With only a couple of weeks left before Ramadan, aside from our Muslim brothers getting ready for this holy month, restaurants and hotels alike are also gearing up for their Iftar and Suhoor offerings—ranging from traditional feasts to lavish and extravagant ones.

While the dining scene in Dubai is at its height on weekends because of brunches here and there, weekdays don't come far behind. Most of the hotel restaurants offer theme nights on weekdays—which is sort of a mini version of a weekend brunch and is mostly focused on a specific "theme" or cuisine each night.

I'd been to the Medley Restaurant before for Iftar, and just a couple of weeks ago, Mark and I were back at Medley to experience their Indian themed night. Dubbed as the "Art of Spice", the theme night offers a buffet spread of authentic Indian dishes with ingredients and flavors inspired by the North Indian region, all curated by the award winning chef Sweety Singh.

It's World Chocolate Day today! As early as last Monday, our friends from Movenpick Hotel Bur Dubai sent us a sweet surprise in preparation for today.

Imagine this: all-you-can-eat choice cuts of prime steaks, mouth watering ribs, a selection of Indonesian, Japanese, and Arabic grills, and fresh seafood; all grilled right before your eyes, plus so much more! Too good to be true, eh? Well apparently not!

The Art of Brunch immediately captivated my heart (and tummy!) when I first got to try it almost a year back. So when our friends from Movenpick Hotel & Apartments Bur Dubai extended another invitation for us to sample their revamped Friday brunch offer, I immediately confirmed as I already knew that I'd be having one helluva gastronomic treat!

It was also very timely that my college friend, Kristel, is in town for a vacation so I didn't have second thoughts when I tagged her along. I was sure that The Art of Brunch would not let me down.

Although there are already a number of Filipino restaurants here in Dubai, it is very rare for international restaurants, or at least with the ones that I tried, to include Filipino cuisine in the menu. Which is why I was stoked when I knew that the Eatery Restaurant in Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Dubai devoted an entire night to highlight the Filipino cuisine. They have International themed-buffet every night and on Fridays, they have this Filipino themed-buffet which they call Kabayan Fiesta.

Mark and I were invited to grace the launch of Olive Oil, Jumeira Rotana’s new all day dining restaurant, a couple of weeks back. While the hotel was unfamiliar to us and was a bit of a struggle to get to (it's tucked in 2nd December Street in Satwa, with all the traffic especially since it's rush hour), the restaurant was easy to find as it's located on the ground floor of the hotel.

One Friday night, Mark and I found ourselves at the streets of Jumeirah, where the venue of our foodie feast is. I got an invite from the owner of Grand Barbecue restaurant to try out the restaurant's pride, their buffet. The restaurant may look unassuming from the outside, but a grand and elegant ambience is what will welcome you when you enter the restaurant.

Friday brunches are a common thing here in Dubai for families, both locals and expats alike. I've been in Dubai for a little over year, and I have already observed how they take Friday (or weekend) brunches so passionately. And while almost all hotels here offer brunches, each still has their own way of making their brunch stand out.

One fine Friday afternoon, Mark and I found ourselves indulging in a festive spread yet again, this time at Dusit Thani Dubai.

We arrived at the hotel a little past noon and were welcomed by the Thai musicians playing traditional Thai instruments, serenading us with a soothing music that filled the air.

A couple of weeks back, I got to indulge into another lavish Iftar buffet, this time at Liwan restaurant in Al Ghurair Rayhaan by Rotana. I was actually invited to the Iftar night for bloggers and media, but it's a weekday and my schedule didn't permit. Good thing Ferry was able to arrange a night for Mark, Cherry, and I on the following weekend.