Shopping mall visitors, also these who are forcibly dragged there by girlfriends, know pretty well that finding a decent place to eat is a bit of a dare-devil task. Most of the restaurants are overpriced. Of course there are food courts with restaurants such as McDonalds or Subway, but well, do you really want to eat this crap? After a few hours of traversing along countless, fully packed passages of Dubai Mall, I was starving and dyeing for some fresh air and a homey spot. Luckily, I found one – a Lebanese diner with a French/Catalan sounding name – Cafe Blanc.

 Lower Ground Level, Dubai Mall, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, Downtown Dubai 

 http://www.cafe-blanc.com

  45€ (selection of mezze, drinks & shisha)

 Yes

  Sunday – Wednesday 10AM-1AM, Thursday – Saturday 10AM-1AM

 No (unless you’ve got UAE phone number)

Cafe Blanc is a restaurant chain present in seven different cities in five different countries in Middle East: two in Dubai (The Dubai Mall & Dubai Marina Mall), two in Kuwait and one in each city of Giza, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Beirut and soon, also, in Doha. They are all maintained in similar, simple & oriental style. You can immediately recognize Cafe Blanc by its warm and inviting interior with ornately radiant walls and ceiling, wooden seats lined with pink and turquoise soft cushions. Large rooms provide plenty of space for families, but you will feel comfortable only by yourself too. What is worth mentioning is that locals are dining there and that’s always a good sign.

Cafe Blanc offers traditional Lebanese dishes, yet prepared in a modern way. I love the idea of serving many small dishes – it’s definitely my preferable style of dining. Not only it allows you to taste oriental and distinctive flavors, but it also introduces that culture of sharing, where you can enjoy all the culinary sensations with someone special. I haven’t tried Cafe Blanc’s main courses (I will fix it next time when I’m in Dubai), but I can recommend their indeed rich selection of mezze – moutabbal and hummus with meat and pine nuts – simply excellent! I suggest trying their mint lemonade – it’s sour, it’s sweet and wonderfully refreshing. Hoped to find such a tasty one in Munich, with no success so far.

Tables next to mine were taken by people chatting in German, French, Arabic, Hindi and Persian – families, couples, singles of all races and skin colors – I honestly was fascinated by such a cultural mix. However, the best thing about Cafe Blanc in Dubai Mall is an amazing view of Dubai’s most lavish hotel – The Address and The Burj Khalifa Lake. Late afternoons there are truly magical – combined with music, spectacular Dubai Dancing Fountains show is a must see!

The Prime Minister of UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum once said ‘I want Dubai to be a place where everybody from all over the world meets each other, don’t think of fighting or hate, just love it, enjoy their sport, and that’s it’. I can understand him, enjoying my coffee while smoking shisha in Cafe Blanc at The Dubai Mall. It has hardly anything to do with sport though 🙂

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