Comptoir 102

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Comptoir 102 is a villa on beach road that has been converted into a restaurant and clothing/furniture store. The place has a very casual, comfortable vibe so it almost feels like you are sitting in someone's backyard.

In fact even the parking situation is like parking at someone's home - you actually have to block someone (or you get blocked in) and have to be prepared to get up in the middle of the meal to move your car.  In my case I had to get up the second after my coffee arrived, so came back to a cold cup of coffee.  Aside from this slight annoyance, the staff are very friendly and attentive.

I would definitely recommend the restaurant for someone looking for a light healthy meal or even just a juice or smoothie. All their juices are organic and sugar free and their smoothies are dairy free, as they use their homemade almond milk.

When I asked the waitress for some vegetarian recommendations for lunch, she directed me to the daily specials listed on the blackboard.  For AED 90 I could choose 1 appetizer (of the 2 listed) and 1 main course, however both courses were salads. Despite the unappetizing description of the "Raw" Cauliflower Salad, I picked it over the Carrot and Seed salad (also raw) based on the waiter's recommendation.  The only vegetarian main listed on this deal was the quinoa and nori salad, so I picked this as well.

The cauliflower salad was actually much better than I expected as it contained parmesan, which I only discovered once I got it.  I don't think cheese is considered "raw", but I didn't make a fuss, however this would definitely be misleading for a vegan.  The quinoa nori salad was good and the avocado made it even better (I think avocado makes everything better), but the dish was a little bit too bland for my liking.  Not a dish for someone who doesn't like seaweed as you can definitely taste it.

I later noticed a couple of interesting and more substantial looking vegetarian options on their regular à la carte menu like the Avocado Crostini and the "Buffalone Crositini" - I wish the waiter would have recommended these instead of the salads, but I guess I will have to try those on my next visit.

For dessert, I ordered the raw vegan cheesecake, which was actually pretty good for something that was both gluten-free and dairy-free.  The filling of the cheesecake was made with cashew nuts, lemon and honey and it had an almond and coconut base (no soy).

I would definitely like to go back for breakfast and some of their other vegan desserts.  I was hoping to try their banana cake or carrot cake on this visit, but they only offer 2-3 desserts on any given day and unfortunately they weren't available this time around.

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