What is it? It's a stunning little restaurant and book store filled with mostly children's books and some good, contemporary adult titles. I love Book Munch's window display - a beautifully styled table heaving with sorbet-hued treats and take-me-home books. The name Book Munch came from the fantastically illustrated children's book The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers (pictured below) that I bought when I was having lunch there. I love kid's books as much as I love food! I also picked up Olivia Helps with Christmas (pictured below too).
Where is it? Al Wasl Square, the stylish new complex that includes a range of retail stores (clothing shops, gift stores, restaurants, beauty parlours and even a place to do yoga) and contemporary apartments. Al Wasl Square is on the corner of Al Hadeeqa Street and Al Wasl Road, as the name suggests. The actual store, Book Munch, is on the Al Wasl Road side. Walk about halfway up the side of the complex and you'll see it.
What's it like? The store is drenched in natural light, the food is fantastic and there's a small playing/reading area so if you have younger children you can bring them along. If you love reading and eating (not necessarily at the same time, although the staff don't mind), you should check it out.
What's it good for?
They do breakfast, soups, salads, sandwiches as well as cake and tea. It's a great place to pop to for lunch if you live or work in the area and a great place to catch up with friends at the weekend. (If there's no parking at the sides there's usually always open RTA parking spaces at the back of the complex...) The service is really friendly and pretty efficient. I had an embarrassing 'ma'am your card isn't working' moment and the waiter serving my table, Sean (I'm sorry if I'm spelling that wrong!), was really patient and friendly while I found a card that actually worked.
What do you recommend? I had a soup and salad combo (Dh42 for a cup of soup and half a salad). I chose Hearty Harira Soup (Middle Eastern soup with spiced chickpeas, lentils, cumin and lemon juice) served with crispy, still-warm croutons and the chicken and avocado salad with Book Munch salad dressing. The salad looked beautiful and the ingredients were incredibly fresh. It might sound strange but my favourite ingredient was the dressing! It was light and zesty without being overbearing and it complemented the fresh zing of the rocket and the rich creaminess of the not-too-ripe avocado perfectly. The soup was served at Goldilocks temperature and the wholesome flavours of the slightly spiced chickpeas and lentils left me feeling warm and satisfied. Be careful if you're a vegetarian though! The menu doesn't mention that the soup has lamb in it and the staff didn't mention it to me either. The portion size is generous, so much so that I couldn't finish my soup. It's great value for money and makes a yummy lunch option.
What do I want to try next time? The Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea Party for Two (Dh79), which the menu says is 'a wild mixture of savoury and sweet served as a veritable Mad Hatter's Tea Party with as much tea as you can imagine from an ENORMOUS teapot'.
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What's it like? The store is drenched in natural light, the food is fantastic and there's a small playing/reading area so if you have younger children you can bring them along. If you love reading and eating (not necessarily at the same time, although the staff don't mind), you should check it out.
What's it good for?
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| Above: My book purchases while dining... |
What do you recommend? I had a soup and salad combo (Dh42 for a cup of soup and half a salad). I chose Hearty Harira Soup (Middle Eastern soup with spiced chickpeas, lentils, cumin and lemon juice) served with crispy, still-warm croutons and the chicken and avocado salad with Book Munch salad dressing. The salad looked beautiful and the ingredients were incredibly fresh. It might sound strange but my favourite ingredient was the dressing! It was light and zesty without being overbearing and it complemented the fresh zing of the rocket and the rich creaminess of the not-too-ripe avocado perfectly. The soup was served at Goldilocks temperature and the wholesome flavours of the slightly spiced chickpeas and lentils left me feeling warm and satisfied. Be careful if you're a vegetarian though! The menu doesn't mention that the soup has lamb in it and the staff didn't mention it to me either. The portion size is generous, so much so that I couldn't finish my soup. It's great value for money and makes a yummy lunch option.
What do I want to try next time? The Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea Party for Two (Dh79), which the menu says is 'a wild mixture of savoury and sweet served as a veritable Mad Hatter's Tea Party with as much tea as you can imagine from an ENORMOUS teapot'.
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| The chicken and avocado salad and Hearty Harira soup combo. So yum! |
www.bookmunchcafe.com, 04 388 4006
If anyone reading this blog has been to Book Munch please let me know what you thought about it in the comments section...
If anyone reading this blog has been to Book Munch please let me know what you thought about it in the comments section...
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