Pierchic @ Al Qasr Madinat Jumeirah - Part 2 (DUBAI)

For Part 1, click here: http://kharensarroza.blogspot.com/2012/03/pierchic-al-qasr-madinat-jumeirah.html


So what do you think? 
Personally, I would love to go back to Pierchic. Why? For the following reasons:


The view. 
I love taking photos, that's why :) 

View from Pierchic Jumeirah

Pictured below is Madinat Jumeirah's beachline. The complex building shown in the first image is Mina A'Salam and the second is Al Qasr from where Pierchic can be accessed. As for us, we entered through Souk Madinat and from there, you will be guided by the signages leading to Al Qasr.


"Madinat Jumeirah encompasses two boutique hotels; Al Qasr which literally translates to The Palace, Mina A'Salam, and Dar Al Masyaf; Arabic summerhouses located around the resort grounds with views of the private beach and gardens. The resort also provides conference and banqueting facilities, and various dining options, with over 40 restaurants ranging from casual to signature dining, with some world renowned restaurants." - Wiki

Mina A'Salam ('The Harbour of Peace') , Madinat Jumeirah - View from Pierchic

Mina A’ Salam or 'The Harbour of Peace' was the first of the boutique hotels to be completed, and features 292 rooms and suites.

Al Qasr Hotel, Madinat Jumeirah - View from Pierchic

Al Qasr Hotel, Madinat Jumeirah - Up close

Al Qasr, which literally translates to 'The Palace', comprises 292 rooms and suites, designed to reflect a sheikh’s summer residence.

Souq Madinat ('Market') Jumeirah Promenade 

Souq Madinat Jumeirah Up Close

5.4 km of waterways link the different areas of the resort, and water taxis (Abra (boat)) allow guests to travel along them to all parts of the resort. The waterway is in constant flow with sea water being pumped in at one end of the resort and flowing back out to sea at the other end. The waterways are also home to a turtle sanctuary that aims to rehabilitate injured turtles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madinat_Jumeirah

Dar Al Masyaf, close to Pierchic

Dar Al Masyaf consists of 29 stand-alone, two-storey residential retreats inspired by traditional Arabian summer houses. Each of the 29 'houses' features 8–11 rooms and suites which are extended across the resort grounds, surrounded by landscaped gardens, with some located on the beachfront, and guests have a 24 hour butler service.

Arabian Inspired Cottages at the Hotel Beachfront - View towards Pierchic

This is how they do it ;) - View from Pierchic

What else? Their promotional lunch plus the complimentary cake! 


If not for that, we would not have been able to access this renowned property. Again and again, I would say that everything in the place is too costly but luxurious in every way! It's best suited for well-heeled guests. Their lunch, in fact, is a very good bargain! It's pricey because they are sure to bring the 'oooh!s' and 'aaah!s' out of wonder and appreciation of the place! Moreover, everyone in the resort, especially in the restaurant, was nice and polite; attentive but never overbearing. 


So, I would have to say - It's well worth the experience!! This is Dubai afterall! And, it's never easy to keep that sanity in here! x)

Pocket friendly Aqua Pana :) @35Aed / 400php?!. Wine was like 1000++ per bottle!

Complimentary Bread and Butter - They actually served a basket of hot crusty bread
but unlike other guests who only ate one or two, we almost ate up the basket.. YES, literally the basket! LOL Kidding.. Hungry!

Complimentary Celebration Cake - My friend looks very happy with the cake..
me too actually.. as if it's our "birthday" cake! ..There were still some left which
I took home for the kids! x)

That's me! Period. At Pierchic

That's Charmaine! At Pierchic

That's Pierchic's outside seating at the back

Abra Tour - 75aed for adults and 45aed for kids! ..Might as well take the lunch!

Pierchic @ Al Qasr Madinat Jumeirah - Part 1 (DUBAI)

Pierchic! Sounds chic? It indeed is! 

So, what and where is Pierchic? 

Pierchic is one of Madinat Jumeirah's signature restaurants - a popular culinary destination mostly among tourists. It is an award winning restaurant in Dubai which boast of its 'finest seafood dishes' and unmatched ambiance - perfectly situated in the Arabian gulf offering a panoramic view of  the iconic Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel and Souk Madinat.


Part 2: http://kharensarroza.blogspot.com/2012/04/pierchic-al-qasr-madinat-jumeirah-part.html

To note:

"Madinat Jumeirah, owned by Jumeirah who also owns the World's 7 star hotel Burj Al Arab, is a luxurious 5 star resort in Dubai and is also the largest resort in Dubai, spreading across over 40 hectares of landscapes and gardens. It is designed to resemble a traditional Arabian town. The resort comprises two boutique hotels (Al Qasr and Mina A'Salam) and a courtyard of summer houses called Dar Al Masyaf. The resort has over 40 world class restaurants, and is said by many to be one of the most luxurious resorts there is." - Wikipedia

Pierchic, The Restaurant

Pierchic and Burj Al Arab

It had been ages since we were eyeing this fancy restaurant! Consider this - if one counts the number of virtual visits we had, perhaps one would say we are 'regulars'!! We'd be earning hundreds of Sirius points already (Sirius Card - Jumeirah's sort of loyalty card).. seriously! LOL 


Pierchic is one of those places to go which we have discussed, planned and brainstormed countless times! Imagine that?! X) However, it had been postponed countless of times too for so many reasons (valid and invalid) such as ~ scorching hot summers, sandstorms, laziness, resto being fully booked and of course, us being broke! 


Nonetheless, it isn't our personality to easily give up! nahks! We remained positive on this happening and eventually, alllll that wishful thinking finally came to an end - just last Saturday!


We had lunch booked a week before. We opted for their promotional lunch set since it was the cheapest! It's a four course meal served from 1:00pm until 3:00pm, all throughout the week. The portions for the lunch will be small as it is only a, sort of, sampler of what they have. Their dinner however is the recommended one! It would be perfect to visit this place with the sun setting!


Anyways, lunch it was. When we made the booking, we requested to be seated outside - hopeful that the weather will be tolerable! ..It's only April but some days the temperature already rises up to 40!


So, here's where we were seated: (at the edge)

Pierchic outside seating - With Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel as backdrop

We were supposed to try it out with a couple of friends. Unfortunately, for some reasons, none of whom were able to make it. *sigh. Hence, it was only me and Charmaine - who was even feeling sick on the way!


What was on the menu? Here, take a look! But, don't be deceived as the menu pictured here is only the lunch 'promotional' menu. Mind you, bring enough cash just in case! :p

Pierchic - The Promotional Lunch Menu

Pierchic - Wine Suggestions with the Lunch

Pierchic offers two options for every meal. They also have wine recommendations by the glass to go with the meal. And, as we were not familiar with this kind of food, we did a little research about the choices so as not to be completely taken aback when we get there! In addition, it would greatly help to remember fine dining cutlery basics!   

For the appetizer : 
a) Foie Gras (French for 'fat liver') b) Risotto (Italian dish made of rice)

I chose Foie Gras although I'm not really fond of eating liver while Charmaine had risotto. I chose it because I wanted to know how a good Foie Gras tastes like.. atleast once in my life! 


As I have learned from a quick look up, it usually comes with a toast and the proper way of eating it is to cut and not spread it! Yes, I had that in mind! However, when served, it wasn't a block of Foie Gras.It was somewhat semi fluid in consistency! (not a block! not which I had prepared for! and which I usually see in google images hence the cutting!)! 

Pierchic - Appetizer A - Sarrade Foie Gras Parfait

Pierchic - (Mheng's) Appetizer B- Carnaroll Risotto

For the intermediate : 
a) Truffle and Cauliflower Soup , b) Essence of Lobster and Mudcrab Bisque
I only had this photo of the soup. At the center is balik salmon - considered to be one of the best salmon in the world as Wiki has it.

Pierchic - Intermediate - Truffle and Cauliflower Soup: Balik Salmon + Almond

For the main : Our choice,
a) Pan Fried Sea Bass. That's braised savoy cabbage on top with veal bacon and sweet corn puree at the base.

Pierchic - Main Course - Pan Fried Sea Bass

For the dessert : Our choice,
a) Baked Toffee Banana Pudding - vanilla ice cream with banana mousseline + little sweet caramel tasking cakes. The ice cream really tasted like banana!

Pierchic - Dessert 

Pierchic - Dessert - Vanilla Ice Cream Banana Mousseline

Any special occasion?
As I've mentioned earlier, we were suppose to dine with some friends. A friend's birthday was like a month ago. So, when I booked, I said we were dining to celebrate a birthday! And here's what we got: 


Although I said that she couldn't make it, they still gave us the cake. I was glad that there was no serenade though! Otherwise, we'd have to show our acting skills and pretended like one of us was her! *wink! The worst case? If they had asked for an ID for record purposes - that would be a disaster! LOL The cake was delicious for a freebie. We even packed what was left (As you will notice in some pictures, I'd be carrying a small box. That's the cake!) >>>To be continued..

Pierchic Complimentary Celebration Cake from Madinat Jumeirah for Ms. Lee's Birthday!! Awesome!

Pierchic - Slicing Ms. Lee's Birthday Cake - Cheesecake+Berry+Chocolate Mousse

Santiago Bernabeu Football Stadium, Madrid ES

When I was young, I used to play physical games as kids in the neighborhood my age were mostly boys! Among the games we played were: "tigso" (in bisaya) or "agawan" base - which basically is tag + added concept of captives, "labo-labo" - which involves hitting other playmates with a ball of sort , "syato/ng" - a good vocal exercise for the losers as they describe it, "patintero" and "takyan/sipa" - which S.Koreans actually play too! (Now I'm thinking to write more about it LOL)


However, the fondness of these games never translated into keen interest in sports. Is it because I wasn't just meant to be a sportsperson?? Perhaps my exposure to the 'real' sports wasn't just enough? Hmmm. To note, my sister actually is the real opposite of me - outgoing, sports-minded and has really spent considerable time in playing sports or doing outdoor activities! So, I wonder..


Hence, when I was Spain, I barely considered visiting the famous Real Madrid Stadium. But, I knew sports aficionados would be delighted to be presented with that chance so I went anyway. After all, opportunities like that doesn't come so often right?! ;)


So there.. Ticket cost 15Eu that time.. that's x5 for AED and x60 approx. for php ~ feeling lazy of doing the math today ;p . I just don't know how much it would cost if there was a game.  


The tour took us around the stadium. There were several stops but, more or less, it was like a museum tour. As pictured below, Madrid's (football, basketball and others) trophies.. trophies.. and trophies and awards were displayed. Also, there were some very old publications about the teams, music sheets for their anthem, posters, shoes actually used by their top players and more. But, what I found most interesting was the display of the "Universality" of their players. Interesting because I saw our flag! :D


Anyways, below are the photos from the tour.

Santiago Bernabeu Football Stadium, Madrid
Gates (Even Nos. on this side) - same place where I got the ticket

View of the stadium from a viewing platform - the first stop of the tour

View from the ground - 2nd to the last stop of the tour

Diversity of Players