Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Dubai Mall

If you find yourself in The Dubai Mall and you’re looking for a nice quiet place to enjoy some good food, Romano’s Macaroni Grill on the 1st Floor (section G1) is a great option.Romano’s Macaroni Grill is “a casually elegant Italian restaurant serving handcrafted pastas, entrees, and a diverse wine list“. (from their website)  Obviously you can scratch off the part about a diverse wine list for the locations in the UAE!Some of the restaurants in the Dubai Mall (like Cheesecake Factory) are crowded and tables are often too close to one another.  The seating in Macaroni Grill is spacious and a nice place to unwind and get a bite to eat far from the maddening crowds. They are also located in Dubai Festival City (+971 4 232 6001). My Caesar salad  w/entree was good (21 dirhams/2.1 OR/$5 US).The Lentil Soup (19 dirhams) you see pictured here was not was I was expecting at all.  It was a decent soup, I just wasn’t expecting spaghetti in it and it was closer to a brothy Minestrone than lentil soup.This was my main course: Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Flatbread with Black Olives (with caramelized onions, truffle oil and herbs) (48 dirhams).  This was good and I took half of it with me as I couldn’t finish it all.My friend enjoyed his Chicken Scaloppine (58 dirhams) (with artichokes, mushrooms, veal pancetta, lemon butter and capellini)We were glad we decided to dine at Macaroni Grill as the quiet time away from the crowds allowed us to recharge our batteries and gave us our 2nd wind.  Just in front of the restaurant are more transparent aquarium panels which give you a unique vantage point to see the aquatic animals.

In total, our bill came to 190 dirhams for everything pictured above plus 2 blackberry iced teas.  (Tel:971 4 3308089)

Golden Sheep Restaurant & Coffee Shop, Ghala

Some of the best and cheapest eating options in Muscat are these simple shwarma coffee-shop joints that you can find just about anywhere.  There are literally hundreds around town and some are better than others.  The Golden Sheep in Ghala (near Royal Hospital – across the street from the Toyota dealership and next to Pizza Hut) is one of the greats and just happens to be one of the oldest as well.The Golden Sheep opened some 30 years ago in tribute to the opening of the Good Shepherd Hall just across the road.  That nugget of info comes from former pastor of the Protestant Church in Oman, Reverend Ray Skinner (and writer of “Christians in Oman“).                                                                          (GSC stands for “Good Shepherd Hall” and BH for “Bosch Hall)This chicken and egg soup comes complimentary with anything you order and it’s great!You can never go wrong with humos (حمّص)  and pitta to start things off! This humos and pitta is 10 times better (and cheaper) than the skimpy serving you get at Nando’s!Most of the dishes on the menu come with this small salad.My friend ordered the Half Chicken + Humos (2 OR) which he said was delicious. A plate like this for 2 OR?! You can’t beat prices like that, folks!I really enjoyed the “Golden Sheep Cocktail garnished with ice cream & dried fruits” (1.2 OR).  It’s located in the “fresh juices” section but was obviously more like a tasty dessert!So in total, 3 of us enjoyed: 1 swarma sandwich, 1 hotdog sandwich, 1 half-chicken + humos, 1 plate of humos and bread, 1 Golden Sheep cocktail, and 2 Mountain Dews for only 5.2 OR!If you’re ever in the Ghala area (near the Ghala Church), stop in and see why The Golden Sheep has now become my “go to place” in the area for a quick bite to eat!  Tel: 2459-3868. Free Home Delivery.