Emma is not a morning Bear.
I don't do mornings unless I have to.
If there is a legit reason to be up
before the sun then I can manage that. Valid reasons include
- holidays
- holidays
- holidays
I therefore thoroughly impressed
myself by making it to an early morning yoga class ON A WEEKEND
with Mr G.
After conquering our Bikram session, like true morning bosses, we jump in the car, aka the
'G mobil', and set off to reward our healthy yogi bodies with an epic breakfast. We swing round the marina and pick up Yorkie from her
place and try to decide on a suitable venue worthy of our
presence.
Yorkie: My friends have been raving
about this new place called 'The Hamptons'
We 'google map it' and find that 'The Hamptons Cafe' is a 15 minute car ride from marina.
EHH: Umm.... that's far guys.
Yorkie: It's not.
EHH. Yeah you are right. Lets go.
We head down the Jumeirah Beach Road
and pull up in front of a three storey white building supporting a
quaint little sign that reads 'The Hamptons Cafe'
Hamptons Cafe, Dubai |
“We are here!!!!” I shriek! And
throw myself out of the 'G Mobile' and into the desert sun (I really
hate being in cars)
The building is super cute with an old
fashioned wedding car sat outside. #picturetime
Me on the outside of a car |
After my photo shoot we head inside and
are immediately intrigued by the deco. If you spend any longer than 6
months in Dubai you will understand how hard it is to be impressed by
anything here. We are inherently spoilt on views, service, and pretty
much anything else your heart could wish for.
The Hamptons has a clean white nautical theme
is a stark contrast from the usual slick glitzy venues. Smiles from
Mr G and Yorkie echo my thoughts - Its so pretty in here!
We head up one level and are seated at a quaint table by the window and are promptly handed iPads with digital menus. I'm a nerdy tech lover, but if you can't order via an ipad I see little point of them. I'm also not a fan of pictures on menus ...however, the photographic quality is impeccable and the visuals are actually making me hungry. There is a breakfast section, sandwiches, salads, many main courses and desserts. I'm having a hard time deciding. It all looks so good.
High tech menu time |
We order drinks and the presentation is
too cute for words.
Jasmine Green Tea. Note the cute egg timer on the left |
Coffee for a captain? |
Then disaster strikes! We are informed they
are only serving from the breakfast menu until 12:15pm That's 25
minutes away!
AHHHH!
After much (read MUCH MUCH), debate we had all selected dishes not from the breakfast section.
We just did 26 jedi bikram poses in a
40 degrees studio. Do you not understand we want to eat, like, NOW!?
Drats.
We rationally decide to order some
bread to tide us over.
A beautiful selection arrives with
butter and preserves and they happily served our request to toast a
few of the slices with absolutely no fuss.
I take the spare time to explore the
venue. First the bathrooms...
Judge a place by the bathrooms? |
I then head up to the top floor and the view
is beautiful – a panoramic view over the white villas of Dubai with
a desert background. #pretty I take some pictures. I come back down
and Yorkie decides (after seeing my picture slideshow) we should
relocate upstairs as it's surprisingly empty. The waiter then informs
us that all tables are reserved. God damn regulars and their 'in the
know' knowledge. #nexttime #forsure
Beaten to the best tables |
The Hamptons Café describes
itself as a venue with “informal, casual etiquette serving
creatively fine cuisine with a touch of gastronomic audacity.” with
food “rooted in the European and American vein with an underlying
touch of the Hamptons casual refinement. These sentiments ring true
and are reflected in the food, the venue and also the dress code of
their staff.
Mister Manager |
After my exploration I sit back down
and catch up on the latest with Mr G and Yorkie. The food eventually
arrives. The wait was a little longer than seemed necessary (even
after the 12:15 lunch time wait) and we were so hungry that ever time
the kitchen door opens we were whipping our heads back and forth like
tennis crazed Pavlovs dogs.
However, it was well worth the wait...
We drank:
Banana Strawberry Smoothie
Iced Black Americano
Jasmine Green Tea
Skinny Cappuccino
We ate:
Air - dried Spanish beef
crostini with aged parmesan, home made onion marmalade, rocket and
blue cheese cream
Italian burrata crustini,
cherry tomatoes on the vine, home made basil pesto & rocket
Sweet potato wedges
The ingredients in both
crostini dishes were exceptionally fresh and complimented each other
beautifully.
I feel icky when I eat too
much bread so I ended up scooping my topping off the brown whole
wheat toasted crostini. I curse myself for not ordering an entire
buratta on its own as the cheese was so creamy and delicious with the
basil pesto.
My burrata crostini |
Spanish beef crostini |
Yorkie loved her air dried
Spanish crostini which was picture perfect when it arrived. The
buttermilk chicken had a crispy flavorsome batter coating the
succulent pieces – and was of such an epic portion Mr G couldn't
finish it. I took him up on his offer of a taste and quickly crowned
it the winning dish on the table.
Buttermilk Chicken |
I would recommend ordering a
few dishes for the table, especially if you go for main courses, and
sharing them. This way you can sample all the beautiful dishes The
Hamptons Cafe has on offer. Or ... you could just come more than once
– which is exactly my plan.
The damage |
The Hamptons Cafe
Um suquiem 1, Villa 12, Road 8, Dubai
Facebook: TheHamptonsCafe
Opening times: Sunday - Saturday 8am - 1am
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