Happy New Year from the British Kabayan or in Tagalog we say "Maligayang bagong Taon"
Ang taong 2024 ay ang pangalawang taon ko bilang retirado sa isla ng Palawan, at si Chester at ako ay magkakaroon ng iba't ibang karanasan na ibabahagi namin sa inyo dito sa aking blog.
Maraming salamat kay Luis para sa mga bagong TBK cartoons!
If there is one thing I miss from the UK its The Great British Roast
Dining out is big business in Dubai- and you can book on line ( thanks to Thang for showing me how and making a couple of reservations for me) or through the hotel direct. Most big hotels have a Restaurant reservations office and when I booked our afternoon tea ( confirmed by text) at the Sofitel the lovely Filipino told me all about their Valentines special offers. She promised to email me details of the Sunday Roast at Gastropub The Nine. However she did not keep her promise! So when I was eating afternoon tea with Erickson at Bijou we went to the Nine to see what the Sunday Roast involved.
They had a big screen on the wall explaining their promotions
When I asked if I could take a photo of the Sunday Lunch promotion and explained why the guy behind the bar said yes. He then came from behind the bar, explained what the Roast included, the prices and the fact there was an alcoholic and non alcoholic package. He explained that I could book on line and even have the Roast in the evening as long as we booked in advance, which I did. So my initial impression was very high and I had great expectations for our Sunday Roast.
I had already raved about the Sofitel Obelisk in my earlier Blogs and vlogs :
MK's Roast Lamb Sunday lunch with mint sauce and gravy
Now it's time for the back story and the fact that surprises most people about me. I sold my house in the UK in 2004, lived in rented accommodation and hotels as I travelled the UK with work for 6 years with Veolia and then moved to Bahrain in 2010 and never went back. Why? My parents died in 2000, my brothers turn 74 and 76 years old this year, it rains, its cold ( 9 degrees as I write this compared to 23 in Dubai) and the only thing I miss is a Sunday Roast Lunch!
My Sunday Roast Lunch at The Nine
To make matters worse for the last 12 years in BAHRAIN the weekend has been Friday and Saturday and Sunday is the start of the working week! In Dubai they changed all that on 1.1.22 and the weekend now starts on a Friday lunchtime and people return to work on Monday- so Sunday is a day off for most people and the chance to enjoy a delicious Sunday Roast lunch!
The first email confirming our booking had been received- very impressive!
So when I found that The Nine, Sofitel Obelisk's British Gastro pub, served a Sunday Roast Lunch I had to go! Sadly none of my friends were free at Lunchtime but MK said he could get there by 5.30 pm, and so we booked a table for 6.30 pm. The hotel kindly agreed they would serve our Sunday lunch for dinner. I booked on line as advised, had an email to say the booking had been received, a phone call to discuss the booking and then a further final confirmation email -most efficient. Every moment of truth was met after the Bijou reservations lady forget to send the email with details of the Sunday lunch!
Both Sunday Roast lunches came with red cabbage, carrots and roast parsnips , roast potatoes, gravy and cauliflower cheese croquettes and Yorkshire Pudding!
One of the downsides of living alone is it's really not worth all the effort to cook a big joint of Roast beef , with Yorkshire Pudding , vegetables , potatoes and gravy with horseradish sauce. So I tend to cook Asian food like Adobo, Kare Kare, Butter Chicken Curry, Tom Yum Soup, Cambodian Chicken Cashew and so on. When I was working I would "batch cook" these dishes at the weekends . I would cook enough for 4 portions and then freeze or refrigerate what I did not need . Here in Dubai at Adagio I continued to do the same but gave samples to the Thai, Sri Lankan and Phillipino staff!
MK tries his Roast Lamb which he said was delicious
We made the booking in the week and by the time Sunday came around I was really looking forward to having Roast Beef with all the trimmings! But the question was "would it be as good as my Mum, Wedad Jaworski or The Frying Scotsman made?"
I set about researching the product offer and the Chef , and soon found that MK and I would be in good hands. When we arrived the Chef came over to welcome us, apologised for nearly running out of Beef at lunch time and asked if I would like some Lamb as well. Another moment of Truth beautifully handled. He served the food himself and came back to check we had enjoyed our meal and ask for our feedback- very impressive.
From the hotel's website- all other pictures by MK/TBK
Funnily enough I had seen Chef Michael the week before as he was meeting with some people at the table next to Erickson and I when we had afternoon tea at Bijou!
From the Nine website I found out that in charge of the Kitchen at The Nine is MICHAEL O’SHEA , the CHEF DE CUISINE. According to the Sofitel website Michael was:
"Born in the United Kingdom, with over sixteen years of experience, Michael brought to Sofitel Dubai The Obelisk his creativity, passion and his culinary experience in the exquisite art of fine dining.
From a young age, Michael always aspired to be a chef. Driven by passion, Michael went on to study at Cambridge Regional College from 2005 to 2008, where he obtained several qualifications including NVQ Level 3 Professional Chef, NVQ Level 2 Food Service and more. While studying, he simultaneously interned at a two Michelin star restaurant, Midsummer House, working alongside Daniel Clifford."
"Egyptian heritage is a strong element in the interior design. With cat imagery engraved on the walls, representative of the life story of the goddess Bastet – the ancient Egyptian goddess of protection – as soon as guests walk through the door they are immediately immersed in ancient Egyptian heritage. Additionally, The Nine, which symbolizes the nine lives of a cat, has three inverted triangles hanging from the ceiling, representative of the three pyramids of Giza; Menkaure, Khafre and the Great Pyramid of Khufu."
After that, sadly, you realise you are in a Sports bar and with some football match playing very loudly on the big screens it was impossible to talk ( or make a vlog- as you will hear when you watch our last TBK Eats vlog from Dubai!)
I felt really sorry for the couple sat on the table next to us who complained 3 times during their meal. A film crew arrived soon after we started eating and got in the way of the TV. They were filming with bright lights in the kitchen and restaurant. It made me really aware of the need for me to be as unobtrusive as possible when filming TBK eats. It also reminded me as a non smoker, non drinker who does not like watching football why I do not go to sports bars often like Aloft at JA Oceans view and The Nine!
My drink of choice for the night
Having said that when I first went to visit The Nine to enquire about the lunch I had asked whether it was a smoking restaurant as the people sat by the bar were all smoking. I am an ex smoker who smoked from age 13 to 44 but finally gave up in 2004 and now I hate the smell of cigarettes. They explained the dining area was non smoking and if I requested this online they would give us a table as far from the smoking area as possible, which they did.
MK's second cocktail
So we arrived , were given a warm welcome, taken to our table in the corner and offered water . Then Chef Michael personally came to explain they had served 70 people at lunch and try as he might he did not have much Beef for me! He asked if I would like some Lamb as well which was excellent. As regular readers will know after Roast beef, Steak, Chateaubriand etc. I love Roast Lamb and those oh so juicy Lamb chops in the Canteen at Aloft Deira!
From the hotel's website- all other pictures by MK/TBK
From the hotel's website- all other pictures by MK/TBK
After we finished Michael came to tempt us with apple pie and more scrumptious deserts but as my latest fasting app was reminding me the 16 hour fasting period had started at 7 pm and we had to decline.
I then realised one thing was missing- MK's alcoholic package which we had been told about on our first visit, and had confirmed in our on line reservation. I went to the bar to be told they only did the alcoholic package at lunchtime! He then redeemed himself saying that MK could choose 3 drinks from the Happy Hour menu. They call this the:
'We Don't Serve Milk' - Happy Hour
I asked if he could explain this to MK as I needed to go to the washroom and the barman told me to scan the QR code! However he came over to the table and explained the cocktails and wines that could be had for 99 AED. MK wanted to order all 3 at once, but the barman refused, saying he was only allowed to deliver one drink at a time. Then he thought better of it and kindly suggested he could take the order for all 3 drinks then and deliver one every 5 minutes. We decided that was a bit fast , even for my alcoholic friend, so they settled on the win win one every 10 minutes. It always annoys me when the hotel system gets in the way of what the customer wants, and so this was a good work around. Well done to the waiter for using his initiative!
As the cocktails flowed the restaurant filled and we completed our vlog and watched how they handled the complaining customers on the next table ( not very well!) . Once we finished and paid I went over to say goodbye to the Chef and thank him for looking after us so well.
Overall MK and my verdict was an excellent meal- many thanks to Chef Michael and the team at The Nine. Now for the answer to those two all important questions:
1. How much did it cost?
The Bill from The Nine- we gave a 50 AED tip
The two Roasts , the water and the cocktails and wine came to a total of 374 AED or around 38 Bd or 75 GBP ( this is Dubai and it is a 5 star hotel) . I just double checked with some friends in the UK ( as I have not been there for 12 years) and they said the same meal there with drinks would cost about 50GBP for two people depending where you went.
2. Where the Yorkshire Puddings better than Mrs Jaworski's ?
Sorry Michael, they were big but size isn't everything! They were just a little dry and crispy for me. No doubt they were made at lunchtime and so had dried out a little!
This is TBK signing out for the last time from Dubai as we head back to Bahrain tomorrow and then onto the Philippines
Kita Kits Palawan and Ingat Palagi to all my friends old and new In Dubai. Shukran Habibis ( and Habibte)
As a free gift for Yorkshire Pudding lovers Chester has created this special Recipe card for you to download as your Valentines gift!
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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