Anyone living on the mainland will be overjoyed to hear that Miss J Café is now open at the Pink Shops in Khalifa A. As the name implies, Miss J is a standard café – nothing too fancy but a lovely little break from the usual fast food on offer in the fastest-growing suburb in the capital, including a variety of breakfast items, soups, sandwiches, sweet and savoury crêpes and a bevy of gorgeous cakes.

While nothing really zings off the menu, you can be sure to find consistent quality at Miss J. The savoury crêpes are all reminiscent of beauty pageant contestants with names like Miss Norway, Miss Holland, and Miss Portugal, and each should come stuffed with tidbits particular to the nation in question – the Miss Italy that we tried comes with egg, tomato and turkey, although we missed the Italian connection in that ...

Perfect for a light lunch was the smoked turkey sandwich, a basic nosh complemented by crisp, tasty vegetables and toasted bread with French fries on the side – what you’d expect for a lunchtime sandwich. The same can be said for the salads and creamy soups; everything is nice, not particularly spectacular but good considering the options within a ten minute drive.

What will inspire you to dodge the traffic outside and find a parking spot is the cake case – the branch in Khalidiya has long been a staple for birthday and baby shower cakes which you can have made and decorated to order. If you’re only in the market for a single slice, try the gorgeous little round blueberry cheesecake or the hearty double chocolate cake with frosting.

What? Miss J Cafe
Where? The ‘Pink Shops’ in Khalifa City A
Cost: Very reasonable – nothing on the menu is more than AED 25
Why? A star among its limited competition, and fantastic cakes
Why not? There’s nothing particularly dazzling in food terms, although there’s no fault to be found
We say: Check it out if you’re in the area – where else are you going to go?
Contact: 02 666 7800