Dazzling Dubai

Deciding to take a sabbatical from the wearisome banking world, I was drawn to go on a personal adventure which would cover Dubai and parts of Asia. My magic carpet ride into this dazzling city was flying on a Qantas A380 in a First Class Suite.

The flight was so pleasant and devoid of any harsh turbulence that it made one feel as if one was on a grand rail journey. Maybe it was the endless flow of Pol Roger Winston Churchill that dulled the senses.

As Dubai is a city of excess this participant was more than happy to further support that notion. A Mercedes limousine quickly shuttled me to a humble corner suite at the Conrad Dubai. One quickly realizes that in a land of oil riches the only way to traverse this vast urban sprawl is via taxi or personal driver.

One of the primary reasons for coming to Dubai was to scale the permissible heights of the world’s tallest building, the iconic Burj Khalifa. 

Level 148 at 555 meters is the highest outdoor observatory in the world.

For such an oil rich state the obsession with water is very apparent. Why else with all this available land would one dredge the ocean to build the Palms (Jumeriah and Jebel Ali) along with The World islands and then conceive some of the most astounding aquariums.

Apart from its size the luxurious Dubai Mall is known as an enthralling watch and jewelry mecca with most major brands sporting their largest flagship boutiques globally.

It always makes one feel good when you visit a boutique before it has been officially opened with this instance being the Hublot boutique which none other than JCB would open the following week.

My watch collecting highlight was when the A. Lange & Sohnne team at the Dubai Mall boutique invited me to an exclusive cocktail party that was showcasing the 2015 novelties.

The star of the show was the platinum Zeitwerk Minute Repeater in Platinum.

Here is a watch fit for a Prince, a Lange 31 in platinum with baguette diamonds. It is a unique piece that comes in a set of three.

I also got to try the 1815 200^th Anniversary in platinum.

Literally next door to the Lange boutique was Ulysse Nardin and naturally there were a few spectacular pieces on display.

At the Ulysse Nardin boutique I met a pair of Strangers.

Arabian tales are always filled with exotic mystery and wonder, my first journey to Dubai was a definite confirmation

Melbourne Getaway Part 2

Our second day in Melbourne found us wandering the streets looking around and window shopping before we went to The Flower Drum for lunch.

Over the years we have seen The Flower Drum mentioned many times in foodie magazines. It was finally time to try it. Set in a laneway between Little Bourke and Bourke Streets an elegant foyer/reception area

Red carpet anchors the room with cream walls decorated with paintings depicting the Chinese dance “Flower Drum” and also hung with beautiful wood carvings. Dark woods are in abundance with the dining room divided in half by a mini “pavilion”.

After a look through the extensive wine list we ordered a half bottle of Rockford Basket Press Shiraz.

I have to say service was a standout. While we are used to the excellent service in Chinese restaurants in Sydney and Hong Kong, the service at Flower Drum really kicked it up a notch or three. A lot of tour dishes were bought to a service table placed next to our table and served to us from there.

For entrees, I ordered the Peking duck rolls while Vikki went with the Quail sang choi bao. Both were fantastic. While we have had duck, chicken and pork in sang choi bao before Vikki thought the use of quail was amazing. 

For main course I ordered the simply prepared but tasty wok fried barramundi with seasoned soy.

Vikki ordered the crispy skin chicken with lemon and spicy salt. Our meals were accompanied by wok tossed greens and special fried rice.

Desserts were fantastic and not too heavy. I ordered the Banana Fritters w/Ice Cream (lightly battered banana pieces) with maple syrup and Rickett’s Point organic vanilla ice-cream).

Vikki ordered the Peking Toffee Apple (lightly battered apple covered in molten toffee) served with Rickett’s Point organic cinnamon ice-cream). Each piece of battered apple was dipped and coated in the toffee and then plunged in to a bowl of iced water to harden the toffee and then plated. The waiters then “pulled” the remaining toffee in to threads for garnish.

After a fantastic lunch it was time to go back to the hotel and relax. Again lunch was so filling we skipped dinner and had a glass of wine and snacks in the lounge of the hotel.