Sweet Berry is a cool new vegetarian Indian restaurant/bakery/sweet shop in the heart of old Dubai that serves food in an innovative way. The entrance might be a bit confusing and more representative of a cafe, but give it a go anyway.
Our verdict: Don’t judge a book by its cover and a restaurant by its name. Give Sweet Berry a chance as it’ll leave you pleasantly surprised.
The Food
Honey Chilli Mushroom [AED 22]: This was T’s favourite dish. The mushrooms were crunchy and sweet with a bit of spiciness from the chilli. We wouldn’t mind the dish being a bit spicier though. We were expecting it to be a bit of a disappointment since usually this Indo-Chinese dish is made with potatoes and making mushrooms crunchy sounds good on paper but doesn’t usually translate on the plate. Sweet Berry thankfully got it right.
Soya Tikka Masala [AED 24]: This dish is Sweet Berry’s solution for meat lovers going to a vegetarian restaurant. It is mock meat made of soy which looks extremely convincing when it first arrives. Cutting through the “meat” you realise thanks to the sponginess of soy that it isn’t meat at all. Sweet Berry has made a brilliant effort as we think making convincing mock meat is hard since it tends to be flavourless and bland but they’ve done a great job with the spices and presentation so it works well overall.
Ratatouille [AED 28]: We were a bit split with this dish. M liked the dish as she felt the dish was quite flavourful and was a modern spin on a classic ratatouille, with chunks of zucchini, bell peppers and eggplant in a tangy tomato gravy over herbed rice. The presentation was great as well. T felt the dish was a bit bland as it seemed to have more rice than anything else. So we agreed to disagree on this one.
The Drinks
Sweet Berry serves drinks in an interesting way, their little spin on theatrical presentation. The glasses are cone shaped and put inside of a small fishbowl type of glass which has some dry ice in which they add water which is coloured red. Definitely a wow factor.
Choco Brownie Shake [AED 18]: The chocolate brownie shake was not as exciting as the name sounds, it basically got blended bits of brownie that is almost non-existent. The brownie bits give the drink a grainy texture which isn’t all that satisfying as chunks of brownie. Definitely has room for improvement.
Java Chip Frappe [AED 22]: This is definitely the favourite from the two. It’s a nice coffee flavoured frappe which was chocolatey and had a thick consistency.
It’s worth noting that the drinks are relatively smaller in portion size than what you would expect, we suppose the prices reflect the presentation aspect as well.
The Dessert
Chocolate Mousse [AED 12]: The chocolate mousse here isn’t very traditional. It’s more of a layered mousse which has a chocolate sauce in between. It was also very cold when served having been in their refrigerated display case and hence didn’t have that soft, light, fluffy consistency you would expect from a mousse.
Service
The service at Sweet Berry was quite good. You are greeted at the entrance by someone who escorts you in. From here you meet the very excited and passionate people in Sweet Berry. They were nice enough to first gave us a tour of the place. Once we finally decided to sit down we had someone else attending to us by the name of Mani. He was very helpful in his suggestions, we basically just ordered whatever he suggested and are glad that we did.
The Venue
When you look at Sweet Berry from the outside, it looks like a bakery or sweet shop. If that isn’t what you’re looking for, still give it a try and go in as Sweet Berry have a lot more to offer. When you enter it’s as if you’re walking on a road, with two pavements on either side which are basically small platforms where the tables are situated.
The ground floor is almost like a dessert cafe, with bakery and sweet displays. They also have their custom gift boxes and baskets adorning shelves on the walls.
Sweet Berry has another floor above. We would have completely missed it if they haven’t told us about it and shown us around. Upstairs, the set up is quite different as they have a mocktails bar and more seating for bigger groups. It’s clearly more of a dining area, whereas downstairs is more of a cafe and takeaway pick up area.
We did find the restaurant a bit confusing. The ambience is great, but eating food on the ground floor was awkward on tiny tables. You do feel like you’re sitting in a cafe having dinner. They are attempting to have a bit of everything under one roof and even though they are getting a few aspects right, the rest is a tad confusing.
To Book or not to Book
Sweet Berry is a big enough venue that you won’t ever really need to make a reservation. If however you are coming in big groups then it’s best to book a section upstairs. If you are placing a large order for desserts or a cake it’s always best to book in advance.
How to Get there
Sweet Berry is close to BurJuman in the Umm Hurair area, just past it in the direction of the creek. In the same line as Max and next to RAK Bank.
By Car: When on bank street heading in the direction of Maktoum Bridge, take a left at the BurJuman signal (when BurJuman is on the right). Take a turn into the first service lane and Sweet Berry will be on the right side. If you do not find parking in front of the restaurant then look for parking around the corner. Note, that the area in front of the venue are not all parking spots, notice the road signage as they may be no parking signs.
If heading towards BurJuman from the Sana signal, go straight past BurJuman signal. Sweet Berry will be in the first service lane.
By Cab: The closest landmark is BurJuman. Once you reach BurJuman, based on the direction, follow the instructions above to get to Sweet Berry easily.
Public Transport: Getting to Sweet Berry using the Dubai Metro is really easy and actually quite convenient. Take the Red or Green line and get off at the BurJuman metro station. From there get, exit from the side of the Max clothing store, Exit 1. Sweet Berry is a 2 or 3 minute walk in the direction of the creek.
Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/Ks1FposJK782
The Entrance
Sweet Berry is facing the main road. It’s really hard to miss. Look for the cow at the door and their logo at the top. There is parking right in front but it tends to be full, so you might have to park the lanes on the side.
Total Bill
- Honey Chilli Mushroom: AED 22
- Soya Tikka Masala: AED 24
- Ratatouille: AED 28
- Choco Brownie Shake: AED 18
- Java Chip Frappe: AED 22
- Chocolate Mousse: AED 12
Total for two: 116
Restaurant info
04 4376034
