Khan Muran - the newest place in town.

A close copy of an ancient Arabian market has been poured into a 50,000-square-feet hole off Shaikh Rashid Road in Dubai. The underground shopping mall is themed after the legendary Khan Murjan souq in Baghdad of the 1300s and was officially opened last week with a performance about the Queen of Syria, that will continue until 5th of July.

It's open daily 10am-10pm, and until midnight on Thursday and Friday. Usually the restaurant is fully booked and there is a cover charge of 125 Dh.
However, if you are lucky to find place around the bar, a-la-carte menu is available with traditional Arabic food and drinks.
We have had a great time.

Quest for the Holy Chocolate Grail

Some of you may have seen magazine articles about the new Galler chocolate cafe "on Sheikh Zayed road". Well that's not a very helpful location instruction. Nor is Time Out Dubai's description of it as "Ghaya Residence, behind the Dusit". After - no kidding - one hour and a half of driving round SZR and asking for directions (a huge thank you to the guy in Axiom Cafe who let me do a Google search on his laptop) I finally found it.

Anyone who has been to the Galler cafe in Abu Dhabi's Marina Mall will understand why it was so vital to find the Dubai one. The menu is wonderful: fresh salads, burgers, crepes, with lots of imaginative use of chocolate, and the most amazing home made ice cream and sorbet in the UAE. Plus of course rich, foaming hot chocolate like you have never tasted it before.



So how to get there? Well, Ghaya residence is nowhere near the Dusit. It's half way up SZR nearer to the Emirates Towers end. It has Commercial Bank of Dubai at the bottom facing SZR, and the Galler cafe is round the back (north east corner - ie the Emirates Towers side). Click these images to enlarge: