Luxury French Dining at Café Des Artistes

There’s something about French fine dining that you just can’t miss. Be it the elegance in their décor, the charm exuding from the walls, or the detailed artistry in their food. Everything spells out sophistication.

So does this newly opened French restaurant in the heart of Boxpark. Café Des Artistes highlights the luxurious French lifestyle with its creative composition of food and exquisite interiors, making it perfect for the urban chic crowd of Dubai. Flaunting their love for horses, the restaurant is adorned with paintings and portraits of this humble animal, be it the cushions or the walls. The layout in itself is highly appealing in terms of design and lighting, seeping in the essence of a late evening dine at a Parisian roadside café.

We visited Café Des Artistes on the first day of its opening. Wow, that is something I am certainly proud of. Our server stressed on how fresh all their ingredients are and suggested some signature dishes. While we ordered those, we were presented with this petite looking amuse bouche offered with the chef’s compliments.

The tooth fish ceviche, layered on a thin and flaky crusted bread was topped with a tomato confit and garnished with radish. The fish, while staying true to the freshness we were expecting, was deliciously smooth textured and almost dissolved in my mouth. I really liked how the tomato confit gave it a tangy finish, subtly taking over the fishy taste, so you can get the best of both flavors.

There’s really no better way to start a meal than with fresh juice and fresh bread. And when it comes to French cuisine, they like to take everything up a notch.

Following the suggestions of our server, who very confidently suggested the orange and watermelon fruit juices, we were offered a portion of warm baked bread along with herb butter and olive oil while we waited for our starters. The juices exceeded expectations in terms of both, freshness and flavor. The tanginess of the orange and sweetness of watermelon were a treat for the tastebuds.

And while the bread was perfect, what was even more perfect was the creamy herb butter it was served with. This exquisite butter came infused with mushrooms. That’s right – butter infused with herbs and mushrooms. Did I tell you how French cuisine takes everything a step above normal?

These were not even the starters. There’s lots more Parisian cuisine to take you through. Read on!

It’s not just the lovely décor and refined French flavors that take your heart away, but the picture perfect plating also plays an important role in defining Parisian luxury dining.

Winning over both, seafood lovers and avoiders with its creamy, melt-in-the-mouth texture, the sea bass carpaccio at Café Des Artistes was not only a delight to look at, but extremely palatable as well. Dotted with oyster mushrooms, watercress and green peppers, it was presented on a circular plate that was slightly raised on one half to hold the crunchy mesclun salad.

I’ve never eaten lobster. There is no particular reason, except for that my non-blogger version was not so fond of seafood. But now I am more of an adventurer. Don’t take it to the extremes though. I am yet to consider octopus or mussels, or anything else that I am probably not aware of. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

For now, let’s focus on this piece of deliciousness fresh from the sea. This roasted tandoori styled blue lobster might come across as a little pricey (AED 250), but then we all know gems are precious. Served with grapefruit and avocado, it was drizzled with lemongrass vinaigrette mixed with sugar syrup.

Lobsters, I have heard, need to be cooked just right so the meat is roasted to a tender perfection. Too little and it will be raw, too much and it will get chewy. This blue lobster on our table, lived up to its French standards of perfection. The meat had a hint of chewiness but it brought across a sweet flavor and mingled so well with the creamy avocado, sour grapefruit and tangy vinaigrette essences, it just kept me going back for more. It was really nice to have all those flavors blend together in every bite.

There’s chicken. Then there’s good chicken. And then there’s French chicken. I had the pleasure of devouring the third type.
Fresh from the land of France, this free range chicken comes with a herb and garlic stuffing and is beautifully topped with chicken gravy. White the meat is tender and aromatic, thanks to its rosemary and thyme encrusted coating, the creamy potato mash on the side, combined with nuts and herbs, gives it a slightly nutty texture.
So French, this chicken main course deserves a try.

When it comes to French cuisine, you know everything that seems normal, won’t be so. There definitely will be something exquisite about it. Something that makes it different from the rest.
So are these truffle fries at Café Des Artistes. Yes, French fries as they are widely known, these aren’t paticularly crispy when served, but the aroma and flavor of truffle oil. That, my friends, is out of this world.
Giving you a very Parisian feel, these golden house fries are made fresh with every order, and just the perfect side there could be.

The French are known for their desserts. And that’s because they are so good at it.

Fluffy, spongy and extremely light, this is the Pistachio souffle at Café Des Artistes. I know this is kind of getting boring how I say in almost every post that I hate this ingredient, but I still ate it and it was amazing. But well, it really is a personal discovery for me. Stepping out of my comfort zone of sorts. So I guess my flaunting is justified. Just so you know, the lucky ingredient here, which has and will be getting lots of praise, is well, the main one – pistachio!

Now there are two reasons why you need to try this:
One, it is not overly sweet, which is just how I like my desserts. The souffle has a mild nutty pistachio flavor but its texture is extremely feathery, almost like a cushion filled with clouds. The sweet vanilla sauce is what compensates for its not so sugary flavor, but even then, it does not go overboard. It infact, makes the souffle so much more creamy, it just melts, and I mean it, just melts in your mouth, leaving your taste buds to indulge in all that nutty pistachio, fragrant vanilla and velvety texture.
And as I earlier mentioned, its a French dessert, so there’s no way it cannot be perfect. Right?
The next reason you need to devour this dessert is for the sheer presentation. Check my previous post to take a look at how our talented server gently breaks the souffle and pours in all that vanilla goodness. Just mesmerizing.
Also, if the sweetness is too much for you, you can always tart it up with a piece of strawberry on the side.

Offering the right amount of sweetness to the perfect bounce, this signature souffle at Café Des Artistes is highly recommended.
Watch the video of our server gently breaking the souffle open and pouring in creamy vanilla sauce on my Insta-blog here.

Go to Café Des Artistes for an occasion, or spoil your partner with the luxurious French fine dine. The interiors and the food make it definitely worth a visit.