Forever Rose Café Dubai

BACKGROUND The Insta-worthy Forever Rose Café, which opened in Dubai’s Box Park in November, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s the brainchild of Alsamadi Group CEO Ebrheem Al Samadi, who wanted to create a restaurant with an all-black-and-white color scheme, providing a backdrop that would bring out the colors of the food. The café, an extension to the Forever Rose brand (luxury long-lasting forever roses) and the second Forever Rose Café in the UAE (there’s one in Abu Dhabi), can seat up to 100 people overlooking the outdoor garden and is available for events.

- Allyson Portee

WHAT’S IT LIKE As you enter the café the tiles read ‘your story starts here’. Indeed, it is like walking into a storybook, perhaps the modern-day Alice in Wonderland, with 2D monochrome styling and an eclectic array of illustrations that range from past and present UAE Sheikhs, for that all-important Emirati touch, to portraits of British royal icons HRH Queen Elizabeth and the late Princess Diana. “We like to cater to all demographics – ex-pats and locals,” says Al Samadi, who has incorporated Islamic and Christian art, with iconic domes – the Dome of the Rock Mosque, the Sistine Chapel, Hagia Sophia – reflecting how the café embraces all faiths.