Here I am, back at my office desk after an indulgently good 3-day weekend. The last three days have been brimming with Christmas cheer, delicious treats and over-sleeping.
On Christmas eve, we crawled out of bed just past noon, and had a major craving for a hearty brunch. Being avid foodies, both Hubby and I were game on trying out a completely new place. We’ve heard many good things about Crumble All Day Eatery (aka Crumble Café), and decided to drive down to check them out.
Crumble All Day Eatery is located on the ground floor of Sofitel Hotel (Sheikh Zayed Road), and has easy access from the Burj Khalifa metro station.
Proudly a home-grown concept offering an array of café-style dishes and a specialized breakfast menu (for which we were too late, as breakfast is only served till 12.30!), Crumble Café has earned a reputation for their innovative flavor combinations and wholesome dishes since its opening over a year ago.
The Christmas spirit was loud and clear at Crumble Café. We were greeted by a staff member who was busy scribbling festive art on the windows (making my 4 year-old rather jealous!) and a giant tree with all the trimmings took center stage on the ground floor.
I love the rustic look and feel of Crumble Café. The table tops are a deep, grainy brown and retro-style café messages adorn the walls. We even spotted an adorable vintage motorbike and a very historic-looking radio on display.
We were dining with our 4 year-old, and the staff recommended we take a table upstairs as they have a play area dedicated to young children. How thoughtful is that! As a mummy, this is a huge bonus. This little play area was close enough to our table for my daughter to be supervised, the area is also watched by the cafe’s CCTV. Best of all, mummy and daddy get to dine in peace!
Crumble Café is working on a special Kid’s Menu, but for now our lovely hostess suggested a bowl of sweet potato fries for my little one.
These are seriously delicious fries! Crisp and perfectly cut into wedges, the sweetness of the potatoes shines through the salty outer. We had to steal a few from my daughter’s plate 😉
Like the ground floor, the upper level of Crumble Café features beautifully vintage-style works of art. I really liked the chalked artwork dedicated to coffee!
Here is a look at the Crumble Café menu:
As we were deciding on our orders, we were served chilled glasses of Crumble Cafe’s infused water. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of infused waters as I prefer plain, ordinary H2O minus any additional sugars. However, the water here has no added sugar and you can taste the subtle freshness of a medley of fruit. The sourness of strawberry stood out for me, and I found this rather refreshing.
For drinks, we decided to try out one each from Crumble Cafe’s ‘Fresh Juices’ and ‘Smoothies’ sections. From the fresh juices section, we went for Crumble Cafe’s Detox Juice. This very light, zesty drink is a flavorful mix of tangy green apple, lemon, cucumber, kale, spinach and celery. From the smoothies, the sweet potato option stood out to me. I’ve never had a sweet potato smoothie before! It is a very thick, filling blend of sweet potato with banana, chia seeds oats and almond milk.
I love the presentation of these drinks. The mason jars are adorably cute, and just look at these candy-cane straws! These straws add a touch of vintage glam, and best of all, they are made of eco-friendly paper.
For our mains, we ordered the Braised Lamb Shank and the Wagyu Burger.
The Braised Lamb Shank was absolutely divine! Slow-cooked to perfection with meat falling off the bone, the lamb was accompanied with a beautiful combination of baked sweet potato (yes, Crumble Cafe really love their sweet potatoes!), crunchy roasted french beans and very moreish, tangy-salted sun-dried tomatoes. I’ve never had this rather Mediterranean mix of flavors with lamb, and it all worked together so beautifully well that the little pot of meaty gravy on the side went almost unnoticed!
And here’s the Wagyu Burger, accompanied with a generously large pile of crunchy baked potato wedges.
The bun itself has been lightly toasted in butter, and that meat pattie, made of premium wagyu beef, has a ground up texture that is altogether meaty, flavorful and filling. The mayo used here is lightly spiced with jalapeno, and a few slices of jalapeno were added to the burger on my request.
And that molten cheese… just look at it oozing out!
I was not aware that this burger came with wedges, and therefore ordered a side dish of Crumble Cafe’s Truffle Parmesan Fries. Regular french fries get a gourmet makeover with a toss of decadent truffle oil and generous gratings of fresh Parmesan cheese.
The other side dish we ordered was Crumble Cafe’s Grilled Vegetables. This is an assortment of deliciously salted vegetables including zucchini, mushrooms and bell peppers, and was a much needed solace from all this rich indulgence on our table.
True to its cafe title, Crumble Cafe has a whole smorgasbord of sweet treats on offer in their deli section on the ground floor.
I asked the staff to pick their favorite dessert for me, and we were presented with Crumble Cafe’s signature Deep Fried Oreo Cookies! How sinful does that sound?!
Oreo cookies have been battered in a special pancake mix, and deep fried to a crispy, indulgent golden brown. These moreish dumplings sit on little puddles of caramelized sauce, and are dusted with generous sprinklings of icing sugar. You really do need that pot of vanilla ice-cream on the side to take a break from all this richness!
Here is a look at the insides of an oreo dumpling:
This platter probably uses up a whole mini tube of Oreo cookies. I won’t even attempt at counting the calories! This is a naughty treat you wouldn’t mind sharing.
Overall, Crumble All Day Eatery hit all the right spots for our weekend brunch cravings. Every dish was spot on with flavor combinations and quality, the service was exemplary and best of all, as parents to a young child, the play area is a big bonus!
We will definitely be back for yet another leisurely, fulfilling meal at Crumble All Day Eatery.
Crumble All Day Eatery is open daily from 7.30 am to 10 pm, and is located at the ground floor of Sofitel Hotel (Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai) at 48 Burj Gate. If you are using the metro, it is bang opposite the exit from the Burj Khalifa metro station. For table reservations, call 04 346 5911.
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