Disappointing Neapolitan Pizzeria!

When I heard about a new pizza place opening in town, I made sure to make a trip to it the next time my dad was visiting…Since he’s a big pizza fan and I’d rather not pile on the calories by myself 🙂  Brandi Pizzeria is an Italian (obviously) restaurant chain from Napoli, Italy. Their wooden-fire pizza is famous for its thin crust and juicy topping.  Now that description sounded great when the waiter had explained it to us. Wooden-fire made pizza is the main reason that I decided to take my dad to the new Italian eatery. As although he loves his pizza, he is still a fairly health-conscious man who makes an effort to watch what he eats.

We shared a mixed salad for a starter. The portion was big, the vegetables were fresh and made for a colorful and bright plate. Since we were quite pleased with our starter, we were looking forward to trying the authentic Neapolitan pizza made by the restaurant’s Italian chef who has flown down all the way from Napoli! We went for the vegetarian pizza; my dad’s favorite and the healthy choice that I got used to splitting with him 🙂

The thin crust and juicy topping that was promoted to us as the signature Neapolitan style pizza translated into a soggy crust and topping that was too heavy for the supporting crust which led to a type of pizza that you couldn’t hold in your hand to enjoy eating, but had to resort to using a fork and knife to be able to eat it properly!  The taste was also average, nothing special about the ingredients or seasoning used.

Another disadvantage for the novel pizza spot is its isolated location. The restaurant is situated in a detour in the mall where passers by would not be able to see it unless, they were on their way to one of the shops or restaurants in that strip of the mall.

Would I go back to Brandi Pizzeria and possibly give them another try? I highly doubt it, unless they open a terrace (which I don’t think is doable) or do some changes on their kind of lifeless and gloomy decor and space.

Happy B-Day UAE + Sephora Dxb Mall re-opens with a big Bash!

Yesterday (the 2nd of December) the UAE celebrated its 41st national day with lively street parades and creative flag designs and other displays all around town.

The lavish/pampered being inside of me has decided to make a strong appearance on the national day, and made me decide to attend the Sephora Dubai Mall store re-opening event. It wasn’t planned…I just couldn’t miss it after reading the word “competitions” on the event’s ad and imagining make-up, perfumes, and other cool cosmetics being given away as prizes!

So I took the chance of being stuck in a long taxi queue at the mall after the event or whenever I decided to leave (thankfully that didn’t happen as I made sure to not stay long at the mall).  I even made a trip to the mall on one of the busiest day of the year: national day. When I usually made my best to avoid the mall on weekends and other holidays!  I guess I am a sucker for girly, glamorous and superficial events!

I made it to the store at around an hour before the event was supposed to end…Luckily, there was a “Guess the Scent” competition going on.  Three contestants would be given a chance to smell three different perfumes, and then would have to guess the corresponding perfume name by placing the cardboard strip that has the scent in the correct glass.

The three perfumes were:

1. Lady Gaga – Fame
2. Boss – Nuit
3. Givenchy – Very Irresistible

After smelling each one of the scents, I noticed that Lady Gaga’s perfume had a distinct sweet scent. I wasn’t able to smell the other two perfumes properly, but went for the challenge anyway. We were given a start signal, and the other two contestants (ironically two men) and I quickly took a whiff of the scented paper strips and placed them in the matching glasses. They checked my competitors’ trials first, which both didn’t manage to get it right from the first perfume. So although I had a good chance at winning, unfortunately I also didn’t get that first perfume (Givenchy) right, and had chosen (Boss) in its place instead!

When I asked if we “losers” were to get any prize for participating, I was presented with a box of miniature mirrors and was asked to grab one from the box!  Our complimentary mirror is a handy one to be attached on the cell for – as it’s written on the package – 24/7 touch-ups!  Did I mention that this was a superficial event? and that I made sure I would not miss it for anything? 🙂

Having seen one of my intelligent friends use her i-phone camera in rotation mode as a handy mirror for touch-ups while on the go, I couldn’t be bothered to stick that mini mirror on my cell….and instead, my reward for attending a purely skin-deep event and participating in an even sillier competition is now hanging on the corner of my fridge door, next to – you guessed it –  the rest of my trivial magnets and mainly self-centered photos 😀

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Powerful Leopard Appeal!

I must admit that I am not a big TV fan, and therefore have only watched a few episodes of the Kardashians reality TV show when the channels that aired them were open for all viewers at one of the local holidays! But I watched enough scenes to notice how prominent the leopard print was in the Kardashians’ ultra-feminine style.

Having arrived fashionably two hours late for the Kardashian collection launch event at stylish high-street store Dorothy Perkins, was not for any glamorous or cool reason. Actually, it was the complete opposite. First, I wasn’t able to get an early appointment at the salon where I was planning to get my hair done. Then, once I was done with my hair, I was stranded for a good half hour or so on beach road trying to get a cab to Dubai Mall where the fashion event was taking place. To make things even worse, it started to rain generously on my “perfectly straightened and then curled locks”. Which meant that I was standing for what seemed like an eternity trying to hail a cab, while holding a plastic grocery bag on top of my head to prevent any extra damage to my highly vulnerable and thin hair.

When I finally made it to the event, I was in more need of a glass of water than the pastel-colored fluffy marshmallows that were being served to guests. That didn’t stop me from munching on some gourmet snacks though…Now as for the collection, I am a big fan of lace trimmed dresses, tops and basically adding lace to any other piece of clothing. So, I would have to say that the feminine and chic style of the lace-incorporated dresses made a great impression in my book….Another trend that I love and was glad to find in the collections’ accessories was the studded leather trend. I believe that a gold-studded bag or pair of shoes adds an edgy and bold look to any plain outfit.  As for the main theme for their collection; the leopard print…I must admit that I don’t see myself in an all-leopard printed dress or top, I don’t think it matches my personality. However, I would definitely invest in a warm toned leopard scarf and was delighted to find one in the goody bag that I got at the event.

I guess when it comes to fashion, the best trend to follow is the one that best suits your personality and compliments it in a subtle yet well-studied approach.

The next time you’re at Dubai Mall, why not pop into Dorothy Perkins and try out a few pieces from the Kardashians collection? Just make sure to pick the ones that match your personal style, and most importantly your body type.