Cafe Bateel

Bateel - a name synonymous with dates and date products in the Arabian land. They also have their cafes where usually I've had just tea or coffee; until this time where I tried out their Mediterranean cuisine.

As soon as you walk in, you notice the lovely ambience. It feels really classy for a "café". The staff greeted us and showed us to a table.

They have a good selection of salads, pastas, sandwiches, desserts and more.

As we waited for our food, they served us a complimentary bread basket which had 4-5 varieties of bread. It was soft and tasted well with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar which they have on the table.

Our order took quite some time to be served.
We had ordered Bresaola, red quinoa and avocado salad. The salad looked really tempting, but in terms of taste, it could have been better. The bresaola was good but the rest of it felt a bit dry.

From their lovely seasonal selection we had ordered the ciriole alla genovese pasta with chicken. It looked simple, yet was delicious. The chicken was cooked right an so was the pasta. The sauce added flavour but did not overpower the taste of the pasta and the vegetables in it. The quantity is really good for one person. We also asked for grated parmesan on the side which the promptly got, and this made the pasta taste even better.

Sitting beside their bakery section in the restaurant, we couldn't help but order a dessert. They have a wide selection and we were spoilt for choice. After much thought we decided to go for the Raspberry rose lychee cheesecake. The combination itself is so tempting we were really curious as to how it tasted. Just one bite and it felt delicious. We could hardy stop ourselves and it was over in a jiffy. The creamy layer of rose complements with the mildly sour strawberry and the lychee. Also, I was impressed with the fact that we could taste all the flavours distinctly.

The service is good too and the staff is courteous. They also had a good knowledge of their food when we asked more about certain dishes.

Parking in this area is a bit of a pain but the good thing is that you can park beside Bateel for upto 3 hours at no charge is you spend AED 150.

Café Bateel - more than just a café; it is gourmet Mediterranean food with a rich Arabian heritage.