As you know by now, whenever I stopover in Dubai I can’t resist a trip to search for new cafes in the bustling café scene of Dubai. Usually when I visit I stay with my cousin who resides in the Mirdif area, a stone throw from the airport and a very residential part of Dubai, which believe it or not is home to only one major mall in the city of malls. Sadly, that major mall is crowded by your typical chain coffee shop and so whenever I wanted to drink specialty coffee, I had to coax my cousin into driving into the heart of Dubai or hop onto the metro for at least a 20-30 minute ride to relieve my coffee thirst…. until now.
When I visited last month, my cousin said there’s a Jones the Baker shop that just opened in a brand new retail outlet called Mirdif 35 and asked if I wanted to try the coffee there, so I thought “why not”. But as we approached the retail spot, which was like a black glass edifice oasis right in the middle of the sandy part of Mirdif, I noticed another coffee shop that caught my attention. Peering through the window I noticed a La Marzocco linea and a hard working barista. As soon as we entered I walked right pass the Jones the Baker shop, which I must say looked very inviting with its top of the range fittings and a Synesso Hydra.
Qahwaty. which is a derivative of Kahwa which means coffee in Arabic – very apt.
On entering, I could smell the dedication to coffee.
I walked around took some pictures – industrial chic with brass and copper plated ensembles which look like they were bespoke rather than store bought even with a fake grass ceiling. The brew bar was similarly decorated with copper trimmings, brewing gadgets, bags of coffee from famous roasters. When it was my turn , I asked the barista to describe the coffees on offer and their roast date. I think he was a bit shocked, because he knew that I was kind of serious about coffee and he responded enthusiastically. The first coffee had been roasted a few days back and was not recommended but he recommended another that was fruitier and I opted for a cortado, offered as a piccolo
He was so kind that he nevertheless brewed the freshly roasted coffee at a lower temperature to get more and so I got another coffee on the house
the barista was aptly called Suga, a very focused and approachable person.
On my way out I decided to try an espresso at Jones the Baker but after I watched the barista prepare my coffee albeit on a great machine I knew the experience would not match Qahwaty, sorry Jones.
So, if you live in mirdif and don’t want to travel into the Shaykh Zayed Rd area to grab a good cup of coffee I highly recommend Qahwaty for your coffee fix.
