Smiling BKK

My tongue is burning as I type this.

Mind you, I am not complaining. In fact, this is very good indeed.

My friend and I had been intending to check out Smiling BKK for ages and ages, and today we finally got round to doing it. We are both huge lovers of Thai food. And it was a good thing we did.

I had read previously that the place was a bit hard to find. Well, I was adamant that I would not get lost. And so armed with a map and directions, I made my way triumphantly and waited for my friend who wasn't too far off.

5 minutes after getting in, I get a call.

Him: "Hey! Where are you?"

Me: "I'm here! You?"

Him: "Me too! I'm inside."

Me: "I'm inside too..."

At this point I should point out that the restaurant is tiny. Trust me, if he had walked in, I would've noticed him.

Me: "Um......"

Him: "Are you in Al Wasl?"

Me: "Ye-es...."

Him: "Near Safa Park?"

Me: "Ye-ees"

Him: ........ *pause*

Him: "In the Al Wasl Square?"

Me: ".... there's a branch in Wasl Square?"

Him: "There's a branch OTHER than Wasl Square?!"

And so Smiling BKK managed to thwart me despite my best preparations...

Anyhow, we managed to meet up, at the Wasl Square branch in the end, which is much newer and bigger than the one I had initially gone to. The concept was the same though; the walls dark, the decorations colourful, the Mona Lisa moustachioed. It's quite different from anything I had seen in Dubai before, but it would be right at home somewhere like London.

The menu is quite extensive, and its known for its funny dish names, but I will let you enjoy them. There is page after page of noodles, seafood, curries, starters, the works. We decided to go for our usual favourites: prawn crackers, tom yum soup, green chicken curry with rice, Pad-See Eiw (flat rice noodle stir fry with beef) and I got myself some cold Japanese green tea.

Prawn Crackers

Now I must give you a warning:

THAI FOOD IS SPICY. IT IS VERY, VERY SPICY. IF YOU CANNOT HANDLE SPICE, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO EAT HERE. WHATEVER YOU ARE IMAGINING, IT IS MUCH, MUCH SPICIER THAN THAT. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! 

Tom Yum Soup (chicken)

                  

Now that you have read that warning, let me tell you about the Tom Yum soup. You be thinking, "oh, that's not so bad, it looks quite mild". IT IS NOT MILD. We were asked about how spicy we would like our dishes, and everything was put at medium. We were fooled by this soup, thinking it looks relatively harmless, but oh boy were we wrong. It BURST with flavour. It was DELICIOUS. But 5 minutes in, we were starting to sweat like pigs and it was just the beginning.

Thai Green Chicken Curry

Pad See Eiw Beef

I very much enjoyed the mains too. They were not as spicy (I could handle more than one try), and they too were full of lovely Thai flavour. The curry was creamy and well made, and the noodles too were just asking for attention. My only criticism would be the amount of noodles in the dish, as it seemed to have more cabbage than noodle. But still, it was really good.

Smiling BKK is definitely the place to go for Thai. It has a great atmosphere and you will be assaulted with flavours. When you go for Thai, you know that the word "bland" does not exist. This place certainly proves that.

                      

Awani : Levant Cuisine

After walking through JBR during the construction process and seeing the intimidating blocks of grey buildings that did not match the sleek sand like towers that were already there,  I could only expect the worst: a blocked view of the beach, blocked access to the beach and yet another mall with your run of the mill restaurants and shops.  Walking down that street all I could do was shake my head in disappointment and wait for the inevitable doomed fate of this beautiful area. Well, thank God I do not make a living out of my hunches because boy was I wrong!  Somehow, they managed to bring these inanimate blocks to life creating an area with unlimited possibilities.  The lighting design alone is a work of art that you could enjoy and gawk at as you move from one area to another.

What is definitely the highlight of this new area is the lineup of restaurants. The variety is refreshing, unexpected and happily welcomed. Needless to say I will not rest until I have tried them all!!

Having planned this visit mischievously and for selfish reasons, with the expectation of trying out a new restaurant to review such as Aprons and Hammers, Leopold’s or even Sushi Art; I was in for a surprise or two. Not always is the restaurant decision making up to me, so when I saw I was being directed towards a shisha place I was kicking and screaming. I was gracefully, not suggesting, but insisting we try any other place.Sadly my puppy eyes and pouting lips did not work.

The restaurant we ended up at is called Awani: Levant Cuisine. The view from upstairs is quite perfect, you  do not feel like you are in Dubai especially with the amount of wind blowing you away. As much as we would have liked to stay seated in the outdoor area it was way too cold. The staff was very friendly and tried to accommodate us as much as possible, allowing us to move from one table to another until we found the perfect one that was nice and warm. When you look around you will see that the interior’s main focal point is a colorful wall of Turkish plates that would feel out of place if it weren’t for the matching upholstery.

You will notice that the menu has a wide variety of options from all over the Mediterranean with a stronger influence from Jordan and Lebanon. I was pleasantly surprised with the dishes offered and suddenly felt quite excited to try the food. You will certainly not be prepared for the adventure your taste buds are about to go on, I wasn’t.  We ordered a bunch of cold and hot Mezzas to try out. The first dish was the Eatch which is an incredibly delicious Armenian dish that comprises of burghul, onions, diced tomatoes, parsley, fresh lemon juice and oil. Burghul is not traditionally eaten alone without the aid of some laban to mask the dryness. Somehow, the combination of ingredients blend together to create such incredible flavor. So much has been done with such a simple and not so traditional ingredient. One of the dishes I was looking forward to trying was the Mushroom Awani, a small plate of mushrooms cooked in butter with the addition of spices. Such an unassuming dish with a few ingredients somehow turns into this unbelievably delectable option that you will not get enough of.Last but not least was my favorite choice Hindbeh Awani, it was not something I had ordered or even something I was planning on trying but my God was it delicious!The ingredients include tahini, garlic, red bell peppers, Arabic chili, parmesan cheese and olive oil. The parmesan cheese is the most dominant ingredient, and adds a real kick to the flavor.

Two other dishes that were just as drool worthy include the  Freeki Bil Fukhara which was a favorite on our table made from wheat, parmesan cheese,  mushrooms and cream and the  Eggplant Salad ,which disappeared in a matter of minutes, had a delicious tangy flavor thanks to the pomegranate molasses that brought the whole dish together.

I highly recommend visiting Awani, each and every dish will surprise you, the simplest of ingredients will be turned into delicious concoctions swimming in flavor.Sit outside if you get the chance, great food and a beach view, what more can one ask for?

April Weekend

If you're liking our pics, do follow us on instagram @young_andhungry!

Now, let me tell you about my weekend...

Day 1) Mandi from Maraheb Mandi & Madfoon. This happened:

Chicken and Meat Mandi

2) Then, Friday lunch #1 at Zurna:

A happy chef making some delicious kebabs

This chicken doner was kind of to die for

Oh-so-juicy lamb kebab

 3) And THEN, came lunch #2: Burgers at The Counter!

Parmesan fries. We drooled all over ourselves.

BF's burger

My burger - suddenly I forgot I had already had lunch that day!

 4) And then, it was all over with a safari. Apologies for lack of food pics. But after all that deliciousness it was time to look at some scenery.

Goodbye :)