Showing posts with label Middle East. Show all posts

Filipino Food Fix at Buongiorno Café


Mark only comes to Dubai on weekends since he works in Abu Dhabi. And because he eats at their camp's restaurant every single day, I make sure that he gets to enjoy his favorite dishes even just on weekends.

Although I love to cook, there are also times when I seem to be infected with the lazy bug. And at such times, Mark's invitations on having dinner outs are a music to my ears!

Ravi Restaurant would be our usual dinner  destination when we dine out, but since Mark was craving for Filipino food, we opted for Buongiorno Café, which is just one restaurant away from Ravi. :D I was already delighted when Mark told me not to cook for dinner one weekend night, more so when he craved for Filipino food! Yay!

City Hotel in Ras Al Khaimah



When it finally dawned on me that I will have to live in the UAE, I told myself that aside from Dubai where I'm currently living, I should also be able to explore the rest of the 7 emirates. Of course I know there are still a lot of things that I have yet to explore here in Dubai, so my goal of visiting the other emirates will have to be achieved over time, if not sooner, especially considering Mark's busy schedule.

So when Mark told me about a body building competition that he plans to join in is being held in Ras Al Khaimah, I was more than excited! :D

Ras al-Khaimah is a Persian Gulf Arab emirate and a member of the United Arab Emirates. Its name means "Top of the Tent". The emirate is in the northern part of the UAE, bordering Oman's exclave of Musandam. It covers an area of 1,684 square km. ~Wikipedia

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The competition had events on 2 consecutive days so Mark took charge in booking a hotel for us to stay in Ras Al Khaimah and chose City Hotel.

Helpling: The Easy Way to Clean Your Home



Living in Dubai for almost five months now, I have come to learn doing a lot of things all on my own, especially the house chores. And because I'm sharing a house with two meticulous ladies, Tita Lilibeth and Ate Cherry, I see to it that I maintain the cleanliness of our house especially on my assigned cleaning day.

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Cleaning the house could be so exhausting especially for me who's not used to doing it, but thank God for Helpling, I was spared from doing all the hard work on my cleaning day last Saturday. I was lucky to be given a 3-hour free cleaning service! Yay!

A Taste of Italy at Eataly in Dubai



A few days after I got my first invite for a restaurant review, I received an email for another one. And because I already confirmed for the weekend with the first invite, I decided to confirm my presence for the second invite for the following weekend.

And so last Friday, January 9, Mark and I got to have a taste of Italy at Eataly in Dubai! :)

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After confirming with the staff at the reception near the entrance, we were welcomed by Mr. Louay Moursel, the F&B Manager, who also ushered us to our seats. We were seated at the far end of the restaurant which gave us an ample view of the place.
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Unlike in our first invite, in Cinnamon Restaurant, where we just waited to be served with our food, we were given the liberty to order what we want here at Eataly. And because it was our first time to try Eataly out, choosing what to have was actually a struggle, in a good way, because everything in the menu was inviting. Good thing Santosh, the staff who took care of our orders, was kind enough to answer our queries. He even suggested that we try out their specialties for drinks, appetizers, main dishes, and desserts, to which we obliged.

Cinnamon Restaurant in Suba Hotel



Although it was hard for me to leave my family behind, I must admit that I also got excited because of the new experiences and adventures that are in store for me here in Dubai---the culture, the people, the places, and of course, the food!

I'm very excited every time Mark asks me out on lunch or dinner here in Dubai as I'm always looking forward to share our dining experiences here in my blog. For me it's already a privilege to get to experience dining in different restaurants here in Dubai through our lunch and dinner dates, but I can't believe that there will be a lot more to it!

IMG_1353Lunch for Two in Suba Hotel's Cinnamon Restaurant

Although I've already had a number of invites for events and restaurant reviews back in the Philippines, it never crossed my mind that I'll be doing that here in Dubai. So imagine how giddy and thrilled I was when I got an invite through email for a hotel restaurant review! I immediately tagged Mark along and confirmed our presence for a lunch at Cinnamon Restaurant in Suba Hotel last Friday, January 2.

An Ultimate Indoor Snow Resort Experience at Ski Dubai



After going to burger heaven at Shake Shack, Mark and I went on to our snow adventure in Ski Dubai. :D Another world record for Dubai, Ski Dubai is the world's largest indoor snow park!

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We availed of the Super Pass and got one locker for our things.

IMG_3235Super Pass - 220.00 AED/person, Locker - 25.00 AED

Photo Diary: An Ultimate Indoor Snow Resort Experience at Ski Dubai



Date of visit: September 12, 2014

Read full story HERE :)

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Shake Shack in Mall of the Emirates



Mark decided to bring me to Ski Dubai in Mall of the Emirates one fine weekend. Will get into the details of our adventure in my next post. :) Before wandering into the snow, Mark chose to have some snacks first. He has been raving about Shake Shack ever since he first got to try their burgers so I wasn't surprised when his feet and his (always-)hungry stomach led us to this burger joint. And although I know he is on a strict diet as he is preparing for an upcoming competition, it suddenly became his cheat day! Haha!

IMG_3228SmokeShack™ Single - 38.00 AED

IMG_3218SmokeShack™ Double, SmokeShack™ Single, and Cheese Fries

Ordering was a breeze but choosing what to have, well at least for me, was sort of a torture. Everything in the menu seemed to be heavenly! Good thing the staff that attended to us was nice (and patient) enough to deal with our undecided minds. :p

Ibn Battuta Mall: The World's Largest Themed Shopping Mall



Once there were two soulmates who vowed to travel and explore the world. On their quest for a new adventure, they were lost in an unknown city and were led by their curious minds and feet to an enchanted train which brought them to an experience like no other. They came by to visit the pyramids in Egypt, conquered the mountain ranges in Andalusia, explored the vast lands of Tunisia, had a quick stop at India, then flew to Persia, diverted to India, and finally decided to watch a movie in China....all in just one day!

Alright. Fine. Nope, I'm not crazy. Homesickness has not taken over my sanity, just yet. Haha! But seriously, it's just that there's this mall in Dubai which is so grand and awesome that I can't even find words to describe it.

IMG_3038Chinese Junk in China Court, Ibn Battuta Mall

I've always dreamed of travelling the world, and although I know that it won't be very soon that I'll get to live that dream, Ibn Battuta Mall has somehow made me cross a few destinations out from my list. Haha! :p

Ibn Battuta Mall, the world’s largest themed shopping mall (yet another world record for Dubai), has six different themes based on the travels of the 14th Century Arabic Explorer, Ibn Battuta. Every section was carefully crafted which makes guests feel and relive the travels of the great explorer.

Hatam Restaurant in BurJuman



Mark took me out on a dinner date one weekend after we heard an anticipated mass at St. Mary's Church in Oud Metha. And because BurJuman is just a few blocks away from our house, it instantly became the venue of our dinner dates.

IMG_3064Dinner Date ♥

IMG_3080St. Mary's Church in Oud Metha, Dubai

There are a number of restaurants and cafes in BurJuman but Hatam Restaurant was the first one that we got to try. I guess it was also a plus that it was the one nearest to the escalator where we came from. Haha! :p

Blue Barjeel Restaurant & Cafe



We concluded my first weekend in Dubai with a dinner date by the Dubai Creek. Mark chose this restaurant because he says that the food here is good. He would usually stop by this restaurant for some gastronomic treat before heading to the camp. It is also just a few walks away from the Al Ghubaiba metro station and near the bus station to Abu Dhabi.

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There's an air-conditioned part of the restaurant, where the kitchen is also situated, but we chose to have an al fresco dining experience.

My First Weekend in Dubai



After my first dining experience in Dubai, I was very much excited to explore what else Dubai has to offer. But because Mark had to go back to Abu Dhabi for work, I was basically all alone on my first week in Dubai. Mark got back to Dubai on the weekend and made sure that I get to enjoy my first weekend in Dubai. :)

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I've been in Dubai for just more than two months, and more than anything else, there's one thing that I've observed. It seems that being ordinary is just not the Emiratis' cup of tea. Everything here seems to be so grand!

Just like the Dubai Metro, which is hailed as the world's longest fully automated metro network.

IMG_3014ADCB Metro Station (Red Line), formerly known as Al Karama Metro Station

Ravi Restaurant

I still have a couple of Hong Kong stories up on my plate but I just also don't wanna miss out on sharing with you my most recent adventures, so I thought of going ahead and write about my Dubai adventures and just inject some Hong Kong stories (as throwback posts) every once in a while. Good idea? Well I hope so. And I also hope you guys will bear with me. :D

I arrived in Dubai on a Sunday night, last August 24. Mark picked me up at the airport and we headed straight to our house in Bur Dubai. After having some rest when we had all our things settled, we went out for some late dinner.

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And because I'm totally not familiar with the place, I just let Mark decide on where we'll eat. We dined at Ravi Restaurant in Al Karama, which is just a few blocks away from our house.

Dubai: My Home Away from HOME


Living away from home has got to be the most heart-breaking and life-changing decision that I ever made. But please don't get me wrong. I've been living in Dubai a little over two months now, and so far, I'm very much okay with my life here.


I have a nice house, I still get to buy things that I want, I eat good food, and Mark has been taking very good care of me here.

I also have nice neighbors, it's safe everywhere, there's no traffic, and I get to visit different places.


Surely life here may be easier, but as I've said before, it's actually my first time in 28 years to be away from my family, and that for me is the hardest part. Although I'm not the very sociable type, I'm also not used to being alone. Yes, I have Mark with me, I have neighbors around, I've already made friends here, but I'm sure you'll agree with me that nothing really compares to the bond that a close-knit family has.


If there's one consolation, I just love how I can still communicate with my family and get updated with them through the internet. And because of having been away from them, I now appreciate and miss even the littlest things.

A photo posted by kriska marie (@kriskamarie) on

I miss how my dad would enthusiastically greet me whenever he comes home. I miss how he always checks on me when I'm out. I miss morning chikahans about Zumba stuff over breakfast during weekdays with my mom.

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