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.

Wine Update

Because there are only 2 of us, popping a bottle of wine isn't practical when you just want a glass with dinner. So we buy boxes as well as bottles. (Not very romantic, but there are some decent ones out there).

Coolabah is not one of them. The first box we got of Coolabah white was pretty good, but the quality dropped dramatically next time, for both their dry white and red.

Drostey-Hoff and Stanley both trump Coolabah in quality.

Entertain Like an Expat

Well, I don't think all expats quite make it to the level of our friends in Muscat. They are la creme de la creme of generous entertaining. Whether it's Indian curry take-out, beautifully organized for 15 people, or home-made spinach/avocado salad with chicken risotto, they are expat-entertaining knock outs.

They camp equally well. On our weekend trip to the east coast beaches of Oman, they kepy pulling out the tasty food for everyone. Chicken salads, pre-cooked baked potatoes to warm in the fire, hummus, chopped veggies, cake, grenadine cocktails and champagne. It's a new kind of five-star camping.

I have taken notes and perhaps one day will attain the same level of gourmet camp-outs. Nevertheless, I have to say that sometimes I do enjoy just kicking back with a beer, grilled hot dogs and cookies and not worrying about the details.

Only they don't seem to worry about it....

Rustaq's One Worthy Restaurant

To anybody passing through Rustaq (whether you live here or are visiting Oman) there is really only one good place to grab a bite to eat. There are the ubiquitous Pakistani restaurants where the one dish served is decent but not remarkable by any means. Also, if you are a woman, even in a herd of male friends, it's still a somewhat annoying experience.
So, if you're passing by, go to Turkish Star (an-najm at-turki). It's tasty, authentically staffed by Turkish men, and very relaxed. It, in fact, the one place in Rustaq where I feel 100% comfortable and not stared at. The attitude of the Turkish owner and staff (not to idealize Turkish men!) is refreshingly indifferent to how I am dressed or how I sit, or the fact that I am the only woman there.

They are friendly and serve some amazing freshly baked Turkish bread that is too hot to eat when they put it on the table!

Snack 2

Try an afternoon snack of plain yogurt, honey, wheat germ, and dried cranberries.
It's tasty and especially good for women's health!

Snack of the Day

The past two weeks have been crazy, and I haven't done much cooking, or eating of meals! I've just been grazing....a lot!

This had led to me developing some snacking habits that I'll share, and perhaps start sharing regularly.

Snack of the Day 1:

Super simple and tasty. I've started running lately and bananas have potassium, which you need to replenish after working-out. I love peanut butter, and it's got good protein too, so I just put the together. Slice a little river down your banana and fill it up with peanut butter.

Simple, satisfing, deliciously childish, and healthy!

Thai Food in Dubai: Royal Buddha

There are lots of Thai places in Dubai, as in any major cosmopolitan city. We just headed to the new one in the newly revamped Holiday Inn next to the Mall of the Emirates. It's called Royal Buddha and was pretty darn good. Pricey, but what nice place isn't in Dubai? The atmosphere was classy, the service attentive and my vegetable green curry and my husband's duck in a red curry with grapes was excellent.

The music could have been better. Sort of a traditional Thai court music meets the male version of the Andrews sisters.

Sushi in Dubai

If you are looking for some fantastic sushi at a down-to-earth joint where all the Japanese expats chill, go to Bento-Ya. It's on Sheikh Zaied road behind the Sketchers shoes store. It's authentic, inexpensive, and relaxed.
Highly recommend it.

Nutty Haloumi and Sundried Tomato Salad

 

First, throw some walnuts in the oven to toast. Only a few minutes, they burn!
Boil a little water and soak some sundried tomato pieces until tender, slice them longwise.
Tear up some fresh green lettuce, mixed with baby spinach makes it even better…but for all of us dependant of Muscat shopping at its best, the price of the spinach might not be worth it!
Next, mix up a simple vinaigrette. Mix balsamic vinegar and olive oil, about 1 to 2 proportions. Throw in a little fresh ground pepper, diced garlic and basil
Finally, slice up the Haloumi into bit-sized pieces and lightly sauté in olive oil until golden brown.
You’re done! Arrange the toppings on your lettuce and spinach and drizzle on the vinaigrette.
I like to serve this salad on a plate rather than in a bowl because it’s so pretty!

Here's a picture of it served up with some whole wheat pasta and a mushroom-basil tomato sauce!

Simple Lentil Soup

A tall glass jar of bright red Indian lentils has been sitting on my counter, untouched, for ages. I decided that I needed to do something about that, so I whipped up this lentil soup. It turned out surprisingly well for how easy to make it was! It's a very comforting soup to curl up and drink out of mug!

First, saute up some onions and garlic in olive oil, throw in some finely chopped cilantro (or parsley), chili powder, cumin, salt and coriander.
At the same time, boil water and add a cube of vegetable stock. (Or just use vegetable stock from a container...might be hard to get in Oman...)
Cook the lentils in that liquid for 20 minutes. The amount of lentils and water you should use depends on how liquidy you want your soup! Using less will make it more like dhal.

Dice up a can of canned tomatoes and add to the sauteed mix. Add this to the pot of lentils and stir. Next, scoop out about 1/3 of the lentils and puree in the blender, and pour back into the pot. Stir.

You're done!

Wine Review-Bordeaux

"Chevaux des Girondins"
2002
Bordeaux
French

I really liked this bottle. It had deep, smokey fruit flavors. A very nice round taste. Would go well with dark meats or even sipped by itself.

3.0 RO

two thumbs up!