Zen Restaurant Review

Location: Zen Restaurant, Za’abeel Park, Dubai

Review:

For a newcomer, finding gate 6 of Za’abeel Park was not the easiest battle to win considering the general lack of directions/ signage in Dubai. After locating gate 6, we then faced round 2 of our confusion; where exactly is Zen? After parking a certain distance away, we walked to the entrance and were informed that Zen was, in fact, right in front of the entrance. We were all smiles considering the appetite we had built up!

As we marched forward towards the restaurant, we noticed the obvious lush green environment and a lake that surrounds the restaurant – a great first impression. After entering Zen, there’s a certain sense of comfort that engulfs you. This could be attributed to the peaceful ambience within the restaurant, although the lack of customers was quite apparent.

To start off, we were recommended iced teas. Both the Thai Iced Tea & the Green Iced Tea with honey were quite satisfying and worth a try. Moving on to the food, we felt that the server was not very knowledgeable and fortunately the owner gave us his personal attention. I was recommended the “Laab Tofu” a salad not on the menu but specially offered to meet my vegetarian taste buds. I was definitely pleased with the suggestion! It was a perfect mix of the right spices, the results being delicious. My friends enjoyed their soups and we all savored the next recommendation from the owner – “Pad Sieu Che.” Although we normally go for the typical Pad Thai, we particularly enjoyed this dish which to summarize I would describe as Thai flat noodles. My friends also tried some Non-Veg dishes, Malays Mee Goreng, Stir Fried Noodle Chicken and Joru Che ; All fantastic dishes, savored to the last morsel!

The only area of slight dissatisfaction was the service. There was possibly only one server that night who was not the most helpful – it was the manager that made the difference.

Come October, the restaurant will offer its outdoor seating overlooking the small lake and I can already see it overflowing with Dubai’s foodies.

Overall, I truly recommend this place especially for Thai food lovers!

To summarize I could say “A truly ‘hidden’ gem!”Pricing:The bill didn’t hurt the pocket too much either and therefore Zen is easily one of those restaurants you would visit frequently.

Average price per person (including drink/starter/main course): AED 80/person.

Restaurants amidst the Economic Crisis

Since everything in the last few weeks has been tied to the “World Economic Crisis” or “Financial Meltdown” or “Global Slowdown”, I too have decided to discuss this subject in relation to Dubai’s hospitality industry.

As oil wells run dry, Dubai’s CEO, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has decided that Dubai’s income has to come from various other sources; hospitality & tourism being the major sources of future revenues.

The Palm Islands, The World Islands, The Burj Dubai, The Burj Al Arab, DubaiLand, Dubai Mall are some of the major projects that are a result of the CEO’s directive to increase future income from tourism. As you can expect, hundreds of hotels have been and will be constructed to accommodate the millions of tourists expected every year. “Build and they will come” being the bold philosophy of the leader in command.

With such gigantic projects and limitless future plans, even the small cafeteria owner down the road has started to think big. He knows that if Dubai’s ruler’s plans are to succeed, then his field of business will grow tremendously. Thus he ponders a location for his next cafeteria/ restaurant. Similarly, entrepreneurs all around the world want a piece of Dubai’s boom. As a result, Dubai now has over 1200 restaurants all over the city spoiling the foodies for choice. Many of these restaurants have opened in the last few years and are located in Dubai’s prestigious new areas, some being part of the best hotels in the world.

In fact, in a recent conversation with a newbie in Dubai, she explained that her favorite way of acquainting herself with the different districts of Dubai is by visiting popular restaurants in these areas (by browsing by location on www.MenuPages.ae ). In fact, if you are keen to experience any new real estate developments, whether it be a new hotel or a new mall (or even a new island J), the best way to do so is to dine there. That is of course, if you manage to get a table at your restaurant of choice. Whether it is a weekday or the weekend, restaurants have been busy all year around as Dubai’s residents have, in simple terms, become wealthier. Considering the basics of economics, as investments poured in to Dubai, jobs were created, demand for products and services increased, businesses were booming, thus increasing each earning individual’s spending power. Shopping and dining were where the residents splurged their extra income. In fact, shopping and dining are sometimes termed the two main “national pastimes”. Tourists visiting Dubai also splurge on shopping and dining.

So now what? Meltdown, crisis, collapse – how’s this going to affect restaurant business? Being the part time economist that I (and most people today are), I will offer my theory with a disclaimer that I could be wrong.

My theory:
The simple answer to my question would be that restaurant revenues will definitely be affected. However, you would probably shoot me if that was the objective of my entire article. So, I have a twist to my insight.

The culture of eating out cannot be washed away so quickly. It may reduce a little but I believe there will be a slight downgrade in the choice of restaurant rather than refraining from eating out altogether. Location will be another key element to ride out the recession. In my opinion, there may just be a certain segment of restaurants that may actually benefit during the current crisis. A reasonably priced restaurant close to an above average neighborhood might just see a surge in business, particularly because “value for money” is now the most important attribute. A reputation for good food at a good value may actually increase its popularity overall because all of a sudden the royal service requirements, the right lighting or the exquisite interiors for the jobless real estate broker aren’t important anymore. It’s suddenly all about VFM. This might just be the chance for such restaurants to propel themselves into lifelong popularity using the recession as a spring board for future success. If they build a name now, they would have a chance to build a strong brand for the future. Ever thought about how Al Mallah might have become as popular as it is today? You’ve got the spendy population in Jumeirah looking for some reasonably priced food in proximity of their residence. Voila!

So for all the entrepreneurs itching to exploit the low costs during a recession, my recipe for success is a slice of vision, a pinch of effort combined with my VFM theory mixed with proximity to an upper class location. If it doesn’t work, just look for the disclaimer in my article :)

Benjarong Dubai Restaurant

Benjarong
Dusit Dubai Hotel Sheikh Zayed Rd Cuisine: Thai Phone: +971(4) 3433333 Hours : All Days: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 7:00pm - 11:30pm Price: Overall Rating Food Atmosphere Service Value Restaurant Features Reservation Recommended Licensed (Alcohol Served) Credit Cards Accepted Romantic Atmosphere Valet Parking
Latest reviews 1 Posted By saynotojunkfood on 4/2/2008 11:12:11 AM Great value for money. This is one of the finest thai restaurants in town. The appetizers are great, the papaya salad is spicy but amazing. The service is very quick and the ambiance is beautiful. A must go for a thai lover! 2 Posted By ilovegoodfood on 11/18/2008 3:10:52 PM Great food and excellent service.Not only does the food here taste fabulous in a great atmosphere, the service is also excellent. When we visited this restaurant, we requested all the food to be vegetarian, but unfortunately the waiter brought us the wrong salad and it had prawns in it. The chef herself came out to aologize with the manager, in addition to the waiter who made the mistake too. We were also provided with complimentary rice and a fruit platter to make up for the incorrect order.

Subway (JBR Sadaf - 2) Dubai Restaurant

Subway (JBR Sadaf - 2)
Sadaf - 2 Plaza Level Jumeira Beach Residence Dubai Marina Cuisine: Fast Food Phone: +971(4) 4290999 Hours : 24 Hours Price: Overall Rating Food Atmosphere Service Value Restaurant Features Takeout Delivery Open Late
Latest reviews 1 Posted By venki ash on 19/11/2008 i love sandwich there its yummy 2 Posted By saynotojunkfood on 06/06/2008 A convenient stop if you live in the area! They are very clean and the food is always fresh! Eat Fresh Eat Subway

Bombay Chowpatty (Karama) Dubai Restaurant

Bombay Chowpatty (Karama)
Karama Cuisine: Indian Phone: +971(4) 3964937 Hours : All Days: 8:00am - 12:00am Price: Overall Rating Food Atmosphere Service Value Restaurant Features
Latest reviews 1 Posted By venki ash on 20/11/2008 definitely place worth visiting.good tasty indian chats,good value for money. 2 Posted By saynotojunkfood on 20/02/2008 Typical bombay roadside food joint. Over the years, they have become more hygenic and have a better seating area. The food can be better, but definitely good enough which makes it a regular visit. 3 Posted By imhungry on 20/02/2008 Without doubt, one of the best indian fast food places around town. Huge variety in snacks and juices. If you are looking for authentic Indian Fast Food, this is definately a place to visit.

Kamat (Bur Dubai)

Kamat (Bur Dubai)
Opposite Meena Plaza Bur Dubai Cuisine: Indian | Indian (South) | Vegetarian Phone: +971(4) 3598444 +971(4) 3595441 Hours : Sat - Thu: 10:30am - 3:15pm, 7:00pm - 11:45pm Fri: 10:30am - 11:30am, 1:15pm - 3:15pm, 7:00pm - 11:45pm Price: Overall Rating Food Atmosphere Service Value Restaurant Features Takeout Catering Credit Cards Accepted Delivery
Latest reviews 1 Posted By venki ash on 20/11/2008 really tasty food with lot of options good presentation and beautiful interiors.nice place for real good Indian vegetarian food 2 Posted By tabuam90 on 26/09/2008 a very good and delicious place specially for all the south indian dishes lover out there! personally this is my favourite resturant for south indian food love the place its not even expensive but ya the atmosphere is a little noisy busy there is alot of rush specially on weekends!!! 3 Posted By saynotojunkfood on 26/05/2008 Not the most relaxed atmoshpere as it is really noisy and busy, but the food is great. The juices are just perfect, all the mixes, etc. The food comes out in a whisker - fresh, hot and also TASTY! A treat....a must go!!!

Samad Dubai Restaurant

Samad Restaurant
Al Muraqabat St. Deira Cuisine: Iraqi Phone: +971(4) 2293660 Hours : All Days: 12:00pm - 1:00am Price: Overall Rating Food Atmosphere Service Value Restaurant Features Takeout Catering
Latest review 1 Posted By altamimi on 24/10/2008 very good food , salad & grills