Craft Cafe – Dubai Design District

Entrance to Craft Cafe at Dubai Design District(D3)

Craft Cafe Interiors - designer chairs — Craft Cafe Interiors – designer chairs

Me with Restaurant Manager and Team of Craft Cafe

Wonder how many of you have visited the Dubai Design District(d3). The designer building is often a site to drivers on Al Khail road. This weekend I managed to visit d3 to have my brunch at the latest cafe in the d3 district called the Craft Cafe. The food crafted at Craft Cafe is engineered by Roberto Segura who has been nominated as the TOP CHEF at BBC Food Awards 2014. So there is no doubt we could see passion, art and beauty in their food.

Craft Cafe Interiors - open kitchen — Craft Cafe Interiors – open kitchen

Craft Cafe - interiors - natural looking birds — Craft Cafe – interiors – natural looking birds

For some of you who’ve never been here, The Dubai Design District is home for fashion designers, creative artists, interior designers, creative minds etc. So from the time you leave your car, everything you see around will highlight the word DESIGN. When we entered Craft Cafe we were not surprised to see the interiors of Craft Cafe in full throttle. A premium finish, unique and feels so good just sitting in here. With naturally cut wooden tables, designer chairs and birds(artificial) hanging from the ceiling which made you feel very close to nature. They have an open kitchen just to please your eyes.

Watermelon & rosemar y fizz - AED 22 - Cranberry juice, cinnamon syrup, soda — Watermelon & rosemar y fizz – AED 22 – Cranberry juice, cinnamon syrup, soda

Blueberry vanilla Sky - Aed 22 - Blueberries, banana, fl ax, almond milk, vanilla — Blueberry vanilla Sky – Aed 22 – Blueberries, banana, flax, almond milk, vanilla

Lavender lemonade - AED 20 - Lemon juice, mint, soda, lavender syrup — Lavender lemonade – AED 20 – Lemon juice, mint, soda, lavender syrup

To begin with, Kids were more excited than us as they received an unusual coloring paper. It wasn’t paper, more like an erasable silicon painting mat. So they were quite happy exploring the new experience. We just came into the cafe from an exploding sun and I tell you Craft Cafe mocktails is the way to go. Very refreshing and I felt rejuvenated in every sip. Infact I enjoyed their mocktails more than their smoothie we tried. The Blueberry vanilla sky is a thick and energetic drink but from taste perspective I wouldn’t be very much attached to it.

Enoki kick - AED 38 - Enoki mushrooms, mesclun lettuce, palm hearts, cashew nuts and feisty homemade teriyaki dressing — Enoki kick – AED 38 – Enoki mushrooms, mesclun lettuce, palm hearts, cashew nuts and feisty homemade teriyaki dressing

Bowful of acai - AED 35 - Açai berry purée, Greek yoghurt topped with granola, raw cacao and fresh fruits — Bowful of acai – AED 35 – Açai berry purée, Greek yoghurt topped with granola, raw cacao and fresh fruits

The most famous item from their breakfast menu is the bowful of acai. A colorful treat packed with healthy ingredients consisting of granola, raw cocoa, fresh fruits, acai berry. My favourite part in here was along with raw cocoa. Never tried them before but this combination was really nice. Bowful of acai is a sheer treat for those healthy ones and who typically enjoying having a cold start for the day. The salad Enoki kick does wake up your taste buds which was tasting great from all angles. It’s that homemade teryaki dressing that makes this salad exciting.

Anatolian eggs - AED 42 - Baked eggs, zesty veal sausage, sumak yoghurt and rustic toast — Anatolian eggs – AED 42 – Baked eggs, zesty veal sausage, sumak yoghurt and rustic toast

Their breakfast items have been impressive specially the Anatolian eggs. The best part for me in it were those zesty delicious veal sausages. They tasted great. Nicely cut into little pieces which really helps eating them along with the baked eggs. Those freshly baked breads that accompanies the Anatolian eggs is also worth a mention. This pan is all you need for a hearty morning breakfast.

Quinoa veggie burger - AED 36 - Quinoa patty with mixed herbs, avocado rocoto sauce and cool tzatziki — Quinoa veggie burger – AED 36 – Quinoa patty with mixed herbs, avocado rocoto sauce and cool tzatziki

Roasted baby chicken - AED 55 - Asian infused chicken in oyster sauce and sweet chili served with roasted potatoes — Roasted baby chicken – AED 55 – Asian infused chicken in oyster sauce and sweet chili served with roasted potatoes

The Quinoa veggie burger was one of a kind. It’s all about the Quinoa patty actually. Otherwise it’s just regular vegetables stuffed in between the Quinoa patty. The Quinoa patty is quite heavy and does fill you up very easily. The Roasted Baby chicken was delicious as ever, thanks to the top class marination on this. I highly recommend to get your hands on this one if you love chicken.

Braised Beef - AED 50 - Slow braised beef, corn puree, espanola sauce pomegranate, shallots and coriander — Braised Beef – AED 50 – Slow braised beef, corn puree, espanola sauce pomegranate, shallots and coriander

Grilled barramundi - AED 54 - Quinoa pineapple salad, spicy curry sauce — Grilled barramundi – AED 54 – Quinoa pineapple salad, spicy curry sauce

The main that really stood out was the their slow cooked Braised Beef. The Braised Beef is slow cooked for around 4.5 hours which makes this meat extremely tender and juicy. I was so much lost in this mouth watering dish. One of the best tasting beefs I’ve had in some time.

The pretty looking Grilled Baramundi was not as great as I expected. However the accompanied Quinoa pineapple salad was fantastic and was the best part for me in this dish.

Desserts at Craft Cafe(white chocolate cheesecake, profitroles, Apple Crumble pie)

Apple crumble and ice cream - AED 24 — Apple crumble and ice cream – AED 24

French toast roll-ups - AED 38 - Filled with strawberry jam and vanilla cream served with caramel sauce — French toast roll-ups – AED 38 – Filled with strawberry jam and vanilla cream served with caramel sauce

Spicy chocolate fondant - AED 26 — Spicy chocolate fondant – AED 26

I am not a big fan of Apple pie but I noticed everyone around us was ordering an Apple pie at Craft Cafe so we too got one of them just so that we don’t miss out on anything important here. I guess this dessert is one of their hot sellers. I am sure you’ll love it if you enjoy Apple crumble Pie in general. For me the best dessert was the spicy chocolate fondant. It’s one of the best I’ve had. Surprisingly the touch of spice takes this chocolate fondant to the next level and make it’s an irresistible one. The French toasts were simple yet pleasant in taste but didn’t have the bells and whistles like the other two desserts.

Cold coffee - Orange twist - AED 20 - Orange zest, date molasses and soda — Cold coffee – Orange twist – AED 20 – Orange zest, date molasses and soda

We ended our brunch with a Crafe Cafe Orange twist coffee. A black coffee that comes with an orange twist. It’s different and it’s their signature which is usually not find in other cafes. At the end Craft Cafe is an experience on it’s own. Away from the busy streets to an all new Dubai Design District which is still new to many and more of a haunted space during the weekend as the area is still developing. The Craft Cafe would be a ideal location to visit if you are looking for that change from the usual route and towards a very healthy morning. Currently they seem to be open only until 06:00pm from 08:00am and they are not open on Fridays. Click here to visit the official site of Craft Cafe. Click pictures below to see them in full screen view: