Foodie Friday: Shake Shack

Another delicious American original burger joint to be found here in Oman is Shake Shack.  There is one in Muscat City Center.  We may or may not have invented a reason to go to Muscat City Center so that we could try out Shake Shack since MCC isn't really all that close to us.

2 burgers, 3 orders of fries, and a soda

When we went, it was actually during Ramadan.  We saw a movie (Aladdin), walked around the mall (they have a Toys R Us), then headed to Shake Shack once it was time to eat.  Some notes:  Aladdin was amazing!  Watching a movie during Ramadan isn't as much fun because you can't order popcorn or a drink.  Yes, there are Toys R Us stores all over the world.  Only the US branches went bankrupt. The toy prices in Toys R Us were pretty much the same as at any other toy store over here:  high.

Foodie Friday: Savannah BBQ

To clear things up for my US friends, for this restaurant, Savannah refers to the savannas of Africa.  And BBQ refers to various grilled meat that will not resemble the BBQ you would expect in the US.

Savannah BBQ is a restaurant that Stephen and I ate at in Panorama Mall for one of our date nights.  Because we were there for dinner at 4:30 pm, we were the only ones eating.  No surprise there.  They serve African food in a very well decorated and themed restaurant.  There is an outdoor seating area as well that I imagine could be very nice and pleasant in the "winter."  

Shot of the menu and some decorations.

Foodie Friday: Crepe Cafe

I love crepes!  They are probably one of the reasons I gained weight my summer in France.  Doener Kebabs and pain au chocolate can also shoulder some blame.  Basically, street food was our jam while we were backpacking.  And a simple nutella crepe while walking around was heaven.

When the boys and I were moving to Muscat, we had a long (long, long, long) layover in the Abu Dhabi airport.  They had a crepe restaurant where we decided to eat lunch.  I was so excited to introduce my boys to crepes.  They were expensive (hello, they were in the airport), but they would also be expensed to the company.  I full intended to order savory crepes then split a dessert crepe (the dessert crepe on my dime, though).  We ordered an egg and cheese crepe and some type of chicken crepe.  They were so good and ridiculously filling.  We couldn't finish them, so we certainly weren't ordering a dessert crepe.

It was all good because Stephen had told me that there were Crepe Cafes in Muscat.  I know of 3:  one in Oasis by the Sea in Shatti, one in the Wave, and one in Ghubra near the Oxy building.  There are other crepe restaurants, too.  There is Crepe & Wrap, Omani Crepe, and Yummy Belgian Waffle & Crepe.  You can even order crepes at some restaurants such as Kargeen.  I have only tried Crepe Cafe and Kargeen so far.

Burger Garage

As summer continues and outdoor adventures continue to cease to exist, I'm realizing that I'm running short on topics to post about beyond food.  Food at restaurants or food I cook at home.  Let's face it, all eating happens inside where there's air conditioning.  Because inside in air conditioning is important when the average temperature ranges from 31-40C (88-104F), feels more like 43-54C (110-130F) depending upon the source used, and high humidity.  If you want a humorous take on the weather, check out the wtforecast app.  Along with the typical weather information, the app shares a funny report such as, "It's hotter than Satan's mistress outside." or "If you go outside, you will feel like the Nazis at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark." (Thanks Tori for that FB share.)  You can set the profanity level to "off", "some", or "on."  You don't get any fun reports if it is turned off.

Back to food... there is a burger place near us in MQ called Burger Garage.  It is a quirky place with delicious food.  There is also a location in Bausher near Dolphin Village and one out in Seeb.

Foodie Friday: Five Guys

I might have said recently that I like Mooyah Burger and Fries better than Five Guys, but that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy Five Guys.  It is still a top 2 or 3 dinner choice for our family.

The experience here is very similar to a Five Guys back home.  You order your base burger (we order the little because the regular is huge) and choose your toppings.  There is, however, no bacon burger or bacon cheeseburger option here.  They also have the sign that advertises where their potatoes came from, but here they tend to be from the Netherlands rather than Idaho.  They cook with peanut oil which isn't common here.  They still have their peanuts in shells you can munch on while you wait for your food.  We still get unlimited refills.  I just love American restaurants here and my free refills!

Foodie Friday: Amigos

In and near Seeb (which is near the airport here), there are 2 new malls.  One is Mall of Muscat which has created quite a bit of buzz as it has the largest aquarium in the Middle East.  I'm hoping to go soon, so I will update everyone on how the trip goes.  The other mall is the Al Araimi Boulevard Mall.

This mall is large with lots of opportunity.  But it is still new, so it is mostly opportunities.  There is a Carrefour, restaurants, a food court, and a few small shops.  Not a lot of shops yet, but there are plenty that are legitimately under construction.

The logo for Amigos

Dinner at Golden Tulip Seeb

Back on Mother's Day in the Middle East (March 21st this year), I won a Mother's Day dinner for my family at the Golden Tulip hotel in Seeb.  Unfortunately, Stephen was out of town, J was battling lots of allergy problems, and the boys and I were just generally done by the end of the week.  It also took a little while to get the details on the dinner.  When I finally did, I was offered that I could come to the Golden Tulip for their special Mother's Day buffet or I could come any time before the end of April.  Hallelujah!

We ended up going over our Easter Break.  When I reached out to make the reservation, I was told that the day we chose wasn't the best because they were just offering a "light buffet" that night.  Tuesday night would be good for their seafood buffet.  Or Sunday night would be a special Easter buffet.  However, our schedule just didn't allow for Sunday or Tuesday mostly because Stephen was taking an Arabic class at the time.  So I had to insist on the Friday night that we had available as lovely as the other options sounded.  The man I was talking with (maybe the manager?) offered the buffet with maybe a dish or two extra.  I told him that the buffet was really fine with us.  So I made the reservation, and we headed out later that night.

Foodie Friday: Mooyah

I have a confession to make.  I have a slight obsession with Mooyah Burgers.  Luckily, my boys are equally obsessed.

Mooyah Oman

Mooyah is a burger and fries restaurant similar in style to Five Guys.  They specialize in fresh meat and fries.  They also offer shakes.  Mooyah was started in Texas (where I'm from though I've never been to one in Texas), and has spread to Canada and the Middle East.  There is a free trade agreement that makes it easier for US companies to set up here in Oman.  Great news for us US expats that miss certain foods from home!

Foodie Friday: Casper & Gambini's

There is a restaurant in Avenues mall called Casper & Gambini's.  They serve the best chicken sandwich I have ever eaten.  I even took it off the bun the second time to be good and low carb, and it was still fantastic!

They have a website, but as I'm writing this, it seems to be down.  But you can check out their Facebook page for pictures, offers, menu (in Arabic), and a link to their website.

Let's talk yummy.  They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, though we have only gone for dinner.  They serve a wide variety of food:  breakfast, sushi, soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, and desserts to name a few.  When we went as a family, J ordered the "Mickey and Minnie pizzas" off the children's menu.  E ordered nachos off the appetizers.  Stephen and I both ordered burgers.  Actually, we both ordered burgers the second time we went, too.  But I did that mostly because I wanted to go back to get the Chicken Mozzarella burger that I had been dreaming about.

The Mickey and Minnie pizzas that have no differentiation between which one is Mickey and which is Minnie. 

Foodie Friday: Asmahan

There is a delicious little restaurant here in MQ that I've come to realize most people do not know about.  The restaurant is Asmahan, and it is a shame that more people don't know about it.  Asmahan serves a variety of food with the focus being Arabic cuisine.

People will make reference to "the restaurant by al Fair."  This is Asmahan.  It is in MQ, my little corner of Muscat.  It is tucked back near al Fair and the mosque.  It is situated on a little triangle of land near the Tanzanian Embassy.  In true Oman fashion, they don't have a website, but they do have a Facebook page.

The outside entrance gives you a hint to the colorful and quirky interior.  They have unique, caged lights hanging from the ceiling.  They have walls of keys, candles, and Omani doors.  They have a wall dedicated to framed old movie posters.  And they have some large portraits that I do hope are painted by local artists.  They have the cutest chairs.  I would love to acquire 4 to take back to the States.

Foodie Friday: 3rd Street Donuts

When we first moved here, I had no idea where to get donuts.  Actually, I didn't look.  Donuts aren't a normal part of our lives, but my boys do love them.  I have since seen them at the local grocery stores, but they honestly don't look that good to me.

3rd Street Donuts in Seeb

Enter 3rd Street Donuts, a donut shop from Los Angeles, California, USA now here in Oman.  You can see some of their products on Instagram or Facebook.  Apparently, they have their LA location and their Oman location.  Period.  The end.  Score one for the Free Trade Agreement, an Omani who studied in LA, and his love for these donuts.  

Foodie Friday: Kung Fu

I am part of the Admin Leadership Team for Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) here in Oman.  One Sunday, our team met up at Kung Fu for a hot pot lunch.  Yum!

Our Admin Team at Kung Fu (missing Angela).

I had never been to Kung Fu before.  I hadn't even heard about it or hot pot, but I was excited to try.  It was good that I went with pros that knew what to order.  Kung Fu is located inside Fun Zone in Qurum.  It is a small location, and their Facebook page is obviously not very active.  

Foodie Friday: Doganza

Before it got too hot outside, we took a walk to the other side of Sultan Qaboos to try out Doganza.  I had heard from a friend that her boys enjoyed it, and so did mine!

It is a small space inside, but we squeezed in a selfie with part of the sign in the background.

Doganza is in al Massa Mall in Qurum.  In the mall, there are other places to eat, a Haagen Dazs, a bowling alley, and stores I have not explored. Back to Doganza... The hot dogs are huge and all beef.  We are talking the foot long kind with fries that we also ordered.  The plan was to get some Haagen Dazs ice cream before heading back home, but nobody had room in their belly.

Foodie Friday: Kargeen

I would like to start a new series that I will add to occasionally that will highlight local restaurants, restaurant chains, or homemade food that we consume here in Oman.  Stephen and I are foodies.  We may or may not have left Florida extremely early one morning so we could be at a specific barbecue restaurant by lunch.  We may or may not dream of a Psych food themed trip to Santa Barbara, California some day.  We may or may not have a growing list of food to eat when we're home this summer.

An Arabic lamp hanging in the garden.

This tree is so cool!  And it provides nice shade.   As you can see, there are also large fans that can be used for extra cooling.

Riyam Hike Take 2

My in-laws are in town, and we thought a great hike to take them on would be the Riyam Hike.  Let's just say that if you do this one in the winter and/or in the afternoon, your experience will be much more enjoyable than our first, way too hot experience.  In fact, we went from it being my worst idea ever hike to a "so much fun" hike.

All smiling faces overlooking the large Frankincense burner.

This time, we were hiking in February rather than September or October.  The high for the day was only expected to be 74F.  And this time, we didn't head out until 1-1:30pm.  We were in the shade of the mountains for much of the walk.  It even got a bit chilly if we rested too long.