Think you know coffee? Get ready to be wowed. Nightjar in Al Quoz is one of the coolest coffee shops in town, in one of the city’s artiest, trendiest areas – Alserkal Avenue. And next year it will be setting up shop in Time Out Market Dubai, in Souk Al Bahar, Downtown Dubai. Co-founder and managing director Leon Surynt spills the beans.
Tell us more about nightjar.
Nightjar is organised into a few divisions: the wholesale business – coffee roastery, cold brew and craft beverage production – which we started off with in 2017; the online shop that followed soon after; then the flagship eatery and coffee roastery which opened its doors in Alserkal Avenue in late 2018.
How did you get into coffee?
I fell into all things hospitality in the early ’90s when I moved to the very hip coffee roasting town of Wellington NZ to be a student. I opened a concept that fused music, mixed drinks and coffee, with a food style based around small plates. At Nightjar we also lean heavily on the skills of Ved Navghare. Ved is former head chef of Tonka (Melbourne) and candidate for Australian Young Chef of The Year, so he helps keep things fresh.
Do you cook too?
I love repurposing ingredients and leftovers, so I make a lot of stocks. These often end up as paella or Asian noodle broths, especially as I live near Jumeirah Fish Market.
What is Nightjar famous for?
House-cured salt beef, old-school custard pie with cream, cold brew panna cotta, cherry and cardamom biscuits. Nitro Cold Brew such as maple, cherry, orange, and Nitro Cold Brew teas such as pomelo, grapefruit and green tea, chamomile and pineapple.
What’s the golden rule in your coffee shop?
Rules are golden, but break them if it makes things taste better.
What’s your favourite ingredient?
Akabanga chilli oil. Its made in Rwanda from a mix of scotch bonnets and habanero peppers. We pick some up every season when we go to coffee harvest.
What’s the next big coffee trend?
Coffee cherry kombucha.
For more news on Time Out Market Dubai, click here.
