Madeleine Cafe & Boulangerie

When did Dubai suddenly become so crowded with people?? Somehow that Thursday nearly half of Dubai had the same exact thought, at the exact same time... "Wouldn't it be great to go watch the Dubai Fountain??". Watching the fountain from the ground floor was absolutely impossible with the amount of people there was.  Looking up hoping to find a safe haven to hide and watch from, our eyes were mesmerized by the glowing lights of the Madeleine Cafe & Boulangerie  sign.  The sign was a sign, it was teasing us with its perfect location and view as if saying, "could you do any better than this??", and with that sensual French accent, how could we resist?

The interior is one that is quite typical of a French Cafe with its wooden chairs, tiled floors and hanging pictures. It's warm and quiet atmosphere was welcomed with open arms by everyone at the table. As expected the view was brilliant, the French speaking sign did not disappoint.  After watching the fountain twice we had had enough and were ready to start eating.  Two salads, the Nicoise Salad and the Provencale, and a plate of Escargot were ordered for appetizers and a combination of the Salmon Fillet, the Polet Roti and a Burger were ordered for the main courses. Taking a moment to look around  I noticed that it was quite full... full could only mean one thing right?? right?!

Warm bread was hand delivered to us in small baskets, the smell making our tummies rumble with anticipation. There were smiles around the table as the bread took its position, I grabbed a piece ready to place it on my plate when I noticed ... no plate. I looked up to find the same confused look on everyone's faces. One minute passed, two minutes passed... five minutes passed and no plates were presented. After having already divulged the bread we asked for some plates and the waiter looked confused as if it was something new to him having to need a plate to eat ones food on. We had to ask twice before we had any sort of plates.

The bread had vanished, now for the appetizers. Traditionally, the appetizers are served before the main course - to do their job and apetize. Unfortunately,  our main courses arrived first, and we were half way through our dinner before we even saw our salads. The dish I chose was a simple burger, I never really know what to choose at a French restaurant, so safe was the way I decided to go. It was your typical burger, except there was no special sauce, no fresh and delicious bun, something you could probably get at any burger joint.  I quite liked it anyways, it was light and satisfied my hunger. I didn't get the chance to fully enjoy our appetizers because I was stuffed from my main course. I did manage to put a bit of the Nicoise Salad on my plate but it wasn't something I felt I needed to have more of. The rest of the table seemed to have mixed feelings about their food, they liked what they ate but it did not leave a lasting impression. Ordering the bill was quite a tiring ordeal, none of the waiters seemed to be interested in getting it for us - they would just nod from a distance and continue on with whatever they were doing. We had to order the bill three times and had to wait fifteen minutes to get it back. Never saw a group of people less excited about getting paid.

In conclusion, I do not think I would be coming back except maybe to enjoy its location and spacious outdoor area while watching the fountain and trying out their desserts and pastries. 

The Bill per person : Around 150 AED.