Hi there, we probably crossed each other at KEF today (day 2). I say that with a lot of confidence, considering the fact that the place was bursting with visitors today. The lines at the ticket counters went on for miles. It took me a lucky twenty minutes to get a ticket but my unfortunate friends waited in line for an hour and a half.
If you were also part of the unfortunate lot, it does not get better because every.single.stall had a line up. But enough cribbing, let’s get down to the reviews.
Steak and Grill by Khurram
I was told that the steak strips are the best thing at the festival. So that’s where I went first. Just as it was about to be my turn, we were told that they have run out of steak. What an absolute bummer. Not wanting to leave without trying anything, I ordered the pulled beef sub.
Price: RS 350
Thoughts: The beef was flavorsome, the chimichurri sauce was nice and spicy but my favorite part? Those plump, deliciously roasted cloves of garlic. Ahhh. Also this sub gave me company for the next 2 hours (find out why in a minute). So I have reserved a very special place in my heart for it.
Burger Bros
The longest line-up at the festival was definitely, hands-down, the one at burger bros. We wanted to try it yesterday, but couldn’t bring ourselves to wait for that long. Guess what? We ultimately had to get in a line three times longer, just out of sheer curiosity. One hour forty-five minutes later, we received our sliders. And during this time, the above mentioned sub gave me some really great company.
Price: RS 350 per slider (Flamin’ Chick and Level 1 Beef)
Thoughts: I would have given it rave reviews had I not been cranky and frustrated at the fact that I had to wait so long- the good light had disappeared which meant none of the other food items would get photographed well. Ugh. But everything considered, the flaming chicken burger was really good (SALT Dubai inspired, I assume). Crispy chicken with crispy lettuce and a soft bun- a winning dish. I was a little let down by the beef slider, surprisingly. I thought it would blow my mind, but it was not oozing with juices as I expected it to be- perhaps I should have tried the wagyu version instead.
The Pantry
While I waited in line for the burger, a team member trotted over to the Pantry and got Shrimp Tacos. Thank you, team member, I will never forget this favor.
Price: RS 350
Thoughts: The shrimps were hot, fresh and perfectly cooked. The salsa was spot-on, the taco was the perfect size. I couldn’t find fault with it. Definitely makes it to our favorites list.
Arabi
We had come across a blogger’s review on the mutabbaq at Arabi. I was intrigued. So we ordered one in beef.
Price:
Thoughts: We took a couple of bites. One of us enjoyed it, but let’s be honest, he’d eat anything and be nice about it. I thought it would make a great iftar option in Ramzan. But it was average at best. I would’ve liked it to be super crispy. It wasn’t.
Le Saint Honore Patisserie
We had the pleasure of meeting the pastry chef. She was kind enough to tell us all about her creations for the festival. The stall has been quite popular for their macarons but our eyes were drawn to the black forest cake. We ordered one black forest and one salted caramel chocolate tart.
Price: RS 350 each
Thoughts: The modern take on the black forest was absolutely refreshing. And absolutely delicious. The serving should have been more generous as it left us wanting (a lot) more. This should be on your list of things to try at the festival, especially if you have a sweet tooth. The salted caramel chocolate tart was as good as any salted caramel chocolate tart in the city.
We also got a lovely, deep-roasted coffee. An in-depth article will be posted on that very soon.
Health Act
A much needed respite from the constant indulgence we were participating in. We ordered the GOOJ, the flourless chocolate cake and two juices: Roots and wingman.
Price: RS 300 for the wingman and RS 200 for roots.
Thoughts: We were a reluctant to try wingman as we were told it contains Kale, but we were pleasantly surprised at the fact that it wasn’t bitter. Roots, as you can guess, was a combination of apple, beetroot and carrot- classically good. The GOOJ, however, was a great healthy option. The frosting was yum and the cake itself has a dense fudge-like quality. They use a healthy secret ingredient which you can coax out of the owner. I did. But I can’t tell you. Sorry.
Lush Crush
One last hurrah. We were headed out of the festival, unwilling to stand in the long queues AND because we had reached our tipping point- when we saw the twinkling lights at Lush Crush. I have a bit of a bias when it comes to the popsicle stall, for me they can do no wrong. They are not paying me, promise.
Price: RS 350 for 2
Thoughts: Strawberry and cream was my favorite at last year’s festival and of course, it was just as good this time too. We also got the loaded- LOADED- black forest pop. Nuts, dried cherries, chocolate- the works. I loved it a little less than the strawberry (okay, substantially less).
That’s it for Day 2! Did you guys read our reviews for Day 1? Check it out!