Coffee and Horses at Daughter and Dad Coffee

Cafe

Jan 27

Some cafes don’t require a write up, what you see is what you get. Some do, there’s a story that needs to be shared. I am not sure how I came across Daughter and Dad Coffee, perhaps it was the name that I found intriguing. But I know one thing, I found the place charming, and that made me want to visit and blog about it.

After I arrived here, I realized there are horses here. The cafe is nestled inside the Desert Palm Equestrian Centre. This was another reason me and my little family stuck around for a while. A white horse, all by itself was poking its head out the fence when it spotted us and came trodding along.

My little one even named it “tututu”. Why? I had no idea, nor I wanted to question her. I was hungry and in need of some coffee to lift the grogginess out of my eyes. It was like we were in the country side. I did not realize the clean fresh air, the lush green cooling effect to the eyes, surrounded by a serenity peaceful to the ears, filled a sense of sedateness all over.

The cafe was like an outhouse, a stand alone unit away from the main structure, yet very much a part of it. A short walk towards the cafe and you can’t help but peak inside the little windows which were stables. The residents inside were not bothered about the peeping toms, busy being looked after, fed and groomed.

Entering the cafe, you will notice the space being quite airy, letting lots of sunlight in, and the view outside gave a feeling that I was in a farm of some sort. Cue the Old McDonald rhyme. Nevertheless, the smell of coffee was welcoming and I had to order some fresh waffles with fruits on the side.

A blend of India and Uganda in the hopper did not disappoint. The coffee is roasted by Orbis Coffee Roasting Company and it paired well with milk. I naturally went for a flat white like always. They don’t have pour over yet, but the baristas did mention that they should start offering that shortly.

Lia Clarke, who is the owner, shares her story on the inception of the cafe:

My name is Lia Clarke. I'm the owner of the cafe along with my dad, Justin Clarke, hence the name - Daughter and Dad! We are an independent cafe opened only in December.

My dad has been roasting and selling coffee for as long as I can remember. He is the CEO of Orbis Coffee in Dubai which has been running for over 20 years now.

So, really the cafe was born out of a shared passion for specialty coffee between the two of us. I grew up here and Dubai is my home. I moved back to the UK for university five years ago.

However, during the pandemic I felt the need to be closer to my family again. I was lucky to move back to Dubai five months ago.

My aim for Daughter and Dad is to create a calm, relaxing space where people can connect as a community, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and especially after all we have been through with COVID.

My hope for the future is that we keep growing and eventually host events that connect the Dubai community even more.

Daughter and Dad Coffee is a short drive from The Last Exit Khawaneej. It’s not hard to find and I believe it really is a hidden gem. You can find it here.

More pictures below: