious as it sounds. 

So does someone want to explain to me why we're all eating naan all the time? How has this beautiful carby, greasy bread product never made it into my mouth, or even consciousness, before? Are they hiding kulcha from the world somehow? Is it greed? Everyone who knows kulcha wants to keep it all for themselves? Imagine a world where kulchas were as readily available as kebabs at 3 in the morning. This is the kind of world I want my children to grow up in.

As well as being King of all Kulchas (and my heart), Kulcha King does an extensive menu of Amritsari classics. The grilled meats are as soft and tender as only Indian meats seem able to be. We tried the Mutton Champ, which to our delight seemed to be a bright orange meat pizza! This deeply marinated mutton, formed into a large patty then sliced into bitesize pieces, was perfect dipped in minty raita. 

Prawns Fry consisted of fat, juicy prawns deep-fried in a heavily spiced batter. Sounds simple, looks simple. But executed and flavoured just perfectly. Again dipped in the fresh and cooling minty yogurt raita, this was delicious.

It's all about the kulcha here though really. A light has been switched on in my world. And I'm here to spread the good news to you all, my friends. Kulcha. Eat em.  

P.S. Kulcha King is opening soon in JLT, good news for all y'all lazy suckas who can't be bothered to venture out to Bur Dubai. 

Beth