The Urban Dhaba, Adliya, Kingdom of Bahrain (Our dinner at...)

Last night after running errands, we popped over Urban Dhaba in Adliya, Kingdom of Bahrain. After months of drooling and browsing through this restaurant's Facebook page. We randomly decided to have a small dinner there. 

Urban Dhaba is a small, colorful and interesting little place located in Adliya behind Costa Coffee. The restaurant has closely placed seating, and the tables are rather interesting and can keep you and your gang quite busy. As we waited for our order, we played board games. The dice is placed in a small bowl placed inside a 'dafli' (tambourine)!

After we placed our order, the waitress brought us a plate of papads served with chutney. I really liked the chutney, which had the right amount of spice and salt.

For starters we ordered Gobi Manchurian. The two of us couldn't finish the generous portion of crunchy, indo-chinesy appetizer. There wasn't any excess oil to be found nor were the cauliflower florets soggy because of the sauce. they were just right.

(Veg Starter: Gobi Manchurian)

(Main Course: Bhuna Ghosht and Butter Naan)

For our Main course we ordered, Bhuna Ghosht (pan fried meat in spices) with naan. The essence of a Bhuna Ghosht is the blending and frying of the spices; this needs to be done really well, there is absolutely nothing more beautiful that slow-cooked meat in its own juices and aromatic spices. For me the single and most important criteria for any mutton dish would be how the meat melts in my mouth. Very few places give cooking meat the time it needs. Urban Dhaba's Bhuna Ghosht did not quite make the cut for me and Mr. D found the salt a bit low in this dish. 

I guess next time, we need to stick to their tandoori/ tikka items. We are defintely headed to Urban Dhaba for a second time-just to try out their tandoori/ tikka items and their lassi (the whole idea of serving it in a chota matka part fascinated me)

Since Mr. D was craving some sugar last night, he ordered the Gaajar Ka Halwa. The second the waitress placed it before us on our table, I could smell that majestic aroma of saffron. The halwa was warm and yum, it definitely put me in my happy place after a couple of spoons.

The bill for just the two of us came to BHD4.500. Apart from all the food, we ordered a small water bottle and a Coke.

(Dessert: Gaajar (Carrot) Ka Halwa)

Are we going there again?
YES. And this time eyes on the kababs, tikkas, tandoori items and lassi for sure!

We went there again!!…and here is my blog post detailing our second visit.

If you have visited this quirky new place, share your experience in the message area.

Please Note: This not a sponsored blog post. 

White Chocolate Ganache and Sliced Peaches for a Vanilla Cake.

I baked the Vanilla Cake using Betty Crocker’s Vanilla cake mix. Follow the instructions to the ‘T’. I would also advise you to not just brush/spray your baking tray with butter but to also dust some flour on the base of the baking tray and on the sides; this aids in getting the cake out of the baking dish smoothly once cooled.

Once the cake is baked and cooled. I prepared the ‘White Chocolate Ganache’, which I used to slather over the cake. I avoid baking but sometimes, this weird sense of confidence pushes you forward and you just go ahead and bake. This white chocolate ganache recipe was not googled; it took quite some time and effort of looking at products at the supermarket aisle, to figure out how we could possibly use white chocolate to the cake. All credit to Mr. D of coming up with the idea of using cream and white chocolate for the ganache (who btw has a Bachelor’s degree in Hunger Management). I just did the baking, slathering and yeah I did choose to put peach slices instead of mixed fruits on the cake.

So here is OUR recipe to making this simple and very easy to whip up White Chocolate Ganache.

6 bars of Nestle’s Milky Bar (each one weighs 25 grams) (I will update this measurement soon)

1 small tin of cream (I used Al Marai Cream 170gms)

Any brand of canned and sliced peaches

Steps:

1          1. Break the milky bars into small pieces and place them into a bowl.

2. Microwave the chocolate for a few seconds. (They just need to soften using a little heat, not necessary to use the microwave to melt it completely)

3. Give it a few stirs, by now it would have gone from solid to a thick liquid state.

4. Next, pour in the cream and stir well.

5. Now apply this using a spatula or a butter knife onto the cake, make sure you apply only a thin layer. Allow this to sit in the fridge for 2 hours.

6. Next, slather some more of the ganache on to the cake and allow it to sit in the fridge for 1 or 2 hours.

7. While you wait, open a can of sliced peaches and drain the liquid. Place the peaches on a plate and ensure there is not syrup left, refrigerate this too.

     8. Once you are ready to serve the cake, place the peaches in whatever way you like           over the cake. 

And Voila! You have a yum tasting and gorgeous looking Vanilla Cake topped with White Chocolate Ganache and Sliced Peaches.

For a beginner baker, I can vouch for the rustic way of applying frosting on a cake, wherein you put generous portions of frosting/icing/ganache on the cake and roughly slather it on the sides of the cake and on top of the cake. Prior to this step, it is advisable to apply a thin layer of icing/frosting/ganache first to keep the seal the crumbs.

May be the for next cake, I will try frosting using the icing bag/ piping bag/pastry bag (whatever you like to call it), and the assortment of nozzles that came with it and that was gifted by Mr D.

(Using the cake batter and the ganache I baked two cupcakes for my sister)

Dinner at Panasia Bahrain (Asian Cuisine)

Last week we celebrated my Dad's birthday by going for dinner to Panasia Restaurant and Tea Lounge.

Panasia is a aesthetically decorated Restaurant situated in Um Al Hassam, certainly away from the hustle bustle of the popular restaurant road in Um Al Hassam.  The restaurant offers a good range of Chinese, Thai and Indian delicacies.

Unfortunately I do not have snaps of the main course, but I do have photographs of the Starters that we ordered as well as of the Dessert.

It didn't take them long to bring our starters, but as we waited, they gave us two plates loaded with Spicy Pappadoms and Prawn Crackers with their special sauces (I call them the traffic signal sauces-you ask why?-well because of their colors). 

Here are photographs and descriptions of the Starters we chose,

Chicken Lollypops with Oriental Sauce....sorry about the blurry photo, can't help it when you have good food in front of you ;)

Chicken Siu Mai- minced chicken, water chestnut, mushrooms served with their '3 G dip/sauce'-which I found very YUM and for some odd reason reminded me of Beef Pickle that a Keralite friend had brought from her house to our hostel in Mangalore. That is one pickle I ate daily, religiously.

Once we were done with the starters, we were given some breathing time and more importantly time to get back to those yum PRAWN CRACKERS.

In a few minutes, our Main Course was laid before us on the table, and the waiter served us all. 

Like I mentioned earlier we had the Brocolli Beef (thinly sliced beef stir fried with brocolli in oyster sauce) and the Kung Pao Chicken, again, stir fried diced chicken pieces with scallions and cashew nuts as garnish.

Sorry no photos of our main.

Considering how much we ordered for the five of us and it being dinner time (light food time) and us having a three course meal..I expected us to have no room for dessert or being unable to walk to the car but the food was astonishingly light and we didnt' have to take a doggy-bag as there were no leftovers. NONE AT ALL!

Moving on to our dessert.....here is what he shared like a good family ;) 

PanAsia's Signature Dessert- two scoops of Vanilla ice-cream, deep-fried and the outcome, a warm crispy outer shell that hold cold vanilla flavored ice-cream inside it. PURE MAGIC!

(This is TMI, but I had to mention, while trying to sleep my sister and I YouTube-d the recipe for Fried Ice cream)

Warm Chocolate Brownie topped with a scoop of Vanilla Ice-cream, cashew nuts and Chocolate Fudge sauce on the side (this doubled as Dad's birthday cake)

I do not have the break down of the bill but the total as per my memory came to BD21.300 for 5pax.

Please Note: This not a sponsored blog post. 

Lunch at Spice Nice Restaurant, Bahrain

On one of our quiet Friday late afternoon, after a good amount of rest, we (Mr D and I ) decided to head out to Spice Nice located in Adliya behind Gulf Hotel, next to Cafe La Ventana. This lunch was supposed to be a light one just to satiate a craving that I had for Chicken Dumplings.

I had been to Spice Nice twice before, but I always missed documenting it. This time I made it a point to cover this cozy, affordable and lovely place. This restaurant specializes in Chinese, Goan and (other) Indian food. Both the times I've dined here, I've only had their Chinese food, because this is what I've heard they are very good at, the Spring Chicken in particular!

After we placed our order for drinks and food, the waiter brought us a basket (basket that is refilled, whenever found empty) filled with Prawn Crackers (yum), that are hard to stop munching on, once you've begun. It is rather surprising how soon two people can empty a basket of these delicious-deep-fried prawn goodness, even without the sauces. 

Mr D, allowed me to order for him, after we picked our choice of beverage. 

I ordered the Fried Kingfish in Recheado masala. This 'masale-daar' fried fish  was accompanied by a salad comprising of cabbage, carrots, onions. The 'Recheado' masala is of Goan origin and is basically a spicy red paste usually slathered on to the fish or stuffed inside the fish.

Next to arrive was my 'crave', Steamed Chicken Dumplings, 8 beautiful juicy dumplings, and all of them for me :D Notice the artsy way the sauce has been plated...yes that is Mr D's work.

             

No snaps of the beverages we ordered ,thanks to this scorching heat we guzzled down our drinks, but I would like to make a mention of the Lemon and Mint Drink that was an absolute thirst quencher. Presentation would have been better if the drink was strained, but the mint infused drink really soothed my afternoon.

Please Note: This not a sponsored blog post. 

Our bill breakdown is as follows:

Kingfish Recheado BD3.5

Steamed Chicken Dumplings BD2.1

Corona Beer BD1

Lemon and Mint Drink BD0.800

Service Charge BD0.400

Total Bill: BD9.600

Dinner at Bonchon, Bahrain [South Korean- American Cuisine]

On the first day of Eid Al Fitr this year we went out for dinner to a new place I had been longing to try out. Tucked away in a very cozy spot at the Seef Mall-Muharraq on the 2^nd floor next to TGIF is ‘Bonchon’- a South Korean based international fried chicken franchise that serves rather interesting food.

Bonchon means 'my hometown'.

Photo Source: (www.twentyfoursevennews.com)

It didn’t take us long to locate the place since we already had most of the clues we needed thanks to facebook-bonchon-bahrain.

We took our seats by one of the huge glass panel windows and we were given the Bonchon menu in two different ways, one on a Samsung Tab and the other on a wooden board with their menu strapped on to it.

I had absolutely no idea about Korean food –all I knew is that I wanted to try this place coz the food looked…. We studied the menu, thankfully there were photos of the dishes they served and we of course took plenty of help from their service staff who were so kind enough to patiently explain to us about some dishes we set out eyes on.

Anyway this is what we ordered….*controlling drool*

For starters we ordered the 'Half and Half' Bonchon Chicken (boneless) (serving size: small i.e. 8 pcs). The Bonchon chicken ones on the left were with spicy sauce and the ones on the right were coated with soy garlic sauce. These pieces of chicken were served with a tiny portion of coleslaw.

The second starter that we opted for was the 'Kimchi Fries'- they are fries that are baked and seasoned with Korean chii seasonings and is basically served with various toppings such as lightly carmelized white onions, kimchi, jalapenos, scallions, beef bacon, and topped with cheese.

Our first main course recommended by the staff there was the 'Bibimbab Beef' (this means 'mixed rice' also available in Veg). This was a bed of jasmine rice flavored with some secret sauces covered with assorted veggies (sauteed carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, sprout stems) and sliced juicy beef and topped with a sunny side up egg. 

Bonchon staff showed us their special way of stiriing this up before we attacked this dish. 

Bibimbab Beef was served with Kimchi sauce (cabbage stem fermented with spicy and sour seasoning) .

 Our second main course was the 'Japchae'- glass noodles with vegetables and beef. This was slightly  on the sweeter side. (Glass noodles are made from sweet potatoes)

Close up of the glass noodles that I was fascinated with. My first time eating glass noodles :P

The bill for 5 persons breakdown:

1 Boneless Chicken small (half and half) 4.900

1 Kinchi Fries                                           3.500

1 Bibimbab Beef                                       5.900

1 Japchae                                                 4.500

2 7Up regular                                          2.400

2 Pepsi regular                                        2.400

Total:                                                     23.600

Pop over Bonchon Bahrain this weekend if you are in a mood to try something different.
                                                    Please Note: This not a sponsored blog post. 

Dinner at Rampé-Bahrain [Sri Lankan Cuisine]

When I first set my blog up I focused only on documenting recipes that I created or tried, and I will continue doing it, until I can. But I figured I should do a restaurant review on an authentic Sri Lankan restaurant that has recently opened in Bahrain. Ever since I read an advertisement on the local newspaper, I've been wanting to go to Rampé...and I finally did go!

Rampé is located in Um Al Hassam, right opposite Hong Kong Restaurant and close to Hyderabad House. Rampe translates to Pandan, as in Pandan leaves (from Pandanus plants) which are key to a number of Sri Lankan, Malay, Thai and Indonesian dishes.

From outside the restaurant looks very humble but once you enter you will find this beautifully lit entrance and stairs leading to the first floor. Once we reached upstairs, the restaurant manager, Mr. Jaya Godage led us to a table. We took our seats and noticed they had a live 2 man band playing the organ and the sax! LOVELY!

To begin with we ordered a round of fresh watermelon juice which was served quickly and chilled to perfection, I think I could have had a pitcher, given the heat outside that evening and how nice the juice tasted.

Fresh Watermelon Juice

Then the manager, informed us that they have a buffet available (Fridays Rampé serves a buffet and on other days they have an  à la carte menu). The buffet consisted of several homely Sri Lankan dishes, that really gave you an idea of their local cuisine. Served in earthen (decorated) pots were red rice, chicken fried rice, vegetable noodles (YUM), deviled chicken, mutton curry (YUM), octopus curry, prawns chilly (YUM), dal, prawn chutney, pol sambal (coconut in its desicated form with dry fish), papaddoms (LOVE), tabouleh (arabic salad), curd (to be eaten with sugar), fish head curry, potato curry (YUM), beetroot curry, banana leaf greens with coconut, mixed fruit salad. 

My first serving Prawn Chilly, Mutton Curry, Veg Noodles, Dhal, Beet Curry, Tabouleh, Devilled Chicken

                                                                    Curd and Sugar

Fruit Salad

We were also treated with two plain hoppers and two egg hoppers on the house, the egg was cooked to YUM and the hoppers were crispy on the edges

Sri Lankan food is loaded with spices and can get super hot..the curd with sugar really helped reduce the heat on my palate. 

Unlike other buffets, this wasn't a rich buffet with lots of creamy or deep fried dishes, easily ranging from 20-40 dishes. Rampe on the other hand serves a homely, authentic and deeply Sri Lankan food and that is what I love about it. 

The bill came to BHD28.100

Bill Breakdown:
Buffet for 4 pax @BHD5.9 =23.600
Watermelon Juice for 4 pax @BHD1.0= 4.000
Water Bottle 1 unit @BHD0.5=0.500

Reasonable or not? For a non Sri Lankan it was an interesting and exciting cuisine to try out. Price wise, may be you can visit and let me know how you found the prices since I haven't visited them on a weekday. When I do visit them on a day other than Friday, I should be able to tell you how I found their pricing. Until then... see you!

                                      Please Note: This not a sponsored blog post. 

Easy Pancakes Recipe (2) [Buttermilk substituted with Laban]

Last year in the month of July, I shared a Pancake Recipe that called for the use of 'yogurt/ curd' along with the basic ingredients for any pancake.

'Laban' is a yogurt drink very popular in the Middle East, a thicker version of an Indian 'lassi' and the south indian buttermilk minus the spices. Usually pancake recipes require butter milk. And what is buttermilk? Slightly sour milk which is thick in consistency, which is why I decided to to substitute butter milk in this pancake recipe by using Laban.

Makes 8 small pancakes

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:
1 and a half cup all purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda

Wet ingredients:
1 egg
1 tsp butter (melted)
3 tbsps Laban
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
A little less than 1/2 cup of milk

Steps:

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together.
3. Now pour the wet ingredients mixture into the dry ingredients bowl and whisk away till there are no more lumps. And your pancake batter is ready.
4. Heat a girdle/ pan ,drizzle some oil or toss a small piece of butter on the griddle/pan, once its is hot enough (not smoking) , pour some of the batter on the griddle/pan and fry till you can lift the pancake and toss it over. The cooked side should have attained a golden brown shade.
5. Fry and pile up the pancakes, pour over the pancake pile some chocolate syrup/honey/maple syrup.

Tips: 

• You can also toss in some fruits that you  like into the batter to have a fruity pancake
• You can also use chocolate chips/ oats as an extra ingredients.

Enjoy!
BpV

My Birthday Cake by Sparkles and Sprinkles

Last year, sometime around mid-November I featured my BFF's (Dee) business (those who don't know what I'm talking of, refer to this blog post business-feature-sparkles-n-sprinkles ) that she shares with her college buddy (Sini). 

I figured I'd set aside one blog post to show you a bit of Sini's creation- made for me on my birthday this year, and ordered by a close friend Boo (for those who don't know about Boo refer rainbow-birthday).

(The cake from all angles)

                                   (Super Moist Chocolate cake-yum yum yum)

                                  (what I kept staring at with fascination like a 3 year old)

            Can they get any more creative with cake?!

              Thank you *SnS*, Sini for the yum cake, God Bless your hands, and Thank you Boo                   for the thought.And thank you Alfie for the space in your refrigerator XD

                                                    

XOXO,
BpV

Coal Pieces | No bake | Christmas| Chewy Cookies

Who would believe that 3 INGREDIENTS and NO-BAKING, could lead to these amazingly amazing CHEWY COOKIES, perfect for Christmas and New Year. They look like pieces of coal hence the name.
I found this little recipe on Pinterest and I made these over New Year.

There won't be much text in this blog recipe only pictures...and my request for you to try these out- THEY ARE YUM AND YOU CANNOT MISS THESE.

Ingredients:

• 20-25 Marshmallows 
• 3 small cubes of butter
• 16-20 Oreos

Steps:

1. Empty the packet of Oreos and take off the cream, and just keep the cookies aside.
2. Reduce the cookies into a coarse crumb-like form. We do not want fine powder. Set aside.

 3.Take a microwave safe dish and dump all the marshmallows in it. Add the cubes of butter and microwave it for about 1 minute and 30 seconds, till the marshmallows get soft, bubbly and bloated.

4. Pour the oreo crumbs over the melted  marshmallows and combine the two ingredients well till you have a clump in the dish.

 5. Line a baking tray or any flat dish with aluminium foil, grease it a little by rubbing a little butter over it and pour the oreo and marshmallow mixture that we just prepared. Pat it down, so that it looks even.

6. Refrigerate for about an hour.

7. After an hour, take the tray out of the refrigerator and you'll have this rock like thing. I tried cutting it with a knife but to no avail. So I cracked the clump up using a 'pestle'...thats how I got uneven sized/ not-so-square shaped cookies.

They seem very tough to bite into but once you do get into this cookie ,I bet you'll come back for more, I speak out of experience. 

Enjoy!

-bPv

Guest Contribution: Sabudana (Sago) Khichdi

My friend with whom I share the same first name, who is also my 'regular recipe contributor' has shared one of her favourite snack recipe with us. A typical Gujarati snack that can be eaten with pickle or yogurt (dahi/curd) and on its own. The main ingredient here is 'Sago' also called Sabudhana, and is used in a popular dessert-ish drink called 'Falooda' with a rose flavouring to it and a generous amount of vermicelli in it. Sago is basically starch extracts.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Sabudana(sago)
• 1 big potato-chopped into small pieces
• Half cup peas (you can use frozen too)
• 4 Curry leaves
• Half a teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• Less than half teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
• Half teaspoon Red chilli powder
• A pinch of Turmeric (haldi) powder
• Lemon or lime juice (as per your taste)
• Roasted peanuts
• Coriander (Cilantro/Dhania) leaves
• 1 or 1 and a half tbsp Ghee/oil (I used ghee)
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

1.Soak 2 cups sabudana in cold water for 2 hours. Drain the water after 2 hours and leave it overnight so that any little trace of water is evaporated.

2. Take a saucepan. Pour ghee or oil.

3. Once the ghee or oil is heated, add mustard seeds and as they splutter add cumin seeds.

4. Then add curry leaves followed by chopped potato. Let the potatoes cook for about 10-12 minutes.

5. Then add roasted/unroasted peanuts. Stir well.

6. Now add peas let it cook for 3 to 5mins.

7. Pour lime/lemon juice. Add Red chilli powder, turmeric, salt (as per your taste). Stir it well.

8. Now at end add sabudana (sago) mix it very gently and slowly.

9. Garnish with chopped coriander/cilantro leaves.

Serve with yoghurt, pickle, or even just as it is.

Thank you for sharing your recipe Ekta.P. Lots of love- Ekta .D


-bPv