Hitting the sacks at Raw Coffee Company

A cafe in a coffee warehouse? You'd have to get on a ship to Colombia to get any closer to the source. That's what Raw Coffee Company does with the front of its Al Quoz space, from where it also distributes its signature brand of fresh, organic, ethically-traded coffee.

Tucked into a narrow lane leading into one of the warehouse compounds at 4A/7A near Noor Islamic Bank metro station, it takes a little effort to find, especially for those unfamiliar with the community; a sign at the outer end of said lane would be great. Art fans might have come across it, though, since a few galleries dot the area around it. Inside is a bustling cafe right up against stored sacks of raw coffee and a working roastery, which infuse the air with a rich aroma. Definitely a great ambiance.

The experience here is centered on the die-hard coffee lover, with the edible portion of the menu limited to a few varieties of cake and cupcake (but good ones, I should add). The coffee menu is also fairly simple: Arabica, available in the standard range of concentrations and milk options from a sharp ristretto (top left) to a creamy latte (bottom right), along with hot chocolate for kids, and a cold brew option (top center). For those who want to be a bit more involved, there's also the list of six brewing options from which to choose, the mild and delicious Chemex (right) among them.

A4 Space unfolds in Al Serkal

Al Serkal Avenue's A4 Space officially opened its doors on Monday with a live music performance by Hamdan al Abri, and milling throngs of have-a-lookers, bringing to the compound and the neighborhood a much-needed replacement for Shelter. With a cafe, a community library, a store, and rather large gallery and screening halls (the latter with stepped rows of beanbags), it also sort of fills in the void left by the old Pavilion. The space's design is neat, too; a platform constructed halfway into the front section, with another level of catwalk overlooking it, and little reading nooks complementing the desk space.

Art exhibition Gentle by Jonathan Gent at XVA

The Jonathan Gent painting exhibition, Gentle, is on display at the XVA Gallery (now contiguous with the XVA Art Hotel) until the end of next month. I dropped by the Bastakiya al Al Fahidi this weekend to have a look (and to watch a film that did not end up screening, but there was some good vegetarian food at the cafe to compensate).

The subject matter is drawn from the artist's experiences as a visitor in the region -- and especially in Dubai -- about 5 years ago. Those of us who live here will recognize much of the imagery depicted in his mental snapshots and  impressions from his exploration of the city. Some of these have been reduced to the barest elements, while some have been fleshed out in further detail and color (while yet retaining a minimal style).

The works have been painted on raw wood veneer, lending them a unique texture. This is especially evident in the more drawing-like ones; the lines on the boards are interrupted and pushed out by the wood grain over which they are painted.

Check it out!

Ya Kun comes to Dubai at Ibn Battuta Mall

At long last, Singaporean kopi & kaya toast chain Ya Kun Kaya Toast has come to the UAE. For me, that means no more rationing bags of coffee and jars of kaya personally lugged from Singapore.

I'm not sure as to what extent I was involved with their decision to set up in the UAE, but I have been pestering them to do so for a couple of years. Let's just say that a few weeks before opening, I was phoned up by one of their people to notify me and invite me to Like their Facebook page, and was welcomed with a digital banner announcing my arrival when I did.

The cafe is located in its own (appropriately Sino-esque) hut, in the middle of the restaurant garden outside China Court in Dubai's Ibn Battuta Mall. There's plenty of outdoor seating for the cooler months, and lots of greenery and water around, reminiscent of the Singaporean ambiance.

The restaurant's interior is spacious and comfortable, done up in Ya Kun colors. It does not have a stewing kitchen, so no laksa and such at this one. No problem, because the menu has everything for which I primarily patronized the chain. The only thing left to see was how authentic it would be, especially given the local re-branding that dropped "kaya" from the name.

I and my friends went for the usual coffee set. I sprinkled the egg with pepper and drizzled it with soy sauce, just like old times. The toast was perfect, the sweet kaya layers letting the butter melt ever so slightly, while keeping it away from slices of toast cut to just the right thickness. The kopi was slightly off, as per my recollection; I asked for an additional dash of condensed milk, which fixed that.

They also gave us a hearty potato curry sandwich, on the house. Actually, I've never had this before, as I mainly went to Ya Kun for the kaya toast and kopi, but it was pretty good.

I was not quite done, for there was one long-time-no-see left: yuanyang, a Southeast Asian mixture of coffee and tea.


2014SEP11 UPDATE: No updates online since Ramadan, and the phone's not working. A call to Ibn Battuta confirmed the worst: it's closed, after barely a year of operation. I wonder why, because it was a fairly busy location, the economy's picking up, and there were always a good number of customers whenever I visited. Oh, well.

2014SEP13 UPDATE: After digging around their Facebook Page, it seems they're only closed for relocation. A relief, but I wish they prominently mentioned this on their Facebook Page and website.

2014NOV12 UPDATE: Ya Kun HQ has confirmed that the franchisee has shut shop permanently. What a shame. Hope someone else picks up the baton someday soon.

Movie night at The Cribb

Miranda Davidson Studios screened Training Day at The Cribb in Al Quoz today, which also gave me a chance to check out the venue. The place is located at The Football Centre, which made it convenient to get to from the Manara exit. The Cribb is on the 1st level, and is accessible by swipe card, featuring pay-to-use office space run by i360accelerator, aimed at entrepreneurs and mobile workers. The screening was held in the meeting/event room, en route to which I passed several desks, a modest cafe, and a lounge space.

What I saw of the place looked pretty cool and colorful, and well-designed for its intended purpose. Some in the target market (especially those used to the models of Pavilion Downtown or MAKE) might have issues with them having no on-demand pay-as-you-go options for walk-ins, if not with having to pay at all. For those who can commit to frequent and long-term usage of the place, though, the monthly packages are fairly attractive, and, depending on the package, include such perks as branded workspaces, dedicated desks, and free software access, presently starting at about AED 20 a day (which is not too bad, considering that the cafe is reasonably priced).

Fusion piano by Malika Omar at Al Fayrooz Lounge

I dropped by Al Fayrooz Lounge in Madinat Jumeirah to enjoy some nice piano music from fusion pianist Malika Omar before an evening show at the nearby Madinat Theatre. It was still too hot for the outdoors, so I relaxed under hypnotic conical ceiling fans, sipping my brew.

Ms Omar's piano pieces are perfect for the atmosphere of the place. Derived from both occidental and oriental inspirations, her pieces shift back and forth between movements, including frequent changes in tempo and melody to keep monotony away. I even thought I heard extracts of Bollywood tunes worked into some of those classical styles. Quite relaxing, really.