Eric Kayser

French café at Dubai Mall with yummy pastries 1 Reviews

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Tucked away in one of The Dubai Mall’s quiet corners is Eric Kayser, a patisserie with a reputation for tasty tarts and breads. It certainly represents a welcome change from the fast food nooks that pepper the area. Like many restaurants in the mall, Eric Kayser has an open plan and is without a front door. Yet it still feels less exposed than many of the nearby venues.

The menu is full of café standards – pizza, sandwiches and pastries – and a handful of more elaborate mains. An able photographer had made a selection of items stand out on the menu, and even influenced what items my date and I decided to order. The snap of the Mediterranean salad looked luscious; long, thin slices of parmesan, roasted vegetables and inky dollops of balsamic vinegar called from the page. When the salad arrived, however, it didn’t quite inspire the same awe as the picture. It was pleasant, but standard. For a starter we also split a rustic pizza, made with tomato sauce, mozzarella and puddles of goat’s cheese. It read nicely on the menu but in reality it didn’t make much of an impression. It was the kind of dish you ate without thinking and finished without registering.

Of the savouries my tuna fillet was the most promising. While it was well seasoned, served perfectly pink and accompanied by thinly cut, seductively salted roast potatoes, the dish as a whole was let down
by its tepid temperature. The topping of battered onions would have been a nice addition were they not damp and cool to the touch.

We had higher hopes for the desserts than we did for the mains, if only because Eric Kayser is known for the quality of its puddings. These too, however, proved only good. My blueberry cheesecake was creamier than I would like, and more resembled a mould of cream-cheese-flavoured whipped cream topped with canned blueberries. My date’s mousse praline was better; it was unrelentingly rich and chocolaty. While the desserts didn’t exactly let the meal down, neither stood out as exceptional.

For a low-key meal, Eric Kayser isn’t a bad bet. The problem is that the food seems a little overpriced for what it is. Were the bill lower, Eric Kayser would make a decent stop for a reliable bite.

The bill (for two)
1x Large Masafi water Dhs12
1x Rustic pizza Dhs48
1x Mediterranean salad Dhs44
1x Tuna fillet Dhs82
1x Blueberry cheesecake Dhs22
1x Mousse praline Dhs20
Total (excluding service) Dhs228

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