Friday BBQ with The HOG Dubai Chapter @Famous Dave’s Barbeque, Dubai Parks & Resorts

I have always wanted to have the chance to visit Riverland in Dubai Parks & Resorts. On a lovely Friday morning I made my way there with the family to enjoy a beautiful meal at Famous Dave’s Barbeque. They are an all American Barbeque joint serving up authentic BBQ flavoured meats with hand rubbed spices. They have the perfect location right on the waterfront with gorgeous views of the park offering ample seating inside and out. With the use of a lot of wooden beams, cozy booths and large meal tables, they accomplish in giving it quite an authentic barn type look.

Service here is absolutely delightful and the staff is very cheery. The whole atmosphere is packed with a buzz.

 

The HOG Dubai Chapter

Harley Owners Group has a Dubai Chapter that is quite active and social. Think Harley bikers meeting, riding together and having a good time! Though I am not much of a rider myself, it doesn’t stop you from eyeing those massive and beautiful Harley Davidson bikes. Famous Dave organized a great event for the bikers and bloggers to interact and join in on the fun! The group is full of life and had a great energy about them. The restaurant’s hospitality definitely helped with cheerful greetings as we entered and equally loud and energetic goodbyes.

 

Get Set Gobble

We sat down to be served a giant glass of their refreshing Homemade Southern Sweet Tea. As we quenched our thirst, the server placed a giant platter of their All American Grand BBQ Feast it in front of us to devour. With ample options and generous portions of Country roasted chicken, Texas beef brisket, Beef ribs, Creamy Coleslaw, Baked beans, Famous fries, Sweet corn and Corn bread muffin, the food is nothing short of a feast and it is the best way to eat and enjoy with the family.

Each bite of the Country roasted chicken is bound to transport you to meaty heaven. Personally what I loved most were the sliders and once you’ve had a bite, you are going to say the same 🙂

What helps the meal stand out is their range of delicious sauces. You can chose from a variety of flavours like the Texas Pit, Georgia mustard, Devil’s spit or Sweet & Zesty. Not only this but we also got bottles of these to take home 🙂

Since my parents are vegetarian, they helped us out with a small platter for them comprising of Sweet corn, Grilled vehgetables, a veggie burger and bowlful of fries. We also had the Broccoli and Cheese Baked potato. We’ve got to say that they have ginormous portion sizes so you can literally eat your heart out.

Stuffed beyond compare, we held onto our tummies as we waited for our desserts to come. One look at them and we were ready to gorge again 😛 The Walnut coffee brownie was served with walnuts, vanilla bean ice cream, hot fudge sauce and whipped cream. This was absolutely delicious. Their Down home banana pudding was so rich and came with slices of bananas, wafers and whipped cream.

We had a really fun time and everyone loves a good barbeque. Definitely a great place to enjoy some delicious grills 🙂

 

Where: Unit Number 9B-1, Boardwalk, Riverland, Dubai Parks & Resorts, Dubai

 

So you love our yummy clicks; that’s exactly what we were thinking! Head on over and share some love on our Instagram page

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Deepali (@grub_a_fare)

10 reasons to attend the FoodTalkIndia Grub Crawl @The Grubfest

Food tours are a popular activity right now..and for all the right reasons! The food scene is simply exploding with new joints, dishes and cuisines and we are absolutely dying to try them all. Heading for a Grub Crawl seems like a great option to hit up delicious pop-ups at the convenience of being in one venue.

Food Talk India curates special tours during the three day Grub fest and I have been lucky enough to be a part of them. They are filled with energy, excitement, entertainment and endless options for creating unforgettable memories.

Here are 10 reasons for you to be a part of the incredible food scene with them – and why we simply love doing it!

1) Gain bragging rights 😀

You can go ahead and brag to your friends about being the lucky one to receive an invite as they usually pick a small group from massive entry responses. It’s great to get selected..we feel like a celebration dance now…***

2) Entry is absolutely free!

Yes, you heard that right! The entry is on them so not only do they make sure to get you in for the walk but you can choose to stay back and enjoy the fest for as long as you like.

3) Meet like minded food enthusiasts

It’s always difficult to meet people who share the same craziness for food as you. The selected group is small to ensure a personal experience. You are sure to leave with a few new Facebook friends..:-P

4) Did we say cocktails…

There are cocktails making sessions galore for all you booze lovers out there. They collaborate with some of the finest bars to let you try crazy concoctions. And don’t worry, we aren’t shy about our getting our drinking game on.

5) Huge variety of mouth-watering food stops

So many options at the grub fest to choose from and you probably feel a bit lost with where to head and what to eat. Food talk guys take plenty of time to pick out a curated menu that features all the drool-worthy dishes out there. **Dig in and moan out loud #foodporn

6) Nom down on food curated specially for them

Taste dishes made specially for them by the restaurants at the Grub Fest. You are sure to be wowed by new creations that are gonna hook you into going back to these joints for more. Feeling special enough…

7) Wait…Did we mention cocktails yet?!

Now and again we circle back to getting our drinking game strong. If that wasn’t enough, these guys get behind the bar to whip up some boozy mixes that are a definite crowd pleaser. This is the only food walk that ends with cocktails rather then desserts. But isn’t that exactly how every meal should end anyway?! *deep thoughts

8) Work on them reflexes and make sure you aim is strong 😀

We maybe all calm and sophisticated but that is only until the food arrives. Food disappears as fast as it appears and it ain’t a pretty sight. Don’t worry  bloggers, you do get that 2 second window to get that perfect Instagram shot but no sooner does the camera beep than forks attack the food from all directions.

9) Be ready to add another cooking skill to your repertoire

Be it adding liquid nitrogen to the anglaise to create an ice cream, shaking the cocktails behind the bar or rolling up your truffles in chocolate, be prepared to play sous chef along the way. I’m sure mum is gonna be happy you picked some kitchen skills along the way.

10) Prepared to be fed….a lot!!

If you thought your grand mom was the only one interested in plumping you up, think again. These guys talk food and it’s serious business. You are stuffed beyond compare so make sure you wear your stretchiest pants to the venue. You’ve been warned…

Don’t miss out on all the madness and make sure you join them on the next one!

 

InstaPizza presents Pizza 101 Master class

I got the most amazing opportunity to be a part of the Pizza 101- guide to everything pizza class as Insta Pizza on the weekend. A lot of you might not know this about me but I am as passionate about cooking as I am about eating. I do try my hand at creating desserts and baked delights. I have often given pizza making a go at home and no matter what the outcome (read as: unsuccessful attempts), it has always tasted brilliant. They do say that things taste sweeter with hard work, so I got my apron on and got ready for the masterclass.

What’s not to love in a pizza?! It’s delicious, it’s quick to eat, you get a variety of toppings to choose from and of course there’s cheeeeeeese. And come on, each and everyone of us has faced cravings at odd hours when you are looking for something cheesy to satiate yourself. Pizza’s have become a part of our family meals where everyone from my parents to little siblings love this creation. It always leaves you in a cheerful mood 🙂

So the basics of the pizza is the base..if you got that right, it’s smooth sailing from there on. My main trouble has always been getting that pizza dough right. It either gets too sticky to roll out, or doesn’t rise enough or the sides get crispy but the center gets soggy on baking and so on. It breaks my heart every time I don’t achieve perfection and watched a lot of videos to get it right. However, watching videos isn’t the same as getting a one-on-one demo. I learnt quite a few things that I would love to share with you guys to get your pizza making game on point! Also I got the chance to try out some of their cheesy creations as well and it was the best way to spend my weekend! I was really excited as we donned our white aprons and hair nets to step into their kitchen and give pizza making a go!

Get Set Cook On:

~ Pizza dough – So I did not get the chance to make the pizza dough there itself as it requires time to kneed and rest. However, they did walk us though the process and shared a detailed recipe for it (if you need the recipe, leave a comment below or send me a mail and I shall share the same with you). So what I learnt essentially was that the crust is the soul of the pizza. Be patient with this and give it the time it needs. Once this is ready, the rest is easy!

~ Dough rolling – So this is the tricky but yet the fun bit. The dough is slightly sticky and I managed to crumple it up as I lifted it off. Immediately the chef came in and discarded that dough ball and I had to go in for the next one. He carefully pulled it out with a dough knife. Our working area was dusted with a lot of flour and he pressed the dough gently on it. Next step is to use the tips of your fingers and press into it lightly to define the edges. Once done you simply need to use a press and stretch motion with both your hands to stretch the base out. We then dusted the wooden base with some flour and placed our pizza base on it. It is essential to dust off the excess flour on both sides of the rolled dough with a brush.

~ Toppings – They had a variety of toppings to choose from neatly laid out in containers having veg on one side and non veg on the other. We grabbed our pizza on the wooden base and began with the veg section. The first thing was to get our sauce on top. The idea is to take one big ladle-ful and spoon it on in the same motion as that of preparing a dosa making sure you leave the corners out so that they puff up to give you that crispy crust. Next is to put the cheese…yes, cheese comes on the base too and then on the top. This layer at the bottom helps hold all the toppings in place. The cheese was not shredded or in cubes but finely diced and was a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar. So generally the idea is to have a light hand with your toppings and choose a few so that each ingredient stands out. However another line of thought is to go crazy and that was how I was feeling at the moment :-D. From the selection of veggies I topped some mushrooms, red chillies, green bell peppers, jalapenos, onions, olives and sweet corn. Finally we sprinkled loads of cheese on top and the pizza was ready to go into the oven. My friends and me also made a collective non veg pizza that we loaded with pepperoni, smoked chicken and chorizo…even the chef agreed we were onto a winning combination!

~ Baking and end result – So the pizza gets slid into the oven and off the wooden base. The timer is set for about 3 minutes and 20 seconds for the thin crust one (the oven was on about 285 deg). We happily waited for our efforts to come to fruition and the result was glorious! I could not believe that I had managed to achieve such a beautiful outcome. Topped with some fresh basil the pizza had a good balance as all the flavours came together. I definitely have all the makings of becoming a Masterchef 😛

Pizza making is indeed fun and the satisfaction of preparing it yourself is immense. The idea here is to get creative and prepare a combination of toppings that suit your palette. Keep a light hand on the dough but don’t be afraid to muck it up a few times coz that’s the way you learn.

Get Set Gobble:

They have five types of pizza bases in their arsenal – Cracker thin (which I loved), thick, Raagi (if you are a health freak), New York and deep dish (this is insanely good).

They do have 6 types of dips which are tandoori, chilli garlic, southwest chipotle, barbecue, honey mustard and cheesy jalapeno. Give them a try and see what combinations you love. I just blindly dipped into 2-3 bowls at a time and ate it as a combo 😛

~ Garlic twists – The pizza dough is rolled and baked with a filling of mozzarella cheese and creamy garlic butter to produce these little wonders. We tried it with the non vegetarian stuffing and they tasted great. Use the dips provided generously as they make for great flavour combinations.

~ Deep dish – The deep dish pizza is popularly known as the Chicago style pizza. It can be called a pizza pie as there is about one inch of stuffing in it. The deep dish pizza has two layers of crust, one at the bottom and other on the top. They generally have about a kilo of stuffing inside the smaller pizza and kilo and a half in the bigger one. Heads up guys…this takes about half an hour to cook in the oven so don’t blabber on about the service being slow…it’s the baking time needed. As they say, good things take time 🙂 We had the non vegetarian one with pepperoni on top..delicious! A slice of the deep dish pizza is like a meal in itself. It is loaded with cheese and vegetarian or non vegetarian delights. This is definitely something you should try once if you are proud of calling yourself a pizza lover. MUST ORDER

~ Galleria special – This was a thin crust vegetarian pizza and is highly recommended not only by me but the chef as well. The combination of the spicy jalapenos and sun-dried tomatoes is a winner. There is also fresh garlic that helps enhance the flavours. MUST ORDER

~ Downtown chicken & broccoli – This was also a thin crust pizza with toppings of tandoori chicken, smoked chicken, fresh broccoli, crispy garlic chips, jalapenos, fresh basil and cracked black pepper. There is generous amounts of cheese on all pizzas. However, I am surprised but the vegetarian option would have to be my favourite between the two (those of you who know me, know that I love eating non veg all day and any day).

Go for:

Deep dish pizza. Fresh ingredients. If you are lucky, maybe you too can pick up some pizza making skills from the chef.