tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47404533711906424222024-03-14T13:15:09.253+04:00Omni Reviews Nowa review site for just about anything and everything, now!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-89791061067669004492018-04-24T11:31:00.002+04:002018-04-24T11:40:30.678+04:00Al Dejaj Al Shahi - for the love of the broth.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I lived in the Philippines and grew up eating Filipino food for 25 years until coming here in the UAE. That's why I said to myself that I'll enjoy every regional dish I can as long as I'm here and never to eat at Filipino restaurants because it'll feel redundant eating the same food I had growing up, a food I can cook at home.</div>
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However, I've been asking people from different countries to eat out with me on their preferred traditional restaurants and when they ask back, the only restaurant that comes to mind is Max's and it's expensive so this is the start of my search to find affordable and authentic Filipino dishes.</div>
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I and my wife were eating at this Nepali restaurant when I notice a large number of cyclist parking their bikes to a nearby restaurant and thought this might be Filipino restaurant because it's what we do after cycling, we eat, and it was. Because of the number of crowds frequenting the place, we said we'd come back and try <b>Al Dejaj Al Shahi </b>(yes, that's the name of a Filipino restaurant, the direct translation is <b>Delicious Chicken </b>according to my Arabic colleague)<b> </b>and see what the fuzz is all about, more after the break.<br />
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So we did come back, checked the menu and it has both of our favorite snacks, <b>Beef Mami </b>(Beef Noodle Soup) and <b>Pancit Palabok</b> (Stir-fried Noodle in annatto sauce), their best sellers were the <b>Chicken Inasal meal</b> (grilled chicken with refillable rice) and <b>Silog meals</b> (rice and egg with varying meat) but we just had chicken and the rice and egg can be easily done at home so went with the snacks. Placed our order from the guy at the counter who seems to hate his job, and got seated.</div>
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The place is spacious, minimalist interior design, and clean, that's a common thing about Filipino restaurants, the priority on cleanliness and hygiene including the staff. Very noticeable though is the stinginess on tissue, not a single table has a tissue box or dispenser.</div>
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Our food was served and it's on disposable paper bowls, looked around and everyone else's food was served the same, not the best choice tableware if you ask me, but looked it over and focused on the food instead.</div>
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My wife had the <b>Pancit Palabok </b>for 12 AED (3.5 USD), which she hadn't had in ages. I never got the chance to try it because she finished it no time indicating how good it is or just how hungry she was but at the end of the meal when I asked her if she likes more and just said that she'd rather try the Chicken Insal next time. So that means it's average because she would've asked me to order it the next day or have it delivered if it was really good. </div>
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Mine is the <b>Beef Mami, </b>at first glance the broth looked like something I'd get from street vendors in the Philippines (which is a good thing because those hepatitis inducing food are so good) and so took my first sip of it and without a doubt, this taste exactly like those street Mami but clean. All the floating pieces of beef fat, scallions, MSG-filled broth and you get a whole boiled egg. I love it, I love the broth so much I had it refilled in no time. Unfortunately, that's where the praises stop, for 10 AED (2.7 USD) I didn't expect there would be much, but there's barely any beef meat at all and the noodles have a weird texture to it, it's not "al dente" if that applies here. I understand fresh noodles is hard to come by but I would've prepared it a bit more before serving it to make it chewier.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add a spoonful of the chili oil and it'll make the broth even tastier.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Competing with my son's dinosaur for the first bite.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">For a total of 22 AED (6 USD), we had our fill, I was extremely satisfied with the broth, and our cravings sated. If not for my love for soup I wouldn't even consider recommending this (not that anyone cares but still) that being said, if you would like to try a typical Filipino food and this is the closest place nearby, or you're just craving for some items that they serve like us, sure, go ahead but if not then I'd go to a different restaurant.</span></div>
<a href="https://www.zomato.com/sharjah/al-dejaj-al-shahi-al-majaz" target="_blank" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about Al Dejaj Al Shahi, Al Majaz and other Restaurants in Sharjah"><img alt="Al Dejaj Al Shahi Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/5603568/minilink" style="border: none; height: 36px; padding: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a> </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Sharjah - United Arab Emirates25.3462553 55.42093169999998325.1165988 55.098208199999981 25.5759118 55.743655199999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-63461785770767623162018-04-23T07:24:00.001+04:002018-04-23T13:52:55.628+04:00Al Nadeg - Eat like a Shiekh!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I work in a multi-national/cultural office and building rapport with my peers allowed me to execute my plan.</div>
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To eat with someone from a different country on their preferred restaurant eating their traditional dish.</div>
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I was speaking with Hessa, a colleague from Yemen, about how I like eating traditional food and she recommended to me a restaurant called <b><a href="https://www.zomato.com/dubai/al-nadeg-hor-al-anz/info">Al Nadeg</a></b> that is owned by her friend. Thinking I might get a discount or even have the meal for free I grabbed the opportunity to try it and asked for the directions and where it is so I can go as soon as I can. Find out more after the break.</div>
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I cycled from Sharjah and followed the GPS pointing to the location around Hor Al Anz, Dubai. Al Nadeg immediately stood out because of how fancy it looks from the outside and inside, the place is well-lit, the decorations invoke of traditional Arabic designs and shimmers because of all the gold paint, thankfully there's a menu outside because once you see the price it's not as intimidating anymore.</div>
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Before going in I called Hessa and told her I'm at the place and will have a meal. She called her friend and I was greeted with a big smile and to my surprise did the traditional Arabic handshake-kiss thingy. I guess I'm getting the whole experience.</div>
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I was seated and host recommended for me to try one of the house-specialty which is a lamb shoulder and ribs meal called <b>Haneed Dhulu</b>. I said yes, and at this point was crossing my fingers because it costs 60 AED (16 USD) which is a week's worth of food for me.</div>
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For Arabic meals like this, you are served first with a salad, soup, and the tomato sauce. It didn't take long for the order to arrive, it was covered before serving and once the server opened the lid, I was genuinely surprised at how huge the serving is and that I'm alone tackling this by myself.</div>
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The lamb shoulder-ribs on top of a mountain of rice looks really appetizing, used a fork and poked it and you immediately know how tender the meat is, lifted one of the ribs without using any force and the meat just fell off. Lamb has this gamey pungent taste to it if not cooked or spiced properly that ruins the flavor but this one has none of that, this meat is perfectly spiced. When you eat the meat as viand and chase it with the rice, it's just the perfect harmony of meat and carbs in your mouth. And to add more flavor to it, you lather the meat with the tomato sauce on every bite and it just elevates it to another level.</div>
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The meal was amazing, the portion size was humongous, the flavor was exquisite but that being said, it was too much for a mere mortal like me. As much as I wanted to finish the meal down to the last bone and piece of rice, I couldn't. The food I ate feels it's all the way up in my throat so I had a bit of left-over and vowed to myself that the next time I come here I'll knock this out of the park.</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">I asked for my bill and again, to my surprise (a lot of surprises in this restaurant) I was served a dessert, I was reluctant at first because I didn't order one but then thought it might be on the house because of Hessa's call. I ate and without thinking about it finished it in no time. That's the thing about me, I have 2 stomachs, one for the main course and the other for the dessert so no matter how full I am, I always a space for sweets.</span><br />
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Now to the most important part of the meal, the payment. I asked how much and in my head I was like "please be free" "please be free" but alas, it wasn't but I got the next best thing. I got a 20% discount and only paid 50 AED (13.5 USD), took my free tea to wash down the huge meal and once the food settled in my stomach I cycled away back home.</div>
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I never had a meal of such proportion in my life, the biggest meat and rice serving I took on alone. One of the tastiest lamb meat I had where it wasn't being masked by a million spices, you can taste the lamb through and through. So without any doubt, I recommend this to any meat lovers out there or people who like amazing tasting food because this is one of the best you can have and at 60 AED that can feed 3 grown people, it's definitely a must try and worth it.</div>
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<a href="https://www.zomato.com/dubai/al-nadeg-hor-al-anz" target="_blank" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about Al Nadeg, Hor Al Anz and other Restaurants in Dubai"><img alt="Al Nadeg Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/18638481/biglogo" style="border: none; height: 34px; padding: 0px; width: 104px;" /></a> </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1Dubai - United Arab Emirates25.2048493 55.27078280000000624.2794488 53.974396300000009 26.130249799999998 56.5671693tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-84849057207421817372018-04-18T11:20:00.001+04:002018-04-23T11:10:30.660+04:00Kurkum - My first traditional South Indian meal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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My normal reviews are considered short novels because of the number of words I use but even though no one reads through it, I still do it because the food and experience I had deserved justice by fleshing it out with my words and pictures.</div>
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I work in a multi-cultural office and building rapport with my peers allowed me to execute my plan.</div>
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To eat with someone from a different country on their preferred restaurant eating their traditional dish.</div>
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I and my colleague Ajith Thomas went to a restaurant called <a href="https://www.zomato.com/sharjah/kurkum-abu-shagara"><b>Kurkum </b></a>which serves traditional food from Kerala, a region from South India. Full experience after the break.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Located in front of Sharjah Megamall<br />
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The first thing we did after entering the restaurant is to wash our hands, because Indian food, I believe, is eaten most of the time with bare hands. The ambiance of the place is clean, well-lit, and looks fancy and as the standard here in the United Arab Emirates, tables are separate for bachelors and families.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The placed was packed as people come and go.</td></tr>
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Once seated we were given a shot of flavored yogurt or lassi and on the side, a salted crispy chilly. Both tastes uniquely flavorful which are a good thing since I never had any of these before. As for the food, I didn't even bother to look at the menu and had Ajith order for us, all I asked is to have a traditional meal or the house specialty, and he ordered both! A traditional meal called "<b>Oonu</b>" and "<b>Beef Fry or Beef Ularthiyathu</b>" which is one of the house specialty.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QmR2Qgnlu1JxfU94PQB0HNOa6nm0XZCwXTFYJnkXWGUfSjmXt7DEAPFzUB1YyRYMtxGE4qYqC3ytLbd3MUefvp9E0YoRhmp6-ealZMvblb0weIAU5kU8Fk6jc776XMD18yoY8k6FBpeo/s1600/KURKUM_20180417_151430-side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QmR2Qgnlu1JxfU94PQB0HNOa6nm0XZCwXTFYJnkXWGUfSjmXt7DEAPFzUB1YyRYMtxGE4qYqC3ytLbd3MUefvp9E0YoRhmp6-ealZMvblb0weIAU5kU8Fk6jc776XMD18yoY8k6FBpeo/s640/KURKUM_20180417_151430-side.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't get enough of that spicy, tangy, salty chilly!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ajith getting ready.😀</td></tr>
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The meal is composed of rice (a type of rice I never had before, it's fluffy and light and had a red tinge to it) which you can ask for as much as you want, fruit and vegetable pickles, dried granulated fish, and a lot of different gravy or sauces as we call it from where I'm from. There's a vegetable gravy, two types of fish gravy, and others I can't even comprehend what's in it but everything is delicious and quite spicy (you'll sweat bullets if you're not used to eating spicy food). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unlimited rice just like in the Philippines.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unlimited gravy/sauces refill.</td></tr>
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Speaking of spicy, the viand to our rice meal is this dish called Beef Fry or<b> Beef Ularthiyathu</b>. Like most of the gravy made which are made of coconut juice or milk, this one has elements of the coconut tree too which is its meat and a lot of spices I can't identify, curry leaves, green chilies, and I think it was smothered in chili flakes if it wasn't spicy enough. You can still taste the juicy beef under all the spices so you get a full spectrum of flavor when eating this and if you chase it down with the rice and gravy, it's just a perfect combination. A combination that hits home to my palate being a rice and viand eater.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxUqA5I2GSUqnmAfmuns7Mb2tPYazx-8Ih1XrVW_yCp9uHhL36yIULtPXPDlMS1oCFflEagOfMTcagWTmNV6q6rqX0LakZ28PzqHWOmyYrp-Q4FeNIa0ArpMo0TrLbx6Uo_uoVyA-f90h/s1600/KURKUM_20180417_152333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxUqA5I2GSUqnmAfmuns7Mb2tPYazx-8Ih1XrVW_yCp9uHhL36yIULtPXPDlMS1oCFflEagOfMTcagWTmNV6q6rqX0LakZ28PzqHWOmyYrp-Q4FeNIa0ArpMo0TrLbx6Uo_uoVyA-f90h/s640/KURKUM_20180417_152333.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I asked Ajith and this wasn't even considered spicy by their standards!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPIH6cQi4nsLOTfJRU44rtGHqLsFRIhpPx3kR_2uJZ7kxBx9k-Dlir-GT2ZTj_wwfAF8oezk01gBRGSjZMx6rC4tB_ckJPBpNJ_ilnmku_WBbyY5Yc0elj5yrEPLlfkVRbjIhQFkC2SV4/s1600/KURKUM_20180417_152748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPIH6cQi4nsLOTfJRU44rtGHqLsFRIhpPx3kR_2uJZ7kxBx9k-Dlir-GT2ZTj_wwfAF8oezk01gBRGSjZMx6rC4tB_ckJPBpNJ_ilnmku_WBbyY5Yc0elj5yrEPLlfkVRbjIhQFkC2SV4/s320/KURKUM_20180417_152748.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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Before coming to the restaurant I was telling Ajith that I was hungry and I want to eat a lot. The food he ordered definitely delivered, not only was I full and stuffed at the end of our meal, I got to taste a wide range of new flavors and get the full experience of having a traditional south Indian dish. I used my hands during the meal (a big deal being OC about my hand's cleanliness) and learned a lot while conversing during our meal. </div>
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Overall, the whole experience was great, the food, the ambiance, the service, and when I saw the bill, it made me appreciate the food even more because the meal with the rice and assortments of gravy is just 12 AED (3 USD) per person and the Beef Fry is just 16 AED (4 USD) which serves 2. To top it off, Ajith paid for the whole meal (not my plan at all, he just took out his wallet faster than me *wink*) and did I mention the meal comes with a dessert? So yeah it's a must try if you ever pass by this restaurant in Sharjah and I myself am definitely coming back here and try their other dishes.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken before the meal, couldn't hold in my excitement to eat.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.zomato.com/sharjah/kurkum-abu-shagara" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about Kurkum, Abu Shagara and other Restaurants in Sharjah" target="_blank"><img alt="Kurkum Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/5602580/minilink" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px;padding:0px;" /></a> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Sharjah - United Arab Emirates25.3462553 55.42093169999998325.1165988 55.098208199999981 25.5759118 55.743655199999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-44288178318476857362017-10-12T20:41:00.001+04:002017-10-12T20:46:37.815+04:00"BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017)"<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">-a film review by CatsMando</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>How painful must it feel, to see yourself become nothing...</i></span></div>
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I love the first one. A great film that circles about the notion of having a self. Covered in sharp, sci-fi visuals, and whose story is pushed forth in film-noir trappings. It's majestic, without the bombast. It's layered with very few fluffs. Best is, it's ponderous without pretense. So how does this new one compare? Well, to tell it short, just like <i>HellorHighWater</i> of yesteryear. <i>BladeRunner2049</i> is an easy, instant, top-fave film of mine for this year. For my longer take on it, read on.<br />
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<a name='more'></a> The premise is, thirty years after the events of the first film, we now follow a different blade runner called "K". The film is very good at unraveling for us K's daily activities; hunt replicants, clock out from work, date his girlfriend, get some grub, go to sleep for the next day. In true film-noir structure, his is a life of comfort, it's no good life, and it could be better, way better, but his is a life he's acclimated with. But with that much comfort comes longing. And with new variables turning up from his case, he can't help but follow through, even at the risk of unraveling threads that may lead to conclusions he may not like. From there one of the multiple overlapping storyline begins.<br />
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I guess it's starting to get obvious here that I'm tip-toe-ing around the story, and I admit it's becoming difficult for me to keep at it. I just can't spoil it, I really can't. It's just too good for a spoil here. So instead I'll just jump into the technicalities and other spoiler-free intricacies of the film.<br />
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First thing that's a standout here is its use of its setting. Just like the first one, they really managed to sell the film's place as a proper living world. This even sold its scale better, for me, than how <i>StarWars</i> or <i>StarTrek</i> did theirs. So it goes without saying that yes, the cinematography of this film is, just so goddamn good. The lighting is ballsy for this time, but still just on par with the first film. That's good enough since the first one is a very, <i>very</i> good about that. The color use and cgi vistas is better than the first one here, and I think that's expected with the technology today, but still, nonetheless, it's an overall visually engaging film.<br />
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The music stands out by virtue that so few tapped to this kind of approach. But it does get to be a little overbearing and more noisy than necessary at times(something I tend to notice with Hans Zimmer's works since <i>Inception</i>). But when it has to do what it has to do, like enhance the mood of a scene, it's effective. The sound is well directed too. A great example for it is during Deckard and K's encounter in an abandoned music theater.<br />
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Now, to sum up the performances. Ryan Gosling is so cool, he's pretty much oozing it on the whole film. It's kind of expected for me though since the kind of character he pulled here is pretty much a refinement of what he did in his past film, <i>Driver</i>. Opposite Ryan for the bulk of the film is Ana de Armas as his artificial love interest Joi. She's both the emotional part of K's living, and K's actual emotional compliment and direction. She works great on the part she's given. Sylvia Hoeks is a capable threatening bad guy. Jared Leto as Niander Wallace, an unhinged "artiste" that took over Tyrell Corporation, is a treat to watch. Instead of being an over-over-the-top paper-thin character, here he's a thoroughly deranged man, held back by his "godly" aspirations. And that contradicting characteristic at play works.<br />
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Others like Mackenzie Davis, Robin Wright, Carla Juri, Dave Bautista, and Barkhad Abdi rounds up their respective supporting roles well, each able to give real texture and expansion to the whole world of the film. Now take heed, the promo posters and trailers are a lie, if you're here <i>just </i>for Harrison Ford, you're in for a disappointment. THAT, must be said.<br />
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Denis Villeneuve is quite an interesting newcomer. Totally sold me on <i>Sicario</i>, not clicked with <i>Arrival</i>, but I see it's quality, and now, he's proved here that he CAN handle a big-budget, big-concept film. He's really shaping up to be on the likes of Ridley Scott or early-James Cameron. Ultimately though, its nuance and slow-burn pacing(just like the first one) is also its weakness. It's evident from the get-go that this movie will not be for everyone. The posters undersells it while the trailers outright misleads. <i>BladeRunner 2049</i>, just like its predecessor, is a very <i>different </i>sci-fi film, for the good and bad of it.<br />
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Catsmandohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314090495560024946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-55457128351990398422017-02-12T11:14:00.002+04:002017-02-12T11:44:16.965+04:00"John Wick - Chapter 2 (2017)"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>-A film review by Catsmando</i></span><br />
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First off, a warning. It's really hard to talk about the technical ingenuity of this film without dropping to spoiler territory, but I still will because; a) It's <i>John Wick</i>. Nobody goes to watch<i> John Wick</i> expecting an original story. And b) With those said, I just <b>HAVE</b> to expound on those because it this film is just a wonderful, art-grade, proper action film...it's just so rare to have such gem.<br />
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<a name='more'></a> So...<i>John Wick</i>. A film that came out of nowhere, blew everyone's pants off, and left Keanu Reeves redeemed as a viable action film guy once again. The first film is a small-scoped, small-scaled, very personal venture to vengeance. Besides the ridiculously well-made set pieces and oblique world-building. Its best hook is its delightfully absurd premise; Infamous assassin went rampage on a whole mob because the mob leader's son killed infamous assassin's puppy...yep.<br />
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And it worked! The flimsy excuse, the characters, the story, the world, it's all a shorthand. A lampshade. It is clear and honest of its true purpose; it's just there to show you how to kill alot of dudes in the most awesome-est of ways. Yet for mere set dressing of a world, it hit something right, in it's own weird way. Like a superhero cinematic universe, the world of John Wick is an implausible, but interesting ecosystem. A jungle built in metal and concrete. Populated with suit-wearing individuals, unified in a sense of hyper-modern culture, driven to the most glamorous of activities, legal or not. And deep at its core, a society of hired killers, mandated and tied to ironclad set of rules.<br />
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The first one worked in the end because it anchored itself with a smidgen of humanity. A trope-ish puppy is a trope-ish puppy but we still care for John Wick's plight, as obvious of a narrative trapping it may be. As out-there the following proceedings went, we are comforted by our relation to John Wick's unreasonable fury. Because such unreasonableness is what makes him seem human. The other point is that it threw its world-building in little pieces. Hints rather than full statements. And it made itself irresistibly compelling in return. So how would one up the ante for the sequel without losing it's way of emotionally relating it to us? Well, as this sequel show, <b>you don't</b>. You run with the established world of the first one, and let it jettison itself out of our sensibility. Because really, the only choice is that, or to just rehash the flow of the first one...wait, <i>this movie did that too actually</i>!<br />
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So for the plot; It starts with Wick sorted and tied a pretty knot over the first film's arc. He's on his way back to settling back into retirement. Except, an old asociate come knocking into his doorstep. Santino D’Antonio, an apparent, aspiring mob person who apparently helped John Wick in getting through his final mission with Tarasov. John Wick's bound to Santino's mission because it's formalised through a blood oath; another one of the Continental's rule, an assassin may ask for aid in return for a blood oath, a favor an assassin must fulfill once invoked, or get penalized by The Continental<span style="font-size: x-small;">(and The Continental showed how strict it could be with its laws in the first film)</span>.<br />
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So John's target is, in true criminal underworld narrative fashion, Gianna D’Antonio. Santino's sister and primed ruler of the D'Antonio mob family. Of course John declined, then Santino blew up John's house because, again in true criminal underworld story, he's <i>that</i> kind of gangster guy. So then John agrees to this mission, oh not because he fears Santino, but because it would free him off Santino's leash. Queue interesting "suit up" montage. Then the assassination of the sibling. A double cross seen coming for a mile away. And finally, John Wick's retribution coming from lightyears more. So yeah, in a way it's just like the first one. And just like the first one, what is interesting about this one is <b>not</b> what the story is about, nor why. But on how the story simply serves to prop up every other aspects of this film.<br />
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The film starts with the most pitch perfect application of actor-to-character; <i>Peter Stormare</i> as Abram Tarasov. What better <i>sibling</i> for ham-acted <i>Michael Nyqvist</i> character, by pairing him with a bigger ham-acted character out there. The film just started and it already slips out its movie geekiness. Just like the first film where it cherry-picked actors and actresses in the role they seem to be born in, same process seems to have been applied here. Get the stunningly beautiful <i>Claudia Gerini</i> and pin her as a sort of queen in the story's world. You get a cool-as-ice rapper-actor <i>Common</i>, and you turn him into a lean adversary. Get someone as visually striking as <i>Ruby Rose</i>, and turn her into a proper, sexy, silent killer. John Wick's last-resort, desperate call for help and you plop down friggin' <i>Laurence "Morpheous" Fishburne</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(the fourth-wall/backstory is just hilarious)</span>. Besides those, we get returning characters like Aurelio(<i>John Leguizamo</i>), Winston(<i>Ian McShane</i>), Charon(<i>Lance Reddick</i>), and Helen(<i>Bridget Moynahan</i>). All of them still fitting well with the characters they're given and doing what they're expected to do as the story goes.<br />
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For the narrative, as I said, what's funny about it is that if you cut them into clear Acts, you'll notice it's very much the first one. It started with Wick returning to his solace<span style="font-size: x-small;">(again)</span>, trouble ended up finding him<span style="font-size: x-small;">(again)</span>, he returns to the fold to the Continental, and suits up<span style="font-size: x-small;">(again)</span>, he did what he came to do, then cue plot monkey-wrench<span style="font-size: x-small;">(again)</span>, then he goes to the core of the problem by fighting his way to the man at the very top<span style="font-size: x-small;">(again!)</span>. For it's visual cues, Wick's primer, <i>again</i>, happened in the house. An epic fight scene with booming music happened in a place I seriously suspect called <i>the red square</i> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(the first one is dubbed <i>the red circle...</i>there'd better be a<i> red triangle</i> on the third one!)</span>, Wick's rock bottom moment and he's propped up by a veteran actor<span style="font-size: x-small;">(<i>Laurence Fishburne</i>. In the first one, his saving grace was <i>Wilhelm Dafoe</i>)</span>. And when all is said and done, Wick's end is finding respite, in the rain, <i>just like the first one!</i> It's like a very big neon signpost admitting how much it knows we never actually care for some fresh storyline because everything else will carry it through. Good thing it does!<br />
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To address the combat scenes, it's still as clearly shot and still as hypnotically and amazingly creative as the first one. Cars used as a modern form of jousting tool. Surprisingly practical combat shotgun loading now I'm wishing I could do in shooter games. AR combat that felt like a tease in the first one, is now an extended segment in the mausoleum battle. More MMA-ish takedowns, more knife fighting<span style="font-size: x-small;">(even showcased and prove true John Wick's long running rumor!)</span>, and yes, more of the solid, pistol shenanigans that made the first one great. Notable fight scenes revolve around Wick and Cassian, to which it often ramps up to hilarious degree<span style="font-size: x-small;">(goddamn, I'll never forget that silencer-exchange scene)</span>. And Wick and Ares, which occurred in the most artfully surreal combat segment which I'll tackle on shortly. The combat though felt less frenetic, more sleek, kind of removing some of the urgency of the action. But nevermind, it still has that crapton of new moments where I pointed out and literally exclaimed "damn, that move is awesome!". It still as tactically smart as the first one. For fans looking for this particular avenue of entertainment, you won't be disappointed.<br />
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Now, it's themes...here I am still geeking out, days after I've seen it. It could be intentional or just a happy accident that occurred through all the chaos but I just can't, not, see it. The <i>first film's</i> overall narrative arc is about a guy, of legendary reputation, getting out of the fold and trying to bury himself into the world of man. Tragedy befalls him, then another, to which it happened to be linked to his past, and he's then driven back into the fold. With the purpose of us discovering if the ever-floating rumors and legends about the guy could be proven true for the film<span style="font-size: x-small;">(it did)</span>.<br />
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For <i>Chapter 2</i>, same flow, same arc, but different in meaning. Everyone in the criminal underworld knows he's back. And John Wick, as rightfully predicted by Winston, could never return to the normal world that he once stepped in. As Santino appears and calls him to return a favor, even John Wick understood, he's back in that inescapable place again. There are so many pointers for this strong, enveloping theme around the whole movie. From the characters, to it's world, to the narrative touches. It's not actually the story that keeps it together, but rather, it's strong abstract theme; I think John Wick 2's about the grounded approach to the <i>narrative of divinity</i>.<br />
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I just love what they'd pulled off here. John Wick initially declined Santino's offer, which drove Santino into grenade-booming his house. From that moment the film's theme is made clear, it's about showing us the world Wick lives in. The destruction of his house, and with it alot of his ties with his late-wife, with this world, with that past of his life, is now gone. But as Winston once again properly pointed, it's also the chains that bind him. With that gone, the only way left is for Wick to return to the underworld. And it's what this film posits, <i>it is</i> an underworld, the mythological one. As dabbled on the first film, and finally expounded in this sequel, it reveals, this is <i>their</i> separate world, not <i>ours</i>. People wear suits we could never carry, people embrace glamour we could never endow ourselves, and people allow the vices and the violence so close, the way ours would not. This is how they live. It looks like it could work but we just, couldn't relate to it. And I think that's its point; theirs is lore just like the gods of various mythologies and other ancient narratives, and they pulled it with such style.<br />
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The ranks of the characters are filed like the the ranks in such mythologies. The supporting casts purports demigod roles, hiding in plain sight yet revealed working on this bigger world. The main casts acts as their respective top. Each clear on their responsibilities. It's just irresistible to not take it to this lens. The characters beg for it. Santino is the representation of a man with unquenchable thirst for power. His sister is the representation of obsessive, excessive, beauty. Cassian, the lovestruck-then-fallen prince. Charon, the bridge of that world. The Bowery King, the ruler of the outsiders. Winston, the upholder of the rules and the law of the world, the unspoken keeper of balance against the chaos. And John Wick, the grand harbinger of death.<br />
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The escalation of fight scenes not only go up through the numbers and chaos alone, but also in its abstraction. The beginning is a humdrum chop shop, the second is a neon light-basked concert followed by a cryptically lit underground system. Then, across the city that is more alienating than comforting. With the final skirmish occurring in a hall-of-mirrors series of corridors. Unlike the first film where the fighting is clear in its sense of space. This film slowly takes that away. With the climactic battle removing that entirely. Suddenly, the film argues, the place doesn't matter. All it have to be now is just a space. An empty, shifting, space. Where it's distilled into the very fight itself. Just the gunplay, the takedowns, the moves, the kills. And to see John Wick be comfortable there just as he would any other make-shift battlegrounds? That's inhuman.<br />
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It's just like the lore of the gods of old. Unlike the russian mobs of the first one, these are not mere people. They live in grand temples, they control vast armies. They have their own rules, their own lifestyle, and they act as they see, as they believe they are above the common folk. And to see their pettiness be filtered as something grand. From John Wick's unreasonable revenge, Santino's hunger for power, Winston's strong enforcement to it's unique laws. And for everyone else's strong obedience to those laws. In the end even I feel bounded to it, nodding in agreement as two killers quickly stopped as they landed on Continental grounds. It just doesn't make sense if we think about it in our terms. But it works when we think in theirs.<br />
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This sequel is just too good. To effectively flesh out what's essentially a veneer, a set-dressing from the first film. To expound on it by tapping on various, ancient mythologies. To craft it by cinematicaly tapping on various genre films. And for it to end on such ominous note...The creators of this film, if really gunning for a <i>third outing</i>, now has <b>a lot</b> on it's plate. I fear it will be too much. But for now, let's just enjoy this part of the grand myth-making that is <i>John Wick - Chapter 2</i>.</div>
Catsmandohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314090495560024946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-16805991548731565332017-01-22T21:12:00.002+04:002017-01-23T07:09:46.800+04:00"The Wailing \ Goksung (2016)"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>-a film review by CatsMando</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>"See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." -Luke 24:37-39</i></span><br />
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Been a while I've seen a film that really delves deep into the supernatural. Maybe it's because of the fact that this isn't an American film. I often feel American horror films have this urge to try and make sense of things at the end, no matter how otherworldly it gets. And yeah it's good when they work, I got no qualms with the approach. I'm just saying, <i>this</i> film makes a point that sometimes, it's okay to be confused, to be thoroughly afraid of the senselessness, frustrated with the unknowable. Because some horrors simply relish in such chaos and senselessness.<br />
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It's a police investigation-horror film, sometimes funny, sometimes unsettling, always entertaining. The story at times is a bit loose on parts, but it's held strong by its overall theme/point. It's a pleasant surprise to know that with this and <i>Train to Busan</i>, South Korea proved it could dish out horror flicks of such caliber.<br />
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To give a bit of the story, frightening things starts to occur at some small town. Grisly murders and suicides performed by suddenly-crazed individuals. Weird sightings deep in the residing forest. And some mysterious sickness plaguing various homes. Confusion starts to envelop the townsfolk, and rumors and unconfirmed tales starts to spread, thoroughly overwhelming the local police force in their investigations. Our main point-of-view and protagonist is town police<i> Jong-goo</i>. A proper every-man just contented on passing days being a good father. Not great, as evident in early scenes, but it's clear he's trying. As he's roped deep into the investigations, it's slowly becoming apparent that the horrors are starting to inch towards his direction.<br />
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...this is a difficult film to summarize, lest I accidentally spoil something. It's just better for me to say it's that good and just watch it. The story is very interesting and well-delivered. It's so easy to fall through and go through with, even at it's two and a half hour running time.<br />
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So okay, jumping into the technical stuffs. First off, in case it isn't obvious enough with the given sample images, the cinematography is great. There are no convoluted shots like shaky-cam panic scenes, quick cuts, and obnoxious color corrections. Well there are some color manipulation, I doubt any film today wouldn't go trough one, but here the only time I'd noticed it is in some darker scenes. Most of the time the color compositions feels natural. It's a weird statement to say, I know. But yeah, for a horror film, it's just pleasant to the eyes.<br />
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The cast are great. Reminding me of "<i>Hell or High Water</i>", it pulled off the "make everyone interesting" card because it seem to understand, it gotta sell the town's vibe. The whole town's sense of panic won't be really felt if the only characters we could relate to in the end are only, like, three. The various townsfolk telltale-ing and rumor-spreading are interesting. It's a noteworthy move that the film makes these lore-building moment our respite and its levity. So by the time something unsettling occurs, we're not tired and we're, in some ways, informed.<br />
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But for my personal pinpoints,<i> Kwak Do-won</i>(Jong-goo) pulled the whole vibe of the film off. Pretty much carries the brunt of the film's emotions(as he is the lead character after all) and he did it. He does crazy stuff, but you always understand his motivations, emotions, and desperation. <i>Hwang Jung-min</i>(Il-Gwang) is a standout. As his character's a tad ridiculous, it's a feat he managed to turn it into something charismatic. <i>Chun Woo-hee</i>(Moo-myeong) and <i>Jun Kunimura</i>(Japanese stranger) are great as the two characters playing tug-of-war with the word "ambiguity". And <i>Kim Hwan-hee</i>(Hyo-jin), is back-and-forth with adorable-frightening, interesting character despite being the film's designated '<i>obvious trope</i>'.<br />
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My only gripe here is that while the story is interesting, it does admittedly go in illogical heights(structure and plot-wise), just to sell the climactic "are they, aren't they?!!" struggle in the end. IT IS interesting and it does have a point that I get, mind you. It's just that, it feels a bit convoluted even by it's own mark there.<br />
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But as I say again, it is actually the film's main point. Sometimes, something truly fucked-up happens. Sometimes, it doesn't make sense. Sometimes, it is what it is, an undecipherable moment in an individual's life. And it is something that we must learn to respect, and to accept, or else we will fall into it and go mad in the end. "<i>The Wailing</i>" is a very good horror film, it is in ways cryptic because, hell, that's how evil works best.<br />
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Catsmandohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314090495560024946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-14858796857719569982017-01-22T07:52:00.000+04:002017-01-25T08:29:54.993+04:00Syed Al Biryani - Bring on the heat!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "diaria light pro" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">This review is totally from an outsider looking in. I've mentioned that disclaimer since the consensus is divided amongst reviewers whose probably had Biryani from their home countries in Pakistan or India or have compared it with their parent's recipe that they had since kids. I, on the other hand, had only started eating this dish when I came here in UAE 3 years ago and had my fair share of Biryanis to say at least which is good and which isn't, and this is place is definitely one of the best Biryani I've had, probably top 3. More on this after the break. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "diaria light pro" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">It was our monthly date and have decided to eat a biryani, did a quick Google search and there's only one place near that has biryani part of the restaurant's name. If they are confident enough to put that food as part of their name then I can only expect good things from that. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "diaria light pro" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">We got to the place and it's not your generic looking Indian or Pakistani restaurant. It's "hip" and full of printed memes about biryani even has this poster of its history. They've really embraced and built their business around that dish. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "diaria light pro" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">The items on the menu are really affordable, a mutton biryani good for 2 people only cost 25 dirhams. When it was served, I and my wife looked at each other and smiled because, at first glance, it's a steal for the price to serving ratio. They also served it with a small salad (just cucumber and cabbage) and raita (some yogurt that goes along with it) which are free and comes with the meal. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "diaria light pro" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">We've dug into it and checked the pieces of meat because we've encountered at times that though the serving looks big, it's all rice but that is not the case here. There's enough meat to go along with that mountain of rice and it also has a potato, something I've never seen before in a biryani.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "diaria light pro" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">Took a spoonful and man, that first bite was an explosion of flavor and heat in my mouth! The meat has zero gaminess in it, it was flavourful and juicy. The rice was really well spiced, it is moist unlike others where their basmati rice tastes like it has been sitting all day somewhere, and each spoonful packs a heat in every bite, my nose and forehead were sweating bullets. It was the exact amount of heat for me, but my wife found it a little too spicy, so she had to balance it with the cucumber and raita. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "diaria light pro" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">I wasn't checking how much meat I had left and didn't notice it's done, so like every biryani restaurant we've been to, I kindly ask if we could have a few more pieces and they gladly gave us two. A definite plus for that. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "diaria light pro" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">The ambiance was good, service was fast and professional, the food was excellent and again, probably one of the best biryanis I've had. Without a doubt, I'll definitely come back here and have more and to experiment on some of the things they have on their menu which I have no idea what they are but if the taste of their biryani is any indication of its quality, then I'm confident it'll be good. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "diaria light pro" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">Best biryani place in Sharjah, they can definitely wear the biryani name in their restaurant with pride.</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2Sharjah - United Arab Emirates25.3462553 55.42093169999998325.1165988 55.098208199999981 25.5759118 55.743655199999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-6408881698816833452017-01-10T13:38:00.002+04:002017-01-10T13:40:16.000+04:00Brosted Chicken House Restaurant - Shawaramadness!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When you say shawarma, you'll have a general idea of how it will be like, it's either bits and pieces of chicken or beef/mutton, then add fries if it's an Arabic shawarma, and sliced and diced vegetables if it's from an Indian cafeteria, and these are wrapped in a flatbread. You'll find shawarma joints all across UAE dime a dozen, so to stand out, they need to have something that sets them apart from the competition, and that's where Brosted Chicken House & Restaurant comes in, more after the break.<br />
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They serve one of the meatiest shawarma I've ever had all for 6 dirhams. If you were to compare the amount of meat it has to an Indian shawarma it's probably equivalent to 3 servings. The chicken is well spiced but a bit oily, aside from the pouring meat, they add fries and pickled cucumbers that balance the saltiness and then wrap it all up in their signature flatbread which I believe is called <i>saj</i> that they grill to make it crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside that makes everything all the better.<br />
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It's still pretty standard from this point but then they serve it to you if you on a plate with pickles and two types of dipping sauce. One is a garlic mayo and the other is what makes them stand out, it's a black sauce which I've only tasted here in this restaurant, I looked at their prep area and the bottle it comes from has a pomegranate logo which I assume where it's extracted from and I if my research is corrected, it's called pomegranate molasses. This sauce makes it doubly delicious and just makes you want to eat more, which I do all the time.<br />
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There are other options in their menu, and one of those bear their name, the brosted chicken which I haven't tried yet even after all the time I've been there, definitely putting that on my to-do list.<br />
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At the time of writing this post, there's a major crackdown on shawarma stands across UAE due to hygienic reasons because most shawarma stands have their meat exposed outside of their restaurant and some even use the same hands they've used to prepare the food to get your payment and give you change. Well, rest assure that this one's not like that, they have the shawarma in an enclosed glass room, you go to the counter and pay, get a piece of paper and show it to the guys that prepare your food, and one of the waiters will serve it to you, that's how they roll.<br />
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Conclusion:<br />
I could say from all the shawarma stands I've been to, this is the most bang for your buck sharwarma or even food in general out there. The serving to price ratio is just on totally different level than most.<br />
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They have several branches across UAE but the one I've been to is the Sharjah branch, so have a go at it when you can because you won't regret it.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Sharjah - United Arab Emirates25.3462553 55.42093169999998325.1165988 55.098208199999981 25.5759118 55.743655199999985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-29126177181492569692016-12-21T13:55:00.001+04:002016-12-26T07:50:36.043+04:00"Star Wars : Rogue One (2016)"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">a film review by CatsMando</span></i><br />
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<a name='more'></a> I've seen alot of <i>Star Trek</i> movies, I've seen all of the major <i>Star Wars</i> films. Never been a fan of both. I don't know why but those has all of the things that should be an easy sell for me. The pure lighthearted adventure, one dabbles deep in the philosophy of sci-fi, the other is an honest-to-goodness space epic. Both banks hard in space battles and with good reason; they're well made and very much worth watching. Those two are actually good big sci-fi franchises...but yeah, I'm just not fully hooked on either one.<br />
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So why put this thought in this here review? Because this is me, a non-fan, saying that yeah, <i>Rogue One</i> is a movie struggling to be coherent. Starting act's as messy as paint in an air blower. And the honestly great roster of characters are not fully brought out. But...I like it, I really like <i>Star Wars Rogue One</i>. Like <i>Wrath of Khan</i> in the whole <i>Star Trek</i> fare, <i>Star Wars Rogue One</i> is, even to my surprise, my most favorite movie of all <i>Star Wars</i> stuff. I put forth those introductory lines because I understand and admit, I don't have any authority or say for the franchise so I may be on the wrong here and yeah, the film indeed has alot of bad spots and beats...but, man, I just love <i>Rogue One</i>.<br />
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So okay, bad stuffs first. It's already understood by everyone going into the film that this is going to be the prequel of sorts. It's the bridge between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy. As established by its premise alone and the fact that this is now coming from <i>Disney</i>, there's no question that the good guys will get the job done. And they did. So what I'm saying is plot wise, it's thoroughly <i>"okay"</i>. It works. It's, <i>"meh"</i>.<br />
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The characters, well, all of them sounds good on paper, is actually good to look at, and works great together when the movie gives them time to do so, but they're barely making it on <i>"good"</i> territory. I think the problem here is that it's just too many introductory characters for a movie gunning for a singular wrapped-up narrative. It feels like each of them ought to have their own prior standalone films. And I'm not just counting the protagonists, this is <i>Star Wars</i> after all, even the bad guys are way too interesting to compete for such short screen time<span style="font-size: x-small;">(what the hell look at that, two hours-worth of film and here I am complaining it's not enough)</span>. It's just alot of characters, and each of them are too deep, too entrenched in their own actually-interesting backstories<span style="font-size: x-small;">(<i>Jyn Erso</i>'s past, her upbringing through <i>Saw Gerrera</i>, <i>Cassian</i>'s first brush with the empire, <i>Chirrut</i> and <i>Baze</i>'s past adventures, and alot more of this promising nuggets of interesting backstories simply hinted through their limited dialogue exchanges)</span>, in the end, none of them are fully fleshed out. In the end, the character that felt like having solid arc came from a goddamn, wise-ass android.<br />
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On the narrative, it's the whole "rebels stood up against some powerful evil" storyline again and yeah, another <i>"okay"</i> points there. By structure and pacing, it's conflicted. As I said, the characters struggle to be whole and competes in each other for a meager part of the film's runtime because the alot of it is used in exposition-ridden way on establishing and reinforcing the main adventures' plot. Characterization and the main group's individual interesting arcs are sacrificed just so they can make time rehashing the base story that we can pretty much guess since <b>we already get it six movies ago</b>.<br />
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So there, those are my considered bad beats, and some of them sounds so bad that you may now be wondering why I love this particular film of all the other better ones in the franchise. Well, let's dive on those then!<br />
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First off is it's tone. Yeah it still hits that <i>Disney</i> grade of <i>"dark"</i> and we all see there are some points that they will never go. But still, very refreshing to encounter a <i>Star Wars</i> film that doesn't <i>feel</i> like a <i>Star Wars</i> film. It's pacing, it's firefights. It's more gritty, most especially during the rebel attack on Jedha that more closely mimics a modern-day violent insurgent attack than a clean, traditional <i>Star Wars</i> battle.<br />
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And such tone seeps all throughout the film. There are no Han Solo-type of charming rogue here, one is willing to lie, to kill-not just in self-defense in combat-but to actually just kill in the name of the cause. Others are more into pushing other people. Alot of them are like this, to try to persuade others towards being their means to their ends. It's expected for the empire to see this kind of thing, it's weirdly refreshing, and a very bold move for the film to show that the <i>"noble"</i>, <i>"righteous"</i> rebels would easily do the same to win this war.<br />
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Second, as I said, the beginning part's a very messy start narrative-wise, it jumps back and forth multiple characters, thinking that it's pretty clever with itself making us track multiple storyline until all of them meet narratively and literally by the middle part. It's not, because it doesn't work. And I think it doesn't work because I said, it's just too many (new)characters at play here. But after the group finally formed, starts to sort itself out and actually start with our heroes' venture towards their true mission, the film really starts to pick up its right pace. From then on up 'till the very end, it's just pure entertainment.<br />
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Another good thing, the whole <i>Star Wars</i> style, the theme, the aesthetic, the iconic characters and cameos, the weapons, the vehicles, whatevers, it works. One of my most favorite thing right off the bat is how the film tries to get the vibes of the 1977 movie. It's technology and iconography, and the look of the movie's cinematography(a bit grainy and bloom-y and a bit stutter-y), really calls back to the first <i>Star Wars'</i> feel.<br />
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And finally, the cast. As I said, I'm disappointed by the way the casts' screentime is handled because all of them truly works from the get-go. <i>Felicity Jones</i> carries her no-nonsense, devil-may-care <i>Jyn Erso</i> better than <i>Daisy Ridley</i>'s <i>Rey</i>(or maybe that's their point with her?, we'll see when <i>episode VIII</i> comes out). <i>Diego Luna</i>'s morally indecipherable <i>Cassian Andor</i> is a very good complement to the more straightforward<i> Jyn</i>. It's a pleasant surprise they threw the film's levity to <i>Jiang Wen</i> (as <i>Baze Malbus</i>), <i>Alan Tudyk</i> (<i>as K-2SO</i>), and <i>Donnie Yen</i> (as<i> Chirrut ÃŽmwe</i>), and thank god, <i>Yen</i>'s talent isn't misused here, unlike the unfortunate <i>Iko Uwais</i> and company in <i>The force Awakens</i>. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(This may be a very good platform for him to get into american cinema...still trying to forget <i>Blade II</i>)</span>. Everyone else work well too. <i>Bodhi Rook</i> is the likeable little scamp, <i>Saw Gerrera</i> is a broken man barely holding at the cause, <i>Galen Erso</i> is a man wo just wants to do good to everyone but cannot. I'm not even counting the antagonists and the returning characters! Again, so many ACTUALLY interesting characters in only two hours.<br />
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The final epic attack up to the very end is just overflowing with awesome. And this is coming from a non-fan. The way it weaves both the dogfights, the ground combat, and the espionage, culminating in a unified escape from the Empire, strongly reeks of those old-school pulpy action-WWII movies and I just love it. And man, Darth Vader is just...they really know what makes him work and they ran away with it. Very satisfying for his brief appearance.<br />
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It struggles in the start, but it manages to pick itself up halfway through and it wrap itself up very nicely in the end. It's not the best Star Wars movie, it's not even a great one. But it's good, and it tries to delve somewhere that the other <i>Star Wars</i> film didn't dare before, and I like it alot because of it.<br />
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Catsmandohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314090495560024946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-76928934099559135042016-12-13T17:36:00.002+04:002016-12-26T07:46:14.689+04:00"Shin Gojira/Godzilla Resurgence" (2016)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">a film review by CatsMando</span></i><br />
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Monster films, as they closely tie with horror movies, works best when they mainly work being a commentary to something. <i>Dracula </i>works best when it focuses on being the representation of the threatening form of ambiguous, emasculating, masculinity. The <i>Wolf Man</i> is essentially the fear of man losing his control with his base urges. <i>The Mummy</i> and <i>King Kong </i>is the peril of adventure, <i>Frankenstein </i>and <i>Jurrassic Park</i> is punishment to man's arrogance towards science and nature, <i>zombies</i> are a violent, satiric take on the human collective, <i>Xenomorph Aliens</i> are layers upon layers of analogy about rape and violence against women, <i>The Predator</i> is the ultimate unknown enemy, the cyborg/android motif(think <i>Terminator/Westworld</i>) are based around the fear of man-made technology turning against them.<br />
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It's often strongly about the commentary. Everything else, like <i>Frankenstein</i>'s iconic look, <i>King Kong</i>'s scale, <i>zombie </i>genre's strong ties with body horror; are secondary. A complementary feature, never the main.<br />
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So Japan with <i>Godzilla</i>? Same principle. Yes, the giant, iconic monster is a good hook, but that's just what it is, a good hook. What really make the original stand strong through time is its message; it's Japan's contemplation to its post-war mindset, a grueling look at its society, figuratively and literally ruined by war. Ultimately, Godzilla is the atom bomb. A swift, uncontrollable destructive force of penance which people do not have the power to stop. The people only learned to have the will to weather-NOT defeat-what wrath it brings. And to stand strong in its wake.<br />
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So this newfangled, 'modern reboot' of the Japanese movie, now created by the same studio who spearheaded the original, has alot of challenges in its way. The top three in my mind is; "<i>How does this compare to the modern, American take?</i>", "<i>How does this compare to the old one?</i>", and "<i>How does this stand on its own?</i>".<br />
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Naturally, the premise is pretty much its original's base narrative; monster appears, monster arrived at destination, monster wreaks havoc, while we watch people go about it. Now, what's both interesting and effective is its approach. It didn't center mainly about the monster, and it didn't focused on few main characters either. In a great nod to the very first film, it opted to treating the monster as a mere backdrop entity, and by casting the point of view to the people, to the society. Not just in, like, two-three characters.<br />
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Of course, we got some of what could be considered as <i>major characters</i>. First one is <i>Rando Yaguchi</i>(<i>Hiroki Hasegawa</i>), one of the younger members of the cabinet. As with his youth, his decisions and ideas tend to be more bold and risky, which as shown in the film, often goes against his generally cautious peers. Another one is <i>Kayoko Ann Patterson</i>(<i>Satomi Ishihara</i>), a sort of Japanese representative from America?(never really got what her role is) Look, if there's ONE thing that really dragged this film for me, it would be her character. A spoiled-ish, surprise-english-speaking character who just appeared out of nowhere just to tell how much America wants to get in on their business. Hey, I see the point, and it could work well-but-eghhh, alright, I'll save the criticisms for later. Anyway, another one is <i>Hideki Akasaka</i>(<i>Yutaka Takenouchi</i>), another personel for the Prime Minister. He's a contrast to Rando, but not an adversary. He acts as the third side, the middle ground between the ideals of the old and the young. Other notable characters are <i>Prime Minister Seiji Okochi</i>(<i>Ren Ohsugi</i>), instant-fan favorite <i>Hiromi Ogashira</i>(<i>Mikako Ichikawa</i>), and <i>Defense Minister Reiko Hanamori</i>(<i>Kimiko Yo</i>). There are key and recurring personel, but it's a very big set of characters interacting with one another that it's a disservice for the film to just point to only a handful of characters as "<i>important ones</i>".<br />
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The film's main point is less about the monster itself and more about how Japan faces it. And interestingly so, this film strongly feels like a sharp criticism of the country's bureaucracy. As portrayed in the first half of the film, the big problem isn't actually the monster that appeared in Tokyo Bay, but the overly time consuming, hogwash info dumping, finger pointing busywork of a way their system of government operates. By the time they posit that it could pose a serious threat, the monster is already wreaking havoc by the city river. By the time they concluded through majority decision that the monster cannot go inland, the monster's already rampaging through traffic. By the time they mobilized a strike force, the monster's already at different form. Before they completed an evacuation(which the film show, is horribly disorganized) and ready to face the monster. It already made a mad, destructive dash back into the bay.<br />
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On the next day, while surveying the aftermath, Yaguchi and Akasaka have their respective say about the terror that occurred. Akasaka noted on the shocking destruction, for a monster to destroy this much in few hours. Yaguchi reply in dissappointment and condemnation; <i>they had hours to find a way to fend off the monster</i>. Both of them have a point. Akasaka believes the system works, this event just needed a solid plan implemented in the future. Yaguchi believes they need a totally different form of system.<br />
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This film is just rich in commentary. The ineffectively confusing government work. The pressure of foreign intervention. And my most favorite of all; it's representation on American adventurism. All of it didn't just sprout up of nowhere because of Godzilla, those problems' presence are just made clear because of Godzilla. If the old Godzilla is sort of penance to it's country, the new one acts as a catalyst. Like a storm or an earthquake(which this film strongly alludes to actually), it is a calamity that revealed a much deeper problem in its system and on the people involved.<br />
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By it's second appearance, it's just astonishing. The new Godzilla is much, much more slower than the <i>American(2014)</i> counterpart, but it's godlike capabilities are well showcased. Every stomp is truly(literally!) crushing, with each step sending quakes that could shake off trees and weak buildings. As the government properly mobilized a combined arms assault on the colossal monstrosity, one couldn't help but feel in awe. And man, once Godzilla retaliated with his signature attack, the atomic ray, it's just...<i>glorious </i>is the word that comes to mind. <br />
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The visual effects strongly hearkens to the old days. Yes it is CGI, but the way the visuals are animated and rendered evokes that "man in lizard suit" feel, and it kind of works! Unlike the 2014 film, the destruction rendered here feels more weighty, more palpable. And I like that unlike the common Hollywood CGI-fests where they just throw out tons and tons of short shots and sharp-cutted scenes, here there's confidence on letting the shot linger. Whether from afar, from above, to down on the ground, all of those helped on making Godzilla's presence truly felt.<br />
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Another great point is the score. It's never uninteresting. It's well used in giving us bead on the monster's impression. It also plays with its ode too, by mixing the scores of old with the new ones, it works great on evoking the feel the film tries to aim. Also, I give great credit to the music for being a great companion in Godzilla's retaliation scene. <i>Shiro Sagisu</i> did great on his part.<br />
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So yeah, the film's point is clear, the visual fx are solid, and the score works in tying those two. It's an overall good film bordering to great. So here I go pointing out some points that I think dragged this movie a bit. First off is, as a pure <i>monster flick</i>-monster flick? It's weak. People looking for a film that simply focuses on some monster wreaking havok will not be fully satiated here. It's here more to make a point than make things destroyed(although there's still alot of things that got destroyed in this movie). Another is the first "baby" iteration of Godzilla is adorably stupid-looking. It may be a point and I admit, I myself have no qualms with it. But I'd understand if some folks would feel that it would lessen Godzilla's sense of threat for them. And this...THING that I've been holding back. I'm talking about that "special <strike>bratty american english-ing</strike> envoy" character. Conceptually, I really have no problem with the character, she works well as another contrast to Yaguchi, and is a good surrogate to America's smug, overbearingly confident way of "always wanting to get involved in big shit". But really, I think it would have worked better if they got an actual Japanese-American actress, who speaks english well but struggles to speak japanese. That would be a better point for me in hammering home this particular character.<br />
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Besides those, I like it. I really like this film. To compare to the <i>2014 film</i>, this one has a stronger point and(naturally) has a better grasp on what Godzilla is and should be. Compared to the first one, while it's not enough to take over the throne, it's still a great enough to be a very close companion film to it. On its own, it's a very good, talky, monster movie because it really has something to say, and this new iteration of the monster is just awesome. They state that the term <i>"Shin"</i> means '<i>true</i>', '<i>new</i>', and '<i>God</i>'. For me THIS mutha-effin' kaiju got those terms on pat.<br />
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Catsmandohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314090495560024946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-9069636378870640762016-12-06T18:22:00.000+04:002016-12-26T07:51:35.754+04:00"Kubo and the Two Strings" (2016)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">a film review by CatsMando</span></i></span></h4>
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If I were asked what would be my top three companies-not in terms of my personal fave, but in terms of honest-to-goodness craftsmanship-levels in animated feature films-easy, it's <i>Studio Ghibli</i>, <i>Pixar</i>, and <i>Laika</i>. These are the big name studios that actually puts out real art-forms. A combination of fresh perspective as evidenced through their stories, and years of technical masterwork as shown through the quality of execution. It's not an <i>always </i>case, mind you, all three of them have their pieces of <i>passing </i>works. But more often they get to deliver works that are just visually draw-dropping, emotionally resonant, thematically solid, and overall inspiring.<br />
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I state this case here because really, <i>Laika</i>, for me, often felt overlooked. Their unwavering stance in keeping this particular form of animation is commendable enough. But to see them actually further that in taking the practice to new heights(both on thematic and technical level) is just...wow. Really, wow. So I'm both incredibly pleased and pleasantly surprised to discover that this particular film is actually about that. Chasing the essence of <i>entertainment</i>, pinpointing the nature and the value of <i>story-telling</i>.<br />
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The surface storyline is actually pretty basic. It's <i>the hero's journey</i>; introduction of protagonist, protagonist gains motivation to adventure through loss, adventure to self transformation ensues, allies and important artifacts gained along the way, transformation arrived just in time to face the antagonist. Again, basic stuff if covering its base premise. So what's the ingenuity of it, the point where I'd actually begin to love the film? Well, the great point about it is that it has a layer, a theme that flows through the base narrative in a very introspective manner. See, the story is actually driven by the essence of discovering and maintaining <i>a story</i>. As the main, overarching drive of the main protagonist himself is the quest to find and preserve his.<br />
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Kubo is introduced to us catering to his mother who, after an unfortunate concussion during an escape, is struggling in recollecting her memories, in remembering herself. They lived in isolation to a cave in a mountaintop, but there's a town below and that's where Kubo try to make a living. So how does he make a living? By telling a story about some glorious hero who must venture forth and claim three magical gears to fight a great enemy. Told with the help of some self-folding magical papers and his musical instrument, the story becomes downright mesmerizing to the townsfolk, which is pretty good for Kubo because it seems he often stops the story short, leaving the townsfolk frustrated. But such style of storytelling is not Kubo's intent, as later shown the two reasons. First is, the story he's telling is actually told to him by his mother. He can't finish the story because she can't finish hers. Also, "home before dark" is not just an advice but an order. If there's something that her mother will never lose, it's her will to protect her child.<br />
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When she can get her thoughts together, she tells the same story of a hero who collected three items and fought a villain, the difference is that the hero is actually Kubo's father, while the villain is her father. Her father is called the moon king, an immortal who's now chasing after Kubo, or more specifically, his eye(he already lost one). As evidenced by the lack of presence of the father, as much as she struggles to recollect the details, for us the story, their story, is pretty much figured out. So now, it's up to her to protect Kubo from being taken away. Through those minor changes, the same basic story is suddenly re-contextualized. From some man who quested for glory, to a father who fought to protect his family.<br />
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All's well, until one day, Kubo has been told by one of the villagers about some festivities that occurs during the night, more specifically, a ritual that could apparently give way to them to communicate through passed loved ones. Kubo go forth and joined the festival and the ritual which only has proved fruitless, night arrived, the moon shone ominously, two malevolent figures appeared and attempted to take Kubo away. Their approach interrupted by Kubo's mother. Outnumbered and overpowered, she uses what's left of her power to take Kubo far away from the village, leaving herself to fend, as revealed, her sisters into chasing her child.<br />
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Kubo then woke up facing a talking monkey. It is quickly known that she's actually the little wooden charm Kubo's holding early in the film. With her(the monkey) help, Kubo's quest to find the three items, and to fight his grandfather, the Moon King, begins.<br />
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Now yes, the film's story continues and wraps up from there in a pretty predictable manner. But still, I will not go further. The film has its twists and turns and moments and further re-contextualization to the narrative, and I'm not going to spoil that here. All I can say is, the film is thematically and structurally solid. It's point about telling stories and finding value in keeping memories alive integrates very well into the film.<br />
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And those point has additional reinforcement on the fact that it reverberates on Laika's ideal as well. Their craft, which is stop-motion animation, is unbelievably top notch. The animations are smooth, the character works are very solid. It's truly mind-blowing every time you realized this was literally hand-made. Obviously, some light and particle effects are CGI. But everything else, the living characters, the moving set, are not. As I said, that really reinforces the message about the respect in storytelling. Just like how Kubo's simple tale becomes engrossing and thoroughly entertaining because of his talent in delivering it in such magical manner, same could be said in this film and on the studio that made it. In showing great weight and value to the tales through the medium, and giving great care and respect to the medium it is made in.<br />
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Making this kind of lasting works are done through sheer talent, effort, discipline, and again i really can't stress this term enough, respect to the work. I think what <i>Laika</i>'s trying to state here is that, it's time to celebrate that, with a rock-solid animated family-adventure movie.<br />
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Catsmandohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314090495560024946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-60447199900081457152016-12-03T17:06:00.002+04:002016-12-26T07:51:39.575+04:00"Hell or High Water" (2016)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">a film review by CatsMando</span></i></span></div>
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The thing about small-scoped, focused-concept films is that it has to be very mindful of the details<br />
it place. Without any real flash or bombast, every dialogue stands out, every long scene well observed, every actions, no matter how small, is noticed. And everything about those has to have a place in the movie or else it'll be a lingering distraction that could easily ruin these type of film.<br />
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Why I'm stating this, is because this idea strongly stands out in this movie, everything seen in the<br />
film drives something about the film, be it its narrative, its characters, their motivations, their perspectives, giving a lay of the land(its setting), driving home a theme or a point. If this film could be summed up in one word, it's "efficient".<br />
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For those still confused whether it's good or bad, here's my shortest take on it; <b>I FUCKING LOVE THIS MOVIE</b>. Like "<i>Bone Tomahawk</i>" of yesteryear, "<i>Hell or High Water</i>" is just fekkin' A. A very solidly-entertaining, well-written film. For me, the best companion film for it is "<i>No Country for Old Men</i>", it's deliberately toned down. It doesn't need to do anything particularly grand, IT IS just that instantly interesting, right from the start.<br />
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So anyway, the premise is; Brothers are financially cornered. A land inherited from their late mother is actually, in true American fashion today, not theirs. It's indebted to some bank and due for foreclosure if not settled in the coming days. So to both get a way to pay off their property's reverse mortgage, and get an additional 'screw you' on the company that holds it, they worked up a days-spanning string of robbery on multiple branches of said bank across the state. On the other side of that story are two Sheriffs trying to get the "who", "why" and "how" of the robberies, and hopefully, figuring out where the next hit could be.<br />
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The brothers are played by Ben Foster(<i>Lone Survivor</i>) and Chris Pine(<i>recent Star Trek films</i>). Ben Foster is an easy get for me, he already sold me from a lot of his previous films. He's very good at being a strongly empathetic asshole. Often his type of characters where the ones where they often do something you don't agree with, but still get an emotional pass because you very much understand why they did it. And his character here is no different. Tanner Howard(Foster) is the older sibling, prior life is incarceration from robberies. Returning to the outside world, for Tanner, time has passed him by. This is why he often takes seemingly unnecessary risks. It's apparent he believed he no longer have the opportunity to get back on track anyway, so might as well enjoy the rough trip. But as properly reinforced throughout the film, he'd do whatever it takes if it means it could help his younger brother. Toby(Pine) is a man who lived a seemingly contented life. He's divorced, but it didn't mean he'd just up and left his family, he still tries to pay off his debt towards his wife, tries to make up for loss time for his children, and teaches one of them the error of his ways, even hoping in fact that they, in anyway, not be like him. Finally, a movie where I actually liked Chris Pine! I'm never really sold at his <i>Kirk</i>, but here he works. A great complement to Foster's volatile character, he's actually very good being the opposite of his <i>Star Trek</i> character. A stoic, methodical man that strongly latches on the idea of responsibility.<br />
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Characters are just rock solid. I love it when a movie kept it's characters very consistent. I love it<br />
when a movie knows how to really pace itself, not too fast to feel erratic and rushed, not too slow to<br />
feel trudging and boring. It's just so right all throughout and properly complemented by well written dialogues. I love it when a film has a strong sense of place. It didn't just have a good core cast and ran away with it, it made sure that everyone else has a proper say, a strong identity. It made the setting felt lived and living.<br />
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And such a setting is important, for the other half of the story is through Sheriff Marcus Hamilton(Jeff Bridges) following whatever trail and impression from the people the siblings leave. Most of his interactions are through the townsfolk and to his partner, Alberto Parker(Gil Birmingham). And Marcus and Alberto's banters are entertaining enough alone. Always funny are the scenes where Marcus often tries to push Alberto by being deliberately racist. And the way those scenes actually worked in showing their own sense of brotherhood as the film progress is a very confident move.<br />
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The movie has some further fleshing out and more plot reveals, and the same shall be said with each character's drives, goals, and motivations. But I will not spoil it here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbS_l8YT-qXX4KNeWMA8OYzl1axmmbrbYNmkXkTIwY0rmw4Vjrppgs2tOmO1gUlUfO1JtyTcMMBIc61ApKzj3ymWiSMPPusZxJDJ2su5Cs85MBMyvhdxYmYiqt0WiBiyU4NaN90KwQ_16K/s1600/008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbS_l8YT-qXX4KNeWMA8OYzl1axmmbrbYNmkXkTIwY0rmw4Vjrppgs2tOmO1gUlUfO1JtyTcMMBIc61ApKzj3ymWiSMPPusZxJDJ2su5Cs85MBMyvhdxYmYiqt0WiBiyU4NaN90KwQ_16K/s320/008.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's just a very solid, efficient film. It's both a western-textured neo-noir, and a family-driven, heist movie. And what's awesome is that it is well executed. A very good craftsmanship film. '<i>Hell or High Water</i>' is easily one of my most favorite movies of 2016.<br />
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Catsmandohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09314090495560024946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-24245543398103144712016-11-16T10:14:00.003+04:002016-11-16T10:14:51.415+04:00Google Photoscan Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm a Google fanboy that's alway on the lookout for new Google products and Photoscan is the newest one that's been up for less than 24 hours at the time of this writing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVW4K9wMwpK5HllKPCeqGAfLhith__pm3mgn0uCb4Qws8xFcgPGivLdXCrXaWdvj2jQy-lpzfRFS0vZhRUU8Y6lzrc0PKt260FVTFPgcWVUpx-ZSMPthH-FhTiRHZJgggF55DyOLZFJ2l-/s1600/photoscan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVW4K9wMwpK5HllKPCeqGAfLhith__pm3mgn0uCb4Qws8xFcgPGivLdXCrXaWdvj2jQy-lpzfRFS0vZhRUU8Y6lzrc0PKt260FVTFPgcWVUpx-ZSMPthH-FhTiRHZJgggF55DyOLZFJ2l-/s640/photoscan.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've used the Photoscan app for a couple of hours to test it out and as much as I want to say it's the perfect solution for digitizing your printed photos quickly, as of now... it's a work in progress, more on this after the break.<br />
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The problem with taking pictures of printed photos is that if there's not enough lighting you would need to use the flash on your phone and in doing they'll glare on the pictures that you just took which ruin it. What Photoscan does is that it uses something called computational photography that automatically removes glares with math.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CO2vPTEh_4_cfpw4goLIUwm9YXvXJwlFmz-9VbsTf8c-WCkJvyd4SxYgA6qWCbicM8FZNSw8MzvxrpAxwOp5fdOXMuAYp-Ug0GZnbV4sMMLPjjisNIr7YzXd0Mi5SEWnb4uNqtogcBCH/s1600/scascas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CO2vPTEh_4_cfpw4goLIUwm9YXvXJwlFmz-9VbsTf8c-WCkJvyd4SxYgA6qWCbicM8FZNSw8MzvxrpAxwOp5fdOXMuAYp-Ug0GZnbV4sMMLPjjisNIr7YzXd0Mi5SEWnb4uNqtogcBCH/s640/scascas.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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How it works is that you frame the printed photo and take a picture of it then certain points on the picture will pop up then you need to move your camera and follow the dots which takes multiple pictures that will be stitched together and analyzed to remove any glare from the final photo.<br />
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Here's the promotional video that made download the app immediately.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MEyDt0DNjWU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MEyDt0DNjWU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
I made sure I followed the instructions correctly but still most photos I took just doesn't look right. Though it doesn't have any obvious glare, it's overexposed, there's a white center on most of the pictures and without the flash yes, there's no glare but it isn't as sharp with it on.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6jQga3uaPmxVHza8vYETNLmKls-qlNmO5ABETbSxGzQb-Mf6OCjl2cL0Wjz3c3wu7giv7Tbz4TQmBFt4takhhyzZmuVgUUtutWEe4W6zDQ5aSIPv-dxX-tngIXZWAz468OmhF2JE37La/s1600/500959394-horz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6jQga3uaPmxVHza8vYETNLmKls-qlNmO5ABETbSxGzQb-Mf6OCjl2cL0Wjz3c3wu7giv7Tbz4TQmBFt4takhhyzZmuVgUUtutWEe4W6zDQ5aSIPv-dxX-tngIXZWAz468OmhF2JE37La/s640/500959394-horz.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">glare, overexposed, skewed</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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So as much as I like to love this application made by Google, it's not working as advertised right now. There are currently better solutions out there that have been out for awhile and one of those is what I use for work when scanning documents, not going to elaborate on that application but I'll show a quick comparison of it to Google's.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPtIagkC0RT2wEpe79Im-hKsFnWj85_yKD2It35hoMeSLJIieTEHjJqT4nB1jOptOpH526UbUgCBovOSSdCJzwwT6OAv0eEFa1O9noPAiSMviu69KrX2G7mG7Z0tTkCHpO9SHMjxbxfPI/s1600/scan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPtIagkC0RT2wEpe79Im-hKsFnWj85_yKD2It35hoMeSLJIieTEHjJqT4nB1jOptOpH526UbUgCBovOSSdCJzwwT6OAv0eEFa1O9noPAiSMviu69KrX2G7mG7Z0tTkCHpO9SHMjxbxfPI/s640/scan.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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These photos you can see were taken using an application called Scannable by Evernote and with or without the flash it's able to capture the printed photo properly and even on a skewed angle it still was able to properly to correct the orientation of the picture and the final products look better at times than the one taken using Google's Photoscan app.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieV5V0d5hpGhLpBAOpULpx-zw7PWxoG0363X4LuHBZE6wAMIcFty0HIcRZajq0aWkp2dQIoHoiip3s1mZ771pFzvnAIA06x_zXhJoCQJwXNMXLVldqVBhNan2fZonf6hMC0h9Bg6fMRycK/s1600/IMG_5798.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieV5V0d5hpGhLpBAOpULpx-zw7PWxoG0363X4LuHBZE6wAMIcFty0HIcRZajq0aWkp2dQIoHoiip3s1mZ771pFzvnAIA06x_zXhJoCQJwXNMXLVldqVBhNan2fZonf6hMC0h9Bg6fMRycK/s320/IMG_5798.PNG" width="254" /></a></div>
Conclusion:<br />
The app was just released and it's in its early stages, knowing Google this application will only get better and as mentioned in the first paragraph of this post I'm a Google fanboy and I have my life backed up on Google and hopefully that includes my childhood photos in the near future.<br />
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You can download the Photoscan fo <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photoscan-scanner-by-google/id1165525994?mt=8">iOS </a>and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.photos.scanner&hl=en">Android </a>by clicking on your OS.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-65341224679894671972016-11-10T13:11:00.001+04:002016-11-10T14:16:34.551+04:00Google Dine & Discover for Dubai Local Guides.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I started posting pictures and reviews in Google Maps, I was just doing it so that other people would have an idea of my experience with what this or that place is and help in some way, then learned about the rewards of doing so I upped my game, and out of nowhere got an invitation to a Google event and this is how it went down.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DtzxMIZysNIy6XGUDHV8pzZ1V0h_fHYj2x-2b8ZEVYOvblFDYqZZK2vzH1rFRqPibhjVwOEpq39TqkR6VR-Zt-Pn5d8AbgCJo9_BbwoMD3Ec8vr7Q_-_pbYYn6sl_4CG7zBsxuJL_mtq/s1600/google+%25282%2529.JPG"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DtzxMIZysNIy6XGUDHV8pzZ1V0h_fHYj2x-2b8ZEVYOvblFDYqZZK2vzH1rFRqPibhjVwOEpq39TqkR6VR-Zt-Pn5d8AbgCJo9_BbwoMD3Ec8vr7Q_-_pbYYn6sl_4CG7zBsxuJL_mtq/s640/google+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbGKA0x-rHhrmPHw8d6vjTdu1u5IFHwvETbU44qaar2CnPA44NnhxDkJFH0jaeiE_RRUyRVUZWwKLxCnPKZxfZb6dXNZQ26ATzwLldOEc06KwkyIkOm9h8y77JNpBWnGaqqYbQDZbX2WV/s1600/google+%25283%2529.JPG"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbGKA0x-rHhrmPHw8d6vjTdu1u5IFHwvETbU44qaar2CnPA44NnhxDkJFH0jaeiE_RRUyRVUZWwKLxCnPKZxfZb6dXNZQ26ATzwLldOEc06KwkyIkOm9h8y77JNpBWnGaqqYbQDZbX2WV/s320/google+%25283%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyvBx1hGPRHdtpgqRZUO7AhIiroVs0U02rpEaiJCjRe8qSJFojbKd5NangXtxbfH1nigRle2ltf09BwCYnBPl-fypj0ZGp6LlA0e8hLKIJ1GXKe-8guYT2VVcchohkuqRYxuhv52Gaa-P/s1600/google+%25285%2529.JPG"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyvBx1hGPRHdtpgqRZUO7AhIiroVs0U02rpEaiJCjRe8qSJFojbKd5NangXtxbfH1nigRle2ltf09BwCYnBPl-fypj0ZGp6LlA0e8hLKIJ1GXKe-8guYT2VVcchohkuqRYxuhv52Gaa-P/s320/google+%25285%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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When I got the email my initial reaction was "Yes! I'm gonna have a career in Google!" but when the euphoria subsided and I started thinking rationally, my expectation of the meet up was grounded and said to myself that I'll just enjoy the food. By the way, to qualify for this event, you need to be at least a Level 4 or 5 Local Guide, more after the break.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="389" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/18Byh51N_62pWCj2_G9BehYrFpjY9oQoW5tmh-udfu1E/embed?start=true&loop=true&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="630"></iframe>
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<b>Dine</b><br />
The event date arrived and so have I at the Google office. When the event started and they've let us inside their offices, I was awestruck. The urban legend among techies is that Google has one of the best environment to work in, which in this case turned out to be a fact. Especially if you base it upon just by the look of their pantry which is the first place we saw and the food they serve, you'll immediately realize how true this. Oh, the food...<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="389" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pTwCKnDu80jcRKLu3fE3S2VrxgjeTrXzP4tFZWVJHs4/embed?start=true&loop=true&delayms=3000" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="630"></iframe> They've let us stuff our faces with all the food available in the pantry, you have shawarma and slider burgers, fresh salads of different varieties, a plethora of desserts, chocolates you can pocket, and a chef, A CHEF! that would cook a pasta of your choosing in front of you.<br />
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Once the dinner was done there was a little ice breaker and then we've gone down to brass tax. The discussion was about the improvement of the Google Maps through the help of the locals, ways on how to set up meet ups with Google's assistance which in turn would help in contributing to Maps, an example how this was done by some locals already here in Dubai, and last was a bonus, it's about how you can improve your photography skills with the right angle and lighting, and reviews by summarizing it to a few bullet points, which is not my style as you can see in this blog. I've recorded all these in my FB wall and embedded below.<br />
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<div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/powel3/videos/10205719418743643/" data-show-text="false" data-width="600">
<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/powel3/videos/10205719418743643/" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/powel3/videos/10205719418743643/"></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
#LocalGuidesDubai</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Posted by <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4740453371190642422#" role="button">Lorenzo Halili</a> on Wednesday, November 9, 2016</div>
</blockquote>
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After all these, we were left to have ourselves to meet other local guides and know each other. Took this opportunity to have a discussion with my peers, some have a lot to say, some don't, but everyone is friendly. I asked the moderator to have a group picture before anyone else leaves and the result was great.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXXMHLDZklIBmITxc2uJi4NOvUZu5Wi_9awqvyQH6iJGIOPErNB3ZRcVABB39pS0TeWX8Z1bTDTe7v4zUb5acdh34NW-iC4Hkerk-3gVN-jnw9eW1aCWUjYUk4B4rarBEgPMepNe9SYhd/s1600/google+%252846%2529.JPG"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXXMHLDZklIBmITxc2uJi4NOvUZu5Wi_9awqvyQH6iJGIOPErNB3ZRcVABB39pS0TeWX8Z1bTDTe7v4zUb5acdh34NW-iC4Hkerk-3gVN-jnw9eW1aCWUjYUk4B4rarBEgPMepNe9SYhd/s640/google+%252846%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4hTYKbOcUTTR1rRb2zAJ_qWTnDJcesZnXKOTTFREQW265zMBEDctnz5oq19KeRmTlmVTtuaGLIsKJpPvD4M4tAb4Hz5xdwJyMBaCLxvmAkXxY_9iLtiMyzv71J1nLtCRKQqpNrExR09K/s1600/google+%252849%2529.JPG"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4hTYKbOcUTTR1rRb2zAJ_qWTnDJcesZnXKOTTFREQW265zMBEDctnz5oq19KeRmTlmVTtuaGLIsKJpPvD4M4tAb4Hz5xdwJyMBaCLxvmAkXxY_9iLtiMyzv71J1nLtCRKQqpNrExR09K/s640/google+%252849%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The last part of the discovery is strolling around the Google Dubai Office. Now everything will be shown in the video below but all I can say is that I've never been to a nicer office in my working life.<br />
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At the end of it all, we were given some souvenirs and I stuffed my face some more until I'm about to regurgitate. Thanked our host and said my goodbyes for the wonderful experience.<br />
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<b>Conclusion</b><br />
A great experience trumps all the bad ones, no puns intended. I had a long tiring day at work, US voted for the craziest POTUS to date, my Granny's sister died at the sweet age of 94, and yet I've forgotten all about these for the brief moment I was at Google.<br />
<br />
Looking forward to meet all if not most of the other Local Guides at the next meet up!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2Dubai - United Arab Emirates25.2048493 55.27078280000000624.2844163 53.9798893 26.1252823 56.561676300000009tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-14936192364833035052016-11-09T14:01:00.003+04:002016-11-10T08:47:33.873+04:00Doctor Strange - Familiar Fun<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Every time a Marvel film comes out, non-fans clamor for it to fail, hearing things like "this is the time a Marvel movie will flop" and like Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man, it didn't and just made the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe a tad better.</div>
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I've seen all the Marvel films in the cinemas and this would be the first time I review one properly and try not spoil it in the process, more of that after the break.</div>
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Doctor Strange in a nutshell for our non-comic readers is Harry Potter that decided to become a superhero. He's a "magician", or as his proper title is, The Sorcerer Supreme and with his knowledge and skills, he defends Earth from the supernatural and mundane threats the planets faces.</div>
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This is an origin superhero movie which means the first half would be Stephen Strange's backstory, motivations, and aspirations would be laid out and once the eventful occurrence happens one after the other which changes his life, he'll explore his new gifts, train and use it for the greater good. You've might have seen the same trope one two many times but it doesn't matter because the execution of how they did it here for Doctor Strange made it feel fresh like it was the first time and Marvel have succeeded in doing this on all of their films to date.</div>
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The visual of this film are mind-bending and epilepsy inducing eye-candy that it wouldn't be as fun if you were watching this other than a big screen. Examples of these visuals are when Strange starts "opening" his mind, any scene where they battle and buildings are folding unto themselves, and the effects of their spells. This is the best Marvel movie by far visually for me. Oh, the best soundtrack goes to Guardians of the Galaxy and best story and action scenes go to Winter Soldier.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEztcit72sq-apZGf04APcR1HQDMuAVp7gLyB4xOOz_p730Q-34IeHBnhQWSi10349PbPJNamb_1x6Q9rG5J9DNuOGe0ZACR1SQ4Dl6A_hwN-tt6Z-EQ0cuEv4fGjMBle9FG5obyevJP2f/s1600/Strange-Eye-Benedict-Cumberbatch-as-Doctor-Strange.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEztcit72sq-apZGf04APcR1HQDMuAVp7gLyB4xOOz_p730Q-34IeHBnhQWSi10349PbPJNamb_1x6Q9rG5J9DNuOGe0ZACR1SQ4Dl6A_hwN-tt6Z-EQ0cuEv4fGjMBle9FG5obyevJP2f/s640/Strange-Eye-Benedict-Cumberbatch-as-Doctor-Strange.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The story was properly paced and wouldn't induce any yawns, conversations between the characters are engaging and would make you laugh out loud throughout the movie. The character development of Strange is okay, they justified his unbelievable aptitude with the mystic arts by stating his natural talent and how he has a photographic memory. Mordo's character is well devised that you'd empathize with his sense of justice and make him relatable even after a certain scene. As for the rest them, I'll put it on the criticism section later.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Sb30SeoZmmZ0g2oSLu84vUix43pLrJoM1lCLtGKPJPQtK7OgVSBTv_oI_zalEVofFzV9acpAXaA6mrTeN7XSbGJFPidYgIqzprb1bhkniUCuQsuqx_4-x-N82kodgz0yZv3o2WOgJZ8k/s1600/doctor-strange-cumberbatch-eye-agamotto.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Sb30SeoZmmZ0g2oSLu84vUix43pLrJoM1lCLtGKPJPQtK7OgVSBTv_oI_zalEVofFzV9acpAXaA6mrTeN7XSbGJFPidYgIqzprb1bhkniUCuQsuqx_4-x-N82kodgz0yZv3o2WOgJZ8k/s640/doctor-strange-cumberbatch-eye-agamotto.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The movie was great and had scenes that made the whole theater cheer and clapped. It followed a not so strange formula and made it work.</div>
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The film is far from perfect so here are some of my criticisms:</div>
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1. The Ancient One who uses an anti-aging cream of forbidden source shouldn't look like a caucasian for me, she's been protecting the Earth for centuries and Kamar-Taj is in Tibet so you would think a Tibetan/Asian would've been a more appropriate cast but then they wouldn't be able to market it well in China.</div>
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2. The use of magic in fight scenes. These are the most powerful sorcerers and sorceress and they still resort to hand to hand combat, I know the artifacts they use are powerful and looks cooler on screen but if I could use my ranged spells first to incapacitate, I would or do some elemental attacks bending style, before going into melee attack.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97zTuDDhZuV7_Ede7pUwz29x0DWjcTND2MLLP0bOOZMSZfHbFG1GbeK54G8ghXETSku8R96qdtkMAadyQEn-rR6b7PZ14NTtnq5GIhH3sbYXjdaU2rckBZf9xHp98M_XoCRr2-wXjyvTh/s1600/Infinite-Loop-Benedict-Cumberbatch-as-Doctor-Strange.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97zTuDDhZuV7_Ede7pUwz29x0DWjcTND2MLLP0bOOZMSZfHbFG1GbeK54G8ghXETSku8R96qdtkMAadyQEn-rR6b7PZ14NTtnq5GIhH3sbYXjdaU2rckBZf9xHp98M_XoCRr2-wXjyvTh/s640/Infinite-Loop-Benedict-Cumberbatch-as-Doctor-Strange.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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3. The climatic battle gave off the same feeling as the Green Lantern movie where one of the main villains in the comics was shown on the first film and was defeated in such a way that it felt it was too easy. It's not how Strange did it because it was smart and original but the time allotted for it that it seems rushed.</div>
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Pro Tip:<br />
Don't leave until the credits have done rolling, both of them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1En_1pjew7LnLbnxvNPKT2HVZH3CMKn-a9upBnEuw1Cs8IUhIcLEUh2PYeisJMt58pz8fy4k5_ia89VCSwPoEvtEjSOpMwxGllZi_qLFwxPK8ZuHLm1IKf8VjW9Jlo9QzIjCMhNJmT_EL/s1600/bb.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1En_1pjew7LnLbnxvNPKT2HVZH3CMKn-a9upBnEuw1Cs8IUhIcLEUh2PYeisJMt58pz8fy4k5_ia89VCSwPoEvtEjSOpMwxGllZi_qLFwxPK8ZuHLm1IKf8VjW9Jlo9QzIjCMhNJmT_EL/s320/bb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Conclusion:</div>
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Though the first half followed the usual tropes of Marvel movies it was outweighed by the great visuals, pacing, humor, and how they integrated Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by the end of the movie. I and my wife really enjoyed the movie and even my 14-month-year-old son who woke up in the middle of the film that has short attention span got hooked.<br />
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So if you are still on the fence if you'll watch it in the cinema or just wait for a you know what copy, then definitely go to the movie house and if you have the budget, watch it in iMax 3D and get your money's worth on the visuals alone.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-28725173824102354372016-11-03T20:41:00.000+04:002016-11-17T06:45:06.944+04:00McDonald's Signature Collection - An Autograph To Your Taste buds <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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McDonald's had a social media campaign on their new Signature collection sandwiches and are giving away 100 of those on every branch they have here in UAE so of course, I know I'll be one of the first people in line.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbo6_FUWe-b-gvY_InEQx2btBKBM95EuDv3cPYS2kH-1Uxzapd5sc-59TNF7hO3UAWEFCjJhW1A1SnGbR87CnBH62eGXyP6uXKNFGyc5deCb9BGrFpvvfdoDxE2H4vhVM17B6x683uE9yU/s1600/mcdonalds+sig.png"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbo6_FUWe-b-gvY_InEQx2btBKBM95EuDv3cPYS2kH-1Uxzapd5sc-59TNF7hO3UAWEFCjJhW1A1SnGbR87CnBH62eGXyP6uXKNFGyc5deCb9BGrFpvvfdoDxE2H4vhVM17B6x683uE9yU/s400/mcdonalds+sig.png" width="380" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwscJqwGSpRMxF8BV3EMmLaasZqTy759OPTzAQtPSChFpIaB1UV-TDjfsfCumSdk8ggh3wai6RHzr2HBxkcshUtJOrGeHVFBPZN7SyvscilW_t5gvax5BtGxUQFad4sWdEjbWTiPCwk0HA/s1600/mcdonalds.png"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwscJqwGSpRMxF8BV3EMmLaasZqTy759OPTzAQtPSChFpIaB1UV-TDjfsfCumSdk8ggh3wai6RHzr2HBxkcshUtJOrGeHVFBPZN7SyvscilW_t5gvax5BtGxUQFad4sWdEjbWTiPCwk0HA/s200/mcdonalds.png" width="230" /></a></div>
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To make sure I will not be fighting for a spot, I went to the nearest McDonald's branch with my son 30 minutes earlier and while waiting I had him play at the kid's area. <span style="text-align: left;">Read more on how it went after the break.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1kXV61UPTmer1MGg30igC_yS9uwHSw1D9v1IrpLFE1MS0NMvS6Ldd-DlWSy6373lFUnR7blSCucceU28ujOnhq2Z_qjhHVzt5If2dhFIJI4qPTuwVuE9W3g8jH_BFvCxotQjag1yzJVS/s1600/mc%2527d+%25284%2529.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1kXV61UPTmer1MGg30igC_yS9uwHSw1D9v1IrpLFE1MS0NMvS6Ldd-DlWSy6373lFUnR7blSCucceU28ujOnhq2Z_qjhHVzt5If2dhFIJI4qPTuwVuE9W3g8jH_BFvCxotQjag1yzJVS/s200/mc%2527d+%25284%2529.JPG" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94oyS318VcoUaLq6WsC-tWJqEiqu_MmRGQZTU8WC_jPc7W3nFEDKVERBGmUp6tvrWo1joJAa5mKNbUUNXu2ZPw0SzA0ZTlP7hamqkPr1PGz66gzVPfOJ9egHN69nD4nW8A41ARvjNyZFq/s1600/mc%2527d+%25283%2529.JPG"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94oyS318VcoUaLq6WsC-tWJqEiqu_MmRGQZTU8WC_jPc7W3nFEDKVERBGmUp6tvrWo1joJAa5mKNbUUNXu2ZPw0SzA0ZTlP7hamqkPr1PGz66gzVPfOJ9egHN69nD4nW8A41ARvjNyZFq/s400/mc%2527d+%25283%2529.JPG" width="420" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkeKs1eHtwVvR7O4UZdugMJd5c2Ebw2vwqkOwWEVi47dSgqf_q3j4cQzjsUzMfVxi8Gkb7rNB2p_io4PrLPUk5Gn24eNWPqXNqzhx_ygSGnhPIAgMoZIfCuSnshlws3xd_5im0J3tDDEn/s1600/mc%2527d+%252816%2529.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkeKs1eHtwVvR7O4UZdugMJd5c2Ebw2vwqkOwWEVi47dSgqf_q3j4cQzjsUzMfVxi8Gkb7rNB2p_io4PrLPUk5Gn24eNWPqXNqzhx_ygSGnhPIAgMoZIfCuSnshlws3xd_5im0J3tDDEn/s320/mc%2527d+%252816%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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There were no specifics on their social media posts on how will we be getting the free sandwich, so I had to ask one of the service crew and was told to simply like any of their social media pages and show it to them, after doing so, you'll be given a voucher that you need to present in the counter in order to place your order. </div>
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There were several people who came early as well but didn't get any vouchers because they either didn't have their phones with them or they didn't have any working internet to show that they have liked the pages and I'm sure there are more of those standing in the long queue.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr42Qg8iw-J9bQOyHxt_ne70hU3tWbabHZufg3Hr7GzIS93yjcLiJiqr4PfvpjIuQy6AZvS-jRQF-qYwb718-ST1RjyxmIxy5X-NAT1q_OTay922mAQLzJsClJMYNlmfQi_9ir3SgwfKK4/s1600/mc%2527d+%252813%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr42Qg8iw-J9bQOyHxt_ne70hU3tWbabHZufg3Hr7GzIS93yjcLiJiqr4PfvpjIuQy6AZvS-jRQF-qYwb718-ST1RjyxmIxy5X-NAT1q_OTay922mAQLzJsClJMYNlmfQi_9ir3SgwfKK4/s640/mc%2527d+%252813%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The first thing I noticed in their so-called signature collection sandwich is the newly printed box it comes in and when you open it it's around the same size as a Big Mac and looks like it uses the same type of bun, I was expecting it to be more of the same size as their Big Tasty.</div>
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What's in between the buns are caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, melted cheddar cheese, a new blend of dressing and the part of the sandwich that probably gives it its signature name, the 100% Angus beef patty which is the thickest that I have seen in any of their burgers.</div>
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The patty was juicy, the mushroom added a layer of texture, onions along with cheese and dressing added sweetness and savouriness to every bite, I was enjoying it too much that I lost focus on my son and he almost fell from his seat, and <b>THAT'S HOW GOOD IT IS</b>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjku-a6mD6-0sBxwGse3N1dImTTkVKUir0QAnhw7Zg2DHPwlPyleUx4XCoVgViYp9oDDd8zJEx6vRvGY258qlBrt2IdN3kr4ySKEuzt6pnWflbN-JtkxgkUlrTmCf1_s491zI4dfO4FenqV/s1600/mc%2527d+%25283%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjku-a6mD6-0sBxwGse3N1dImTTkVKUir0QAnhw7Zg2DHPwlPyleUx4XCoVgViYp9oDDd8zJEx6vRvGY258qlBrt2IdN3kr4ySKEuzt6pnWflbN-JtkxgkUlrTmCf1_s491zI4dfO4FenqV/s640/mc%2527d+%25283%2529.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I finished my meal after 30 minutes and there were still people outside.</td></tr>
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If I have any comments on it, I would say it's a wee bit salty probably because of the choice of cheese or an extra salt that was added there that it didn't need. I was thinking it would've been better if I picked the one I saw on the video, the one with the guacamole sauce, but it was chicken and I wanted beef, oh well.</div>
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<b>Conclusion:</b></div>
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All in all, I enjoyed my free premium signature burger and my son enjoyed his fries. All we needed to do was to show up on time to get our free meal, so who could complain about that. If I get another chance to eat one of these signature collections, I would definitely have the one that has guacamole in it.</div>
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<a href="https://www.zomato.com/sharjah/mcdonalds-al-majaz" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about McDonald's, Al Majaz and other Restaurants in Sharjah" target="_blank"><img alt="McDonald's Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/5602284/minilink" style="border:none;width:130px;height:36px;padding:0px;" /></a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Sharjah - United Arab Emirates25.3223269 55.51364330000001225.0926699 55.19091980000001 25.5519839 55.836366800000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-74921314558021660132016-11-01T20:23:00.000+04:002016-11-01T20:23:31.654+04:00Texas Roadhouse - A Roundhouse of Sumptuousness!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Texas Roadhouse is one of those fancier restaurants we only get to dine-in once or twice a year, the price of their food is too steep for plebeians but you can easily tell that the quality of their food and choice of meat is superior to your run of the mill restaurants and that's what makes it worth it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpfaVEy-cS6o6mS7tBt0iovCRt88aJgL8kxWuZOA6kLlVA_26fUl__0lVL1M0Q-kCJW0gZ1pI5gA2ETAnQPFeQFtEMxlEWLbtQlzxTbXVmTsjG9MWY-rBe0vkBvCtA9JqQ_49Hw77WyUL/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpfaVEy-cS6o6mS7tBt0iovCRt88aJgL8kxWuZOA6kLlVA_26fUl__0lVL1M0Q-kCJW0gZ1pI5gA2ETAnQPFeQFtEMxlEWLbtQlzxTbXVmTsjG9MWY-rBe0vkBvCtA9JqQ_49Hw77WyUL/s640/cover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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When eating here, the first they'll serve is a bucket of peanuts and their signature bread, which I would eat before and after the meal, it's complimentary and you can ask for more if you want like I always do. The dip is some sort of cinnamon/butter concoction which compliments really well with the freshly baked bread. If this description is too much for a complimentary bread, then that just tells you how good it is and how much I like it.<br />
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To eat in Texas Roadhouse is to eat meat, and there are a plethora of steaks and ribs choices but at this particular branch, I've decided to try something different, the Beef Brisket cuts and good thing I did.<br />
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The beef brisket cuts are so tender they melt in your mouth, there's the right amount of fat in there and it balances out the juicy meat perfectly, covered in it's special sauce which is totally different from a barbecue sauce, I can't make out what it is but it definitely compliments the meat perfectly. Now have some sides, mashed potato, huge pieces of fries, or their signature rice and it's a belt popping meal.<br />
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The ribs are the fall of the bones kind, you'll get 2 huge slabs and if you're not a heavy protein eater then one would be enough. Their barbecue sauce is not the kind you'd get from a Heinz bottle, I believe it's a trade recipe and for any ribs I had, it's the sauce that makes or breaks the whole dish and this sauce definitely nailed it.<br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">The sides are okay, your typical salads and soup, but I would defer from getting the soup since it has the same value as the salads but it's not as satisfying, plus it's too salty and that's why chose the salad to balance out the protein and complete your food pyramid.</span></div>
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If you are planning to celebrate an occasion be it birthdays or anniversaries, then consider dining here, it might be expensive, and with the price of the meal, you can eat at a buffet, but sometimes, less is more and this is a fine example of that. There's the right amount of serving of deliciously prepared food, ambiance to make the dining the experience great, and a helpful crew who dances for your entertainment and serves you with a smile.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Dubai - United Arab Emirates25.2048493 55.27078280000000624.2844163 53.9798893 26.1252823 56.561676300000009tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-11983553938764340192016-10-31T10:44:00.000+04:002016-10-31T12:18:23.832+04:00Bukhari Al Khaleej - "Rice Rice Baby"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This place is up on my list after Googling what Bukhari is, and as Asians who love eating rice, we definitely had to try one. Before the Al Majaz branch opened, we tried to visit their other branches but they are too far away from my location so waited until this opened and went with the family when it did.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>We normally eat a dish called Chicken Mandi, it's our favorite Arabic dish so when we looked at the menu and browsed for something similar, the one that seems closest to it is the roasted bukhari chicken and that's what we ordered. </div>
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Restaurants like this serve you with vegetables and soup and a condiment called chutney, which is tomato based, the soup was okay but nothing to write home about.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-kgTX81op6490wOpJB0n44l2pzP3bO3SM_wLmh9SYxST34mq8PuBrQ9KHkZxU6B_h4j3lFccdJShlixoIJuiEbo3y2jvcOj5aTj6TY8ZBBCkMsGkzPVHzUrVtysWEIw9OmRnag2oI2TW/s1600/bukhari+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh-kgTX81op6490wOpJB0n44l2pzP3bO3SM_wLmh9SYxST34mq8PuBrQ9KHkZxU6B_h4j3lFccdJShlixoIJuiEbo3y2jvcOj5aTj6TY8ZBBCkMsGkzPVHzUrVtysWEIw9OmRnag2oI2TW/s640/bukhari+%25286%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Before serving the dish, I was thinking that they just translated the roasted part from an Arabic word which means the chicken be cooked roasted but would have some distinguishing spices to the chicken but apparently it isn't, the roasted chicken was pretty generic, something you would be able to buy from cafeterias around UAE, it wasn't bad but it wasn't exquisite either.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IYLiZJR9Sdll1B6Umi0GoLnAn0ZkpoLelcisWhmXxAGC3VStnSPeQ_uCJZr-ktIelg6KR7YRovkzsGml8ABBq4bzVz1w8d79xkoIaB9P-2rQdG4pcvOho7oU0UgGQZM3L3KgeYwBGKD0/s1600/bukhari+%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0IYLiZJR9Sdll1B6Umi0GoLnAn0ZkpoLelcisWhmXxAGC3VStnSPeQ_uCJZr-ktIelg6KR7YRovkzsGml8ABBq4bzVz1w8d79xkoIaB9P-2rQdG4pcvOho7oU0UgGQZM3L3KgeYwBGKD0/s640/bukhari+%25287%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So after tasting the viand, the only thing that would make this meal a better experience would be the so-called Bukhari rice and it did, the rice has its own distinct flavor different from the variety of spiced rice you'll taste here in UAE, i.e. Mandi, Kabsa, Biryani, and others. It was delicious and the added sauteed carrots and raisin in every bite make it even better. Oh, and you can ask for refills and it's for free.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWy5OR7sykoGOUkiFcHah81wZTaOAiy9nWsYNMQYPRC2UQ9YhexilU58BHALMw96k3cSw63q64wk2lW3bJsoFCXczyAskE-pLmN-K-5__NZF7gIaKTLqr-vU8i2jf3s6I7daKoD54pAav/s1600/bukhari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWy5OR7sykoGOUkiFcHah81wZTaOAiy9nWsYNMQYPRC2UQ9YhexilU58BHALMw96k3cSw63q64wk2lW3bJsoFCXczyAskE-pLmN-K-5__NZF7gIaKTLqr-vU8i2jf3s6I7daKoD54pAav/s320/bukhari.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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Rice is a staple for any dish we (Filipinos) eat and the variety of rice dishes here in UAE is a joy to be held because of the options we have. I'm sure Bukhari Rice would be great with most viands but hopefully, when we dine-in again here, there would be a better matching viand for it rather than the generic roasted chicken.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-10309836935610367962016-10-31T09:28:00.002+04:002016-11-01T20:27:14.622+04:00Elevation Burger? more like Demotion Burger (Sharjah Branch)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The claim was that their burgers are 100 % organic, which doesn't necessarily mean anything to me but always wanted to try a different burger joint whenever I can and when a voucher for a discounted meal came, I just had to dine-in. The voucher was for a cheeseburger, fries, and fountain soda. </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Location of the restaurant is okay, they situated it right along the lagoon corniche which I think it's too far away from the Majaz Waterfront for the customers to enjoy the view of the fountain show. Once we got there, ordered, got served, and when I handled the burger to take my first bite, I immediately felt it's too small in my hands, and I have small hands.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFJhhUoPyorQ5K65tL5xqW6hYHVu3pVL64JiObTVYThmD5xjTG3xuJzRQGHGwIOVuGi2fyCVpONR533JV4U2Mg_PDnkLoULMbvvrXVzVUr2evQuFWtm3MBVEWgqh6XXuhSyC7hh9rJOcV/s1600/elevation+burger+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWFJhhUoPyorQ5K65tL5xqW6hYHVu3pVL64JiObTVYThmD5xjTG3xuJzRQGHGwIOVuGi2fyCVpONR533JV4U2Mg_PDnkLoULMbvvrXVzVUr2evQuFWtm3MBVEWgqh6XXuhSyC7hh9rJOcV/s640/elevation+burger+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The burger was mediocre at most, so much for the organic-ness of it, it wasn't juicy, the cheese wasn't melting, and I managed to finish it in a few bites because it was too small. As for the fries, I asked the crew if they really serve the fries like that, like it's been sitting out of the fryer and being soggy, because there were three orders of those and none of it was crispy, they simply replied just put that in the review form we'll give to you later instead of doing something about it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I had really high expectations from this restaurant, like Fuddruckers who specializes in burgers, I was looking to be satisfied especially considering how they priced their burgers but it was an utter disappointment. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDG7IlYtXILTLiacv8mNa169MHmFzIdijMw7VUwt-cc28VKByqkpJzTgy1cCmQOqRDn-SXF84b4D62a5lxtchiqUX9SuT-TxzzSVtGQlJqOD7ZREs6xEix4ZS6oQTyVoh6nlt-A7R8dCo/s1600/elevation+burger+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDG7IlYtXILTLiacv8mNa169MHmFzIdijMw7VUwt-cc28VKByqkpJzTgy1cCmQOqRDn-SXF84b4D62a5lxtchiqUX9SuT-TxzzSVtGQlJqOD7ZREs6xEix4ZS6oQTyVoh6nlt-A7R8dCo/s320/elevation+burger+%25283%2529.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Taken before having a bite</span></td></tr>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm not totally dismissing this chain of burger restaurants since they have several branches across UAE, maybe it's just the management or the crew to blame in this branch so if I get the chance to dine-in on another one, I would and see the difference but you got to try it for yourselves, don't bother coming to the Sharjah branch.</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Sharjah - United Arab Emirates25.3223269 55.51364330000001225.0926699 55.19091980000001 25.5519839 55.836366800000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-90000129195032684862016-08-15T09:33:00.001+04:002016-11-10T08:53:23.320+04:00Can't get enough'a of Kunafa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Being the sweet tooth that I am, I love desserts, I can pig out in a buffet and have enough room in my stomach (or heart, since desserts goes directly to your heart) to chow down on every sweet on the menu. That is why when I came here in the United Arab Emirates the first thing I looked for other than the scenery are the local cuisines and what do people have here for dessert.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqF3ipUE004pk-RJ5APnLkRXPfp_xANe8nNlnalNCKYgk3LV4ULLttPaLNb4FoaMFhj4aALg_rrWjFvNAfnV_EDlay8m5RUdL2pQv5_XlIOVEIZQCNC79Evy79jLfKNFbugkfnJDcTZo4B/s1600/IMG_0754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqF3ipUE004pk-RJ5APnLkRXPfp_xANe8nNlnalNCKYgk3LV4ULLttPaLNb4FoaMFhj4aALg_rrWjFvNAfnV_EDlay8m5RUdL2pQv5_XlIOVEIZQCNC79Evy79jLfKNFbugkfnJDcTZo4B/s640/IMG_0754.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-f8d9a52c-8ed7-8954-cdf8-bfdf5e1257cf" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Do you love cheese? noodles? or how about sweets? We'll if you love all of those then there's a dessert here in the middle east that you have been missing, it's called <b>Kunafa </b>and it's a perfect mashup of sweet, salty, crunchy, and chewy all at the same bite. Read more after the break.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What's a Kunafa? According to</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanafeh" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Wikipedia</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> it's is a Palestinian cheese pastry soaked in sweet, sugar-based syrup, can be spelled kunafeh or kanafeh, and has several variants, but in this review, I’ll be focusing on the one I usually get when we go out for dessert.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkp7ySd2n9sOLjoXfkFl5Dvc7mL-dnY8MFjHcACyCygZ3lSn8ETRiWWhVI3TSbAsu-tiahJV82O5jWPu3qyai-OqZwE3hp9Jf7hYc8YZHVAhUp3z4EWrMSEoe4_Q4uwbjBITTBz0AM-Cvy/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2016-08-14+at+8.20.59+PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkp7ySd2n9sOLjoXfkFl5Dvc7mL-dnY8MFjHcACyCygZ3lSn8ETRiWWhVI3TSbAsu-tiahJV82O5jWPu3qyai-OqZwE3hp9Jf7hYc8YZHVAhUp3z4EWrMSEoe4_Q4uwbjBITTBz0AM-Cvy/s640/WhatsApp+Image+2016-08-14+at+8.20.59+PM.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">First time I ordered, not knowing which is which or what’s good or not, I asked for a sampler and costs me around 30 dirhams, tasted each one and originally the piece that stood out was the croissant like bread with cheese but over time the sweet crunchy noodle pizza-like became the favorite choice.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLRmSlM_1BvrumZ5r2cbN8ohkUB7BJVx9t9OjElrfz-hzceenW8P8-gDW0NogEjXceZUq_2R2Kjnh4FnUHi1lRjl_PVRl5PdamV_bmUY6uGWPbHQXDHJr4gSEs8YLIx97cFuNRLqkjkzh/s1600/IMG_6543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOLRmSlM_1BvrumZ5r2cbN8ohkUB7BJVx9t9OjElrfz-hzceenW8P8-gDW0NogEjXceZUq_2R2Kjnh4FnUHi1lRjl_PVRl5PdamV_bmUY6uGWPbHQXDHJr4gSEs8YLIx97cFuNRLqkjkzh/s640/IMG_6543.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3-Kq0uhoiOfMJYrYybY_9pHO4eLx5gd60DhfKCTcCmO_XJL3nr-PL-hv542H1fBG3gKsrS-Qa7zhspyrlpXdBgxBgmJPvLaOSCIWTdW_z3NOwCNz2SLuUMIoB6zQumNoxbUHC-gyHk0u/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2016-08-14+at+8.21.04+PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3-Kq0uhoiOfMJYrYybY_9pHO4eLx5gd60DhfKCTcCmO_XJL3nr-PL-hv542H1fBG3gKsrS-Qa7zhspyrlpXdBgxBgmJPvLaOSCIWTdW_z3NOwCNz2SLuUMIoB6zQumNoxbUHC-gyHk0u/s640/WhatsApp+Image+2016-08-14+at+8.21.04+PM.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most kunafa variants differ on looks alone and very little on taste, the flat orange colored I believe is the most common one and then the rest follow suit, all three below are cheese based kunafa.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCNBWYqOXUK5GEgJ8YsWbc04-EW_sUr7h4QgO8_WPtZEex9HT58G4QVqQqqj6_hkxRUBoua19cdFtQuVV9glMB4FKPdDwPQyLI4DpjMXE5TeKxqm9mM4yuO3aWE7U3wM3MPs0nvmKHrvT/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2016-08-14+at+8.21.23+PM+%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCNBWYqOXUK5GEgJ8YsWbc04-EW_sUr7h4QgO8_WPtZEex9HT58G4QVqQqqj6_hkxRUBoua19cdFtQuVV9glMB4FKPdDwPQyLI4DpjMXE5TeKxqm9mM4yuO3aWE7U3wM3MPs0nvmKHrvT/s640/WhatsApp+Image+2016-08-14+at+8.21.23+PM+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-o6cteuSfavD55d0kJ8nsC5oyrbphQE3hlDz1S8uNXJGO567VplBayeQw6nsYjhRbAprDsyww9mswD_HHz1yKF58CreTkp8qtGQZU3hKZ2Bl_nfVlF1HSmgsMQaNHXDNNEZiuPw7HKK35/s1600/IMG_6534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-o6cteuSfavD55d0kJ8nsC5oyrbphQE3hlDz1S8uNXJGO567VplBayeQw6nsYjhRbAprDsyww9mswD_HHz1yKF58CreTkp8qtGQZU3hKZ2Bl_nfVlF1HSmgsMQaNHXDNNEZiuPw7HKK35/s640/IMG_6534.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One other variant is made not with cheese but cream which makes it lighter and preferred by some for a more dessert feel rather than a snack. Cream based kunafa are usually found in the menu of restaurants that serves <a href="http://omnireviewsnow.blogspot.ae/2016/08/mandi-best-arabic-cuisine.html" target="_blank">Madni </a>and are cooked individually on small burners as you order.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMk96aQ34D7mBO9jGNm9DE9lyPb2z7KWcsOlAtDtv6r_L7OfsnI6OF3mb7kks-Y0NYHWtDYcZRH5Ry3siKHRZWX55vw_Gk0ktY68R9ZvqbwfOJ_9yMG4UHP3Zi9ct3dE-T_OWfjD37Or2K/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2016-08-14+at+8.21.07+PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMk96aQ34D7mBO9jGNm9DE9lyPb2z7KWcsOlAtDtv6r_L7OfsnI6OF3mb7kks-Y0NYHWtDYcZRH5Ry3siKHRZWX55vw_Gk0ktY68R9ZvqbwfOJ_9yMG4UHP3Zi9ct3dE-T_OWfjD37Or2K/s640/WhatsApp+Image+2016-08-14+at+8.21.07+PM.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 24.2881px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Depends on how much you order, you get a complimentary piece sometimes.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXcjIhnTrKVZGkSCLpmPibmkAPkyV26YraNc59LK3c9qjfFDbrJ6vZn_vfaf8WDOoLWt-Lzc8oQUn5Ja7h6e6xOZhXQyfPNmjEi0_zZ-gnCE9dokgdJ2WWMhSeXVEdS_jJVGMi4_oYAPy/s1600/IMG_1117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlXcjIhnTrKVZGkSCLpmPibmkAPkyV26YraNc59LK3c9qjfFDbrJ6vZn_vfaf8WDOoLWt-Lzc8oQUn5Ja7h6e6xOZhXQyfPNmjEi0_zZ-gnCE9dokgdJ2WWMhSeXVEdS_jJVGMi4_oYAPy/s640/IMG_1117.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.656; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can ask for the sugar based syrup or a chocolate one for an extra charge.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've had kunafa on several places but what I would highly recommend for you to try if you get the chance is from a called </span><a href="https://www.zomato.com/sharjah/restaurants/feras-sweets" target="_blank">Feras (Firas) Sweets</a><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the food are always served hot by the friendly staff that wouldn't mind you giving you a bit more than you ordered. The price is a little steep if you are frugal like me but a 10 dirham worth of slice would be more than enough for most people.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XabfFFc3r0sdHwogLJb66R8M-WxWL0Fc_9xhTkZdAlz8pMXpdIan6aHUeRaZBbiSICaAiSw0zTDUqfbk9dfg3p-eUyslj7OweaaqKNyPm39f0amEldIZ_uF1eQtoeQ2Yay6kvW5Mknyc/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2016-08-14+at+8.21.27+PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XabfFFc3r0sdHwogLJb66R8M-WxWL0Fc_9xhTkZdAlz8pMXpdIan6aHUeRaZBbiSICaAiSw0zTDUqfbk9dfg3p-eUyslj7OweaaqKNyPm39f0amEldIZ_uF1eQtoeQ2Yay6kvW5Mknyc/s640/WhatsApp+Image+2016-08-14+at+8.21.27+PM.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUxYOC5cuZ7N7_hzKc5PIJiVBvCXalFtDcou5ccXn4tDLTtS46V_1LIU6WWvVTtmQj5dPVlEUFFtZPd10J9P29YFqh4A8IbEeXHGpauR5B3YdAQKmlkXnh-sGYZx0hSSeHyC3xP2jdCsh/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2016-08-14+at+8.21.11+PM+%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUxYOC5cuZ7N7_hzKc5PIJiVBvCXalFtDcou5ccXn4tDLTtS46V_1LIU6WWvVTtmQj5dPVlEUFFtZPd10J9P29YFqh4A8IbEeXHGpauR5B3YdAQKmlkXnh-sGYZx0hSSeHyC3xP2jdCsh/s640/WhatsApp+Image+2016-08-14+at+8.21.11+PM+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Smile, kabayan.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">CONCLUSION:</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iJWlD5ejeNGJM6enQfsG34Ox_45ttne2f1SVGLJ83JNCREpWlBDWABDbu2CXPLhX-IDcbMtFVOf89sRDXCgEjaFplF6ommb-SxypF6FmTT3c1a_nohsJi_8RBL4n6tyMsBPa4ZUz7wSP/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2016-08-14+at+8.21.06+PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iJWlD5ejeNGJM6enQfsG34Ox_45ttne2f1SVGLJ83JNCREpWlBDWABDbu2CXPLhX-IDcbMtFVOf89sRDXCgEjaFplF6ommb-SxypF6FmTT3c1a_nohsJi_8RBL4n6tyMsBPa4ZUz7wSP/s400/WhatsApp+Image+2016-08-14+at+8.21.06+PM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kunafa is one of the more unique dishes you'll have in your life. On paper, noodle, cheese, and sugar doesn't seem right but when executed correctly this is what comes out. A definite must try and I can assure you'll always go back for more.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-83438008764694739942016-08-13T15:14:00.000+04:002016-11-10T08:53:31.188+04:00Krispy Kreme - Morning Coffee and FREE* Donuts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">What's so blog worthy of Krispy Kreme’s black coffee? None, but their free* donuts sure do and this review / public service announcement is all about that. Read more after the break.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIC8eiXlgbpPVYC9Uqdb3Qne5pdtlbyUho6aEtoR5e0emtY57OrQx2jBZykk92VLq1EOK9YKQ_lxBaxWttCVn7Melw1cjaSy0K-exCSOl6UbdMRnq-Ljr5JvwNw9pMjS9AJy1IiVsTyylX/s1600/head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIC8eiXlgbpPVYC9Uqdb3Qne5pdtlbyUho6aEtoR5e0emtY57OrQx2jBZykk92VLq1EOK9YKQ_lxBaxWttCVn7Melw1cjaSy0K-exCSOl6UbdMRnq-Ljr5JvwNw9pMjS9AJy1IiVsTyylX/s640/head.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-083ed9f3-8398-7f94-166d-16fc6d4b88e5"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My wife born and raised in Batangas, Philippines has been drinking coffee since they were toddlers while me on the other hand haven't had a black coffee till I was grown man, so naturally she'd ask to have a cup every once in awhile and Krispy Kreme is where we compromise to have one, well, because donuts.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QBl0nGMe6wFy6I51T0Z9cj4XrVPaLd3EY_iXGI1PlquGokE6fY9rAz-t2j5DxfzsBg8CfpU1k-BE70gkkLLJXhBOgDBI6PGrp0XcZLZGz4IpVecC_Drz5n47X7EjI-4LiywPCS62Kop5/s1600/DSC04500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QBl0nGMe6wFy6I51T0Z9cj4XrVPaLd3EY_iXGI1PlquGokE6fY9rAz-t2j5DxfzsBg8CfpU1k-BE70gkkLLJXhBOgDBI6PGrp0XcZLZGz4IpVecC_Drz5n47X7EjI-4LiywPCS62Kop5/s640/DSC04500.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xJZJj2p_fDXk2xfa0eEiRZGxMrp2K-j6EyaR3X6XIAYx5e2Jq5D1nU0mBjB_f47VwBFKYOqbyeJjD9wfDn7gdMkkI99sDN_CtMqF12nmpzqpvT6nuSvlQHrpOXxRJpzoB1kvMnV2qIuQ/s1600/DSC04512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xJZJj2p_fDXk2xfa0eEiRZGxMrp2K-j6EyaR3X6XIAYx5e2Jq5D1nU0mBjB_f47VwBFKYOqbyeJjD9wfDn7gdMkkI99sDN_CtMqF12nmpzqpvT6nuSvlQHrpOXxRJpzoB1kvMnV2qIuQ/s640/DSC04512.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This specific <a href="https://www.zomato.com/sharjah/krispy-kreme-al-majaz" target="_blank">branch</a> has its own donuts machine and that's the key when you decide to go to one, because every morning they cook a fresh batch and if you order anything on the menu, you get one FREE complimentary glazed donuts for each person with you ordering at the counter. There was one time where me, my wife, and mom ordered our usual Americano with 2 donuts of our choice and we got 3 free glazed which if bought individually costs more than our order. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-083ed9f3-838b-cdaa-deda-cf5bd4cfb1b6"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 Glazed Donuts, 1 New York Cheesecake, 1 Americano Coffee all for 11 dirhams</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-083ed9f3-8371-b1fe-bc90-fe659dbb239b"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Krispy Kreme’s signature donut is the plain glazed one and what’s good about it is that when served directly from the conveyor belt, it literally melts in your mouth and has the right amount of sweetness. My preferred donut though is the New York Cheesecake, it’s quite heavy with cream and that’s what I like about it, a single piece is enough to fill you, now pair the donuts mentioned with an unsweetened black coffee and that’ll jump start your day.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don't condone babies eating high sugary foods but we just came back from exercising so I guess this time it's acceptable (justifies intensely). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyqaDVil0UFlkOwa82erKN2sG2Xf6TCg3Bi3ppackHxd8A90ElvAYOEBHChonUHfqi_W1FmTCpRsg-BrzJDeCvfnu2bJJOcKTxl22RnTIFu0R7Bh42-isfO37Sk7breuBk8LLD3OE4n8A/s1600/DSC04486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyqaDVil0UFlkOwa82erKN2sG2Xf6TCg3Bi3ppackHxd8A90ElvAYOEBHChonUHfqi_W1FmTCpRsg-BrzJDeCvfnu2bJJOcKTxl22RnTIFu0R7Bh42-isfO37Sk7breuBk8LLD3OE4n8A/s640/DSC04486.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">CONCLUSION:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fle4DPJSOC8zyetHm8QcltCxkvt1GdgpPRnodf4Hruyp4UHAR6Teh0GUPhjWAP1ig9hRVhPq57fi-2sIcPazrPZvVFmbhkWuH-xuqzFlZRh9gRyYhEpOKiJ24IKWR3jrghXWqukMspHf/s1600/DSC04491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fle4DPJSOC8zyetHm8QcltCxkvt1GdgpPRnodf4Hruyp4UHAR6Teh0GUPhjWAP1ig9hRVhPq57fi-2sIcPazrPZvVFmbhkWuH-xuqzFlZRh9gRyYhEpOKiJ24IKWR3jrghXWqukMspHf/s320/DSC04491.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-083ed9f3-8380-4fd0-1257-858827859820"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Donuts are unhealthy, </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">high on sugar and heavy in oil, </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">it would take you hours to burn one, and they are expensive but if you can get one or two for free then go right ahead! </span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1Sharjah - United Arab Emirates25.3223269 55.51364330000001225.0926699 55.19091980000001 25.5519839 55.836366800000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-60314946924038395352016-08-13T00:23:00.001+04:002016-08-13T00:23:23.557+04:00Mandi, The best Arabic cuisine!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I believe I've eaten enough Chicken Mandi for me to back this title up, and comparing it to most Arabic cuisines I've tried which are mostly simple grilled meat with bread, Mandi truly is the best, m</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">ore on this after the break.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-wnIiKeWvYP4s7dOGm1zu0OlQwRZ_asHnremswxBahisMclf3fKQNlSJHntd8elnkM7IzZW4450gs50EB7OyJ2qDjTnIv2l44PZPD1Odo-eyO3RIqL6_Zc71U7uhszlUfkn7wcRxC3jr/s1600/ASDASDASD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-wnIiKeWvYP4s7dOGm1zu0OlQwRZ_asHnremswxBahisMclf3fKQNlSJHntd8elnkM7IzZW4450gs50EB7OyJ2qDjTnIv2l44PZPD1Odo-eyO3RIqL6_Zc71U7uhszlUfkn7wcRxC3jr/s640/ASDASDASD.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can still remember the time I had my first Mandi and having no idea what it was, surprised me seeing the glistening chicken on top of a mound of rice with soup, some greens like cucumber or arugula, and tomato chatni (Arabic ketchup) on the side, thinking this is too much for a single person, but then I dug in and learned it isn't.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now if you're like me and had no idea what a Mandi is, in my own words, it's a meat marinated in a special sauce then roasted and before served is flash fried, well that's how it tastes to me but here's the official description cited from Wikipedia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mandi</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Arabic: المندي‎‎) is a traditional Yemeni dish from </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hadhramaut</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yemen</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The word "mandi" comes from the Arabic word </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nada</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, meaning "dew", and reflects the moist 'dewy' texture of the meat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mandi is usually made from rice, meat (lamb or chicken), and a mixture of </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">spices</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The meat used is usually a young and small sized lamb to enhance the taste further. The main thing which differentiates Mandi from other meat dishes is that the meat is cooked in the </span><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandoor" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">tandoor</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (</span><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taboon" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">taboon</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in </span><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadhrami_Arabic" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hadhrami</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), which is a special kind of oven. </span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As mentioned above there are Mandis other than chicken, and personally I've tried mutton, lamb, fish, and even camel but none beats the savoriness of chicken.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjHU0-2lIBIapDFN_spxfO3Ut15o5aM4kel2BMovf5ea9Ut38sVng0nj-pZ-esU4fHm-UBXAsYAL-0FcvWGVFO9ugyUmYhsprl8hbo4-AS3TJ2DKUJ-o7fenVo7lbMKyVlQ1T5JILMz_v/s1600/IMG_3304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjHU0-2lIBIapDFN_spxfO3Ut15o5aM4kel2BMovf5ea9Ut38sVng0nj-pZ-esU4fHm-UBXAsYAL-0FcvWGVFO9ugyUmYhsprl8hbo4-AS3TJ2DKUJ-o7fenVo7lbMKyVlQ1T5JILMz_v/s640/IMG_3304.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Below you'll see the different Mandis served depending on the restaurant you go to and if you're living in UAE or planning to visit, I've hyperlinked the name of the restaurants with </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://www.zomato.com/dubai" target="_blank">Zomato </a></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">so it'll be convenient for you to visit them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://www.zomato.com/dubai/restaurants/bait-al-mandi" target="_blank">Bait Al Mandi</a></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - this is where I first tried Mandi and for the longest time ate here not wanting to risk ordering at other resto and get disappointed. They have several branches across UAE making me think they are the most popular restaurant that serves this.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTC18UobVLgpNUMRRSBZOGQDZ7_ZnYUimpmXqsDMG1acdKufOeFbboXUCBfFTQS_63BdbVv0klYZKX1xNRNF82CKHFhvcknf8WMNoKcXeEnEpYRrr5bRkebT-I4O89tD-kEwP5tNzzZXRH/s1600/Bait+Al+Mandi+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTC18UobVLgpNUMRRSBZOGQDZ7_ZnYUimpmXqsDMG1acdKufOeFbboXUCBfFTQS_63BdbVv0klYZKX1xNRNF82CKHFhvcknf8WMNoKcXeEnEpYRrr5bRkebT-I4O89tD-kEwP5tNzzZXRH/s640/Bait+Al+Mandi+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://www.zomato.com/sharjah/madfoon-al-khaimah-al-majaz" target="_blank">Madfoon Al Khaimah</a></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - we always see this restaurant since it's near our flat but never tried going inside because there's not a single English word outside their restaurant. Until we did one day and after trying their mandi, I can say without a doubt that they serve the BEST chicken mandi I've had so far. The reasoning behind this is because of the rice they paired with it with, it isn't dry or have varying types of rice used, it's looks simple like a flavored steamed rice and yet it compliments the mandi perfectly.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0oP85YTUBTlNnrWw77k0tJIzGB8mDTSXlLQVuCUcSJeuYlyX95kJTysyiSD-nEGoBTUSU2R3AV2A8RjaxE0tlBrIk81uFTf3_Lx1IJRdzF6IV7qgBMjLUCGuVGdoO43NdiwAnqcJt7d6q/s1600/Al+Khaimah+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0oP85YTUBTlNnrWw77k0tJIzGB8mDTSXlLQVuCUcSJeuYlyX95kJTysyiSD-nEGoBTUSU2R3AV2A8RjaxE0tlBrIk81uFTf3_Lx1IJRdzF6IV7qgBMjLUCGuVGdoO43NdiwAnqcJt7d6q/s640/Al+Khaimah+%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.zomato.com/sharjah/wadi-raidan-mandi-al-nud" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Wadi Raidan</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://www.zomato.com/sharjah/wadi-raidan-mandi-al-nud" target="_blank">Mandi</a> </b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- really had high expectations for this one since they have multiple branches and one is located on a main road which for me means they're selling a lot to be able to afford it. We went to their Sharjah branch, had our meal and came out disappointed, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">t</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he chicken mandi and rice was dry, and everyone unanimously said "we're not coming back here".</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpmdVsT5aEb5sUgD4S02-6sGAefu_Kt0rI7nW_iTFN-4cZCmT89bjlULABAxWsQp8s3YIkcpjCcK0GrAaXLP2WiL4RAa2IlKNWzxzHij67H7MfBbEdHB5iSGbkzRoOVLBqIO6Ao8KD977/s1600/raidan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpmdVsT5aEb5sUgD4S02-6sGAefu_Kt0rI7nW_iTFN-4cZCmT89bjlULABAxWsQp8s3YIkcpjCcK0GrAaXLP2WiL4RAa2IlKNWzxzHij67H7MfBbEdHB5iSGbkzRoOVLBqIO6Ao8KD977/s640/raidan.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.zomato.com/al-ain/ahlan-wa-marhaba-kuwaitat" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ahlan Wa </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marhaba</span></a></b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - this is quite far away, found in Al Ain we got the chance to eat here after visiting the Zoo and headed to the Museum. Their chicken mandi is so juicy it falls of the bones, the rice paired is okay and probably the largest serving I've had. A definite must try if you happen to visit Al Ain.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQZmo521KfldY7uJLRO-MSSvDDqOedIrVQcILGDmNnnl5JC6DmuXWd9pCQzQJJPg8WMqmF5q_a72ArBOjS1tB_vaP_SXTpF6yEGbOrEuPssI4E6TQz-oUHNHjn6-9Wuw50sIlBqRkt2ob/s1600/Ahlan+Wa+Marhaba+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQZmo521KfldY7uJLRO-MSSvDDqOedIrVQcILGDmNnnl5JC6DmuXWd9pCQzQJJPg8WMqmF5q_a72ArBOjS1tB_vaP_SXTpF6yEGbOrEuPssI4E6TQz-oUHNHjn6-9Wuw50sIlBqRkt2ob/s640/Ahlan+Wa+Marhaba+%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://www.zomato.com/ajman/al-ajwad-feast-nuaimiya" target="_blank">Al Ajwad Feast</a></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - found in Ajman, the ambience of this feels like a modern Arabic diner and their chicken mandi is without a doubt the most tender out there, it was probably boiled or steamed because literally, the only thing you'll throw away are bones. The ligaments and the white part found in the breast are all edible and flavourful but not everything is perfect because their tomato chatni is blandest. Wish we could've dined in but took our orders the hotel and ate there.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWx9cgBgRE6cOJuO17dqEV4rFtwHjGQGJgsLQ6Rk8DqoeQqtYdno_3F4fx_gmS-CagIxsFRCRZXi_p4k9gcM4CuQQQhGcitskR5U6rCNmzh-rYR5-j82JIeTYQN3IMPrCKEAZWPhySYvFa/s1600/13443167_10204857896726131_6262144764320635072_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWx9cgBgRE6cOJuO17dqEV4rFtwHjGQGJgsLQ6Rk8DqoeQqtYdno_3F4fx_gmS-CagIxsFRCRZXi_p4k9gcM4CuQQQhGcitskR5U6rCNmzh-rYR5-j82JIeTYQN3IMPrCKEAZWPhySYvFa/s640/13443167_10204857896726131_6262144764320635072_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"> Was too hungry to take a picture of the mandi, will change this once I dined in there.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://www.zomato.com/abudhabi/restaurants/tripoli" target="_blank">Tripoli</a></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - the name seems misleading but they do serve mandi. We were staying on a nearby hotel in Abu Dhabi and didn't want to eat there so searched for this place. Their chicken mandi is good but what's unique here is they've let me change the rice from the typical mandi one to a bukhari rice changing things up. The highlight of the meal was the soup, most serve mutton broth, here it's a lentil soup, and you can have as much as you want.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7139H9YPP2tQJ82LJO2PSaXDqa9giY-uirC5JJunYHoR-3iNm5imwCFADXF9QZKZaLbElvVC649VAqBwv2W11BSgF4T89Uf3Ug3PbyMulFiQhwXUqN9aQQhzQzRhQV4tgpm-oeK643JG/s1600/Tripoli+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy7139H9YPP2tQJ82LJO2PSaXDqa9giY-uirC5JJunYHoR-3iNm5imwCFADXF9QZKZaLbElvVC649VAqBwv2W11BSgF4T89Uf3Ug3PbyMulFiQhwXUqN9aQQhzQzRhQV4tgpm-oeK643JG/s640/Tripoli+%25281%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbQ6CdliF6P8T0NRLIju6e2QEF5o-2D0Dk9f2CFgkl5Q5s9psWRzF0ZQjvC3swXRMyntxBGWVkbocKTtoAyZVvlRaslDzXXBGZa3Tep7opmPhCQRg6-5-TPmX4IdDXrmvWik1lJL9-rPX/s1600/Tripoli+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbQ6CdliF6P8T0NRLIju6e2QEF5o-2D0Dk9f2CFgkl5Q5s9psWRzF0ZQjvC3swXRMyntxBGWVkbocKTtoAyZVvlRaslDzXXBGZa3Tep7opmPhCQRg6-5-TPmX4IdDXrmvWik1lJL9-rPX/s640/Tripoli+%25283%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><a href="https://www.zomato.com/sharjah/al-madaen-restaurant-al-majaz" target="_blank">Al Madaen Restaurant</a></b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - we saw some fliers lying around and noticed the mandi in this place was only 16 dirhams so we tried it. They plated the mandi like any rice and viand meal which is different, chicken was good, crispy skin, oily rice. Most affordable mandi we've had. Unfortunately they closed down or hopefully I'm wrong and they are renovating.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'll go over more on the other restaurants we've tried but for now this list is long enough and should get you started on your Chicken Mandi journey.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is not an exaggeration to say that chicken mandi is the best Arabic cuisine. It's something everyone can eat be it my mother who don't like spicy dishes, my wife who don't like Arabic food or my 11 month year old son who puts anything in his mouth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Try other mandi if you feel adventurous with your food but if you want to stay on the safe side, you can't go wrong with an order of Chicken Mandi. </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-38404601787711168452016-08-11T14:03:00.003+04:002016-08-14T19:52:55.134+04:00Top 15 unique dishes from Region IV Philippines (that I've decided and have pictures of)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Most of these dishes aren't exactly unique in our region but I'm sure the way it's cooked is, which can be said for every dish out there. In any case, I present to you the top 15 local cuisines you shouldn't miss out if you happen to visit Region IV or around Nagcarlan, Laguna.<br />
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1. <b>Menudong Gulay</b> (Vegetable Menudo) - starting off with this dish because I've never been to any place in the Philippines other than than our home town Nagcarlan that serves this, it's made of various vegetables and tripe cooked in a peanut based sauce.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLdmd52TMAQDGt8N9BMAl_IxdJGR05znFK0pn6jb2yfdqzihSKRKVJUrs7rABdhjXlxWdULyyZu-Vguk4rTSZDxRc5YOTW1xOK0KPtB80osf8Us5E7a0hP3ISE0pA_pFhPozuXdVvpGX_/s1600/DSC01829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLdmd52TMAQDGt8N9BMAl_IxdJGR05znFK0pn6jb2yfdqzihSKRKVJUrs7rABdhjXlxWdULyyZu-Vguk4rTSZDxRc5YOTW1xOK0KPtB80osf8Us5E7a0hP3ISE0pA_pFhPozuXdVvpGX_/s640/DSC01829.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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2. <b>Pinaniki </b>(Offal in Coconut milk) - there are various version of Bopis around the archipelago of the Philippines and this is the version we have in Nagcarlan. It's made out of various offal like heart and lungs and cooked in coconut milk and green chili and a town favorite to pair with alcoholic beverages. </div>
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3. <b>Adobo sa Gatang Kalabaw </b>(Water Buffalo stew in Coconut milk and vinegar) - really trying hard to translate the name to be understood by English speakers and somehow doing so makes it less appetizing, but, not minding the translation, this dish is really, really good. The buffalo is cooked for at least 5 hours using coal making it tender and gives that smokey taste in every bite.<br />
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4. <b>Batchoy </b>(Pork Intestines Soup) - this particular version of this dish is made without noodles and is meant as a viand. It's a soup dish made out of intestines not just offal mixed with chili leaves and chayote. A must have on rainy days which in Nagcarlan is every other day.<br />
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5.<b> Kalinawan </b>(Sour Pork Intestine Soup) - like the 1st on the list, I've never seen any provinces that servers a similar dish, it might simply be a derivative of Kilawin another Filipino dish and just got lost in translation. It's not pungent in anyway though you know what goes there and the banana flower adds a unique flavor profile to this exotic dish, really juicy and best eaten with steaming rice.<br />
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6. <b>Ukoy na Biya</b> (Poisonous Goby fish patty) - while doing research on what's the translation of the fish called Biya, I just found out that it's a poisonous fish called goby that doesn't have any antidote for. So, yeah definitely a part of this list for being a hardcore dish that everyone eats from my hometown.<br />
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7. <b>Ginataang Langka </b>(Jackfruit Coconut Milk Stew) - it might look like tuna flakes at first sight but it's actually a dish made out of fruit, it's an unripened jackfruit cooked in coconut milk with lots of garlic, more of a side dish than a main one.</div>
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8. <b>Kilawin </b>(Pork Liver Sour Stew) - this is a very unique take on kilawin because while most are cooked with the acidity of the vinegar, this is prepared with liver sauce, radish, more pork liver, and roasted pork making it a cross between kilawin and paksiw. It's a special made to order dish so don't expect to see it on normal food stalls.<br />
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9. <b>Dinuguang Baboy </b>(Pork Blood Stew) - a controversial dish depending on your belief but this one is something I definitely recommend to try at least once. If you are willing to, make sure to get one in Nagcarlan because the blood used in cooking is still warm since it's from the the fresh meat market that butchers live pigs every day. Green chili and mustard leaves are mixed in to balance the flavor.<br />
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10. <b>Lenchong Kawali</b> (Crispy Pan Fried Pork Cutlets)- as mentioned on the image above, pork meat are freshly sold every day because frozen meat is not a thing in our province since it's cheaper to transport a pig than to have it frozen in freezers. These are boiled first then air dried and afterwards fried in high heat to make the skin crispy and the meat juicy.<br />
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10.<b> Lugaw Pata</b> (Pork Hock Porridge) with <b>Bonete </b>(Pan Bread) - this is a combination you shouldn't miss, it's carbs on carbs action, the buttery pan bread perfectly matches the porridge with every bite you take and a spoon of pork in between to refresh the pallet to get you going for more. It sounds weird, but it works.<br />
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12. <b>Bulanglang na Kabute</b> (Wild Mushroom Soup) - this is available in Nagcarlan as well but this one in particular was taken in Lipa, Batangas. I included the raw mushroom image because it looks like one of those poisonous things you see in TV but in reality it's really tasty. The mushroom and other vegetables are boiled with salt and pepper to taste and that's it, it's ready to eat.<br />
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13. <b>Sinawsaw </b>(Sweet Sticky Rice) - I'm speculating that the origin of this dish is due to lazy workers who didn't bother packing another version of this called Suman. It's sticky rice boiled in coconut milk topped with coconut jam. Sounds bland but it's really tasty.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDbc_dxA3SyUxHUj05AI06JCBadIkIpKBA-8FBeBiRqujCFLrvc3OqZFD-SeHuVAu1JuX8OoySqqcy_s6vsiu3cYFgPPHf6MVygeIPkjJo5XeCD1zfxXlGpTNOcZfIPhPuBpqOcKCFX_0/s1600/DSC02238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBDbc_dxA3SyUxHUj05AI06JCBadIkIpKBA-8FBeBiRqujCFLrvc3OqZFD-SeHuVAu1JuX8OoySqqcy_s6vsiu3cYFgPPHf6MVygeIPkjJo5XeCD1zfxXlGpTNOcZfIPhPuBpqOcKCFX_0/s640/DSC02238.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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14. <b>Halo-Halo </b>(Shaved Ice with Preserved Fruits) - this one you have to look for, it's found in Pagsanjan, Laguna specifically at the restaurant of <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g469412-d1837128-Reviews-Aling_Taleng_s_Halo_Halo-Pagsanjan_Laguna_Province_Calabarzon_Region_Luzon.html" target="_blank">Aling Taleng's</a>. You can tell the quality of this dessert having it named after the restaurant. It's all sorts of locally preserved fruits in syrup, under a shaved ice with milk, topped by a chunk of sweetened Tubo (Coconut Cotyledon) which is a very unique ingredient of this dessert, since most top theirs with flan.<br />
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15. <b>Sponge Bread </b>(Square Pants) - this is more of a personal preference, this is simply a locally made sponge cake in the bakeries situated in our town, you have chocolate, caramel, and taro flavored once and you can't go wrong buying a dozen of these at a time.<br />
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<b>CONCLUSION:</b></div>
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So there you have it, these are the top 15 dishes that can be found mostly in Nagcarlan and other areas of Region IV in the Philippines. The list is a personal preference and I would've placed other dishes if only I had taken pictures of them. Well for sure next time I come home, I'll add more to my library and make another list for everyone to use as a guide if you ever visit our region.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-90089303171630146592016-08-11T09:25:00.000+04:002016-08-11T09:25:06.102+04:00Fried Offal - "Litid" and "Baga" <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Whenever I visit the city of Lipa City, Batangas, I make sure to check out their night market where you can find a lot of local delicacies and though not unique to them, this specific vendor sells one of the tastiest fried offal (lungs and ligaments) out there.<br />
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"Ligaments, lungs, and, house blend vinegar. What more to ask for?"</div>
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Never got the chance to ask his name and his food cart/trike doesn't have any sign but you'll easily recognize this vendor's smiling face and his crowded stall once you get there.<br />
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"if you only knew where I get these from (laughs internally)"</div>
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Of course eating fried ligaments and lungs will gross out most people and those who've never tried it will avoid this but I can guarantee it's tastiness, which absolutely means nothing, but just try one and you won't regret it.</div>
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He doesn't stop frying so everything is served hot.</div>
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Each lungs cost 2 php and ligaments at 3 php, you can stuff your face for a dollar.</div>
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These I avoid and you should too, to prevent contacting hepatitis, people double dip!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwi1Yz6qzGd6glfv-xh2OJ6oQS0Kyx9h2GMkwEPyND1y0wJsfS_9nDfmHPYemDgN2cr4NA5g-j5F0xer01ekTzihs1Zar5UWQDuJ2hkPMY6o4PGotrLxbgyuOzb2m0NDDU8k9Q2QYgjHs/s1600/DSC02625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwi1Yz6qzGd6glfv-xh2OJ6oQS0Kyx9h2GMkwEPyND1y0wJsfS_9nDfmHPYemDgN2cr4NA5g-j5F0xer01ekTzihs1Zar5UWQDuJ2hkPMY6o4PGotrLxbgyuOzb2m0NDDU8k9Q2QYgjHs/s640/DSC02625.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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That's why ask for a cup, and have him pour a healthy serving of vinegar and onions.</div>
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And it wouldn't feel complete if you don't wash it all down with a cup of fresh coconut juice.</div>
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<b>CONCLUSION:</b></div>
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If ever you get the chance to visit the night market in Lipa City, Batangas, definitely make a stop and have a snack here, it's not meant to fill you but just enough to get your taste buds going to enjoy the other delicacies served there, which I'll try and review once I find the pictures in my library called oblivion. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Lipa, 4217 Batangas, Philippines13.941876 121.1644198000000213.695305000000001 120.84169630000002 14.188447 121.48714330000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740453371190642422.post-29124132787720075272016-08-10T14:04:00.001+04:002016-08-11T13:13:55.641+04:00A trip to Musandam, Oman from Dubai, UAE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's pretty ironic for a blogsite that states reviews, now! to have a review of a place two years after we've been there, I know, procrastination will be my downfall. Let's get on with this review then!<br />
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Here in United Arab Emirates and just about any Islamic countries we have something called Eid break, it's the days after the holy month of Ramadan where we get several days off and this how we chose to spend it.<br />
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To get this trip started I strongly advised to purchase the whole package which means including transportation to get there since Musandam, Oman is quite far, 190kms far from the pickup point which is at Spinneys Bur Dubai, Dubai. Our package trip was bought in <a href="https://www.cobone.com/en/deals/dubai/symphony-tourism-llc-mussandam-dhow-cruise/44497" target="_blank">Cobone</a> which I believe is available all year round, and looking at the package, not much has changed in the last two years. Make sure to read the fine print on the voucher bought because it will tell you all the things you'll need for this trip like your original passports and copies in order to get past the border.<br />
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"first let me take a selfie."</div>
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<a name='more'></a>Getting to Musandam is a very scenic trip, you'll be driving through several of the Emirates to get there so sleeping is optional. Once you've reached the border, you'll need to show your passport and just follow what the staff is telling you, after everything is done then you'll continue to drive till you get to the shore. If you have a UAE sim card active on your phone, it would automatically switch to Oman's telco so no worries of not being able to contact anyone if needed.<br />
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Start of a very long ride.</div>
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Once you reach the shore the boat or dhow as they call will be waiting and your seafaring travels begins.<br />
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No signs of rain.<br />
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The dhow is wide and would feel wider specially if your group is small like ours, There's not much to do until you reach the cove where the party begins so start applying your sunblocks on because you're bound to get burnt. If you are not used to sea travel and strong waves then definitely take a motion sickness pill to not ruin your trip.</div>
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Upon arriving at the cove, there will be a quick rundown of the things you can do there and then afterwards the buffet will start, do enjoy the view of the mountain ranges and sea creatures around.<br />
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The crapper is found near the jumping platform of the dhow, and guess where the crap goes.</div>
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There's a lot of options from bread, pasta, rice, to veg and hummus, fruits, and multiple viands, also a fountain of drinks, there's a time limit though for the buffet so make sure to eat your fill so that you won't be looking for food once you start your activities.<br />
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And so, after all that travel you finally get to do what you came for, water activities! All of the facilities are paid for and comes with your package, snorkeling, kayaking, banana boat, speed boat so no need to take out any more money and just enjoy the rest of the day.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">And here's the highlight of the trip, the banana boat ride. </span><br />
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After all the activities are done, you'll head back to port and then drive back to Dubai to end the day.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Conclusion:</span></div>
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The cost of the trip and time of travel to the destination is all worth it, it's really difficult to get this kind of experience in a country full of sand but thanks to ease of transportation here, getting from the bustling city to this coastline to enjoy all these activities are in arms reach.<br />
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I highly recommend this to anyone who resides in UAE as residents, if you're a tourist though, I'm sure there are much better countries to experience this from, one place on top of my is the Philippines.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2Musandam Governorate, Oman25.9942638 56.24822769999991624.1648458 53.666440699999917 27.8236818 58.830014699999914