This café is now permanently closed.

Experience a culinary adventure from Barcelona

A brand new Catalan café, ‘Bubó Barcelona Café’, straight from Spain recently caught our attention when we checked it out because of their amazing and divine tasting high-end pastries that start at about 30 AED each. We returned shortly after our first visit as we were officially invited to review their lunch menu.

The decor is refined with vibrant touches and it is just so unexpected to discover such a lovely café amongst the residential villas in the outskirts of Abu Dhabi.

Upon arrival we were welcomed with the delightful signature gazpacho made with olive oil used in 3 different ways.

 

Once seated we couldn’t help but order a couple of tapas. Patata bravas came plain and soft with a spicy liquid sauce on top. The fresh mussels – from the Mina Zayed fish market – are marinated for a few hours with citrus, carrots and onions and served with a tangerine foam on top. An unusual pairing between seafood and citrus that worked really well. The Chef also proposes a selection of ‘Coca starters‘ – a traditional thin bread served warm and topped with goat cheese along with different vegetables including eggplant.

For our mains the choice was tough as the menu has some very appealing dishes, from meat to seafood. We went for the paella (90 AED) with a Middle Eastern twist which we devoured in no time. Sophisticatedly arranged with dried artichokes sliced and displayed as a sculpture on top, we liked the herbal flavors and artichoke chunks inside the rice that is more cooked and less juicy than a traditional paella.

The cod confit with vanilla on peas and mint cream (100 AED) was perfectly cooked. A winning and surprising pick as we never imaged that the mix of cod and vanilla would pair so well.

We were happy we had left room for the tantalising desserts and opted for Namelaka Vanilla and Tonka. Priced at 40 AED, this is a sophisticated dessert with a hazelnut financier at the bottom, gunaja namelaka on the sides, raspberries and dried basil, hazelnut streusel on top of the whipped vanilla and tonka ganache. Their Hawaii verrine priced at 35 AED was also a great pick, prepared with creamy chocolate and praline mousse, and jelly and macadamia streusel.

The Chef also came with a trolley and jars filled with different coulis, flavored crumble pieces, and a few more surprises to taste. He first artistically arranged our plate with these ingredients before dropping our selected dessert on top.

Overall the service and food were all impressive. A pure gem like that made our day and deserves a big shout out.

Bubó Barcelona Café in Abu Dhabi | Khalifa City A, close to Al Forsan Village | +971 2 555 03 33

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