Bejitarizumu Dayo! ~ Randomness

HELLO!!!

Sooo I'm here to apologize for the lack of posts this month. I must highlight that I'm in my last semester at Uni and that we are slowly approaching the imminent end of this chapter! Phew. This translates to CRUNCH TIME, (in)finite STRESS, and a lot of Kleenex and cupcakes to alleviate this aforementioned stress. Needless to say this infant blog suffered some neglect, and I'm sorry, but yeah, I'll be fully committed once I'm done with school and "unemployed". 

In the meantime...I've been re-obsessed with this Japanese video of 4 little girls (3 girls! one of them is a boy, can you guess which one?) promoting healthy eating and as you may have guessed from the title, Vegetarianism! Yes, Bejitarizumu! Read it out loud! Funny huh? Well not really vegetarianism, the company Triple-O wanted to promote eating veggies to kids (it's a play on words, vegetarian and rhythm.) But seriously, gotta love the Japanese for their creativity and catchy songs! It's so random and I love it! I attached the video with the better quality but there's another one with subtitles. It's like the Teletubbies meets the Power Puff Girls meets your nutritionist! Try to get the song out of your head. Come on, I dare you.

PS. It is now my dream to learn this dance. Sa-SAaaa!!
PSS. I love the facial expressions of the purple girl...I mean boy.

Translated lyrics:

Vegetables today
If you put them in a pot 
with happy thoughts
It's Vegeta-rhythm 

Mama with a menu
Papa at work
Everyone with a smile
It's Vegeta-rhythm

Cut them up, grill them, peel them
Simmer them, steam them, as they are - raw
It's Vegeta-rhythm 

If you become sad
Put them in a pot
Everyone likes them
It's Vegeta-rhythm 

I want to say 
I love them
I like them a lot 
It's Vegeta-rhythm 

Turnips, potatoes, celery, parsley
Kabocha, tomatoes, everything together in a pot
Cut them up, grill them, peel them
Simmer them, steam them, as they are - raw
It's Vegeta-rhythm 

Sho Cho - Always a Good Idea

Sho Cho is a part of me, and a part of my group. We hold our new school year dinners here and our good-bye dinners too. We have fond memories, and it’s not just about the food. It’s about the ambience and our time together. Every Thursday night, the place comes alive by way of the fresh tracks and mixes of their resident DJ. On Friday afternoons, the outdoor terrace proves to be a glamorous location for an alfresco family lunch. Whenever we choose to go, we’re always assured a good time.

The Japanese restaurant scene in Abu Dhabi has grown by leaps and bounds since I first got here. What Sho Cho offers is a concise menu of the classics as well as their own twist on things. 

My order will always consist of: Calamari Salad, Rock Shrimp with Chili Sauce, California Maki; and on occasion Salmon Sashimi and Tempura Maki. 

You can not go wrong with any of the above. And they’re rarely if ever, inconsistent with the quality. It always gets better. That’s what you pay for. 

The Rock Shrimp is better than I’ve had in most places back home. (Even though the Japanese restaurants in Bahrain are better on the whole.) This is the one thing I miss (foodwise) when I’m not in Abu Dhabi. Truly. Fried food is known to bring happiness to empty bellies, and unappeasable palates. The golden morsels of fried doughy shrimp are coated with a generous helping of creamy oleaginous sauce, that is as delicious and addictive as it is fattening. This is as far as I can glamorize this sin of a nutriment. It just tastes good. 

The California, a beginners standard, is really delicious at Sho Cho. It’s simplicity and quality ingredients make it one worth ordering again and again. The Tempura Maki is a variation on the delightful aforementioned Rock Shrimp, only this time covered in Nori. That same unctuous chili sauce makes it’s grand appreance above the little parcels of shrimp, rice and seaweed. The Calamari Salad, with its tangy dressing is a crowd pleaser in its own right. 

A meal at Sho Cho is always a good idea. It hasn’t failed me yet...

Souk Qaryat al Beri

Bain el Jessrain

Abu Dhabi

+971 (0) 25581117

12pm-3pm
6pm-Midnight

Maki - Mayonnaise everything!! (but it works!)

Where Issa, Muneera and Jaber are edible

If you’re from Kuwait or Bahrain, and you love Japanese food, you probably dined here...several times. I know I have. My first experience with Maki was all the way back in 2007 at Marina Waves. I remember it blew me away! I came home raving about it and advised anyone visiting Kuwait to go there. Not long after that they opened up on my home turf. Medetashi medetashi! (Hooray hooray)

Maki is not for Japanese food purists. I’m just putting that out there. One look at their extensive (iPad) menu and you’ll see why. Oh sure they serve a standard selection of sashimi and sushis, but the maki section is where they take a detour. Almost everything on their special maki section is slathered in some sort of creamy condiment or sprinkled with panko. Several loyal diners from around the region had their name immortalized on the menu; representing a tasty selection of seafood, nori, veggies, and lots of “special sauce”. Some are so popular they’re featured not one not two, but three times. I’m looking at you Issa. 

We were a rather large group that night so here’s where the iPhone note pad comes in handy. (Since I couldn't possibly memorize our complicated order) We had:

“2 Wazani Maki

3 Issa Maki

Volcano

Maki Chef Special

Negimaki

Salmon Sashimi

2 Creamy Ebi Maki

Plum Chicken

Crispy Salad

Beirut Salad”

and last but not least the ubiquitous Edamame.

The Maki Honeymoon is a drink I always enjoy. Looks like a cosmo but isn’t! Come to think of it I’m not entirely sure what’s in it, but it’s a mocktail for sure! Kinda tastes like mimosa, or shampoo, but in a good way. You’ll have to try it.

I was very happy with the Crispy Salad, and the Negimaki is always a favorite. It’s comprised of scallions wrapped with a thin slice of broiled beef and a wonderful soy-ish gravy (aka. teriyaki sauce). It was the dish that had me singing Maki’s praises all those years ago.

If your table somehow doesn’t order the inescapable Issa maki. Leave me a comment letting me know because I find that hard to believe. 

Maki Bahrain is located in Moda Mall on the ground floor of the Bahrain World Trade Center.

TEL: +973 17522733  or +973 36999102