This famous French bakery chain got off to a bit of a rocky start earlier this year – grubby surfaces, stale bread and little lines of ants crawling about were the less than fond memories we were left with after our initial post-launch visit. We swore never to return; but in the interests of fairness, we decided to give Eric Kayser another shot, and, fortunately, discovered that it had almost found its feet.
Over the past few months it has really cleaned up its act, so the tables and floors are sparkling, the atmosphere bustling and it has really made the most of the space in Abu Dhabi Mall. Plenty of natural light and smart wooden tables make it a relaxed, polished place to have lunch, with a menu mainly composed of gourmet salads, sandwiches and tartines, and a separate counter selling rustic breads and a range of sweet baked goods and cakes.
We began our lunch with a portion of smoked salmon rolls, which came wrapped up with herbs and cream cheese. These decent-sized mouthfuls tasted freshly made and disappeared very swiftly. We’d ordered tartines and salads for the main course but when they eventually arrived, didn’t quite live up to the standards of the appetiser. The smoked salmon tartine was a tad soggy, and (we do realise this is a rare complaint) the goat’s cheese salad had simply far too much cheese, so much so we ended up scraping most of it off the bread, which seemed rather a shame. Nonetheless, both dishes made a satisfying enough lunch.
The only problem Eric Kayser has to fix now is the interminably slow service. You have to really work to get the staff’s attention when you need anything, which means lunch ends up taking almost an hour and a half. We’re guessing the majority of their business comes from lunchtime customers, or those wanting a quick break from shopping, and these people probably won’t be able to spare so long for a quick bite.
The bill (for two)
Smoked salmon rolls Dhs42
Goat’s cheese salad Dhs48
Salmon tartine Dhs46
Total (excluding service) Dhs136
