Replete with candy-coloured stripy wallpaper, oversized white lampshades (that evoke tagliatelle/ribbons), and illustrations of Mae West alongside animal skull-hat-hooks, Circle is one of Dubai’s most creative cafes, both in terms of decor and food selection. Fortunately, its retro quirkiness works to pull in a loyal crowd of arty couples, young families and ladies who lunch. Inside the newspaper-style menus lies a full-page ‘catering menu’, followed by a mix of salads (select your own ingredients for Dhs60) – of which the Asian Chicken is best in our experience, a just-about-even combination of chicken, leaves, hoisin sauce and strips of ginger.

Circle’s bagels are also renowned: shipped in from New York, the salmon and Caprese options are perfectly packed, while breakfast options range from eggs Benedict to halloumi and cucumber, and the Hot Kitchen options allow you to pop by for dinner too. The blueberry smoothies also shouldn’t go without mention, or the cakes for that matter, especially the carrot – doused in a buttery sauce and gently heated, it challenges Lime Tree’s carrot crown. So are all these impressive dishes let down by lacklustre service? Certainly not in the Jumeirah Branch, while the Media City outlet just about manages to survive its lunchtime popularity.