Ending Blog

So as not to divide my attention, I'm just encorporating this blog into my primary blog. Please see:
www.eyeswideoman.blogspot.com

Thanks!

Paris!

I am off to Paris, something I have been waiting for for over a decade. I won't write anything while I'm there, but I will post when I get back. I'm keeping a list of where we eat, costs, and what we thought--so check it out a few weeks!

Cornucopia of Produce

Oman is overflowing with fresh produce from all over the larger "East". Philipino bananas, Syrian peaches, Saudi melons, Pakistani mangoes, Omani dates in all stages of ripeness....and on and on. The choices are deliciously enticing and amazingly inexpensive.

It took us quite a while to get into the swing of things and away from the larger stores, but once we did, my husband and I got seriously hooked on eating good fruit and vegetables.

We stroll into the souq near our apartment, knowing we need bananas and some lettuce for smoothies and salad, but end up leaving with a kilo of dates, a box of 40 oranges, a box of 9 massive mangos, and a 2 kilo melon.

This seems excessive, no?

Right, that's what we thought too, but buying bulk here is sometimes the only options. At the souqs, they only sell fruit by the sandouq, or box, because most people are buying for big families. We're the weird guys on the block with no offspring.

So in order to cope with a kitchen overflowing with way too much fruit, we bought a juicer and now make all our own fruit juice. George has always liked juice, needed it almost to get going in the morning. I, on the other hand, never really liked juice and found it sickly sweet and fake tasting.

Fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice are something else though. Limeade, lemonade, anything you want. It's easy and tastes so much better than store boughten juice.

This morning I used up some of the kilo of dates we bought to make a banana, date, flax seed smoothie. Having so much produce available inspires you to be more creative in what you make and enjoy. It's a real blessing.

And-there's nothing nicer than waking up to a gorgeous man in the kitchen making you coffee and a glass of fresh grapefruit juice.

Kargeen-Restaurant Review

Everybody knows you're supposed to go to Kargeen if you're in Oman. Well, I've been here for almost 10 months and I only just went day before yesterday. I see why everyone raves about it though!

Their outside seating area is a pleasant mix between an Arabia courtyard and contemporary chic. The lighting is just right. The service, overall, was excellent. We did have a minor tiff with the waiter for refusing to give us change for our bill, but you can only expect so much.

But the food was just fantastic. We started off with the A'ash soup. I think I might have to infiltrate the kitchen and steal the recipe. Thick and hearty, but smooth on the tongue and a perfect mix of savory and tangy. Get it. Next I ordered the Boram lamb pot. The presentation was excellent. It was served in a deep pot (almost like that's what they cooked it in) that just kept going and going. And I kept eating. Couldn't stop. The lamb was so tender, just melting in my mouth.

We didn't stay to get shisha, but apparently they are one of the best shisha joints in town, and I believe it.

So I'm just going to repeat what the guide books say: Go to Kargeen if you're in Oman!

It's located in the MQ complex that also has an Al-Fair, Darcy's Kitchen, and about 4 liquor stores. I hear, however, that they have lost their lease to a new mall and will be moving locations.

Biella--Restaurant Review

Biella is an Italian chain. There are two in Muscat I believe, both in City Center. I've only been to the one in Seeb's City Center. The first time I went several months ago, the food was good, but the service was atrocious. My husband's pizza came after everyone else was done eating. The second time was just a week ago and their timing was much better second time around!

Both times I ordered the same thing...the Caprese Salad. It's presented beautifully and is choc full of slices of fresh mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes. Great!
The pizza was tasty and is big enough to feed you if you are hungry, but the pasta comes in very small servings. You might get 5 bites!

The food that stole the show, however, is their super rich chocolate cake. Get the desert menu if you go! It was utterly decadence. Maybe it was extra good because I haven't had anything sugary to eat for a while, but I'm pretty sure regardless, it was to die for. Rich layers of cake in between even richer layers of fudge. Ah. Get it.

All in all, Biella's not great (except the cake), but it's certainly decent Italian fare for Muscat. About 7 R.O. per person, for a fruity drink and main course.

cocomint

I went out in Muscat for the first time this weekend. It's a nightclub called Cocomint, and is upstairs in the same place as the sushi. I had already had quite a bit of the bubbly when I got there, but it definitely was a good time. They have two room, one techno dance and one hip hop. The techno room wasn't over packed, but it was full enough that there was none of that awkward don't-want-to-be-the-only-one-dancing thing.

Hey, it was a Gulf nightclub. No competition for Chicago, but if you go with the right people, it can be one kicking time:)

Jade Garden

For Sushi in Muscat that isn't as good as Tokyo Taro (in al Falaj Hotel) but still pretty darn good, and cheaper, you can hit up the Jade Garden on a Thursday for their buffet. It's in the Qurum Resort next to Shatti al Qurum. Lots of sushi and shashimi, what's not to like?

Trio Cafe

The Trio Cafe is in Al Masa Mall (next to A'Sarooj Center and al Fair).
It was a tasty corner cafe, the food was good and the prices reasonable. I had the haloumi and tomato sandwich and a balsamic vinaigrette salad. Everything was made fresh. Recommend it. Plus free wireless.

B+F Roadside Diner

In the shopping/apartment complex across from the Beach Hotel in Qurum (by Jawharat A-Shati)you'll find the B+F Roadside Diner. By its name you might hope to find a home-style diner with big burgers, comfy booth seats, bar options and complementary French fries.
No such luck. While it wasn't bad, per se, it was disappointing to say the least. It's more of a gourmet boutique diner. It offers an extensive and interesting menu (all sorts of burgers and sandwiches and intriguing appetizers). However, the portions are minuscule and are served decoratively on massive white plates. Sure, my pesto chicken sandwich on ciabatta was tasty, and my husband's roast beef wrap was good (once they took it back and grilled it properly), but the serving size and price to go along was less than inspiring. And no fries!

Go...if you want a tasty but expensive tiny sandwich in an attractive but very un-diner-esque atmosphere.

Oatmeal Cinnamon Raisin Bread

This is a super tasty "in between" bread to make. Not a sweet loaf bread, but too sweet to go with dinner.

Start with half milk-half water. Heat it (too hot to leave your finger in it, but cool enough to touch) and add the yeast (1 Tb) and a few Tbs of sugar. Add about a cup of whole wheat flour, salt about 2 tsp of cinnamon and stir until you can see it become stretchy. At this point, add the raisins (amount up to you).

Add as many oats as you like. (I put about 3/4 cup). Continue to stir in more w.w. flour until it is ready to knead.

Knead in more flour until it is not too sticky, but not too firm. This bread tastes better if it is a little less dense.

Let it rise (about an hour or more, until doubled). Punch it down and roll out the width of your loaf pan. Generously sprinkle cinnamon (and a little sugar if you want it sweeter) over the whole surface. Roll it up and stick it in the pan. Let rise again, and then bake at high heat until done....who knows when that will be with the Omani ovens! (about 20 minutes).

Enjoy! Great for breakfast toast with butter.