Farzified and Proud!

It’s been a while since I was adventurous – excluding a marriage that lasted like a 30 second roller coaster. Oh, well, the best part about a crazy ride is that you get to stroll away as soon as it ends (…besides dealing with the vertigo that follows!)

Anyhow, I decided to hit the ‘Pearl of the Persian Gulf’ aka Dubai again to revitalise and jumpstart my game – probably the only good decision I made this entire year. FYI, I’m totally Team #2016Sucks.

This multicultural city never seizes to impress you with the way it’s developing so beautifully. From Food Truck Fests to Theme Parks, the breathtaking Dubai Canal – it’s just so fascinating.

One such addition, which had me in awe with its layout and ambience was City Walk. This district offers a diverse variety of upscale restaurants from the east and the west.

Normally, Indian cuisine is never my first preference but suggestions from friends and the raving reviews on Zomato encouraged me to score a reservation at the much talked about Farzi Café.

Originating from India, Farzi opened its doors to the Middle East early last year, offering a modernised way of staging eastern food. Belonging from a family of chefs and foodies, my squad and I were really looking forward to trying out this declared “gastronomic illusion” of simple Indian cuisine.

Disclaimer: It's about to get filmi!

A very courteous staff member had us seated inside where the décor is super interesting; the mural art and quirky quotes really build up the excitement and mood.

As we read through a vast and entertaining menu, a complimentary palette cleanser releasing liquid nitrogen was brought to our table. Not sure what the name of this dish was but what felt like Tapioca balls, burst into my mouth, oozing a perfectly flavored Mango Yogurt. As I mentioned in my Instagram post, a basic mango flavored yogurt had no idea it could look this classy and taste so fine! Really made us look forward to the rest of our experience.
Side Note: Big heart to my dad asking "yeh hai kya?!" (what is this?!)

                                                              Click to play video!

Mango Yogurt Shots!

Going along with the tapas culture, we ordered all their top recommendations – went a bit psychotic for three people:

-       Raj Kachori

-       Dynamite Prawns

-       Galouti Sliders

-       Daal Chawal Arancini

-       Deconstructed Shepherds’ Pie

-       Cayenne Spiked Prawns with Lemon Fried Rice.

Before going into details, I have to point out that Farzi made me realize that there is an Haute Couture of food and this is it!

Initially I wasn’t too keen on the Dynamite Prawns because I thought I had that sorted with P.F.Changs (I like being clichéd sometimes) – however, God bless the server who insisted we try it because these had an oomph that made me go from “oh em gee! Can’t stop craving for Chang’s dynamite!” to “If you come to think of it, they are so overrated – I’m not even a fan!”

Dynamite Prawns

Farzi has such lovely serving platters and they’re totally winning the Art Of Plating game! My lack of culinary education had me freaking out at the foam that came with the food but the mild chili kick to it was so unique! My brother will definitely love this place!

I fell in love with the Raj Kachori – the way it looked to the way it tasted! The kachori exploded with a tangy yogurt mix and the best part is that you can collect the Sev on your spoon from the side and none of it gets soggy or messy. Crunchy and fresh!

Basically ‘chaat’ on the streets just got promoted to like a Director position.

Raj Kachori

The Deconstructed Shepherds’ Pie came on what look like a deconstructed platter and ranked as my least favorite, but probably because of my own preference. Having said that, I downed all of the potatoes present on the plate. #TeamDeconstruction.

Deconstructed Shepherds' Pie

My paternal family is from Delhi and we always make sure to flaunt our “dilli-walay” nature so kebab and parathas are always our thang!

I went crazy over Galawati Kebabs during my trip to Delhi 4 years ago – they live up to their name and totally melt in your mouth!

So imagine Galawatis served as a slider – I can't even!!! This is next level street food – so simple, yet so fascinating. It looked exquisite in the mini bus ride it came on; it tasted delicious, and made me want to cry out of happiness (didn't even miss cheese!)

Galaouti Slider

 Alas, my favorite. The one that touched the insides of my heart  - the Daal Chawal Arancini. As I mentioned before, I don’t die for desi food too much unless it’s simple to eat and easy on the palette, which is hardly ever the case.

But, by now, we’ve stopped doubting Farzi.

These ‘daal chawal’ balls, not only tasted like authentic home-cooked Daal Chawal, but also were nicely sandwiched between delectable assortments of chutneys to give it that smack of home.

The highlight? They didn’t forget the “papad”/ “papar” either! So beautifully twisted and placed over Daal Chawal’s ABCD cousin!

Daal Chawal Arancini <3 <3 <3

Cayenne Spiked Prawns with Lemon Fried Rice reminded me of a ‘Mahi Pulao’ (Fish Pulao) that my mom makes. This was Prawn Biryani done simple and done right. Even though I had become Homer Simpson after all that devouring – I didn’t deprive myself with one less bite!

Chef Avaneesh (if I’ve spelt it right) also came around to introduce himself while I had shrimps and rice falling out of my mouth. Needless to say, he didn’t require an answer with our mouths full!

Cayenne Spiked Prawns with Lemon Fried Rice

The most refreshing sparkling berry drink!

We decided not to order a dessert, but we are also very easily convinced when it comes to telling our brains to shut up! The manager advised us to go for the Firni Oxide.

Boy, was that a show and a half! The Firni genius came outside and remixed the life out of a Firni with ice creams and what not – I behaved like a millennial and made sure my snapchat recorded all of it.

The guest appearances made by saffron, condensed milk, and nuts really upped your average Firni game.

Click to see the video and the magic!

Firni Oxide!

Going to Farzi was definitely an extraordinary visit. It’s like all your favorite food was sent abroad for higher education and came back with honors!

I can only imagine the science involved and making every item look like a piece of art - the idea, the construction (ironically to deconstruct), and the creation must have taken a lot of creativity from culinary masterminds!

Shout out to the Chicken Tikka Masala that was served in phone booths to represent Britain’s National Dish!

I am soooooo #Farzified.

Oh, Farzi! You made me fall in love with desi again – I’d get married to a kachori if I could thanks to you. Till then, you'll see me come back to you over and over again!

Dubai Diairies: Day 4 - Tom&Serg, you made my day!

Breakfast/Brunch are, hands down, my favorite mealtimes of a day. They’re also the meals I get to have the least because: Sleep over food - always! Unless you live in Pakistan where brunch is usually after 2 pm!

Admit it, you can’t ever get a spread like brunch. Waffles, pancakes, gazillion types of eggs, burgers (sigh), fruits, and basically a breakfast-ized variation of any food item.

Tom&Serg won our votes for a nice brunch out on Day 4 thanks to Zomato, which showed an average rating of 4.2!

The warehouse look of the restaurant instantly gave a casual feel and we were hurriedly seated to order the “A.M Food” before the clock struck 11.45am.

Obviously, since we don’t go anywhere without a party of less than a cult, there were a lot of palates and taste buds to satisfy and “a.m foods” in general, are quite personal and sensitive matters.

click to enlarge

We were recommended their bestseller “Shakshouka Baked Eggs” which was definitely worth ordering. It was served fresh in a hot pan (straight out of the oven) consisting of eggs mixed with a rich, red sauce that was blended with a lot of herbs and spices. Very flavorsome.

Shakshouka Baked Eggs

The “Scrambled Eggs on Toast” was my favorite. I don’t really understand how people mess up a dish as simple as this (like me...), but it amazes me when they succeed in making it better than the best one you’ve had. Tom&Serg did that. Beautifully executed and presented.

Scrambled Eggs on Toast

“Two Eggs – Scrambled” served on toasted sourdough bread with veal bacon on the side was mysteriously different than the other scrambled eggs, but delicious nonetheless.

Everything tasted so simple, yet perfect. I especially appreciated the uniqueness that any ingredient can be removed from a recipe but not added, they were more than happy to serve it on the side though.

Two Eggs - Scrambled

We also ordered their gigantic Breakfast Wrap, which was dominated by Mexican flavors. The first bite told you how fresh it was made and the compatibility between flavors was brilliant!

Breakfast Wrap

The Eggs Florentine was one of the finest tasting one I’ve ever had. Even though the appearance was conventional, the rush of essences felt in every bite was mind-blowing.

Every item seemed to burst and melt in your mouth like a world-class molten lava cake.

Eggs Florentine

Could our table ever be deprived of a burger? YA THINK? Never!

I’m going to unwillingly admit that I didn’t have a bite of the Tom&Serg Burger, because with the fifty shades of eggs circulating inside my tummy, I really couldn’t have done it.

My uncle thought it wasn’t the best burger he has had, but their breakfast items really did raise our bar real high.

Tom&Serg Burger

Desi appetites do not touch the finish line without dessert. Our choices were Flourless Chocolate Cake, Blueberry Tart and the Tom&Serg Éclair.

Blueberry Tart, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Tom&Serg Eclair

The best out of the lot was the tart, very moist on the inside and perfectly tough around the outside.

The other two weren’t bad, but probably not good enough to remember. Maybe if they can eggo-nise a dessert? Hmm…

Blueberry Tart

Tom&Serg has a very friendly staff and one of the most creative places I’ve been to in Dubai. Their menu is simple, the recipes and presentation is phenomenal and to my surprise, I didn’t even miss fancy pancakes and waffles that I normally like to flirt with at brunches.

P.S: Orange Juice with eggs FTW

P.P.S: Please your eyes or envy me through the Hangry Words instagram account: @hangrywords

Dubai Diaries: Day 3 - "Hello, Salters!"

Disclaimer: This review is from when Salt was located on KITE Beach

A burger is the only thing that could ever encourage me to head out to a beach at 1:30pm in Dubai.

Salt or #findSalt, as it was trending before, was in my top 3 places to visit during my trip since I had heard way too much about it and the reviews on Zomato, although mixed, were convincing enough for my burger brain.

(I wish we had Zomato in Pakistan by the way, that app is a blessing).

Zomato

We arrived at Kite Beach and believe it or not, God gave us a feeler of the heat we could experience in Hell. The sun, the sand, the heat and the idea of sitting outdoors in this entire setting were really not my thing.

Touche!

It was easy to choose which sliders I wanted from the very to-the-point menu pinned to their food truck. 

I hate it when people ask “with cheese or without?”… why is that even a question?

LOL! Truth be told!

The order buzzer vibrated within 8 minutes with our 22 sliders and 7 servings of French fries ready to be collected from the pick-up truck.

 What happened next? I FELL IN LOVE WITH SALT!

Shake Shack, what? Shake Shack, who? Heat, huh?

Left: Cheese Fries, Right: x2 Single Cheese Burger

Holy mother of food! I wolfed down those two burgers that sat in front of me with dripping cheese sandwiched between those perfect, buttery and soft buns. If I didn't have a crew of 11 family members judging my appetite, I'd be down for another set of those blissful pieces of ecstasy (trust me, they deserve the dramatised description).

Definitely worth going to the beach at that horrific hour, though I’m sure it’s even more heavenly right before sunset.

Shake Shack might still be a winner for cheese fries, but for the love of burgers – don’t miss out on Salt!

Shake Shack cheese fries

Salt cheese fries

How do juries find their hamburgers?

Grill-ty as charred. *SNORT*