TimeOut Dubai Kids – August 2019

Food

38 August 2019 Time Out UAE Kids

WHAT IS IT...

A charming cafe in a

three-story villa opposite

Umm Al Emarat Park

WHY GO...

For the friendly

staff, comfortable

surroundings and

extensive menu of

homemade dishes

Sanderson’s

O Open Sat-Wed 8am-10.30pm; Thu-Fri 8am-midnight. Unlicensed. The Walk, Al Seef Village Mall,

Khalifa Park area, Abu Dhabi (02 222 1142).

WHAT FOOD MAKES you feel good? For us it’s

a lazy weekend breakfast with the family, a

burger and ice cream at a beach bar, a cheesy

pizza with the kids on a sunny afternoon.

Healthy spot Sanderson’s has other ideas,

however. This pastel-strwn spot in the pretty

walkaways behind Al Seef Village Mall is

all about the açai, bonkers about the Benedict

and crazy for the kombucha.

The menu reads like the

feed of a particularly pinickerty

Instagrammer, and the cheery

staff, in Hawaiian shirts and straw

boaters live up to the venue’s

billing as a place that “creates

delicious food that tastes great

and makes you feel even better”.

Dishes average around Dhs55

and some of the colourful juices

and smoothies at Dhs35.

The crispy soft shell crab burger surely can’t

claim to be very healthy and the ratio of bun

and batter to crab doesn’t leave us feeling

too good either. There’s a load of watery

cucumber slivers inside, making it soggy, too.

The shredded sea bass is much more

impressive, even though the Àsh seems in

short supply in comparison to the celeriac

and apple slaw. It’s wrapped in a

beetroot and pistachio ‘leather’

that is sensational.

Perhaps a bit much? There are

also less fancy dishes for fussier

eaters on the menu including the

“back to basics burger” and “a

simple pizza”.

It all sounds great, and some of

it looks brilliant, too. But on this

visit, we didn’t leave feeling better

than when we went in.

WHAT IS IT...

Healthy spot in

Al Seef Village Mall

WHY GO...

For the shredded

sea bass

WE CAN NEVER resist a cute cafe that boasts

over-Áowing book shelves, cosy sofas and

quirky decorations. So as we take a seat on a

soft booth underneath the very Insta-friendly

‘Be amazing’ sign at Café Arabia, we’re

already totally taken with the place.

The menu offers everything from English

breakfasts to camel burgers, pastas and

mixed grills, but we decide to mix things up

and go for a few mezze and a pot of Turkish

spicy poached eggs (breakfasts are served

until 3.30pm on weekends).

A steaming mug of karak tea tastes freshly

prepared and not overpoweringly sweet.

Food is brought out in one go, and we

immediately dive in and start with the minced

Café Arabia

O Open daily 7am-11pm. Unlicensed. Villa No. 637, Al Karamah, Abu Dhabi (02 643 9699).

lamb kibbeh, which is served with a glass of

tahini dip. It’s a tasty plate of nibbles and it

doesn’t last long, while the fattoush salad

comes in a huge portion and coated in plenty

of pleasantly tangy dressing.

Best of all is the Turkish eggs, with sweet

chunks of roasted aubergine mixed in with

the smooth yoghurt and punchy chilli paste.

The poached eggs go brilliantly with the thick

slices of sourdough, and also the sharper

Áavours of the fattoush.

An order of hummus takes an age to

prepare, but is worth the wait.

With a cute, homely vibe, this is a top place

for a laid-back bite with the family. You’ll leave

feeling chilled out and happy.

Café Bateel

There’s a new gluten-free menu,

featuring soups, pasta and more.

O Various locations including Nation

Towers, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai Marina

Mall, http://www.bateel.com.

Origins

There’s a new farm-to-table-style

restaurant in Emirates Hills.

O Open daily 7am-11am, noon-5pm,

7pm-11pm. Vida Emirates Hills

(04 423 8899).

THREE OF THE BEST

New openings

this week

Molton Chocolate Cafe

The chocolate café has just

opened in Al Ain and it will soon

be expanding to the capital too.

O Dalma Mall, Musaffah,

http://www.moltenchocolatecafe.com.

38 TOKU_1208_EO REVIEW ABU DHABI_10778015.indd 38 28/07/2019 16:20:05