Dubai

Truly the best Thai in town. You can never ever have a bad meal at this place. No liquor license, but they have a cool lemongrassy mocktail that to counter the heat from the food.
Everything we ordered was outstanding, especially the green curry and som tum. Service is friendly and informed. The ambience is beautiful.
Only downside being it's a popular place, so you have to wait for a while for a table. But worth it.

Great place to pig out on west coast cuisine: from Goa to Kerala, and they have a few Chettinad dishes too. There are some funky cocktails on offer as well, like the Mandovi Sunset, but my beer-swilling mates believe nothing tastes better with vindaloo than chilled Kingfisher. Here they served it warm, which can get people quite upset. But the food's where its at. Everything's hot and spicy and decently priced. Parking can be quite a headache, since there's no valet parking and the lot next to the hotel fills up pretty quick. Better to go early on a weekend.

This is a little boutique and chocolate lounge, and quite a dangerous place for a chocaholic! They have some amazing chocolate confections on offer: like chocolates flavoured with Earl Grey tea, or saffron, or decorated with a spray of gold. The hot chocolate is simply slurpilicious. Cookies are ok. Best of all, they actively encourage you to taste the wares. Hampers are beautifully packed, and there are loads of books on chocolate that you can browse through while sipping your espresso. Chocolates are about AED180 per kg. Great quality!

Having spent a lot of time in Delhi, and devoured its Punjabi Chinese, was thrilled to discover Bamboo Garden right in my backyard in Dubai.
Its in Mankhool, next to Fab India, on the road going from Ramada to Satwa.
A super place for families, and people like me who love their Gobhi Manchurian. The portions are awesome -- when we order for two there's always enough left to feed another hungry person. The No.1 reason why we go there though is that the staff are such sweethearts: they absolutely dote on kids, and cheerfully entertain them, so Mum n Dad can enjoy their meal.
What do I recommend? Prawns with cashewnuts, kung pao chicken (a bit fiery) and crispy chilli chicken. The rice and noodles are standard stuff.
Average bill for two is AED 70-80

Al Mallah is an institution in Dubai. It is a chain of Lebanese restaurants. All of them fitted with huge, over-the-top neon-green signboards, surely visible from outer space.
A hearty meal of hot mezze (starters) and the bottomless basket of Arabic bread, khubuz, washed down with a fresh pomegranate (delish!) or watermelon juice is about AED 50 (INR 600.. and don't splutter, its one of the cheaper places in Dubai).
My absolute fave: cheese and zatar mannekish. This is a like a stuffed paratha fresh out of the oven, filled with hot, melting halloumi cheese and tangy zatar, a Lebanese herb that's kind of a cross between aamchoor and thyme. The shawarmas of course, are legendary.
And the outdoors seating is perfect, as the weather is lovely right now. A good spot to park yourself and people watch.