Dining Around Yas Mall

Have you ever visited Cafe Bateel, Dish Dash, Giraffe, Elli, or Guylian at Yas Mall? Well, me neither until I took the dine around Yas Mall trip and found that there’s so much more to savor than the typical food staples. If you take a trip off the beaten path you will find an abundance of restaurant choices that you may have overlooked.

CAFE BATEEL

DISH/DASH

Hold the press! This little gem was the biggest surprise of the day. Where is Dish/Dash you might ask? It is tucked in the back of the Cascade Dining hall. Where is Cascade Dining you ask? It is the fancy name Yas Mall gave for the little corridor of dining venues that opens up to the dancing fountain. And Dish Dash is the restaurant that sits in the very back off to itself past Chili’s. I personally declared it a secret Emirati man shisha smoking club — and I think it is — but guess what? Move over your shisha pipe boys because I may become a regular customer. Dish Dash is an Emirati food concept and sadly, it is kind of a mystery. No website, no Facebook page, no Instagram account. I am really, really trying to connect but shhhh….it’s a secret. Until now, since it is beautifully decorated to my Southern California sorta hippie Arab taste and I could just move in and live there and be totally content. If I had a villa decorated like this overlooking the ocean it would be…..heaven! Anyway, onto the food, it was all very, very good but what I really want to talk to you about is the most beautifully prepared fattoush salad I have ever seen. It was like it had a photo filter on it. It was veggie art on a plate. I wanted to eat it so badly but I had to stare at it for awhile because it was so stinking pretty — I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. In the end it did taste as good as it looked but the highlight of dining experience was the best baba ganoush I HAVE EVER TASTED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! No exaggeration, which I know I am guilty of doing on occasion but — IT WAS AWESOME. The rest of the food that was served was good too; but these two dishes were heaven on a plate. Overall, the experience was a huge surprise to me. You simply must go try it. I hate to ruin the secret mystery club but — slide your dish dash over boys because the cat is out of the bag!

GIRAFFE

We wanted to create a friendly, welcoming place where a smile goes a long way! And that is exactly what they’ve done. Giraffe is a UK restaurant chain with only 3 restaurants outside of the UK and those are located in….you guessed it, the UAE. The mission of Giraffe is to introduce diners to the wonderful foods of the world while introducing music from around the globe. If Giraffe doesn’t put a smile on your face then, well, there’s something wrong with you. The place is artfully decorated as something between an quirky children’s nursery, a health food store and a zoo gift shop. It is perpetually happy throughout the brightly colored decor, along with earthy woods and metal accessories it is easy to forget any trouble that bothered you when you walked in the door. The food is fresh, fresh, fresh and the menu is a wonderful assortment of healthy choices. It is obvious that Giraffe has families in mind and has cut no corners when it comes to accomodating. During my visit I sampled the ever favorite edamame, a pomegranate iced tea jar, a rodeo chicken burger and fries, and chicken & prawn laksa. The theme for Giraffe is definitely fun, fresh, and healthy food for the entire family. Giraffe offers breakfast, lunch and dinner items. And through my research I discovered Giraffe also offering a very in depth menu intolerance report. Have a family member with a food allergy? At Giraffe you can check the online menu for food allergies before you visit the restaurant. What a very thoughtful and helpful idea — because as the website points out Giraffes have the largest hearts of any land mammal. Bravo Giraffe! If you haven’t taken your little ones to Giraffe yet please go. It is a mouthful of sunshine.

 iLLY

The story begins in Trieste, Italy, the Adriatic port town where coffee first entered Europe, and where in 1933, company founder Francesco Illy developed the modern espresso machine. What?!? Did you know that illy developed the modern espresso machine? Me neither! I think this little fact explains a lot about illy. Our fourth stop of the day was illy coffee and honestly I was wondering why we were stopping at illy’s because we have all had illy’s coffee before….right? Located in the center court of Yas Mall, illy’s is ALWAYS busy. It is a great place to take a break during your shopping trip, set back, people watch and drink a cup of illy’s delicious coffee. We all know that illy’s coffee is some of the best in the world — but have you had illy’s coffee AND illy’s dessert? I hadn’t until my Dine Around Yas Mall tour. Illy’s espresso tiramisu is to die for! There are three different options original, orange ….and, well, I forgot the other one. What makes these little creations so special is not only the dessert itself but it is the espresso that is poured over the dessert which makes the combo absolute heaven. We were also introduced to the illycrema a little frothy iced coffee shake-like drink that was so thick my spoon stood straight up. My unequivicable recommendation at illy’s is definitely the tiramisu. If you have never stopped in at illy’s for a coffee please do. It is a great place to take a break, watch the human traffic and have the most delicious tiramisu I have ever tasted!

GUYLIAN BELIGIAN CHOCOLATE

The story of Chocolaterie Guylian began in the late 1950’s with the marriage of Guy Foubert and Liliane in 1958. Guy and Liliane merged their names to create the company name: Chocolaterie Guy-lian. The young couple created chocolates in the shape of seashells. Guy developed hazelnut praliné filling; Lilliane added the the shining marbled look. A true love story of romance and chocolate. By the time I arrived at Guylian, I was stuffed. And then the waiter arrived with a serving tower of beautiful boutique chocolates and fresh raspberries. What I am to do?!? Well, I ate them. Not all of them, of course. But I sampled enough to know that Guylian chocolates are truly something special. The artistry of the chocolates is evident in each edible sculpture and each bite is like butter melting in your mouth. Guylian would be a perfect place to sit and chat with a friend while treating yourselves to a beautiful assortment of luxurious treats. Guylian offers an array of sweets for dining in and an excellent collection to box for a gift. Guylian is located in the under the hanging fabric shells by the luxury park near Rolex. If you are in the mood to either treat yourself or someone you love; go to Guylian. It is a love story of romance and chocolate and an absolute decadent experience. The service was outstanding and the quality and artistry of the Belgian chocolate was unmatched. If you really, really love someone: give them Guylian Chocolates and continue the romance.

Yas Mall offers over 74+ dining options which are either currently open or will be opening soon. At Yas Mall there is always something for everyone to enjoy. Take a look at Yas Mall dining options on their website and please “like” their Facebook page.

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