Anyone who is part of the café scene in Abu Dhabi can tell you that Al Bateen is absolutely crammed with cool places to try.
Whether you’re the type to enjoy a hot drink with friends, work for hours in silence nursing your iced coffee, or sip endless cups of chai with your head buried in a paperback, this area is great for exploring.
Keki is a small Japanese bakery that’s easy to miss, but you definitely want to make a stop at next time you’re near Al Bateen Park. Step inside for breakfast and you’ll immediately be hit with the incredible smell of pastries mid-bake (if we could make a candle out of this smell, we would).
It’s an intimate space, with just a few places to sit and a long display case filled with croissants, quiches, pastries, and Japanese cheesecakes (we’ll get to the cheesecake later).
There are Japanese figurines, fans, and stickers adorning the cash register, adding a lived-in touch to the otherwise minimalist theme. The menu isn’t big, and seems to be mostly focus on breakfast, unless you’re the kind of person who prefers to have pancakes and French toast in the afternoon.
Keki’s seasonal açaí bowl with banana, granola, fruit and coconut shavings, is the perfect beginning to an indulgent breakfast. Eggs benedict, resting on two sweet, fluffy muffins topped in Hollandaise, features layers of Emmental cheese and ham. It’s not a huge dish as far as eggs benedicts go, but the flavours hit all the right notes.
Back (or onwards) to those Keki cheesecakes, all stamped with the restaurant’s name and logo. They’re so darn perfect-looking we almost regret cutting into them – but not really. Each cake is soft and fluffy, and not at all like the American version of the dish, more sponge and a whole lot less dairy upfront.
For coffee and a cake in happening Al Bateen, get thee to Keki.
Unlicensed. Open daily 9am-1am. Al Bateen (02 309 3999).
