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Coffee shops have always had a special place in my heart. Back in the Philippines, there's this one coffee place near our home which has become our meeting place every time my friends and I would go out on food trips, night outs, or out of town vacations.

Stepping into The Coffee Club, with it's semi-dim and savvy interiors, brought back a lot of fond memories...

...especially when I saw this wall inscription at the far end of the place. It reminded me of that same coffee place and it suddenly made me miss my friends!

Where will I meet you? At The Coffee Club, of course!

Mark and I got to try their all-day-breakfast offerings as well as some of those included in "The Chef’s Table" menu.

We came there for early breakfast so we got the whole place to ourselves. Service was relatively fast. Diners just started to flock to the cafe around 11 am to get their breakfast fix, and I was impressed at how the service wasn't compromised—the staff who attended to us was still attentive and made sure that everything's going fine on our table.

First hearty breakfast (after all the cleansing) at @thecoffeeclubme was totally worth all the calories! 😁 • #DubaiDines #thecoffeeclub #DXBreakfasts #breakfast #photooftheday #flatlay #foodgrammerph #zomato #zomatouae #bloggerinvite #bloggerperks

A post shared by Dubai Blogger - Food • Travel (@kriskamarie) on Aug 3, 2017 at 7:27pm PDT

We basically had the breakfast staples—eggs, toasts, and pancakes—The Coffee Place style! Pomegranate and Date Salad and Balaleet were recommended to us, plus we also got some fresh juice and frappe to complete our breakfast. Funny how we didn't get even a get single cup of coffee, yeah?

Well, Mark and I are not avid coffee drinkers, though we usually do it every once in a while; so we opted for different breakfast drinks instead. He got some Fresh Orange Juice which came in a mason jar, while I had the Chocolate Brownie Frappé which was beautifully presented in a glass beaker.

There was an exciting mix of milk, chocolate, and coffee flavors in the frappe. It's quite rich in terms of its ingredients, with tons of whipped cream chocolate syrup, and brownie chunks, so I basically chugged down Mark's fresh orange juice instead and saved the frappe for dessert. You can of course order it as a breakfast drink but you might want to balance it out with a lighter food to go with it.

Chocolate Brownie Frappe (AED 34) and Fresh Orange Juice (AED 18)

I already knew Mark was going for the Eggs Benedict, so I opted for an avocado toast instead. This one's from "The Chef's Table" menu.

With gorgeously cooked poached eggs, a generous dollop of avocado and feta mash, spiced beef chorizo slices, and tahini-chili base, over a multigrain bloomer, The Coffee Club's avocado toast can be coined as an upgraded eggs ben. I specifically loved the egg-chorizo combo—gooey egg yolk plus chunky and salty chorizo—I downed it in no time. The avocado mash would have been perfect for me it if wasn't too acidic. I can taste some lemon-lime juice in it which was a bit overpowering.

Avocado Toast

While a twist to a dish would always be exciting, I'd still prefer sticking to the classics. Just like what Mark did. I sure didn't look as inviting as what I got, but it was incomparable when it comes to the taste. Mark enjoyed devouring these toasted ciabatta bread with poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, and veal bacon. You can also have it with turkey ham, mushroom and spinach, or smoked salmon.

Eggs Benedict with Veal Bacon - AED 41

I am used to eating salads but not for breakfast. Only got the hang of it when I came to Dubai and I've been having salads for breakfast whenever possible. So when the staff suggested the Pomegranate and Date Salad—beautiful toss-up of pomegranate seeds, chopped fresh dates and pistachio nuts, baby spinach and rockets, quinoa and feta crumbs, drizzled with a sweet and tangy Italian dressing—I immediately gave in.

I was expecting a vibrant looking dish but it came drowning in olive oil. There was too much oil that the greens already wilted. It tasted good—there was a good play of textures and combination of sweet, tang, and salty—and it would have been perfect, but Mark and I had to wipe the oils off our lips in every spoonful. :(

Pomegranate and Date Salad - AED 54

Being a huge eater that Mark is, I knew he wouldn't just go for one dish and I wasn't surprised when he ordered these pancakes. Berries, pistachio, chocolate, and Nutella--everything that makes for a perfect pancake! Isn't it a beauty?

Mixed Berry Pancakes with Nutella - AED 55

Unfortunately, the actual pancakes were dry, crumbly, and lacked flavor. Who knows, the chef might just be having a bad day then that he forgot to add oil and a little salt to the batter? The fresh berries with Nutella were a winner, though!

The Coffee Club first introduced a brand new addition to their dessert menu on Ramadan—the Balaleet.

Balaleet is a traditional Emirati breakfast staple made from sweet vermicelli and eggs. The Coffee Club created a twist on this classic Emirati favorite, topping the sweet vermicelli over a layer of cinnamon glaze on a toasted brioche filled with cream cheese. It also comes with chopped walnuts, fresh raspberries, and a caramel syrup.

Balaleet with a twist!

The brioche had a crisp crust which mellows down to a soft creamy core. The vermicelli and nuts added a good texture. It was already good as is, the cinnamon flavor bursts in every bite, but I love drizzling it with the caramel syrup! The serving size is also generous, almost half of a regular-sized loaf bread, we had to have the rest for take away.

The Coffee Club's Balaleet is so popular, it is has already become a staple on the menu. It was so good it instantly became my favorite! Oh I can't wait to go back and have it for breakfast!

The Coffee Shop is anything but your ordinary coffee place!  Tweet

The Coffee Club is anything but your ordinary coffee place. More than just a coffee shop, it offers a variety of dishes and, every now and then, they keep introducing new items in their menu.

A perfect place for some breakfast fix, a healthy lunch or dinner, or just a hangout with good friends over a cup of coffee.

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THE COFFEE CLUB
Wasl Vita, Opposite Civil Defence Station, Near Emirates NBD
Al Wasl Road, Jumeirah 1
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
+971 (0)4 344 3676

We were invited by The Coffee Club and our meal was complimentary, but this post is not influenced nor paid for. Opinions on this blog post are my own.

All photos were taken with an iPhone 6S Plus.