Mad Hatter’s party, Sugar Factory.

Ok, so it took me a while to get there. All the cool kids were instagramming ‘La Mer’ to the moon and back and I was still nowhere to be seen. It took so long that I was worried it may not even be so cool by the time I got there. Literally. it was actually really far. Especially if you live on the wrong side of Sheikh Zayed road but if you are around Satwa or Bur Dubai, a hop, skip and a jump will get you there.

It all seemed to be worth it when we reached. I wanted to do a little dance and tell people that I had ‘arrived’. More on that in another post. Of all the beautiful little cafes and restaurants at La Mer, one definitely stood out. Not just because it was one of the largest standalone restaurants bang in the middle of La Mer Central but also because of its name and colorful logo. That is how we decided to eat at the Sugar Factory.

A quick google search revealed that Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Britney Spears, Drake, Nicole Scherzinger, Kim Kardashian and Eva Longoria are among celebrities who have either endorsed or have been spotted at the Sugar Factory. Needless to say, I was intrigued.

There couldn’t have been a more appropriate name for this place. It was like the Mad Hatter was hosting a tea party at Willy Wonka’s house. It was just like any other mad tea party but bigger and better with bright red leather couches and all the bells and whistles possible because of course, this was Willy Wonka land.

The theme of the shindig was ‘Carnival Eats’ and God knows I like a themed party. Had it not been for the fear of diabetes and old age, I would have indulged in an insane milkshake type thing but was happy to settle for the passion fruit mojito.

Sticking to the theme of the party, we ordered the signature rainbow sliders which were 5 colorful mini buns stuffed with a grilled angus beef patty and melted cheddar. Along with lettuce and tomato, it was smothered in a secret sauce and my personal favorite – caramelized onions. Now the thing with sliders is that there is relatively little room to add stuff so you’ve got to choose your ingredients carefully. The most important ingredient of course, is the meat and I am happy to report that the thick angus patty in these sliders would receive a rating of ‘fantastic’ from any burger connoisseur.

The secret sauce (whatever it was) seemed to work and the crispy crunch of the caramelized onions provided a great finishing touch to these little meaty treats. Also, allow me to say that they were among the best looking burgers I have ever laid my eyes on. It was almost as if someone had plucked the little coloured dots from the sugar factory logo and placed them on a platter. They were such a visual treat that these sliders are now number 7 on my best burgers in Dubai list. Click Here for the complete list.

Since this was Willy Wonka’s place and it was the Mad Hatters party, we thought it would be alright to take it up a notch and have a waffle for lunch. Luckily, the Sugar factory’s rendition of a waffle was as crazy as mine could have been on that particular day! The Tex Mex was served warm with chicken ragu, grilled chicken, guacamole, beans and corn salsa. That was all topped off with grated cheese and Crispy nachos.

I have a weakness for guacamole, nachos and waffles. For a while, I actually believed that I had slipped down the rabbit hole with Alice and this actually was the mad hatters party. The concept of the waffle sandwich was pretty crazy but it was the execution that made me realize that I was at a top notch eating establishment. A place where nobody was scared of being experimental and having a little fun. I honestly do not remember the last time I had such a ball with my food. Please do visit whenever you can!