It’s another Friday in Dubai, another weekend and a good opportunity to finally enjoy the weather. Tita Tess is flying back to the Philippines that night after almost 6 months of being a tourist. What better way to celebrate but to spend her last day in a place she’s never visited before – the Souq Madinat Jumeirah!
But before that, lunch first at Sumo Sushi & Bento in Town Centre. You might notice on my social media posts that we’re regulars here. Actually, I love Japanese food in general and I’m always in the lookout of Japanese restaurants in Dubai.
Sushi galore!
Ramen for Biel, always
My SIL, Karen, already knows my order even before I say it – Japanese Katsu curry!
After lunch, we passby this honey shop and the Filipino staff offered some taste sample. I’m not a honey person but Gibson is and I know he’s in a lookout for some raw honey which you can’t easily find in supermarkets (most of them sell natural honey only). So when I realized that they have raw honey infused with cinnamon, I know Gibson needs to try. It’s quite pricey for AED 140 but if it is for my husband’s health, why not.
After our sumptuous lunch, off we went to Souq Madinat in Madinat Jumeirah. We usually just visit Madinat when we have tourist guests. The place is picturesque and not overly crowded. It has nice restaurants and cafes and lots of indoor and outdoor areas to hang out. You don’t need to spend a penny if you don’t want to. That’s why it’s in my list of 25 Inexpensive Things to Do in Dubai.
And what do you do when you have nice view? You take tons of pictures
Grab your willing husband to take more photos and just pose as if no one’s there.
Perfect for family photoshoots (we risked our phone falling into the water just to take this shot. LOL)
And couple shots
There are actual fish in the artificial waterways (do you call it a canal or lake?) and we even spotted some ducks.
Fish spotting
Kids have lots of place to roam around.
Going up and down the stairs is a good exercise
Throwing pebbles in the water (is it allowed? we weren’t stopped but don’t tell the security)
My kids love their pictures to be taken and Cole will even ask me to take one if there’s a nice view
Souq is the arabic word for market. And you’ll find lots of things being sold here, mostly souvenirs and Arabic-inspired items.
After thousands of pictures and several venti mocha fraps, it’s time to leave.
And can I give you a tip? If you’re planning to stay for more than 2 hours in the place, bring several bottles of water. The cheapest bottle costs 5 dhs and if you’re buying for a big group then it will cost a fortune.
Although we’re not that hungry, we decided to visit Pampangenos in Madina Mall. It’s a Filipino restaurant owned by the same owner of Salt & Pepper which is actually Tita Tess’ niece.
Here are some of the few dishes we ordered
Grilled squid
I forgot the name but it’s like bopis Pampangeno style
Okoy made of papaya
Chicken sisig
We had to quickly finish our dinner since Tita Tess’ flight was at 11pm. We just swallowed food without chewing.
it’s a fun day. I hope Tita Tess enjoyed her stay and for sure she’ll be back soon. Until next time 🙂
