If there is anything better than dressing up for a fine-dining dinner date, it is dressing up for an “I-have-no-idea-where-I’m-going” food trail! I didn’t know if heels would be a pain, or if some bling would be appropriate. Avoiding a nervous breakdown, I went casual and found myself entering Leopold’s Of London in JBR- the only revealed start-point to the Food Trail organized by Emirates NBD and Zomato UAE.

There, on the upper floor, it was easy to spot where I should go. A long table was laid out with ENBD flags, Zomato cards and some fine sets of tea-infusers, complete with tiny ‘hour glasses’. After getting acquainted with each other, the group consisting of food bloggers and hard-core zomato reviewers, sat down to embark on the food trail across JBR Walk.

The ENBD representatives gave us an informal introduction to the night and soon after, the “Tea Doctors” arrived. These were experts (and don’t take me lightly on this) in the science of tea. From the myriad kinds of tea dusts, powders and blends to the production methods, distillation techniques, caffeine contents and infusing decorum – these doctors in their white coats knew it all. Though a LOT of what they explained went over the top of my head (thanks to my pathetically small attention span), I was able to note down that we tried the Marrakech Mint tea, the Oolong tea and the Jasmine White tea, to name a few. Each variant had to be infused for specific time so as to get the most of its flavors, for which the tiny sand-clock came to help.

True to Zomato’s motto “Life is short, eat dessert first”, we were surprised, nevertheless happy, to see trays of cakes heading our way. The doctors advised us on the tea concoctions that will pair well with each cake. Decadent flourless chocolate cake, spiced carrot cake and the date cake were first to be devoured. The ginger cake, the salted caramel pecan cake and the vanilla blueberry cheesecake almost felt neglected as the sugar rush kicked in….almost! In the end, wastage was quite minimal.

One of the tea doctors took the extra mile to bring out his personal favorite tea and we had to guess out the ingredient in it. As a group of hardcore foodlovers, we did not let our pride down! “Chocolate”, “Chilli” and an even precise “Lindt dark chocolate with chilli” – came the answers. The tea had the indulging aroma of chocolate and a distinct, unexpected knock of spice on the throat. The Chocolate Diavolo is quite enjoyable to most, but an assault on the senses to the unsuspecting few!

Our first stop at the food trail, thus came to a finish with a mandatory group picture. Unfortunately I couldn’t check the other offerings on their menu, but hopefully, that should be rectified soon. For the time being, I’d suggest you drop by Leopold’s Of London (JBR) for a lovely cup of Marrakech Mint and some Date Cake to complement this lovely winter that is setting in.

The Price Story: The cakes are priced between Aed 25- Aed 28. The tea pots (including Marrakech mint and Oolong) are priced at Aed 30, with the flowering teas priced at Aed 60.

Disclaimer: FoodKissed was privileged to be a part of the Food Trail organized by Emirates NBD and ZomatoUAE. The experience at Leopold’s Of London was complimentary, however, the comments and opinions in the review are honest and completely based on personal experience. Please leave a comment if you wish to add anything 🙂