Shruti - Dubai Is a Heaven for Food Lovers Like Us (Influencer)

My name is Shruti and I run a growing brand called Shruzaa. Shruzaa is an abbreviation of Shruti & Zamir (my husband) which means “To Love”

Tell us about your background and journey.

Hello! My name is Shruti and I run a growing brand called SHRUZAA. Shruzaa is an abbreviation of Shruti & Zamir (my husband) which means “To Love”. We are bloggers based in Dubai, UAE with a keen interest in food, travel and support women-run home / local businesses in UAE & India.

We started blogging in Aug 2020 when I took a break from my professional career to pursue my love for writing & giving a platform to small / home run brands. Starting with 100 odd followers on Instagram, 5 months down the line, we have built 6K+ happy family. Along with building our brand on Instagram, we have also secured Zomato Level 10, Google Guide Level 6 and are considered in Top 50 food bloggers in Dubai, UAE.

Over the last 5 months, we have collaborated with 30+ food brands in Dubai and have promoted over 25 women entrepreneurs on our social media pages. We have a few well-known brands in our kitty and will be working with them very soon. 

Our BABY / Our logo represents our work:

FOOD – a BIG YELLOW BOWL & a BLUE POTATO with our names on it. Why the BLUE colour? It represents reliability, trustworthiness and effective communication

TRAVEL – The Sun, The Leaf & The Flight. Our favorite destinations are the sunny ones with nature!

SUPPORT LOCAL – A Handshake in the right corner represents our willingness to work with any LOCAL & HOMEGROWN brands especially WOMEN ENTREPREUNERS and write about them.

The basic idea was to write about the things we love i.e. FOOD & TRAVEL which due to major support from our audiences in UAE & India have grown into our passion, the brand SHRUZAA & we are looking forward to taking this up as a full-time profession.

On the personal front, I am from Mumbai, India and now settled in Dubai, UAE. I have completed my MBA in Marketing & have worked for 14 years in Real Estate CX Strategies.

Which is your favourite cuisine and dish?

Being a true Mumbaikar and the love for India, my favourite cuisine is North Indian Food. I have recently started experimenting with Modern Indian Cuisine which is changing the dynamic of Indian Food & widening the scope to include an international audience. I am a vegetarian and I love eating anything Indian, my favourites being Paneer Makhani, Dal Makhani & typical Mumbai Street Food.

Living in Dubai for 8 years now, I love the local Lebanese food, authentic Turkish & Italian Food. But nothing beats DESI KHANA.

Which restaurants/food joints would you recommend to food lovers?

Dubai is a heaven for food lovers like us. It is very difficult to make a list of the places we love and recommend but here is what I have in mind right now:

Indian / Street Food – Hitchki, Rasoi Ghar, Farzi Café & Bombay Times are one of the best!

Turkish – Sultan Baba Iskender

Lebanese – Zaroob, Al Reef Bakery, Aroos Damascus

Italian – IL Forno, Social House

Honestly, the list goes on. You can tell us the area you are in Dubai and we can name a good restaurant for you.


What makes you appreciate a particular dish or a restaurant and talk about it on your blog?

As any food lover, we look for 4 basic things – FOOD, SERVICE, AMBIANCE, PRICE. If you ask me the thing we look for especially is the balance of flavour in food & the way it is presented to us. Whether the staff was courteous, not just to bloggers but to other customers as well. Whether the ambience was good, can we recommend it to our friends or family audience & last but very important the price? Whether it is really worth to spend the amount mentioned.

Our way of working is very simple! We give 100% honest & genuine reviews whether we pay and visit or its an invite. We are straight to the point as we feel that we are here to build our brand SHRUZAA along with promoting these places in our journey.


How long does it take to get a perfect Instagram shot?

Every place we visit, it takes about 2 hours to shoot everything perfectly & try the food. The main work starts when I have to form a story & write about the brand which takes another 2 hours.


Which is your favourite book and why?

I honestly love reading fiction & romance novels as this is my favourite thing to do when I am stressed, bored or want to go back into my shell. My all-time favourites are Fifty Shades series, Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella, everything Durjoy Dutta writes and Harry Potter.

Interviewed by - Saba Parveen