typg #2: yesterday’s accomplishments and lafayette gourmet

Another 27th of the month, so another chance to dine out and celebrate. However, our monthly tradition wasn’t the only reason to celebrate yesterday. Hubby was able to get 2 things done on the first day of the work week: Caila’s passport renewal and our new nanny’s Employment Visa. Hurray!

It wasn’t easy, though. We didn’t have an appointment at the Philippine Consulate, but since Caila’s visa would be expiring in December, and her passport in April, we had to process the renewal ASAP. And since she didn’t go to school yesterday (she was still recovering from a fever), it was the perfect time to go. So yesterday morning, Hubby and Caila headed to the Consulate where they had to wait a looooooong time several times. Initially, they were rejected and told to get an appointment for a later date, but after explaining the situation about her visa and passport, they were finally allowed to complete all the procedures.

In the afternoon, Hubby waited several hours (again!) at DNRD. With the Immigration, it’s always nerve-wracking while you wait for the Officer’s decision whether your application will be granted or not. As he or she looks through the papers, you never know if the documents you have are complete…and even if they are, he or she might ask for something else. Fortunately, everything went pretty smoothly. The Officer asked Hubby a few questions, wrote on the application, then told him to pay the Deposit (Dhs2,020) and Entry Permit Inside the Country charge (Dhs680) at the payment counter. After Hubby did these and presented to him the receipts, the Employment Visa was finally issued.  Whew!

Since we were in the vicinity, we headed towards Dubai Mall for our traditional monthsary celebration. We’ve been meaning to try out IHOP for some time now, but Hubby wanted something more filling (all the waiting made him hungry!), so we decided to eat at Lafayette Gourmet. It was a good idea too because we had an Entertainer Voucher that we could use.

Walking around the store, we saw a grocery and various sections offering all sorts of food items: meat, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, coffees and teas, pastries and desserts, and many more. There was even a separate pork section. We saw diners enjoying their food at the area with the wooden tables, but since we wanted to sit back and relax, we opted to eat at the area with the soft red chairs. Here’s what we ordered:

Hubby's Pomegranate Iced Tea (left) and my Berry Blast (right)

California Roll
This was on the menu so we couldn't miss this

Hubby's Lafayette SLIDERS

I found the stamped BURGER on the bun pretty cool and unique

my Traditional Crispy Duck with hoisin sauce...

...and pancakes

Unfortunately, we were too full to order any dessert. Ok, I admit, the dessert selection just didn’t seem to have anything that tempting…even for take away. So we just settled for what we had already ordered. Not that we were disappointed, though. The food was actually really good and very tasty. Except for the California Roll…it just seemed too ordinary.

In spite of this, I’m sure we’ll be visiting Lafayette Gourmet again before the year ends…because it would be a shame to not take advantage of our 2 remaining Entertainer Vouchers at such a nice restaurant that offers so many international cuisines in their menu.

Thank You and Praise God for the day’s accomplishments and another opportunity to spend quality time with Hubby.