Lunch At Patisserie Valerie

Happy weekend to my visitors!

As planned, the family visited Mirdif City Center. It is a lovelier, improved version of Deira City Center. Though I am not sure if it is bigger than Mall of the Emirates. I will post the photos in another post because we are talking food today.

Looking around, interesting choices for restaurant includes More Cafe, Tony Roma's, Carluccio's, and Tiffinbites. But we had been walking and exploring the new shopping complex  for a good two hours. All we wanted was a comfy, plush chair with a newspaper to read. And then my attention was caught by an imposing wooden  interior with brown leather seat that looks so inviting. I checked the menu and after finding their steak reasonably priced, I suggested hubby we spent our lunch at the restaurant.

 It is called Patisserie Valerie. The name alone suggest we should be choosing scones and eclairs but for those who are following my restaurant reviews, we have never ordered desserts. Either we get our sugar fix  from Magnolia Bakery or bake good ol' brownies at home.

Aside from a local family at the far end of the restaurant, we seem to be among the first to try it. We chose the far end corner that provides some privacy from the shoppers. We gave our orders and chose a pot of Darjeeling tea after meal. However, the staff said only Twinings tea was available. That is our tea at home so we chose a glass of soda instead.

After ten minutes reading The National, our orders arived.

Fillet steak with mushroom sauce for Hubby. It arrived with french fries and green salad which was crisp and served just the way he wanted it -- without dressing.

I chose homemade lasagna which was served garlic bread. Oh it was yummy and too much for one person!  But I wanted more of the sliced garlic bread. The freshly baked baguette was sliced, rubbed with fresh garlic, and oven toasted.

We only had French vanilla cupcake and brewed coffee for breakfast  so we devoured all our orders. If we consumed a regular breakfast before hitting the road, Hubby and I would have hard time cleaning our plate.

By the time we sipped our soda, more and more people were coming to Patisserie Valerie. The restaurant first opened its doors in Soho in 1926. Madam Valerie introduced continental patisserie to the English and it proved a hit. The place soon became a famous meeting place for starving artists and Bohemian. I guess that explains the reasonable price.

Bill for two

Fillet steak - 54 AED (P675)
Home-made lasagna - 36 AED (P450)
Diet coke - 8 AED (P100)
Total - 98 AED (P1,225)

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