Midnight Ride, 60-Dirham Padel and the Best Irani Kababs in Dubai

Everyone thinks Dubai life requires deep pockets. This episode is my counter-argument: a full evening — motorcycle ride, ninety minutes of padel, dinner at one of the best Irani restaurants in the city — for about 60 dirhams a person. The date with Manchalee came free.

A Jacket at 40 Degrees

First, an explanation for the jacket in 40°C heat. There is a Gen Z living in our house — my daughter — and this generation appears to have been born in space, thriving only in sub-zero environments. The AC is set so low I sit in my own room in a hoodie and socks. Stepping outside into the Dubai night actually felt like a warm hug. If you co-manage a thermostat with a Gen Z or Millennial, you understand. Comment, so I know I'm not alone.

The BANG Doctrine

In university our friends' group was called BANG — an acronym for Bhuka And Nanga Group, roughly: the hungry and homeless. Decades later, with respectable jobs and one suspiciously expensive motorcycle, we are mentally unchanged: no value-for-money opportunity escapes us. Which is how we found a padel court for 60 AED an hour inside the flydubai campus — the E611 court — when most Dubai courts charge 200-300. Two courts, eight to ten friends, ninety minutes, everyone exhausted in forty, and a continuous side-programme of roasting each other.

What Night Riding Taught Me on the Way

The 20-minute night ride there delivered its own lessons. Dubai's roads are flawless — no potholes lying in ambush like back home — but the traffic shows motorcyclists little mercy. Drivers change lanes without a glance. The rule I now ride by: nobody is watching the motorcyclist, so the motorcyclist watches everyone.

And a salute to the riders who do this every single day: the delivery boys of the UAE. They ride through summer heat, take risks constantly, and stay invisible to most people. Since I started riding, I give them space and respect every time — you should too.

Kababs, Karak and the Quiet Reveal

Post-padel, we descended on Seekh Kabab — for my money one of the top three Irani restaurants in Dubai. Protein-heavy plates (except our friend Hadi, who was all over the breads), office gossip, and a closing round of strong karak — the official fuel of UAE riders, as covered in the 4:30 AM riding guide. Court: 20 dirhams a head. Food: 40. We ate so much we had to assign leftovers to each other like homework.

And tucked at the end of the episode, a quiet bombshell: two months into a weight-loss experiment, 24 lbs already gone. That story became its own series — the 70 lbs update is here.

🎥 Like what you see? The full moto-chaos lives on YouTube — subscribe to @MotoMoku and never miss a ride. More ride stories on the Video Log.