Turkish treats

A new find in the JBR dining scene is 'Kosebasi' - a Turkish restaurant that gives most of its neighbours a run for its money. Not only is the service great, the staff knowledgable and the food tasty, but it's also good value for money.

Seated in the small restaurant, you can admire the large mosaic with its blue patterns and window seating offers views out on to the beach. The place mat explains the history of the restaurant and the various awards its won as well as listing its website. If none of this interests you, then you can happily look out of the window and people watch as they stroll along the beach front.

For starters, the waiter brings a large tray full of different types of mezze for you to choose at your table. Perfect if you're absolutely starving and can't be bothered to go through the process of choosing and ordering. Served with warm bread, it's the perfect way to read through the menu and decide on your main course. However, if you're not familiar with Turkish food, you may need the server to explain some of the dishes. The kosebasi kebab is grilled spiced lamb and while perhaps on the small side, the pieces were soft and tender. Findik lahmacun (best described as small meat pizzas) and patlicanipide (ditto but with cheese on top) were cheap and delicious and eaten with tomato and onion salad.

A few weeks later, we went back to Kosebasi for Iftar and it was buzzing. For AED 109 per person, you could enjoy dates and figs followed by a variety of mezze and breads. The main course was grilled meats with salad with rice pudding and coffee to end. Good service, good food, good company.

Tango Vs Salsa

Tango is to salsa what a long term relationship is to a quick fling. Having danced salsa on and off for about three years, tango always seemed, dare I say it, a bit staid. However, with a misson to involve my new husband into the dancing scene, we found ourseleves, shakily, tangoing around a dance studio trying to be graceful. Emphasis on the word 'trying'.

What sold it to hubby, is that with tango, the man is ALWAYS in control. He leads, she follows. He decides the steps, she follows. He decides the speed (hopefully in time to the music), she follows. You get the picture. Men are in control. Actually, the same is for salsa, but if you are dancing with a guy who just dances away with no consideration for his partner, there are sneaky ways that you can put him in his place so to speak. This suits me. I'm yet to find that in tango, although I have had only one lesson.

What sold it for me, is that it's a great work out. It may not look as speedy as salsa but while you are whirling around gazing into each others eye (ok, we're not that good yet, but we will be) the leg muscles are really tested for balance and strength - the ladies even more so because they not only have to do the steps but also make it look good with pointed toes and stuff. It would be easier if I had legs as long as Giselle, but unfortunately not. What can I say - the vertically challenged must work harder!

Perhaps we weren't too smooth and perhaps our steps weren't as accurate as they should have been, but within the hour our teacher, to his credit, did manage to get us dancing the basic steps around the room to music with no major injury and that sold it for both of us. Looking forward to class two.

(For more information on tango classes in Dubai, visit http://www.elfiruletebnf.com/contacto_dubai.html)