Sick

Well I guess it isn't surprising that with being pregnant, the major dust storm that occurred last week and the sudden temperature from from 25 degrees C to an average of 16 I got sick. My sinuses are all blocked, my throat is super sore with a very painful cough, my body aches all over and my lower back is not so nice. It didn't happen all at once though. It was gradual which has made it where I have felt groggy and icky for almost two weeks now.

It all started with the sinuses. After the wind picked up and brought the lovely dust with it, I started to feel the blockage. I did the usual lemon and ginger tea to try and sooth my body. But alas, it caught up with me and I ended up at my check up for the baby with completely blocked sinuses. My doctor gave me some sinus pills that are safe to take while pregnant. They were not very strong but did provide me with enough relief to at least sleep. That was the worst of it all. I do not naturally breath out of my mouth, especially when I sleep. I was constantly waking up because I couldn't breath or it felt like the Sahara desert had moved into my throat. So I was pleased with feeling better.

Then over the weekend I started to feel my body, especially my back, tensing up and starting to ache. By Saturday I was in a lot of pain. I woke up that morning and my body seriously felt like I had done a full body workout. Every muscle hurt. Bending was not possible. Throughout the day it just got worse and worse. Around 3 pm I went and got in bed and passed out for about 4 hours. When I woke up I felt even worse. Poor Indiana was so worried about me. Eventually I got into a warm bath with some chamomile soak and just sat in there for a while. My lower backed seized up when I moved at one point while I was on the couch and Indiana said he thinks I have a pinched nerve. One of the many joys of pregnancy I guess.

The next day my body felt better but I was really tired. So I relaxed the whole day with a friend but noticed an itch in my throat. By the evening the itch had turned in a cough and by the time we were going to go to bed the cough became really painful and once again, I did not get much sleep. By morning, my throat felt like broken glass was in it. Every time I coughed it hurt so bad. My maid is such a sweetheart she made me fresh lemon, ginger and honey tea that soothed my throat a lot. However, by afternoon and no voice anymore I decided to go see the doctor. I had read that a lot of people have gone into hospital this week with bronchitis due to the dust and weather change so I thought it would be best I go now before it gets worse. I have to keep my little dove safe in my body.

Luckily, I do not have an infection. She told me my throat is just aggravated because of the dust and weather change. She gave me some cough syrup, more sinus pills and betadine mouth gargle. The mouth gargle is really nasty. The only way I can explain it is that it tastes like hospital. However, today I slept in and now I feel much better. My maid already had more ginger tea ready for me when I got up. I love her. I decided not to do what I want to do and start working on the many projects I want to do and instead take it easy and make sure I am better. Mu throat is a bit sore but much better. Instead I have hit the computer to figure out all these paper processes I still have to do. I want to get a Bahraini divers license. I am told it is a very process of simply transferring my American license to a Bahraini one. We shall see about that. I will post about that process once I do it. I also gathered the documents I need to request my passport records for my first issued passport to be able to provide the American embassy all the required paperwork they need after I give birth to get my baby her passport. That is a whole other topic I won't discuss at this moment.

Anyways, just thought I would pop in. Hope you all are doing well. Make sure to bundle up when going out! Also, wear a scarf around your neck. It really does help avoid a sore throat.

Cheers
xoxo

Dome Cafe

Hey hey!

Today I am writing about a new love affair of mine; Dome Cafe. We have been and off again for the past year. It has been a bumpy ride but we love each other very much. Yes I am talking about a cafe but what can I say? I love food. Dome's food is amazing. Full of flavor. With a great variety and all day breakfast.
The atmosphere is really nice. There isn't loud music playing where you have to shout at each other. The chairs are very comfy. You have the option of tables, booths or nice fluffy chairs and couches. So its great for dining, coffee dates or a place to go get lost in a book.
Let's start with the food. I have had my fair share of their menu so far and have rarely been disappointed.

The low down on breakfast:
- The Eggs Hollundaise is out of this world good. The Hollundaise sauce is perfect. The eggs are cooked to perfection.
- The big breakfast is great for those starving mornings. Or a morning after a night out.
- The waffle I must say was a let down for me big time. They served me a cold waffle! Waffles are not supposed to be cold. Won't be making that mistake again.
- The pancakes were also a let down. They are tough and I don't like the fruit toppings. They makes the pancakes very soggy. There is more to this which I will discuss when it comes to the customer service.
- I ask for the breakfast pastries every time I go and they never have any. Its been months, take it off the menu if you don't serve them.

The low down on lunch/dinner:
- The Crispy Chicken Burger is my kind of chicken burger. The patty has just the right amount of crunch and the sauce compliments it perfectly. Be careful of the tomato though! That baby is hot and will burn the crap out of your tongue.
- The Beef Burger is really good as well. My husband really enjoyed it. The patty was cooked really well.
- The egg and cheese sandwich is done really well. It is very messy however. I would rather have gotten it wrapped up because after your first bite, you lose half you sandwich fillings to your plate. The sauce for the fries at Dome is amazing. Whatever it is, it is amazing.

The low down on coffee:
Their coffees are really good. The variety is fantastic and they get pretty creative with them as well. They are the perfect partner for a good book in the morning.

The low down on desert:
- This is where the whole love affair started. The banana cream pie is the most amazing desert I have ever put in my mouth. I could eat it everyday of my life if it wouldn't make me fat and/or give me diabetes.
- The chocolate cake is alright but way too heavy for me. The chocolate tastes delicious but I had to take a drink after every bite to help it go down.
- The carrot cake is really good. I am not the biggest fan of carrot cake in general but I will eat this one.

That is all the food I have tried thus far. I love the the food and will keep going back for it. However, I will not go when I am in a hurry or already very hungry. Why? Let's just say the service is not desirable.

Here is my number one pet peeve when I go to a restaurant; write down my damn order. I do not care if you have Albert Einstein's IQ, a waiter should always write down an order. I hate when they just stand there and I say my order and then a specify something and they do not write it down. This brings me to a point I made earlier. When I ordered my pancakes I asked them to not put any topping on and that I want to put it on myself. What did I get? Fruit toppings on top of soggy pancakes.

Secondly, when you see customers just standing at the door, that means they are waiting to be seated or approached. Not completely ignored.

 Once customers are finally seated, don't wait more than 5 minutes to greet them and ask if they are ready to order. You sure as hell shouldn't wait longer than ten minutes! I would let it slide if it happened once when the place was busy but this happens every single time I go there.

Napkins! Is it so hard to bring extra napkins to a table? I specifically requested them to bring extra napkins to my table and never saw them.

There is no consistency either. Sometimes I get my drinks before my food and other times only after my food. After the food is served, my table is never approached again and I am never asked if I would like something else or even a refill on my drink. I must always spend a minute or two getting their attention. I have actually sat and watched two waiters laugh and chat behind the counter a number of times and not once look up to see if a customer needed anything.

The service is horrible. Which is extremely sad because the place is so nice and has such amazing potential. There have been many times someone else's order has been brought to our table. See this wouldn't be a problem if they wrote down the customer's orders.

I would give the food a 4 out of 5 stars but the service a -1.  I have had the same level of service at both the Amwaj and Juffair locations. Proper training of your staff is essential to the success of an establishment. I only go to Dome if I have more than an hour to kill and I am not already very hungry. That means Dome losses a lot of business from me because I would most definitely eat there more often if it weren't for their service.

All in all I give the place as a whole a 3 out of 5 stars.

I do suggest everyone go eat their banana cream pie however. :)

Tata for now!
xoxo