Dreaming in Dubai

Weekend brunch is a big deal in Dubai. Although my husband and I like to avoid the rush of the brunch scene and have breakfast at home instead we decided to go out today and try something new. I immediately suggested we try The Hamptons, a cafe inspired by the famous vacation town in New York. Despite being from Connecticut I've never been to the Hamptons before but I knew just by driving past the cafe that it emulated the simplistic and elegant vibe that the Hamptons is so famous for. 

Since I'm a sucker for chic, white interiors I felt like I had walked into interior design heaven as soon as I stepped into The Hamptons. The space was filled with natural light with large airy windows and an  understated and classic decor. We were seated on the rooftop level like we had requested. I would definitely suggest making a reservation before going especially if you want to sit on the rooftop since. The place is packed on weekends and it can be difficult to get a table otherwise. When it came time to order we were given two iPads which contained the menus. I ordered the West Hamptons Breakfast which included a yogurt parfait, a croissant, jam, and a fresh orange juice. My husband ordered the French Toast. We also got a hot chocolate which came with a free macaron and we ordered an extra macaron for good luck!



We were so surprised when the food arrived in under 15 minutes. Unlike other places where you have to wait forever for your food we were served so quickly despite the rush. As you can see from the pictures the presentation of the food was incredible. Everything was served on wicker trays which I now totally want to get for my own home. The hot chocolate had the cutest anchor on it. After we were done staring at how cute the food was and taking pictures it was finally time to dig in. As soon as we had our first bite we were blown away. Everything was incredible. The yogurt parfait contained almost everything you could think of from granola to fresh fruit to dried fruit and nuts. The hot chocolate was one of the best I've ever had and the macarons were amazing. We were worried that we might have ordered to little food initially but the portions were more than enough for us.

I really can't say enough good things about this place. From the quality of the food to the amazing service this place has everything that defines a fantastic restaurant. We'll definitely be going back soon!

I don't know about you guys but in the past few months my weekend (and most weekdays for that matter) doesn't feel complete unless I've baked something. I love the way that baking makes my house smell and the convenience of having something quick and easy in my fridge ready to eat for breakfast is an added bonus. Yesterday was Saturday, Dubai's equivalent of a Sunday, since the weekends here are Friday and Saturday instead of Saturday and Sunday. My husband unexpectedly got called into work for the entire day and I was bored out of my mind. After making something for dinner I still had a few hours left before he got home. I decided to try making a pound cake. My husband had been craving pound cake for a while and I thought it would be a perfect surprise for him after spending a Saturday at the office.

I'm not sure whether it was the fact that Eid was last week or that I've been missing my relatives in Karachi a great deal but I wanted to make something that would remind me of Pakistan. Keeping that in mind I went through my pantry and looked at what I could add to my cake to make it similar to the simple cakes sold in Pakistan. I came across my bottle of rose water and packet of cardamoms and I knew that these would be the perfect addition. I added in a teaspoon of rose water along with 4 pods of crushed cardamom. They gave the cake such an incredible aroma. The whole house smelled heavenly while it was baking. The smell was so reminiscent of mithai which I love. While the cake was baking I made some doodh patti chai. For those of you who don't know doohd patti chai is tea that's been steeped in milk instead of water. It's so decadent and creamy and I honestly don't know how people can drink regular tea after having tried doodh patti because I certainly can't. 

When it was finally time to take the cake out of the oven I was nervous because it was my first attempt at a pound cake and I was worried about the rose water being too overpowering or the cake being dry. When I finally tried it I was so happy with the results. The cake had an incredibly moist crumb and the hint of rose water and cardamom definitely elevated it. It was the perfect compliment to my chai. It wasn't exactly a proper Pakistani tea time because that would require more people and some shami kebabs (spicy chicken mince cutlets fried to golden perfection). But it was just what I needed to sooth my nostalgia and pass the time until my husband got home. 

While I was very happy with the cake, the next time I make this cake I will try to beat it for a little while longer to incorporate more air into it. Other than that I wouldn't change a thing. I've shared the recipe below. If you decide to give this cake a try make sure to let me know how it turns out!




Recipe:

1.5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of softened butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon rose water
4 pods of crushed cardamom
1/2 cup of milk

Begin by mixing together your butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and rose water. Alternate between adding your flour mixture and milk in three increments. Make sure to beat thoroughly and incorporate lots of air into the batter while beating. Because no baking soda or powder go into this cake it's important to beat if for longer because otherwise it won't rise.

Place in the oven for 30 - 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve hot with lots of tea and enjoy! 

Living in Dubai is many things, but cheap is not one of them. I have come to learn this the hard way over my year and a half spent here. Everything costs almost twice as much if not more than it does back home in Connecticut. For a self proclaimed stingy person like me, that's not an easy thing to come to terms with. I'm known for finding things on clearance racks at 80% off. In fact, my parents and husband regularly joke that I've probably never purchased anything for full price in my entire life (that may or may not be true). Anyways, you're probably wondering what any of this has to do with my brownies. I promise, I'm getting to it! When I was visiting my parents in America last month I decided to load up on groceries, clothes and anything else I could possibly need so that I wouldn't have to spend twice as much money buying those items here. I brought back a bunch of baking supplies with me including the cutest cupcake liners I found on sale at Marshall's, baking trays, piping bags etc. So when I decided to make brownies I went to my baking drawer to pull out my brownie pan. It was only then that I realized I had forgotten to pack my brownie pan with me. Ever the hopeful person, I decided to check out my local supermarket in the hope that I could find a reasonably priced brownie pan. Low and behold, I couldn't find a single one that would cost me less than a small fortune (by my standards at least). And with the money I was spending for ridiculously overpriced cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate I decided it was best to forgo the brownie pan altogether. That's when I decided to use my cupcake pan to bake my brownies instead.

I'm not a huge fan of chocolate but I do love brownies and they're also my husband's favorite dessert so I had to give them a try. I was pretty nervous about making them but I found a great recipe online here. My brownies turned out really well but the only thing I wish I had done differently was to take them out of the oven earlier than I did. When I inserted my toothpick into the brownie it was still pretty liquidy inside so I decided to leave them in the oven for another 5 minutes but it made them a little bit drier than I would have liked them to be. I also think they would have turned out moister in a brownie pan so if you have one, I would definitely recommend using it over a cupcake pan. I'm probably making my brownies sound a lot worse than they actually were! Trust me, this recipe is fantastic. I would just recommend taking out the brownies a bit on the early side as a precaution. The great thing about this recipe is that it can be customized in so many ways. I added chocolate chips and lots of walnuts to mine but you can add literally anything you can think of! If you decide to try these brownies make sure let me know how they turn out!



Recipe:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

(Recipe courtesy of Joyofbaking.com)