Located amid the sandy tower blocks of JBR, this eatery’s name and appearance sends out some mixed messages. Minimal in space and causal in vibe, Café Baroque features a scattering of classic café features such as a glass display counter and plenty of soup urns, amid a treasure trove of elaborate antique-style wooden furniture.

I should concede that my friend didn’t seem too keen on the venue’s mismatched grandeur, but I thought it was spectacularly odd and charming. Confusingly those urns were for display only, but there was still a vast selection of freshly made soups of the day available. On the subject of display, as we browsed the healthy-sounding descriptions on the paper menus, the friendly waiter brought over an iPad version with yet more enticing images to help us choose.

I decided to start with something from the extensive list of fresh mixed juices. The turbo booster, which contained avocado, pineapple, spinach, celery and lemon, was very good. The creamy avocado – an unexpectedly light ingredient – had a pleasingly alien freshness, and overall seemed to be exceptionally clean and healthy tasting.

We moved on to more food in liquid form, trying two of the day’s selection of soups. The butternut squash and coconut soup was a little salty, and didn’t have a particularly recognisable taste of either main ingredient, yet it was still delicious and well rounded. The broccoli and blue cheese soup was thinner and lighter, but a more successful mix, with a distinct (and more cohesive) flavour of both of the major ingredients.

Deliberating for some time over the appetising sandwich and salad selection, I eventually opted for the Viking sandwich, made with soft, malty bread, stuffed with smoked salmon, dill and sour cream: the lovely, summery Scandinavian flavour spectrum meant the name was apt. The grilled halloumi salad looked a little unexciting in comparison to some of the other salads, but it was a simple, healthy and satisfying mix of roasted tomatoes with rocket.

Aside from the satisfaction of flavour and the health kick afforded by the food at Café Baroque, the menu is also extremely affordable, yet still generous in terms of portion size. The decor may not be to everyone’s taste, but the chaotically rococo setting makes this friendly independent venue an unusually unique dining destination.

The bill (for two)
2x soup Dhs30
1x sandwich Dhs25
1x salad Dhs35
1x juice Dhs20
1x large water Dhs7
Total (excluding service) Dhs117