We’ve all seen them.
There was that one in the swimming pool, that other one on a bus and oh yes, the one with Christian Louboutin himself.
I do declare, kudos to Buthaina and Noor for creating such an impactful marketing campaign for an F&B outlet.
Over the past year, they’ve been organizing invitation only dinners, The Dinner Club 57, in secret locations to bring awareness to their upcoming Café called No. 57, which has subsequently opened in Abu Dhabi.
From media, I recall garden lights flung over the table, large white cushions for seats, plants nestling in guests and animal figurines at every dinner. What I don’t recall is how the food looked on any of the evenings.
Putting off less than a handful of trips to the capital, when No. 57 café announced a pop up weekend in Dubai and after a few text exchanges, 2 lovely ladies and I booked our seats for brunch.
It was that weekend, when Dubai was swallowed up by a sandstorm that you knew was born from the depths of the Arabian Dessert.
Parking my car at the World Trade Center, I step out and ever so slightly open my eyes as my dark Arabic lashes finally get called to action. Covering my nose with my silk beige scarf, I make my way to the elevator where I shoot up to the roof.
Walking in the transformed space, a mid western theme addresses me at the door and pulls me in. Could it be, the queen of accessorizing summoned a sand storm to complement her theme?
The different textures are what bring me to the mid-west. The suede of the couches, the prickle of the cactus, the roughness of the tables and the sweat beads along the bottles of water.
We take our seats, I lean over to my ladies, as if in a different country we exchange stories and laugh carelessly akin to those laughs you have when on vacation.
The first batch of dishes arrives including poached eggs, coconut pudding, breakfast burrito and French toast.
The poached eggs, well rounded and jiggle-y full of yellow yolk waiting to ooze out, perked on rye bread and cushioned with avocado, would have been better served with more seasoning.
Taking a bite of my French toast, I understand where their strength lies, in sweet offerings. Caramel sweet, tart berries and pillow bread – yes.
Mopping up residue of caramel from my friends plates, mains arrive. Burger, lobster roll and lasagna. I leave the burger and lobster to the side, partly in fear of getting full and partly because I find a well executed lasagna more creative. A winner acting as warmth in a bowl.
And finally a handful of sweet treats, on par with the French toast.
Having our tea on the burgundy sued couches, that seem to lure me to nap, we end our brunch in the company of friends who were seated at our adjacent table.
The clear leader is the overall experience. Looking through the photos, I think that was perhaps one of my better enjoyed brunches in Dubai.
By design I’ve highlighted the food offerings in my photos and by desire here’s to developments that will make people say that was the one with the braised lamb or even the one with the ramen noodles.
Location: World Trade Center
Cuisine: Cafe
Price per couple: Approx AED 800
