It wasn’t a terribly exciting week to begin with. I was home for most of it, unless I went to yoga or to the gym or to a piano lesson.
On Wednesday night I went to a ‘Book Lover’s Quiz Night’ at the World Trade Centre Club. I’d managed to put together a team of six people (all women) and just prayed that we wouldn’t come last! There was a buffet dinner to start with and some wine, and then the quiz began. The first round was all about Shakespeare – so it could only get better after that! We got only three out of ten questions right in that round – the rest were better. The second round was multiple choice. The third round was a general Q&A. The fourth round was all about locations – we were given a location (e.g. Tara) and had to write the book and author to get the full ten points. The fifth round was sound and vision – soundtracks and movie adaptations. And the sixth round was a picture round. By the end of it, we came in eighth. Out of eleven. Not great, but at least we weren’t last!
I met a friend and yoga teacher – Chandra – for lunch on Thursday. We met at the Roseleaf Cafe (again). I had the spinach and egg white wrap and a berry smoothie. Both were excellent. After lunch I walked around the Dubai Mall for a bit – I’d been thinking about getting a new yoga mat (I didn’t end up buying one) and I browsed in the bookstore (I didn’t buy anything) and then I went home. I stayed in that night.
I was out all day on Friday. A friend was having a barbecue at his villa on the Palm. I left home at 12.30 and picked up a couple of friends on the way. We got there at around 1.30 and were the first to arrive. What a fabulous villa! I thought it would be odd if I walked around taking photos of everything but couldn’t help it when I got to the deck overlooking the beach.
We sat at the table outside and were there until the sun started to set.
My initial plan was: go to the barbecue, get home at around 5pm, relax for a bit, go out for dinner. Well, that didn’t happen. At 7pm I was still at the Palm and decided I’d book a car via Uber and go straight to dinner.
I had booked a table at CUT by Wolfgang Puck at the Address Downtown for 8pm. I got there on time and my two friends arrived shortly after. We decided we’d skip the starters and order a few sides to share with our steaks. We all had the USDA Prime filet mignon (225 g) – and we shared the mac and cheese, truffle fries and Moroccan carrots. The steaks were excellent (I had mine with the armagnac and green peppercorn sauce) – as was the mac and cheese. The fries were average and I didn’t try the carrots. For dessert, we shared the chocolate and caramel fondant – it wasn’t as impressive as the rest of the meal.
After dinner, the three of us went to Pier 7 next to the Marina Mall. One of our friends was having his birthday at The Scene. I’m not a fan of Pier 7 – I’d been there twice before and each time I resolved not to go back. We got there at around 11pm and stayed for about an hour. I was tired, my feet were hurting, I’d been drinking red wine all day – and all I wanted was my bed. Leaving Pier 7 is one of the most irritating experiences I’ve had in Dubai. Considering there are seven restaurants on eight levels, the driveway to get to Pier 7 is pathetically small and the traffic getting in and out builds up fast. It took thirty minutes for the valet to get the car! It was ridiculous.
I spent all of Saturday at home – working, watching TV and rehydrating!
I love my life.
For more updates, click here.
Notes by Nectar 