Al Majlis ‘Camelccinos’

Posted on June 11, 2013 by onlypure

Photo Credit: Anna Kovylina

Loving the feel and vibe here at this lobby lounge located in the beautiful Souk area of Dubai Mall. The Majlis Cafe is one of the few cafes in Dubai that solely uses Camel Milk as the main source of dairy in all their coffees and sweets. This was all too exciting for me (I was so excited that I came to this café twice during my 4-day trip to Dubai!). Visiting this café has been on my list of places to check out here in Dubai, but it just hadn’t happened — until now!

What did it taste like?

Don’t sit down expecting your ‘Camelccino’ to taste like a regular cappuccino. It has a slight salty flavor, but it still has a more mild taste than having goat’s milk. Personally, I was very happy with the flavor. Other milks can be quite offensive-tasting, and this wasn’t like that. I especially loved their quality, three-tiered afternoon menu to accompany my ‘Camelccino.’ The sweet waiter also offered me a camel-shaped camel milk chocolate by Al Nassma, which was to die for. I highly recommend this one!

Photo Credit: Anna Kovylina

I’ve recently become interested in the benefits of Camel Milk for various reasons. For starters, I’m living in the Middle East at the moment and I’ve developed a fixation on this gangly animal, especially during our multiple drives between Dubai and Muscat. I often wonder: Aren’t they thirsty? Aren’t they melting during the Arabian summers the way I am? What do they eat? Wow, they are actually really cute, who knew? Secondly, I’ve heard whispers of the great benefits of this milk and being in this region at the moment, I thought I better enjoy this milk as much as I can.

The reasons that did it for me:

1) Lower in fat than cow’s milk

2) Rich in vitamins and minerals

3) 4x as much Vitamin C as cow’s milk

4) 10x as much iron as cow’s milk

5) Contains unsaturated fats (the good stuff!)

6) Boosts overall immunity

7) Reduces cholesterol

8) Great for people with lactose intolerance

9) Natural probiotic

10) There has been a proven positive effect for people with Diabetes 2. Camel milk naturally contains insulin; hence, a regular dose of camel milk can help regulate the effect of conventional medicine

For those people living in the UAE, I urge you to give camel milk a try for the reasons I listed above. Compared to everyone else residing in other parts of the world, you have the luxury to try this milk and enjoy the benefits. And, for anyone traveling through Dubai – it’s a great, local item to explore and to tell your friends back home about this novice item you tasted during your Desert adventures.

The Majlis Café, Dubai. Tel: +971 4 223 9289

Fairmont, the Palm Jumeirah

Posted on March 1, 2013 by onlypure

I absolutely love getting pampered. Life is good in the face of luxury. So, for Valentine’s Day weekend, the hubster decided we get some QT by trying out the new Fairmont on the Palm in Dubai. What a beautiful property! And, on top of everything, I was thoroughly impressed by the Fairmont Lifestyle Cuisine Plus dishes they included in their room service menu: Absolute heaven for a Whole Foods Chef and Holistic Health Counselor.

So, what did I try from the menu? It was so tough; so many options to choose from. Finally, we both agreed upon the flaxseed chocolate cake.

Which, was absolutely divine. Just look at that impeccable presentation. Kudos to Executive Chef John Cordeaux for encouraging a happy and healthy lifestyle! A sincere thank you for thinking about us health junkies!

Organic Veggie Box + Kale = Too good to be true.

Posted on July 15, 2012 by onlypure

Blue Planet Green People is creating a lot of joy in my life. This new, quaint health-food shop in Jumeriah Lake Tower (JLT) in Dubai has just made my ‘life in perpetual transition’ that much easier. And, it is just a hop-skip-jump from my home. Now, I know where to go when a dark chocolate intense craving arises.

The other day, I ordered the organic veggie box (they deliver, as well) because the thought of customizing your own veggie box is that much more exciting. And, even better – they had kale on their menu! I think it’s that American in me who gets super happy seeing kale. If you live or lived on this side of the world, you would know how tough it can be to find this mother of all green, leafy vegetables. In celebration of finding kale, I stir-fried the kale in a bit of garlic (couldn’t experiment too much, since I keep very few ingredients in my transit home). This simple stir-fry was so great on its own; I even threw some in the hubster’s omelet breakfast sandwich. And, he actually loved it (he has never tasted kale before)! I kind of wish I had more stir-fried kale to throw into the fridge for when that random hunger pang arises.

Quick Stir-Fry Kale

One bunch of kale

One clove of garlic

Remove the stem of each leaf. Wash the leaves. Chop into pieces. Chop the garlic into slivers. Throw the garlic into a pan with hot oil. Allow to get fragrant; toss in the kale. Remove when cooked.