Dreaming in Dubai

This plum, peach, and lime juice is possibly the best thing I've ever tasted.

I think my title for this blog post a little misleading. Tom and Serg, the ultra - hip, incredibly cool, local producing serving cafe that's opened up in Al Qouz of all places has introduced hipster to Dubai rather than bringing it back. I know hipster has garnered a bit of a negative connotation lately because it leads people to think of entitled millennials but in the context of Tom and Serg, hipster is a very good thing. Tom and Serg opened up their cafe in what had originally been a warehouse in one of the most industrial areas of Dubai. While this isn't unusual in places like Brooklyn and LA, it was revolutionary for Dubai where good food is related with opulence and luxury. Tom and Serg is changing the way that people think about food in Dubai. By opening up in an unusual area, creating a selective yet impressive menu and showing that good culinary experience don't have to be luxurious, Tom and Serg has made a mark in the Dubai food scene.

The seared tuna tacos are perfection.

 
A restaurant can't get by with a cool idea, it has to have good food to back it up and Tom and Serg doesn't fail to measure up. The menu  is kept limited but each item has been crafted carefully by Tom and Serg (the owners) themselves. My husband and I first discovered this place a few months ago after hearing raving reviews about it on Zomato and Instagram. We decided to try it and we were blown away. It's become our favorite spot for brunch, early morning breakfasts and everything in between. We've made it our goal to try every item on the menu. So far we've covered their seared tuna tacos, scrambled eggs (best we've had in Dubai!), salted caramel french toast, Moroccan chicken salad, and berry granola. It's kind of sad that I remember every dish that we've tried there but it goes to show how good the food actually is. Oh, and did I mention they serve Valrhona hot chocolate? Because they do. If that's not reason alone to try this place then I don't know what is! Next time you're looking for a place to brunch be sure to give Tom and Serg a try because you won't regret it.

*This post was not sponsored and all opinions expressed are mine, and mine only.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I don't always have the luxury to have a proper breakfast every morning but when I do get the time I always like to have a proper breakfast with the works which is pretty evident from my last few posts here, and here. This may be a biased opinion but I also think breakfast foods are the prettiest. You can't make a plate of curry and rice look as nice as Belgium waffles topped with red and blue berries or a stack of pancakes sprinkled with powdered sugar and maple syrup. The other day I was in the mood for breakfast food even though it was 5:00pm. I decided to make a stack of pancakes topped with a little maple syrup and butter. It was the perfect pick me up and definitely satisfied my craving for breakfast food. I don't normally eat a huge stack of pancakes in the middle of the day (I shared them with my husband and we didn't even finish the stack!) but every now and then it's nice to indulge. I would love to know, what's your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

This morning I was in the mood to make one of all my time favorite foods, khagina. Khagina is the Pakistani version of scrambled eggs. Similar to shakshouka and menemen, it's made with red onions, ripe tomatoes and a long list of aromatic spices. Despite being made with eggs, khagina isn't strictly classified as a breakfast food. It's eaten just as commonly for dinner as it is for breakfast. I make if frequently for dinner myself since it takes such a short time to make and requires simple ingredients that I always have on hand. This dish also holds a special place in heart for another reason as well. During my last semester at Smith I would go home every weekend to visit my parents. I would make khagina for breakfast every weekend while my mom made chai and parhatas. When our breakfast was ready we would sit at the dining table eating, chatting and sipping our hot tea with morning light pouring through the window. Those are some of my best memories. Today I recreated the same breakfast with my husband minus the tea since he's not a fan (I'm still working on changing that!) Instead I served it with warm (store bought) parhatas, Concord grapes and fresh orange juice in Turkish dishes. The light this morning was beautiful. I haven't edited these pictures at all because the natural tones were so beautiful. Since we were worried about getting good on our white sheets we ate at the table but the setting did make for a nice photo at least!