An experience of gastronomical proportions

Just as Istanbul is at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, the newly opened restaurant Café Buur at JBR Pavilion connects a link between Germany and Dubai. Germany’s most beloved breakfast place opened its doors in Dubai for the first time recently. Adept in modern Middle Eastern mezze and food from the European nation, the café is freshly aesthetic in its food and décor.

Despite Dubai being the home to Middle Eastern cuisine, we don’t often see a medley of cuisines under one roof in the city. From Turkish to Iranian and Arabic, Café Buur’s newly conceptualised brunch menu tastes of well-thought-out recipes and cuisines that include the traditional Turkish classics with Buur’s take on it. The menu has the same, as well as newly added, dishes served in its beloved cafes in Cologne, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt. We decided to take a look at what the noise was about. We sampled a few dishes and were pleasantly surprised.

As we stepped into the restaurant at 4 PM (a bit late by if we go by brunch standards), we were greeted by a gorgeous reception. The décor with hues of brown and green and decorated lighting fixtures was like stepping into a Parisian café. For me, it recreated the mood of outdoor eating in a European city that is lush with greens and woods. Café Buur hosts its patrons inside a well-ventilated space at the JBR Pavilion so ideal for Dubai’s hot summers. The café comes with a choice of both indoor and outdoor seatings. We decided to sit outdoors since it was still daytime and the light through the roof felt cool.

The venue has a 300-seat capacity and houses a two-story dining hall, an elegant bar, and a shisha lounge.

I decided to go by the café’s recommendation, rather than going by the pictures on the menu. I am glad because none of the dishes I wanted to try was on the list of the café’s hit list for us. My suggestion: if you are going in for the first time, please ask the manager or the server what you should try at Café Buur.

We were introduced to the Fattoush Salad. Came in with a bit of a flair for dry ice while being presented. That said, each ingredient was the freshest selection, be it romaine lettuce, watercress leaves, tomatoes or cucumber. The taste was tangy, to say the least, and that had a cooling effect.

Soon after came the sucuk (pronounced sujuk). The three strips were presented hanging on pegs that came with chilli sauce. Normally sucuk are stiff and challenging to chew. The ones at Café Buur were succulent and spiced appropriately. The tiny morsels of cured meat were specially recommended before we started, and I could see why.

We then tried another dish of sucuk with cheese and tomatoes that was both saucy and cheesy at the same time. Good luck to your palate getting both tastes at the same time. It’s a perfect one-pan dish for those who like to add a bit of drama to their palate.

Next to arrive on the table were menemen. This Turkish version of Shakshouka but without the egg on top was a revelation. The dish is divided into two parts – one side has labneh with mint. The other side is the gravy menemen, which is a traditional Turkish dish mostly served as a hearty breakfast. It is a simple one-pan dish with eggs, tomatoes and green peppers. In this dish, the egg is beaten with the gravy thus giving it a taste of tomato gravy rather than eggy. I love eggs, therefore this dish scores on the top. Highly recommend trying the authentic Turkish dish at this place.