You will find it all at Crumbs Elysée

Last night we tried out Crumbs Elysée Cafe located on Sheikh Zayed Road, right opposite Times Square Centre. I wouldn’t really classify them under one category because they are a melting pot of various wonderful things.

The minute you enter the cafe, the first thing you notice is their brightly lit interiors offering ample seating space spread across large tables, small tables and these unique cocoa beans. It’s not just the seating that’s unique, but the lighting too. Using whisks, graters and jute ropes among other things to place the light bulbs in, this cafe is anything but boring.

Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or entertaining guests, or just quietly reading a book over a coffee, their specialties are one too many. Their extensive menu features the best of multiple cuisines which includes a little bit of everything – right from all day breakfast to Lebanese mezze and grills and Italian pizza-pasta specialties to American sandwiches and burgers, it’s all in there. Not to forget the dramatic desserts and soothing tea and coffee variety. We tried to do justice to their offerings and ended up trying a little of everything. Read on to find out what we had!

Mojitos & More

That’s the lovely trio of drinks that we started our dinner with at Crumbs Elysée Cafe.

The first one is a classic Lime and Lemon Mojito at its tangy best. Garnished with all the essential elements of lemon pieces and mint leaves, this perky drink is really refreshing. Next one is a very good Berry Good. Obviously made with a lot of berries and a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, this one brings together strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. These are all crushed and blended together with the ice cream to make it a creamy shake. The drink is garnished with a pretty strawberry to top it off. The last one, my favorite, is Basilico. This wonderful blend of basil, pineapple, lychee and passion fruit comes as a slightly frothy, slightly tangy drink, offering different flavors in every sip. The kumquat garnish makes it all the more lovelier.

If it’s all day breakfast, there’s got to be eggs in it. And we tried not one egg based dish, but two. For me, breakfast has always been synonymous to omelettes. Right from my childhood days, breakfast on weekends involved mom making a fluffy 4 egg omelette with lots of vegetables in it.

Vegetarian Omelette

Keeping those memories alive, we opted for the Vegetarian Omelette at Crumbs Elysée Café. Very well whipped and cooked to a fluffy soft texture, this omelette came stuffed with chopped capsicum, eggplants, mushrooms, onions and marrow. Plus it was served with a side of lovely hash browns and toasted bread slices.

I could survive on such omelettes every day, that’s how much I love them. And in my opinion this was possibly the best dish we had out of everything we tried (desserts not included). Come back for my next post on another regional breakfast favorite.

Shakshookeh

After devouring the global breakfast classic, it was time to get a little closer to home. And what better than Shakshookeh to stand up to the pride. Cooked and served in a rustic pan, the fried ripe tomatoes perfectly envelope the eggs making it as visually appealing as it tastes.

This was served alongside some Arabic bread which I guess were not really fresh, since they got stiff quite quick. But the tangy mix of tomatoes coupled with boiled eggs was good enough in itself to save the day.

Shrimp Avocado Salad

Balancing all those breakfast specialties with some lighter and healthier, we opted for the bestselling Shrimp Avocado Salad. This was a mix of fresh, healthy, crunchy and creamy ingredients that all came together to create a colorfully appealing and tastefully satisfying salad.

The mixed lettuce base added a lovely green which was followed by bright red heirloom tomatoes and brown sweet pickled onion. The pink grilled marinated shrimps were just the way I love them – tender, crunchy and juicy. The star ingredient – avocado took a little more limelight than the shrimps in all its ripe glory. All these ingredients were tossed in a smooth raspberry and lemon herb dressing that added the perfect mix of sweet and sour flavors to this salad.

Crumbs Elysée Café also offers the famous Waldorf Salad with chicken, apples and walnuts. Or you can also opt for the cheesier Caprese or the classic Caesar.

Khashkhash Kabab & Hummus

Despite having a multitude of cuisines on offer at the Crumbs Elysée Café, we could only try so much. So we decided to go for a Lebanese main followed by another American one. When it comes to Lebanese food, nothing can quite make an impact like their grills, and Hummus of course!

The Khashkhash Kabab has been one of my favorites. I have tried this delicacy at quite a few Lebanese restaurants, and I can say this one was the least pleasing of the lot. The portion is quite good – 5 skewers of minced lamb grilled to a nice crusty finish. The seasoning of spices was great too which included a mix of parsley and chili sauce infused with garlic and smothered with tomato gravy. But it lacked the tenderness you expect from kebabs.

I know it’s very easy to blame bloggers for spending too much time clicking pictures while the food gets cold, but I have spent way more time clicking way more pictures of kababs that have stayed perfect even after. And to add to that, I have had cold grills myself on a few occasions that were much more tender and fresh than these.

The hummus was as classic as could get – with a blend of mashed chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and salt. This was topped with more chickpeas and a hint of red chilli powder. The taste was however, a little too sour for my liking. Too much lemon juice maybe. These were served with yet another basket of Arabic bread which would have been nicer if they were freshly baked pitas.

Having a strong association with Lebanese fare, the restaurant should up their game in terms of preparation. The presentation is on point, so it won’t take much to get there.

Fried Chicken Waffle Burger

After Lebanese, it was time to see if the American items off their menu did justice to our taste buds. And they did. I have always had a special place for chicken and waffles. So I pretty much had my eyes set on the Fried Chicken Waffle Burger when I first saw it on their menu.

The perfect mix of the slightly sweet and soft waffle paired with a savory buttermilk fried crunchy chicken was divine. And then there were the standard additions that you would expect in this sandwich – lettuce and tomato covered in a honey mustard dressing. I loved how the sweet and spicy lingo was maintained throughout the sandwich. These were served with fresh potato fries – crisp and lightly salted, and not a single bit soggy.

White Chocolate Sphere

Desserts. These definitely did not disappoint. Plus, they came with so much drama! First we were fascinated by their sheer presentation and then we were bowled over with their deliciously rich taste. This dessert is called the White Chocolate Sphere. I have always been spellbound by the ability of chefs to create such incredible desserts that transform in front of your eyes and unveil so much more that’s hidden beneath, creating a sense of surprise in every bite.

This white chocolate beauty was melted open with hot caramel sauce. It unwrapped a chocolate fondant cake topped with vanilla ice cream. The plate was decked up with mixed berries and chocolate sauce, which presented a wonderful balance of white and dark colors.

The chocolate fondant lava cake was so decadent, so rich, so chocolaty and so creamy, it was to die for. This is a must have dessert. In fact, this dessert is why you should visit Crumbs Elysée Café.

Smash Me Brownie

One is never enough. And too many is always good in our dictionary. So we had to try out their other bestseller dessert – Smash Me Brownie. This one was quite a craft too. Featuring two layers of dense chocolate brownies sandwiching a slab of vanilla ice cream within, this was the one of the richest and chocolatiest desserts I have ever had.

We didn’t really smash anything until the dark melted chocolate sauce was poured over the chocolate coated vanilla ice cream. It melted all that decadence that was perched on top of this tower of indulgence. The berries around the plate added a lovely deep color which perfectly complemented the choco-ness.

If we had skipped the chocolate sphere earlier, we would have definitely licked this off to the last drop. So make sure you order two (or more) desserts off their menu only if you are going in a big group of 5+ people, or if you have a really big appetite, or if you are simply visiting Crumbs Elysée Café for their desserts. Otherwise, you will end up wasting it, and such good, such rich and such delicious desserts should NEVER be left on the plate 🙂

Crumbs Elysée

Location: Al Manara Street, Sheikh Zayad Road, Al Safa, Dubai
Contact: 04 5509113