Photo essay: Pots & Tea in Dubai's Al Nahda is 'a small cafe with a big heart'

Family-run business serves gourmet food with a side order of fun

Pots & Tea founder Marico Hao's passion for 'fusion baking' began when she started creating goodies for her daughter Kris and other family members on special occasions. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

Along with husband Alberto Opena, Marico is always on the lookout for the freshest, best-quality ingredients

The restaurant serves a wide range of mocktails

Alberto, who also runs a beverage consulting company, has been mixing and inventing new drinks for more than 25 years

A special Filipino roasted coffee called Mount Matutum is on the menu

Customers can also choose, from left, a Calamansito, Purple Lemonade and Grapefruit Sunset Pop

The Calamansito mocktail is made from the calamansi, or Philippine lemon, a citrus hybrid cultivated predominantly in the Philippines

Calamansi juice is known to boost the immune system, soothe acidity in the stomach and aid in weight loss

The chicken inasal – a charcoal-grilled chicken served with rice – is Pots & Tea's most popular dish

Marico in action in the kitchen

The double angus mushroom and cheese melt burger is also a hit with customers

Pots & Tea opened its doors in November in Dubai's Al Nahda neighbourhood

"Why should Downtown, Jumeirah, JLT and Marina have all the fun?" asks a promotional clip on Pots & Tea's Instagram page.

Located in northern Dubai, in Al Nahda 2, close to the Sharjah border, this family-friendly cafe wants to give its more popular competitors in the city's south a run for their money.

"We're a small cafe with a big heart," says brand manager Kris Hao.

"And we are the only one serving gourmet food along with board games in the neighbourhood."

Picking the location was deliberate, she adds.

"This kind of concept is not new to Dubai, but so many people living in Al Nahda area have to travel all the way to the south for nice restaurants.

"We wanted to give them that elevated dining experience right here, closer to home, where they can beat the traffic and enjoy a great meal at affordable rates."

Hao's parents, Alberto Opena and Marico Hao, are both experienced in the food and beverage industry, and have pooled their years of experience together for the concept.

The restaurant, which opened its doors in November, gets its name from its concept of serving many of its dishes in a pot, as well as its special brewed teas.

While the menu is international, the half chicken inasal, a Filipino charcoal-grilled chicken dish served with rice, is a big hit with diners.

"We wanted to give our customers a taste of our home and it's been one of the biggest hits on our menu," says Hao.

Also on offer is a wide variety of mocktails and creative drinks courtesy of Alberto, who runs his own beverage consultancy business.

Besides the board games, there's also a wide variety of books for those looking to while away their time.

Open daily, and able to seat 22 people at a time, this family-run business has been doing "roaring business" and is already 75 per cent close to breaking even in just six months, says Hao.

"We hope to break even within a year of opening," she says. "For a small restaurant, that is quite a feat. And all this is almost purely via word of mouth.

"Imagine what we could do if we had a bigger advertising and marketing budget."