Thursday, April 29, 2010

The ultimate red car? Rolls-Royce Ghost!

Simply ... perfect!

Yes, a RED Rolls-Royce Ghost. I like!
ps - Thanks for the feedback! I thought it was a Phantom!!
Some cool facts from Wikipedia ...
(1) The Rolls-Royce Ghost is a smaller luxury saloon automobile from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The "Ghost" nameplate, named in honour of the Silver Ghost, a car first produced in 1906, was announced in April 2009 at the Auto Shanghai show During development, the Ghost was known as the "RR04." Designed aiming for a lower price category for Rolls models, the expected retail price will be around £170,000 (US$255,000). The production model was officially unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.
(2) The engine is a 6.6 litre twin-turbo V12 rated 563 bhp (420 kW with ZF 8-speed automatic transmission This engine will allow the Ghost to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, and has an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.

Marco Pierre White - Steakhouse and Grill, Fairmont Abu Dhabi

Add: Fairmont Bal Al Bahr, Between The Bridges Abu Dhabi, P.O. Box 114304, UAE.
Tel: +971 2 654 3333

Posh ... swank ... chic!


The ex-three Michelin Star (Seems he returned them!)'s chef's first restaurant outside of the UK ... here in Abu Dhabi!


Excellent starter of Crab cake ... and good, but not spectacular, New York steak. Loved the side dishes though, the potatoes, rosti, veges, and truffle sauce were excellent! Pppsssst... I even had room for the signature Bread and Butter pudding. Was good!
ps - Seen in the local papers,
The former is the first steakhouse outside of the United Kingdom from three star Michelin Chef and restaurateur Marco Pierre White, and offers an eclectic combination of innovative grill cuisine and classic English fare, while the latter is a collaboration between famed horse jockey Frankie Dettori and Marco Pierre White.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Foot long Chicken Teriyaki Subway

What can you buy for 24 AED in Abu Dhabi, or about RM$21?


A fooooooooooot-long, Chicken Teriyaki Subway sandwich!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Hormel Black Label Bacon - Spinneys, Khalidiyah

16 Oz of Hormel Black Label Bacon "original" costs 24 AED at Khalidiyah's Spinneys, our fave local supermarket! Its really good, full of flavour and slightly less salty compared to Oscar Mayer's version.


Del Monte baked beans, sauteed button mushrooms, and a nice sundried tomato Ciabatta on the side!

Yamaha YZF-R6 - Bikes in Abu Dhabi

Nice Yamaha R6 spotted in Abu Dhabi ...


Powered by: 599 cc (36.6 cu in), liquid cooled, 4-stroke, forward inclined inline 4 cylinder, DOHC, 16-titanium valves
Wikipedia: The Yamaha YZF-R6 was introduced in 1999 as the super sport version of Yamaha's YZF-R1 super bike, and as a companion to the more street-oriented YZF600R sport bike which continued to be sold alongside the R6.
The motorcycle featured Yamaha's completely new engine design capable of producing over 108 hp (81 kW) while stationary. The R6 was the world's first 600cc production four-stroke motorcycle producing over 100 hp (75 kW) in stock form.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Most powerful VW Passat - The R36

What's the most powerful Passat money can buy?
The Passat R36 - the most powerful Passat ever. Whether you opt for the saloon or the estate model, one thing’s for sure: the Passat R36 is, with its output of 220 kW (300 hp), the most powerful Passat ever. And superlatives are also entirely appropriate to describe its looks. The “Biscay Blue Pearl Effect” paint finish, the motorsport-style bumpers typical of the R series and the body-colour wheel arches and sill extensions are genuine highlights.



Sportiness is measured in horsepower and kilowatts. The Passat R36 therefore has a real top-notch engine: 300 hp, generated from an engine displacement of 3.6 litres, just waiting to be driven. In this way, the V6 FSI engine with direct shift gearbox (DSG) can offer unlimited driving fun.



My verdict?! Nicccccccceee... love the blue finish!

X5 v X6, Abu Dhabi Motors - Home of BMW, Khalidiyah

Home of some seriously fine automobiles :-) BMW, Mini and Hamann are sold here in Khalidiyah.


BMW 3.5 litre X6 ... or, Hamann X5M E70 I love the Hamann!

Rashid Saeed Al Maktoum Street - Top Gear

Remember that super race on Top Gear between the Mercedes McLaren 722 v Lamborghini LP 670-4 SV? I can only imagine the magic on the day, driving

ps. The Lambo was just nipped by the Mc!
ps. The LP 670-4 SV gets its name from the 670 bhp under the hood, 4 wheel drive and Super Veloce spec! And, know what the LP stands for? LP stands for longitudinale posteriore, the engine position!

Rizo Chicken with Rice - By KFC, Abu Dhabi

Good way to spend 8 AED in Abu Dhabi :-)


Rizo is good ... small portion, but a nice snack!


Rice was surprisingly good, and the chicken and hot-spicy sauce was tasty! Very pepper-y!

Classico Pasta Sauce - Tomato and Basil

Classico sauce, by H.J. Heinz Company.


Nice and chunky, I like :-)

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Test drive - Toyota Camry 2008

Some basic specs to get out of the way first:

Engine: 2.4 litre , front wheel
Transmission: 5 speed automatic
Horsepower: 158 bhp
Torque: 218 Nm
0-100 km/h (0r 0-60 mph as I would like to call it): Eeeep, 10.5 seconds!
Top speed: 194 km/h

The shots I have taken here are only of the interior, as I am sure the exterior is pretty much known to most people! In fact, you have probably seen the interior too, in a taxi ride of some sort!

Non inspirational dashboard (The Accord is much nicer, without being "OTT"!) ...


I had a chance to drive the 2008 Toyota Camry for a day, and was seriously dissapointed. It just felt like it lacked the little touches which made the 2008 Honda Accord such a pleasant drive. For example, there is no cruise control in the Camry, nor are there any stereo controls on the steering wheel. The ventilation controls felt poorly designed, and didn't click-click or have that tactile touch of the Honda.

Worse of all, the drive quality! It felt wallowy, difficult to place, exhibited worse cornering control and flatness when compared to the Accord, and the brakes were spongey. Eeep! In ever way, the Accord was a better drive.


Uh .... yes, that's a cassette player you see!


Best touch? The gear-shift looks the part!


A parting shot ... Yes, it got up to 40c this week! Arrrrgh!

Mercedes E280 police cars - Only Abu Dhabi

Some weeks ago I posted a shot of a Mercedes Benz E200 police squad car, and thought that was pretty up-market!

Well, this time I spotted .... a E280. Even better!

There's Hokkien Mee in Abu Dhabi

Simple, healthier (!) variant of Hokkien Mee ... Only at Reem Island, Abu Dhabi :-)
GPS: 24°29'30.6"N 54°24'6.7"E
(Updated! June 2010 - Thanks to an anonymous Dubai reader!)




ps - Yes, its Halal, with no chee-yau char!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Adnec - The Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi

My Nikon D80 and the often under-used Tokina 12-24mm f/4 AT-X AF PRO DX!


Tom Jones was in town last night ... However, with tickets ranging from over 300 RM to nearly 800 RM I gave it the miss!

Excerpt from AbuDhabiCityGuide.com
As part of the singer’s current world-wide ’24 Hour Tour’, the 70 minute performance included new material like ‘Sugar Daddy, penned especially for Jones by U2’s Bono and The Edge. The crowd were also treated to old favourites such as ‘It’s Not Unusual’, ‘Save the Last Dance for Me’, ‘What’s New Pussycat’ and ‘Delilah’ which were received by choruses of approval.The 4,000 strong crowd were delighted by his incredible stage presence and stunning full stage and lighting production, as well as the strength of his voice – cementing his iconic status as one of the world’s most talented and loved musicians.
Back to shots of the iconic Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre ...


From some angles, it didn't look like it was leaning 4x more then the Tower of Pisa!


The huge LED billboard on the right reminds me that Tom Jones was due to play!

Its a pleasure watching the construction underway these past 10 months I have been here :-)


It actually leans 18 degrees to the west ... Wow!