Beans, Herbs, & Spices!

Photo taken during Al Qasba's Food Festival, November 2010.

Turmeric, paprika, pepper flakes, saffron, etc..

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Lunch at Lemongrass Thai Restaurant

We definitely found a new favorite restaurant!! ((^_^))

I previously shared to you my dear readers how we won Dining & Entertainment Vouchers from Al Qasba Twitter contest. Part of the promo package is a discount from Lemongrass. Hubby and I were both excited as we will finally be able to explore more of Thai cuisine other than Pad Thai from the regular shopping mall's food court.

Each table had this for a lovely centerpiece

Lemongrass in Al Qasba also offers al fresco dining but we chose to have our lunch inside and check out the interior. We were greeted by a lovely, calming interior of earth tones and shades of green. We seated on nearest cushioned rattan seat and while Hubby went on to read newspapers, I browsed their menu.

There were plenty of seafood choices so we ordered Khao Phad, a mixed fried rice with seafood.

Khao Pad with seafood

And tried their Lemongrass set.

Lemongrass set is good for two. It includes mixed vegetables spring rolls, marinated chicken in pandan leaf, glass noodle salad with minced chicken, and prawn cakes.

Lemongrass set is served with traditional Thai dips: soy sauce, sweet chili, and pram sauce

For a restaurant that prides itself without using MSG, everything about the food was superb. The lovely fried rice with its grated carrots had generous seafood servings. I especially loved  the mild spicy glass noodles salad with its mushroom and roasted cashew nuts. Hubby on the other hand, praised their chicken in pandan leaf. It was very tasty and juicy!

It was all oozing with goodness and the servings were plentiful. We had a hard time finishing it all but because we know the food was oozing with health and goodness, we cleaned up our plates to our tummy content. We finished off our lunch with a pot of Lemongrass tea.



For now, I will rest the sushi lover in me and move on to Thai cuisine =). Lemongrass Restaurant can also be found at near Lamcy Plaza, IBN Batuta Mall, and Mirdiff City Center.

Lemongrass Restaurant interior/exterior.

Khao Phad: 32.00 AED
Lemongrass Set: 46.00 AED
Lemongrass Tea: 12.00 AED

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Barjeel Arab Art Collection

Our weekend was spent again in Al Qasba. After a brief play at the dancing fountain, our son dozed off and we grab the chance to visit the Maraya Art Center. The security person enthusiastically led us in and requested us to sign the guest book. Then we were ushered to the third floor where we can watch series of contemporary videos filmed by Arab artists.

I found some of the videos too morbid but some were fun to watch, particularly the four rythmic musicians tapping the "kubos" or bread to create music. By this time, the security left us on our own to explore. We decided to go down the second level to see more arts we can soak up on.

We arrive on Barjeel Art Foundation, where we saw some amazing Arab art collections. Reading on, we learned that the Foundation was conceived by Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi (I think he is the same person I am following on Twitter and the same person I asked if Dubai will ever get the chance to host Olympics). Part of the intention is to make the art collection accessible to young people and other cultures.

I did not (or maybe I missed) saw a sign the photography was not allowed so I clicked to my hearts content for the purpose that I can share the art collection with you, my dear readers. Enjoy the following but I also hope that this will pique your interest and find time to visit Barjeel Art Foundation.

Title: Moon Walkers from the series "Women and the Veil"

Artist: Laila Shawa, a renowned Palestinian artist known for her use of bold colors and illustrative designs to tackle structural violence, political turmoil, the plight of children, and resistance.

Title: Olive Field

Artist: Suleiman Mansour, among the most recognized and distinguished Palestinian artist. He is also most famously known for his 1973 art work called Camels of Hardship.

Title: Red Circle
Artist: Layla Juma, an interdisciplinary Emirati artist.


Title: Snow White without the dwarves
Artist: Ghada Amer, a New York based Egyptian artist known for her intricate acrylic hand-embroidered artwork which employs threads and needles.

(detail)

Title: Munich Glamour
Artist: Jeffar Khaldi, a Palestinian artist.
 
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I Won Dining Discount Vouchers!

For the past couple of weeks now, we had been frequenting Al Qasba in Sharjah. My son loves all the outdoor entertainment there for kiddies. The outdoor play area costs 10 AED and the bouncy castles costs 15 AED. We visit even on weekdays that we mostly spend our dinner there. I only have one little problem though because the food establishments are quiet expensive. Except for Yogurberry, there are no fast food for a quick and inexpensive meal.

Being a social media (and a frugal) Mom, I try to think of ways how to extend out family budget without sacrificing what my son enjoys the most. So whenever Al Qasba shouts out for Twitter contests, I join hoping for discounts on whatever they offer. Last week, I won Al Qasba's PromoPackage which includes dining and entertainment vouchers. This is the second time I won - the first was Sumo Sushi coupons so I urge you fellow UAE bloggers to follow Al Qasba on Twitter. Don't worry though because I won't be joining anymore of their contests to give chance to other Twitter followers hehe.

For non-UAE residents who are interested to avail meal discount coupons, visit the link and save money through sweet tomatoes coupons. Although the coupons can be found anywhere on the net, beware because some are out of date and fake. The blog owner is kind enough to pool all the relevant coupons available and you can access them though his site Sweet Tomatoes Coupons.

Al Qasba Canal

The weekend gave us a chance to visit one of Sharjah's main tourist venue, Al Qasba. It is a vibrant waterside development of offices, shops, and restaurants.

Crossing one of its canals, we sighed at its beauty and for awhile we were transported back to Venice with its boatrides and tratorria style of restaurants.

Sharjah's playground.Sharjah is the thirds largest Emirate of the UAE 

and was crowned by UNESCO in 1998 as Cultural Capital of the Arab World

"Eye of the Emirates, is  a giant wheel that presents a 360-degree aerial view of the emirate's corniche, lagoons and landscape as well as the horizons of neighbouring Dubai. Designed in the Netherlands by a specialist team, the Eye of the Emirates has 42 cabins and is capable of carrying 336 passengers at any given time. The air-conditioned cabins of the Eye of the Emirates take you steadily upwards into the sky, 60m high over Sharjah."

Al Qasba is also a popular place for arts exhibits, food festivals, and other educational activities. As we were about to leave,  we spotted these art students preparing their easels.

The place gets busier at night and for awhile we marveled at its serenity. It's a perfect alternative for the busy Madinat, Jumeirah. But most importantly, my son enjoyed the huge outdoor play area.

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