10 must-try restaurants in Dubai

Visiting Dubai is always exciting, and the UAE makes it easy for tourists to drop by. After getting your Dubai visa (you can even get your Dubai visa online) you start packing for your trip and making an itinerary of places to visit. But apart from making a stop at all the touristy jaunts in Dubai, there is one vital factor about Dubai that will pull you in forever – the sheer variety of food!

Dubai visa

Dubai is every foodie’s dream destination, serving up cuisines from around the world in the most stunning locales. Besides, you can try eating different types of food at a variety of budgets. What’s more, the hospitality of the best restaurants in Dubai will leave you spellbound.

Here’s presenting, in no particular order, the 10 best restaurants in Dubai that every foodie must check out:

1. Zatar w Zeit: Located at Dubai Marina, this restaurant is a must-visit for the most authentic Arabic food experience. The ingredients are always fresh and the food is prepared keeping the health-conscious in mind (think wheat rotis and khaboos). Once you seat yourself, dive right into the restaurant’s wraps, shawarmas and their extremely popular manakish.

2. The Farm: Situated at Al Barari, this restaurant serves up wholesome meals that fill the belly and sate the palate. Their food is simplicity itself – try their coconut chicken soup (which will remind you of your mum’s cooking, it’s so homely and good) and rolls. If you like eggs, this restaurant is the best place to be in: you can get a variety of egg preparations here, and you can safely order any of them.

3. Asado: This restaurant attracts a lot of foodies looking for authentic Argentinian fare. Apart from serving up delectable empanadas and a succulent beef rib eye steak, you will be enchanted by the views from Asado: you get a look at the Burj Khalifa and musical fountains as you eat.

4. Wokyo Noodle Bar: This Japanese-inspired restaurant also serves up Chinese food, but it largely brings to mind the flavours of Tokyo. Its excellent food notwithstanding, it is known for quick delivery (you can order in if you’re too tired to go out, and the food is always hot on delivery) and very friendly service. Try their heavenly noodles with shrimp or Bangkok sauce.

5. Nayaab Handi: A piece of India and Pakistan in Dubai, you can try their curries if you have a yen for something a little spicy. While you get excellent Afghani pulav and the kebabs are to die for, patrons drop by regularly for their aloo naan and gulab jamun dessert. The restaurant is located at Satwa.

6. Atmosphere: A quirky name for a scenic restaurant aside, it offers wonderful views and a well-planned décor. It is popular amongst couples looking for some quiet time as they eat, and also those wanting to celebrate a special occasion. Located at Downtown Dubai, it offers a large selection of wines and plenty of eating options even for vegetarians, such as risotto, berrata and salads.

7. Texas de Brazil: Located at Mall of the Emirates, this restaurant serves up a large variety of grilled meats. Patrons often flock to this restaurant to eat grilled chicken, ribs, filet mignon and sausages. Apart from these best sellers, there are also tasty sides like mashed potatoes and fried bananas to go with your meal. Plus, it is situated next to cinema theatres, so you can eat here after you’ve watched a movie.

8. Nola Eatery & Social House: For those interested in the pure American food experience, head straight to this quaint restauranted located at Jumeirah Lake Towers. You can sample every kind of American staple here, but you will be particularly taken by their succulent crab and tuna ceviche, the famous Nola burger and jambalaya. Try Mississippi Mud Moelleux for dessert.

9. Pai Thai: No gastronomy trail is complete without a taste of Thai food. And Pai Thai more than lives up to the promise of tangy and spicy Thai food on a bed of tasty rice or noodles. Located at Madinat Jumeirah, you will be more than enamoured of the commute to the restaurant: you have to take a dreamy boat ride there! When you’re in, dive into their wide selection of mocktails and wines while you wait for your food. For mains, try their famous spicy green curry, tiger prawn red curry and jasmine rice.

10. Pierchic: An explosion of flavour and texture greets the seafood lover at this restaurant situated in Madinat Jumeirah. Run by a three-star Michelin chef and serving up Mediterranean flavours in their preparations, you will be thrilled with the stunning views as you have your meal seated over pristine blue water. Tuck into their ever-popular toothfish roast, oysters and scallops in tapioca sauce. 

Plan a trip to watch your favorite English football club play live

It’s all very well to sit up late at night to watch English Premier League matches on the television. You may have even brought home the best LED TV to get as virtually close to the action as possible. Some of you may even head down to the local pub with a big TV to watch the matches with your friends. Whatever the setting, you love watching football matches with a group of fans cheering as lustily as you!

So just imagine how supremely awesome it would be to watch your favorite football stars battle it out on a field near you! Nothing compares to watching a football match live in England. English football fans are the most gregarious and passionate fans of the sport anywhere in the world. When their team is winning, they back their players to the finish. But when their team is faring badly, the average English fan first shows support – then comes back with brickbats!

Watching football live in a stadium full of shouting, cheering fans is a high like no other. And there is really no reason why you should miss out on this stupendous action. If you think travelling to England and paying for prime tickets is expensive, you’re partly right! But you will end up spending more if you book your flight tickets and game tickets late. So the smart thing to do is to book early.

Start by pacing your bookings, and begin with flight tickets. Most airlines offer a good discount on booking flight tickets early, so keep a lookout for match dates in the UK and book your air tickets as soon as you can. You stand to get early bird discounts or if you book UK travel packages, your tickets and stay will be accommodated together. If you are booking hotel rooms, look for cheap lodgings close to the grounds so that you won’t have to travel far. Or else look up the cab or train route to reach the venue from your digs.

Once you’ve booked your tickets, it’s time to apply for your UK visa .The procedure to book the UK Visa from India is fairly standard, and you should face no hassles while doing so. In the meantime, be on the constant lookout for online bookings of match tickets. The earlier you buy, the higher your chance of securing tickets, maybe even at a good rate.

Get your friends and/or family members to book at the same time – you might get a group discount on stay and flight tickets, too. After your bags are packed, the tickets and passport put inside your holdall and your UK visa ready, all you have to do now is take along your team’s jersey and head to the UK for the best match experience ever. A sports match is best enjoyed with a group, and when you’re watching your favorite football team take the field, it’s a memory that will stay with you for a lifetime.

The early bird always gets the worm!

So you are planning a holiday. Isn’t it exciting? Looking up likely spots to visit, asking around for information before compiling your itinerary, shopping for essentials…it’s all very thrilling!

But have you overlooked one important thing? It’s all very well to shop and book your hotel stay for your holiday, but the most important task is to book flight tickets. Most people pay scant attention to this task, though it is the most important one. Booking tickets well in advance of your holiday will save you a lot of money and also land you with great airline deals.

domestic flight offers

Booking your flight tickets at least three months before your holiday will ensure that you beat the last-minute dash for tickets. Also, airlines price tickets on the higher side during peak holiday season, so you can get excellent domestic flight offers if you book before the rush begins. Airlines are happy to extend confirmed bookings on their flights much earlier than peak demand picks up. Not only will you get an early bird concession, the airline might also reward you with additional benefits like discounts on your return journey or free flyer miles.

Some airlines also extend hotel deals as part of their domestic flight offers. This works out excellently – you do not need to look up accommodation separately, and you get a good all-in-one travel and stay package.

Try and time your departure and arrival times for weekdays. Airlines’ weekend fares are higher and you will lose a lot of money on tickets. Your tickets will still be expensive if your trip coincides with the holiday season in Diwali or Christmas. Also, compare fares between different airlines before you make a choice. Instead of scouting for the best fares on individual airline websites, take the help of aggregate websites to compare all flight fares for your desired trip period and make your selection.

Another way to reduce the cost of your flight tickets is to look for special domestic flight offers that offer a good discount on round trips. If not, you should book single trips with different airlines, because round trips with the same airline will cost you more.

Lastly, a fool-proof way to get good discount on tickets is to book late night flights that are not very popular. Most airlines operate these flights (known as ‘red eye flights’) with some percentage of seats empty. Bookings are normally lower for flights that leave very late in the night or arrive in the early hours of the morning. You are bound to get cheaper deals on these flights. 

Here’s toasting Sri Lanka!

If you are looking for an ideal holiday with the best of food, sightseeing and local residents, you need not look beyond Sri Lanka. The beautiful island country was recently racked by civil violence, but it is completely safe to visit now. Also, the visa application process is simple. As long as visitors respect the local customs and traditions, they can have the most enjoyable stay in the country.

Beautiful Sri Lanka

The procedure for applying for a Sri Lanka visa is:

- Sri Lanka insists on Electronic Travel Authorization before entering Sri Lanka. You can get more information on this by logging on to www.eta.gov.lk. This authorization is deemed complete with the relevant form filled out and the stipulated payment made.

- Your Sri Lanka visa will be granted only when you furnish complete details of your purpose of visit (tourism or business), length of stay, place of accommodation in Sri Lanka and arrival and departure dates. Your Sri Lanka visa can be categorized as Visit Visa (for tourism or business), Residence Visa (for non-Sri Lankan nationals who wish to reside in the country for temporary or permanent purposes), Transit Visa (for those passing through Sri Lanka on their way to another country and Gratis Visa (given to holders of diplomatic passports).

-  The visa will be granted to you if you have a confirmed return ticket to your country of residence and if you have enough funds in your bank account to finance your stay and return journey from Sri Lanka,. Please note: Your passport must be original and valid, and your purpose of entering Sri Lanka is approved by the visa issuing authorities.

India shares some major cultural mores with Sri Lanka – both countries believe, for instance, that warm hospitality must be extended to all visitors. Like Indians, Sri Lankans are welcoming towards visitors, and they are also quick to offer assistance when they see a tourist in distress. You will be surprised by how gentle a Sri Lankan resident can be with foreign travelers.

Solo women travelers can freely explore public spaces and use the local transport without fear of being harassed by men. Young couples on honeymoon can also explore the country without fear of any threat or persecution by the locals.

Also, Indians visiting Sri Lanka will confess to being struck by the cleanliness of the streets. Sri Lankans take utter pride in presenting a clean image of themselves. They have excellent garbage disposal systems, and their public toilets are many in number and properly maintained.