Here’s a newly inaugurated Cafe in Abu Dhabi at one of Rotana hotels and this one truly reflects the new Abu Dhabi. Located in the heart of the city inside Al Maha Arjaan hotel by Rotana. A brand new cafe with a brand new look, designed to suit the young and trendy ones. Cafe 302 gives you a rejuvenating experience from head to toe. We simply didn’t feel like leaving this space since the time we stepped into this urban young cafe. Life is young here, colorful, healthy and modern.
The Cafe has lot of space which makes it feel airy and well lit. The design so well done that I could simply sit for hours adoring their beautiful interior with an emphasis on nature. The cafe also has a lounge area stacked with books so you can relax and feel at home while you sip their signature coffee. It’s quite unfortunate that you don’t realize the beauty of this Cafe until you are inside the Cafe as it doesn’t show or tell much from the outside.
They also sell a long collection of retail products from designer kitchenware, mugs to organic ingredients to cook at home. I thought I should get one of their items from their kitchenware but then I thought it was a little over priced. Nevertheless they look elegant sitting on sale inside this beautiful Cafe.
We started with their cold selection of drinks and their Date shake was my best friend through out my lunch at Cafe 302. I could never give up this thick shake. Although the Sangria mocktail had a grand presentation, I just wasn’t convinced with the taste of the Sangria Mocktail. I was happier sipping the defender though boosted by healthy ingredients.
The complimentary breads specially the Focaccia one was really nice and that dipper that accompanied it was even better. We were really impressed with their fresh breads and dippers that set the right tone for our lunch and gave us a hint on what to expect from Cafe 302. The Avocado & Sun Dried Tomato Spring rolls was a mesmerizer. It’s a rare piece of spring roll that you don’t come across often. Avocado as a savory is not always easy to make and they just made these spring rolls taste brilliant. The Asian beef noodle was a mouth watering salad that had the right level of spice to attract anyone trying it and we made sure we didn’t leave one piece of it left on the plate.
The kebabs were a fusion of Arabic and Indian spice or something similar. They were juicy but you know the shape and cut of these kebabs reminded me that they could have a better impression if they had these lovely kebabs hanging on our table in skewers. They also leave these kebabs for a day marinated before they cook to ensure the marination is absorbed by the meat making it flavorful.
It was a very pretty Beef Burger. The fresh bun and the juicy meat could only be a win win situation and coupled with mushroom and swiss cheese, enjoying this burger could only get better. The pasta was different with lamb pieces found on it. Our little one was definitely happy with this meal and he says to give it an A.
At the counter they have some jaw dropping desserts from tarts, cakes, torte, pies. One of their happening dessert here is the Potted Banana cream pie. I didn’t want to miss it when I saw it in the pictures. This pie from Cafe 302 is definitely their best seller. The last time I had an amazing Banana pie was at Magnolia Bakery and just when I thought there can’t be a better one, here I am drooling over this luscious pot of dessert. They had 3 different types of tarts and I went for the raspberry one which had a thick filling of custard inside and fairy tale ending for my sweet tooth. To be honest, The chocolate peanut butter stack was not upto the mark. It couldn’t live up to it’s deadly looks. I’ve had better chocolate peanut butter stack like from Nando’s.
Japanese kyoto style coffee – AED 30
Coffee is special here. Besides the typical coffee you find everywhere they do have some special signatures coffee which you don’t typical find in most Cafes like the Kyoto coffee or Chemex coffee.
Kyoto coffee is a cold coffee that is prepared over a time frame of 10 – 24 hours and you can see this coffee being made using it’s technique while you are at the cafe like in the picture above. It’s a Japanese technique. Kyoto coffee is typically stronger than regular coffee but I have been able to enjoy this one.
Chemex coffee is a hot coffee. This is what I tried and I could appreciate the quality of this coffee even though I am not a regular black coffee drinker. They prepare this coffee from our table. Using a flask they pour hot water over the special ground coffee which flow through the paper filter of the Chemex coffee flask. You just wait for the coffee to get collected at the bottom which usually gets ready in 7 minutes or so.
We’ve had a fantastic time at Cafe 302. Thanks to this new Cafe our mood just got better in Abu Dhabi and we definitely would want to stop over next time again as it’s anyway located inside the city. Click here to know more about Cafe 302 at Al Maha Arjaan, Rotana . Click pictures below to see them in full screen view:
As you rightly said Japanese kyoto style coffee is unique & looks great – Not seen this anywhere in Dubai I am sure would have tasted even better
The way you have described Potted Banana Cream Pie – My mouth is watering from now. Cant wait to have my bit of pie
Cafe 302 at Al Maha Arjaan, Rotana have a very good ambiance even though its in Abu Dhabi looks like its an must visit place
Yes Potted Banana Cream pie is the one to try! For now since you are in Dubai, you can visit Magnolia Bakery for the same. 🙂