Girly Dinner at Royal China, what a brilliant idea!

I hadn't been before and it might become one of my favourites: it is perfect for light Dinners! The service was nice, the ambiance was quite calm, probably because of Ramadan, lately all of Dubai has been calm... The interior design was simple and I liked it, not over the top, not crowded, it is a restaurant, you go there for the Food, not to look at the walls. Cocktails are fresh and full of Fruits (and vodka...), the Manager is smiley, and the Food is delicate. Ordering was a little bit challenging as they decided to do 2 separate menus, one for the regular Chinese Dishes, one for the Dim Sum, so it takes a while to read everything and understand exactly how the assortments work. I will be honest and confess I didn't fight, I gave in to my half Lebanese side's  fatalism and sense of adventure: "Whatever, just bring an assortment, anything that's good for you will be good for me". That's when having Friends who are addicted to Dim Sum becomes a real asset, a big Thank You to K. and M. for balancing the complexity of the menus with their accurate sense of Style and Taste. I highly recommand the crispy spicy Turnip and the marshmallowy Tofu, perfect appetizers. The Dim Sum are not overcreative, quite classical but again, simplicity is a good and rare thing in Dubai. It's light, and tasty, perfect for a Dinner with my Ladies.

Cocktails, Hairdressers, Hong Kong, Men... and Dim Sum, thank you for the brilliant initiative M.!

Royal China

Entrance 4 - Level 2

DIFC

Tel: +971 4 354 55 43
For more information, click here.

This week-end we celebrated the opening of the Olympic Games with an Ancient Greece party! Togas and Vestal Looks were compulsory, so much creativity! It took me a while to figure out what to wear, so I want to thank Pottery Barn for providing the Ribbon for my hair, I surprised myself by actually looking (and finding videos) for "ancient Greece hairdo tutorial" and I now know how to make the Aphrodite Knot, so many unexpected achievements! Thank you to A. and K. for hosting such a good Party!

Sunday Sound

"Meet me after the Show" - Betty Grable - 1951

Smiling Bangkok! We finally made it! It actually took us 3 attempts to get there, it had become a joke "let's go to Smiley BKK" nearly meant "let's stay home and have pasta". For some reason there was always something in the way.

But we finally got there, it took us a lot of will and appetite but we made it to that Dubai institution.

First of all: it is impossible to find the place if you are not accompanied by someone who's been there before.

Second: we nearly were defeated when we thought the restaurant was closed. Always get out of the car and check, you might have a good surprise (especially in Dubai where we are used to big bright lights, that place is the most discreet of all)

Third: the place is small, cosy and very quirky and full of stuff, I absolutely loved it.

Fourth: the service is not great but the little yellow tambourine they give you to call them does help a lot.

Five: the food is good, not exceptionally fresh but it does the trick and if you feel like a spicy Tom Yam, this is definitively the place!

A very good evening in an unusual place for Dubai!

How to find it:
Jumeirah, Al Wasl Plaza on Al Wasl Road, behind Emarat petrol station near Safa Park
Tel: +971 4 349 66 77

Belated Birthday Dinner at La Petite Maison with K.! Good service, good and healthy food, good wine, I obviously love the place. 

I was quite surprised when I got there at 8pm and it was completely empty, even more surprised to leave at 10pm ans realise it was still half empty. That is very unusual for La Petite Maison, usually you can't have a table without a booking. I guess it's a good indicator of how empty Dubai is at the moment. All in all, it was a good thing: we could actually hear each other, it was perfect for a girly catch up.

I like the idea of sharing several entrees, so we had Goat Cheese Salad, Ratatouille, Green Beans with Foie Gras and Beef Carpaccio with a lovely glass of red wine, followed by a Creme Brulee and a Chocolate Mouss. Let me assure you that La Petite Maison knows Deserts! French food for a French Lady.

La Petite Maison
DIFC - Village Gate Entrance
Tel: +971 4 439 05 05
Opening Hours:
Lunch: everyday from 12pm until 3.30pm
Dinner: everyday from 7pm until 11.30pm
Bar: everyday from 1pm until 12am
For more information, click here.

Thank you to my arty lovely Friends who found a little bit of Paris in Dubai for me! Merci K., M. and J., can't wait to hang it!

Rendez-Vous tonight at the XVA Gallery in DIFC for some free Glamour! They will be showing "Breakfast at Tiffany" at 7.15pm, make sure to email them to chack availability at intern@xvagallery.com. A little bit of crazyness, of Audrey Hepburn and her Cat named Cat.

Details here.

Shooting! That's what I wanted to do for my Birthday. 

I discovered one thing though: Pistols I can do easily, now Rifles, unless they are Womens, I can't. Just lifting it is an effort, and as I am putting all my strength in holding it, I can't control it properly, which makes me very dangerous. I actually shot once, and the impact on the Rifle against my Shoulder was so strong half of my Body turned. Not good. So I let the Gentlemen shoot the Rifles. I will return, but I will specifically ask for the Women Riffle next time.

Celebration means Drinks, and I discovered a nice Place this Week-end: Frankie's, very 80's, in the Marina, quite calm, not too shiny, a Piano, chilled and easy.

Al Fattan towers, Dubai Marina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tel: +971 (4) 399 4311

I spent a whole year explaining how Ipads were useless, how my Mac was way enough and I didn't need an other device. Guess what I had for my Birthday? ... and I love it. Still need to figure out how to use Blogger on it but I am actually having a lot of fun playing with it. Unfortunately for my Family and Friends, they often have to push their Gifts on me, I can be quite stubborn... But I recognize when I am wrong, and I have to say the Ipad is actually great fun. Thank you very much J.!

Lovely Birthday Week-End full of Treats and Messages. Thank you!

Sunday Sound

"Dansez!" - Guy Berry - 1940

Oh I was waiting for them! I got 2 big beautiful monogrammed Smythson Notebooks for my Birthday. Time to rewrite my Recipe Books properly!

This is a good Tip for Presents: Smythson personnalises and delivers Notebook to you Door (and they have an amazingly sweet sales team that will help you worldwide). 

I cannot wait to get started!

Have a look at Smythson website.

Today is my Birthday. I am nearly 30, still wearing Bows in my Hair, still have no Idea how to read a Map (I am officially the worst co-driver on Earth), and I love to sing on my own behind my Computer at work... Happy Lady! 

Source here.

If I was able to manage Clutch Bags, I would go for Olympia Le Tan. I love everything about her old book bags. They are surprising, cute, the right size, and a little bit of litterature is always a good thing in a Party. Unfortunatly for me, I actually need my two Arms. I don't do Clutch Bags because I am too busy hugging People. That and the fact that if my Bag is not physically attached to my Body, you can be pretty sure it will be forgotten somewhere. So for the Ladies who have that Skill, Olympia Le Tan is always a good Idea.

Have a look at her website here.

Tip for the Travelers: Longchamps has a customizing service for their famous Pliage Bags. You can choose the Model, the Handles, the Colours, get it monogrammed and delivered to your Door. The Bag is easy, practical and very light. I chose the biggest size, it's perfect for a cabin Bag... and a very good idea for Presents.

To learn more about that service, click here.

Remember I grew a little aviary on my balcony? Well it seems that after the Birds come the Gekkos. I woke up this Morning with this little cutie on my Curtain, next to my Pillow. Seems like my menagerie has a new addition. Growing up I was used to spotting them in the houses in Nigeria, Saudi, Egypt, the Emirates, they are completely harmless and can help you get rid of bugs, Hello new Friend, Hello Gekko!

So I had Dinner with Fish... I had Dinner at Ossiano last week-end, at Atlantis on the Palm. I hadn't heard any review about it before so it was kind of a blind date. First thing is the staff stressed us up with the timing, explaining we should absolutely be there at 10.30pm. Considering the fact that the restaurant was half empty when we got there, we didn't understand why they were in a rush. The scenery is very 70's, with some kind of 80's-90's Music (I was not prepared for Celine Dion's "Because you loved me"), very Dubai style obviously, but the Aquarium is absolutely beautiful. It's like having dinner underwater, scary and impressive at the same time. We got a little bit scared when we saw the small starters (teeny tiny langoustines) arrive but the main courses were the right size: we were not hungry afterwards and it was really good. Favourite dish: the Cod, delicate and tasty.

The service was attentive but could be more smiley, and was easy to tease: "Oh so you have Nougat, Coco pastry, Financier, Shortbread but no Chocolate in you "Chocolate Selection"!". Again, very Dubai style, they don't always pay attention to details but the Food was very good and I was in great Company so I had a lovely evening anyway.

Hours of Operation

Dinner: 7:00pm - 11:30pm

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Bar: 7:00pm - 12:00am

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Age policy: 10 yrs and above

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Location: East Royal Towers
Complimentary valet parking:
The Grand Lobby
Dress code: Elegant

Website here.