I went out with a colleague on Wednesday evening to seafood night at the Grand Hyatt. The hotel thing is something I do once in a blue moon, but it is mostly worth it. I always say I don't mind paying if I know what I'm getting. We stuffed our faces with oysters and champagne, and then proceeded to barbequed lobster and more champagne. I did make a brief stop by the mussles and the prawns, but quickly found myself back at the oysters and the lobster. It was comfort eating of the best kind! And at around 25 OR ( 50 Euro) a head, I was out to get my money's worth.They certainly didn't make a profit out of me. It also fit in perfectly with my food combining regime, as I really did not need any carbohydrates. I do laugh at the buffets when people come walking past me with 3 bread rolls on their plate.
The weather is still lovely in Muscat, the atmosphere on the terrace was laid-back,cool and breezy, the service attentive. Our neighbours were Italian businessmen, so all-in-all a very civilised evening.
Last night one of my girlfriends came around for a catch-up chat, and we decided to go out.
There is a very decent Pakistani restaurant called Dosteens just down the road. We sat outside in the family section surrounded by great smells, dining families, and had a very tasty spinach dish, a mixed veg dish, a mixed green salad and some excellent naan breads. Oh, and a bottle of water. I washed it all down with an aromatic sweet 'Chai karak', a masala tea. The bill came to OR1.300( under 5 Euro).. for both of us.
This afternoon I went for ‘Sunday’ lunch to my Omani neighbours. I do this as often as I can on a Friday.We all sit around huge trays of rice. The men sit around one huge tray and the girls around another. In the beginning I used to get my own plate with spoon. I then graduated to sharing a plate with my friend and Omani mum, Salma, eating with my hands. Well, mostly sitting on my left hand reminding myself not to eat with it!
The next step was sharing the big plate with all the aunties and the sisters. Salma separates the most succulent pieces of meat and gives them to me with her fingers. I now sometimes do the same for her. This makes me feel really loved and accepted on a deep level. And now I feel honoured to say that the father sometimes leaves the men to join the ladies’ plate.
Today we had tasty baked fish, a slightly spicy ‘saloona’, sauce and crispy, very finely cut salad. This washed down with my favourite, Omani coffee flavored with cardamom and saffron. Yum.
This is one, or should I say, these are three of the many reasons why I really love living in Muscat.
The weather is still lovely in Muscat, the atmosphere on the terrace was laid-back,cool and breezy, the service attentive. Our neighbours were Italian businessmen, so all-in-all a very civilised evening.
Last night one of my girlfriends came around for a catch-up chat, and we decided to go out.
There is a very decent Pakistani restaurant called Dosteens just down the road. We sat outside in the family section surrounded by great smells, dining families, and had a very tasty spinach dish, a mixed veg dish, a mixed green salad and some excellent naan breads. Oh, and a bottle of water. I washed it all down with an aromatic sweet 'Chai karak', a masala tea. The bill came to OR1.300( under 5 Euro).. for both of us.
This afternoon I went for ‘Sunday’ lunch to my Omani neighbours. I do this as often as I can on a Friday.We all sit around huge trays of rice. The men sit around one huge tray and the girls around another. In the beginning I used to get my own plate with spoon. I then graduated to sharing a plate with my friend and Omani mum, Salma, eating with my hands. Well, mostly sitting on my left hand reminding myself not to eat with it!
The next step was sharing the big plate with all the aunties and the sisters. Salma separates the most succulent pieces of meat and gives them to me with her fingers. I now sometimes do the same for her. This makes me feel really loved and accepted on a deep level. And now I feel honoured to say that the father sometimes leaves the men to join the ladies’ plate.
Today we had tasty baked fish, a slightly spicy ‘saloona’, sauce and crispy, very finely cut salad. This washed down with my favourite, Omani coffee flavored with cardamom and saffron. Yum.
This is one, or should I say, these are three of the many reasons why I really love living in Muscat.
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