Tag Archives: Muscat restaurant

Shang Thai Launch Ceremony at Muscat Grand Mall

Posted on February 19, 2013 | 2 Comments

Invitation of Launch Ceremony  What an honor to be invited to the launch of Shang Thai at MGM this evening! (The restaurant had a soft opening on Jan. 22nd but this was the official launch.)Invitation of Launch Ceremony - Details (1)  My wife was very excited about heading down to Shang Thai even though we just enjoyed a fabulous Valentine’s Day menu at their Wave branch only 4 days ago!  We receive many invitations and it’s just not physically possible to attend all of them but this was one that my wife insisted that we attend. (Bend my rubber arm ;-) !)at entrance    Shang Thai now has 2 branches in Oman: this one in MGM which was moved from Al Khuwair and the other at the Wave (al Mouj).welcome  What a warm welcome!  :-) appetizers  My wife didn’t waste any time getting right to the appetizers.my social butterfly  It was a pleasure meeting up with Rajiv Kohli, the Joint Director of Inspired Talents Management Consultancy and Chef Praiwan Sriplai, the Executive Chef of Shang Thai.  Rajiv was a delightful host and we were impressed that he knew about every post we have ever published on Shang Thai.  Chef Praiwan was also very charming and it was fascinating to hear about his experience working as Executive Chef in Oman overseeing both restaurants.  Would you believe they even insisted on offering my wife complimentary cooking lessons with Chef Praiwan?!outdoor seating  The seating on the outside patio is a nice option!a great evening for all  Here’s my wife sitting with the guest of honour, His Excellency Dr. Pornchai Danvivathana, Ambassador of Thailand, and his lovely wife.  We also got to meet Hassan Jaboub, the General Manager of MGM, seen here sitting next to the Ambassador.  A big thanks once again to Rajiv for introducing us and giving us the royal treatment during our evening.  A big thanks to His Excellency as well who declared us to be on his “official friends of Thailand network.” :-) buffet statuebuffet  It goes without saying, the food was fab! (2 points if you can identify the famous Omani blogger/tweeter in this pic! ;-) )friendly chefs  What would Shang Thai be without its chefs!?my honey and dancers  My wife with the Thai dancers just before their Thai Cultural Dance.dessertShang Thai Central Regional Food Art Work Muscat - Eblast, Restaurant & Facebook  This is the current promotion for “Thai Central Region Flavors” at Shang Thai which is only on till February 28th.  It’s a great excuse to check out the new location of Shang Thai in MGM while enjoying some of the best Thai food in Muscat if you haven’t been there yet.

What a lovely night!

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Valentine’s Day Offer at 360° Restaurant

Posted on February 10, 2013 | 3 Comments

chef alan at workLast night we went back to 360° Restaurant to celebrate a friend’s birthday and to treat another friend who flew all the way from Germany to celebrate that friend’s birthday! (That’s what I call friendship! :-) ) Once again we had the Teppanyaki and it tasted even better than we remembered from our first visit almost 3 months ago!  As you can see in the photo above, Chef Alan had a little “pre-Valentine’s Day message” for us as he cooked!360 degree signMy friend asked us for directions to the restaurant but this huge sign (new since our first visit) on the building just next to the restaurant is unmistakable!green tea icecream                                  This is a pic of the Green-Tea Icecream we had that came with our orders of Samurai Tender Chicken (12 OR) and Surf and Turf Lobster (12 OR).  If you haven’t tried Teppanyaki at this restaurant, you really do have to give it a try!coffeeshop picThis is the outdoor coffeeshop-like area called “The Hydro Lounge“.  This is where they plan to decorate and host a special romantic candlelight dinner on Valentine’s Day with limited seats.  They mentioned that people could also order it indoors as well.valentines day info

details of menuSeems like quite an impressive meal for 25 Omani rials/couple (+service charge & tax so probably just shy of 30 OR).  I already mentioned 2 decent Valentine’s Day offers yesterday and so I thought I’d post this one as well.  Why not enjoy a romantic meal and check out this relatively new restaurant on the Muscat dining scene?!  To reserve a table, call (968)2490398.

For a more complete list of Valentine’s Day specials around Muscat, check out the incredible list put together at Muscat Mutterings!

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Al Rafee Seafood Restaurant, Muttrah

Posted on February 1, 2013 | 8 Comments

restaurant near muttrah souk

Al Rafee Seafood Restaurant (Sai Seas) is an affordable place to get a decent sizzler if you’re ever in the Muttrah Souk and find yourself hungry.  It’s located between the Fish Roundabout and the entrance to Muttrah Souq.  I’ve included the entire 9-page menu in the post (mixed in with some Muttrah pics) in case folks want to see just how affordable this restaurant is.inside

inside 2

As you can see, we don’t exactly come here for the “interior beauty of the restaurant”! We come here for good, cheap eatin’!soup

Lentil Soup – 1 OR!soups

chicken lollipop

The Chicken Lollipop appetizer is only 1.8 OR and comes with 10 pieces.  We order this on every visit!  Here’s a look at the other appetizers:appetizers

We think the sizzlers are the best items on the menu, especially at the prices they’re offered.sizzler photo 1

Prawns Sizzlers – 5 ORsalads and sizzlers

And 2 of us ordered Seafood Sizzlers (5.5 OR each) Of all their sizzlers, I find seafood to be the best.sizzler photo 2

Bread menu

rice noodles grilled

window view 1

A nice view to take in as you enjoy a quick bite to eat!window view 2

seafood

old muttrah homes

I’m surprised there aren’t more restaurants in Muttrah as it’s such a popular tourist destination, especially for visitors coming off luxury cruisers at the port. Here’s an interesting write-up about this untapped tourism market on the blog, Omanly, titled “Making the Most out of Cruisers“.indian main courses

muttrah mosque and homes

rice biriyani vegetable items

muttrah hotels

This pic, just down the road from Al Rafee Restaurant in Muttrah, is of some of the cheapest hotels in Muscat for budget travellers: Mina Hotel, Corniche Hotel, Marina Hotel and Al Fanar Hotel as well as Naseem Hotel  and Muttrah Hotel which are closer to the Souk.tandoori items

our drinks

Our drinks were very good but we ordered them to go after our meal and had to wait forever for them to prepare them.drinks

smoothies and juice

Just to clarify, they don’t actually serve “cocktails” here, haha! More like “mocktails” and smoothies.muttrah souk costumes

Just a reminder that this is a nice place to grab a quick bite to eat if you’re already in the souk area (and looking for one of these sexy belly-dancer costumes, haha!).  We ate like kings and queens and our total bill only came to 22.9 rials.restaurant location

A helpful map on the back of the menu to find this restaurant.  Tel: 2471-3933, GSM: 9580-9100

Has anyone reading this been to Al Rafee Restaurant? If so, what did you think?

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Capri Court at the Shangri-La

Posted on January 23, 2013 | 8 Comments

our table

We had a fabulous evening at Shangri-La’s upscale Italian restaurant, Capri Court, for our 4th anniversary yesterday.  Because I called early and made a reservation explaining it was for our anniversary, they put us in the most remote corner outside right next to the al Husn hotel cliff which was quite a romantic setting.al Husn hotel at night

inside restaurant 1

Whether sitting inside or outdoors, the ambience of Capri Court is quite charming.indoor seating

indoor seating 2

There is also this private room which is quite fancy and would serve well as a location for a business lunch/dinner:private room

Capri Court is located in Bandar Hotel, one of the 3 hotels located at Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort & Spa. As always, it’s great walking around the premises and taking in the sights of this gorgeous hotel.near stairway down to restaurants

staircase down

impressive scene in bandar hotel

nice lanterns

Enough about the hotel…let’s move unto the food! :-) bread starters

Like most of the upscale Italian restaurants in Muscat, complimentary bread is served at the onset of your meal. Capri Court’s bread assortment was the most impressive of all the Italians restaurants we’ve tried which came withFoccacia Rosemary, Foccasia Sundried Tomato, Ciabata, Walnut and Grisini bread.fabulous drinks

Wild Mojito for him (X2=7.6 OR), Love mocktail for her (2.7 OR). Of course they also have a wide selection of wines on the menu. We loved the drinks!smoked salmon

This smoked salmon was sent over, compliments of the chef, as they felt our dishes were taking too long.  We actually enjoyed the whole non-rushed feel to our evening.minestrone

The Minestrone Soup (Zuppe-Minestrone di verdure) was delicous! (6.5 OR) “Capri Court Style” traditional vegetable soup with basil pesto. (contains nuts)traditional caesar salad

My wife loved her “Insalata dei Caesar” (Traditional Caesar salad) (7.5 OR) which is listed on the menu as ”Chef’s Recommendation” with good reason. You can choose this salad with prawns, Gorgonzola cheese or chicken and as you can see my wife went with the prawns.  This dish would be good for anyone who likes quail eggs as they serve quite a number of them in this dish.Pappardelle Duck

I chose Capri Court’s signature pasta dish for my my main course: Pappardelle al ragu’ d’anatra, “Pappardelle pasta with stewed duck ragout, juniper berries and rosemary oil“. (7.5 OR) A fine dish.lamb chops

My wife went with the lamb chops, surprise, surprise! :-) Costolette d’agnello al forno con timo al limone e millefoglie di verdure – “Baked lamb chops with thyme and lemon flavor and vegetable millefeuilles“. (16 OR) My wife thought this dish was delicious.

Instead of one of the desserts on the menu, I surprised my wife when I had previously ordered this which the manager brought in perfect timing:anniversay cake

1/2 KG Cake (4 OR). A big thanks to the staff at Capri Court for an unforgettable evening out on our anniversary! :-)

For the full menu, click here.  I think all restaurants should have their menus online like this.  We basically knew what we’d order and what we could expect to pay before we showed up at the restaurant!

Here’s the view you can expect at Capri Court, taken from their website:capri court shangri la

Have any of you been to Capri Court? If so, how was your experience?  If you do go, make sure to make a reservation! (Tel: 968-2477-6666)

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Jean’s Grill Restaurant, Sultan Center, Al Qurum

Posted on January 10, 2013 | 10 Comments

jeans grill logo from placemat

Sultan Center Qurum

Jean’s Grill is located inside Sultan Center in al Qurum on the 2nd floor. There is an elevator that goes directly to the restaurant if you are going with a baby stroller or wheelchair.  I mention this because it can be a bit of a challenge to find Jean’s Grill if you’ve never been inside Sultan Center and the elevator is the easiest way to get there.buffet options

These are the different buffet options with prices and timings, taken from the banner immediately in front of the entrance to Jean’s Grill.Seafood Night buffet

Seafood Night buffet sounded like the most impressive choice of buffets so that’s what we tried tonight. The “+” after the price (RO 7.2) indicates that there is a tax as well, but it’s only 5%.seating

Jean’s Grill is quite a spacious restaurant.  One major complaint is that the aircon was on full blast and it was extremely cold.  If you do go, make sure to bring a sweater and eat your food quickly before it goes cold!soups and salads

There seemed to be quite a few salad options.  There were two soup choices including Shrimp Bisque and Lentil soup.  I had the Shrimp Bisque and thought it was delicious.  My wife thought the lentil soup was okay.more salads

some of the buffet food

Calamari, roasted potatoes, seafood pizza, sauteed vegetables.  Many of these dishes were nothing outstanding on their own but as a whole, it was a decent buffet at a reasonable price.other options

more options

4 types of rice, breaded fish, sweet and sour shrimp, breaded fish and morejeans grill chef

more options

shrimp tower

Gotta love the shrimp tower!dessert buffet

The dessert buffet contains various Arabic sweets, cakes, jello, sliced fruit and more.

We enjoyed our evening at Jean Grill’s Seafood Buffet on Wednesday night.  Their placemats read, “Our taste and flavour will keep you coming back“, but I have a feeling it’s more the reasonable price that keeps people coming back.  ;-)   Have any of you been to Jean’s Grill?  If so, did you try one of their buffets or order off their a la carte menu? Feel free to share your experience here with us.

Tel: 24560567, GSM: 96110012, Fax: 24568813, Web: www.sultan-center.com

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