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Paper Fig Restaurant & Dessert Shop, Sharjah: Delightfully Casual
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Paper Fig Restaurant & Dessert Shop, Sharjah: Delightfully Casual
Paper Fig Restaurant & Dessert Shop, 2 salads, 2 side dishes, 1 large sparkling water, 2 coffees and 1 dessert (excluding service): AED224 (US$60, £45, €51). Paper Fig Restaurant & Dessert Shop, Industrial Area Muwailih Commercial, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. All information is true as of publication. For the latest information, check out the Paper Fig Restaurant & Dessert Shop Website or call tel. +971 600 56 0601
Written by Liam Collens // Find other reviews here.
Paper Fig serves delicious food in a casual setting in the middle of an industrial area. A favourite stop-off when passing through Sharjah.
The Highs
The Lows
The Highs
The Lows
Paper Fig: I Should Leave Dubai More Often
Being honest, I do not make enough time to get to know Sharjah. Guilty as charged, I relegated this Emirate as that place that I simply drive through during weekend trips out of Dubai. Shame on me especially after five years of living in the United Arab Emirates.
Quietly Sharjah is cultivating a noticeable collection of small, homegrown restaurants, especially in University City. Crisol’s decidedly modern aesthetic is reminiscent of a high-budget Dubai restaurant and gives a passing resemblance to CHINGÓN. Their charostra oysters certainly made me think twice about my preconceptions of cooked oysters. Leaving Sharjah begs a stop at Sweetopia Society Hub just for their pistachio, chocolate or rose dipped croissants. Paper Fig remains a stalwart favourite for a late lunch when passing through Sharjah. Sadly, you need to know that Paper Fig is here. There are no indications that this frankly unglamorous, industrial area harbours a very capable, tranquil dessert café meets restaurant. Perhaps, wisely, Sharjah residents wish to keep Paper Fig their secret. Well-heeled Dubai residents will curl toes and clutch pearls wondering why this Instagram-popular cafe calls this dusty area home. We are miles away from Jumeirah now, Jane.
Paper Fig could have easily mirrored those Jumeirah cafés dripping with design-led budgets and kitchens that churn out anything on sourdough seasoned with sanctimonious overtones. It is a sweetcorn fritter with a poached egg; no amount of micro herbs nor edible flowers is going to detract from that. Get over yourself. Paper Fig shows little sign of quirkiness save for perhaps the scientific laboratory glassware repurposed to serve Paper Fig’s fresh juices. I do particularly enjoy the Beating Red (AED39, US$11, £8, €9)
Quietly Sharjah is cultivating a noticeable collection of small, homegrown restaurants, especially in University City. Crisol’s decidedly modern aesthetic is reminiscent of a high-budget Dubai restaurant and gives a passing resemblance to CHINGÓN. Their charostra oysters certainly made me think twice about my preconceptions of cooked oysters. Leaving Sharjah begs a stop at Sweetopia Society Hub just for their pistachio, chocolate or rose dipped croissants. Paper Fig remains a stalwart favourite for a late lunch when passing through Sharjah. Sadly, you need to know that Paper Fig is here. There are no indications that this frankly unglamorous, industrial area harbours a very capable, tranquil dessert café meets restaurant. Perhaps, wisely, Sharjah residents wish to keep Paper Fig their secret. Well-heeled Dubai residents will curl toes and clutch pearls wondering why this Instagram-popular cafe calls this dusty area home. We are miles away from Jumeirah now, Jane.
Paper Fig could have easily mirrored those Jumeirah cafés dripping with design-led budgets and kitchens that churn out anything on sourdough seasoned with sanctimonious overtones. It is a sweetcorn fritter with a poached egg; no amount of micro herbs nor edible flowers is going to detract from that. Get over yourself. Paper Fig shows little sign of quirkiness save for perhaps the scientific laboratory glassware repurposed to serve Paper Fig’s fresh juices. I do particularly enjoy the Beating Red (AED39, US$11, £8, €9)
Paper Fig: The Vibe
Paper Fig is decidedly more humble; two large dining rooms are partitioned by a third *almost* private dining-like communal table area. There is a library like quality to the entrance dining space. Distressed woods and walls decorated with books exude a home-like cottage quality. Maybe a subtle nod towards the University city area in which Paper Fig sits. This dining space features lush green plants bathing in copious natural light. Diners get a peek into the quiet kitchen. Mason jars repurposed as lanterns gently glow, dangling from the walls. Indeed, Paper Fig draws together the ever-popular industrial look while remaining cosy enough for diners to congregate around bistro tables sipping cappuccinos and catching up after weeks of lockdown.
Few things desserts cause my knees to buckle like the promise of an impossibly maple sweet, nutty pecan pie.
Paper Fig: The Menu
Paper Fig’s menu centres around a brunch like offering with a side nod to its dessert origins. An extensive breakfast selection offers regional classics like spiced shakshuka (AED59, US$16, £12, €13) or western-style favourites like eggs benedict with salmon (AED44) or with beef bacon (AED39, US$11, £8, €9). Avocado toast addicts will be satiated by the beetroot hummus avocado toast with feta on sourdough (AED43, US$12, £9, €10). Dubai residents should not raise eyebrows at any of these options as they ring familiar with many of Dubai‘s favourite breakfast haunts.
We are here for lunch this time. My dining partner and I return from a trip to the Northern Emirates ravenous for a vegetarian-forward menu. I am pleased and reassured to see that Paper Fig remains open despite these tricky times for restaurants.
We settle into the larger dining area adjacent to the kitchen window. Shakeel our server is cordial, welcoming and fully COVID compliant in gloves and masks. We ordered the Asian Salad, Paper Fig Fatteh, Corn and Citrus with Sweet Potato Fries. I debate whether to break the vegetarian ethos and order the intriguing Curry with Seabass and Jasmine Rice but I remain faithful to the mission (AED74, US$20, £15, €17).
Our Asian salad is easily a main course for two people to share as a main or for four people to graze through as a side. A tumble of shredded red cabbage, orange carrots, chilled soba noodles spiced with sesame seed and ginger dressing and topped with crispy shallots is a steal at AED54. The crunchy, herbaceous and warm space throughout is met with audible appreciation by both of us. My future cardiologist will wish that I only ate this more often.
Our Paper Fig Fatteh arrives. Roasted aubergine topped on a generous bed of garlic-spiced tomato and yoghurt tahini sauce. Shards of shatteringly crisp fried pitta bread are jewelled with parsley and warming toasted pine nuts. It highlights the versatility of aubergine together with the rewarding effort of cooking this fruit with care. Yes, aubergine is a fruit. Again this hearty main course for one or shareable dish between two seats at only AED49 (US$13, £10, €11).
Our side dishes of corn and citrus together with the sweet potato fries deserve an honourable mention. The corn is chargrilled and roasted drawing out the sugary sweetness of the corn dipped in a subtle citrus marinade. The sweet potato fries achieves that rewarding baton crispness that eludes my home cooking efforts (both AED28 each, US$8, £6, €6).
No trip to paper fig would be complete without a cursory inspection of its infamous dessert menu. A fine selection of individual tarts, large cakes are on display. Our cheerful server had me at Pecan Pie (AED20, US$5, £4, €5). Few things desserts cause my knees to buckle like the promise of an impossibly maple sweet, nutty pecan pie. The pie is coupled with a double macchiato chaser, as is protocol (AED21, US$6, £4, €5).
My dining partner’s Americano is complimentary as, today, is Emirati Women’s Day so they are offering free coffee to women. A fitting gesture from a local gem co-founded by a local Emirati businesswoman, Nawal Al Nuaimi.
Our (shared) pecan pie slice is nutty and balanced shunning the sticky sugar-soaked diabetic coma I know. I like it, I enjoy it. I appreciate the restraint. I do however think a ball of vanilla or espresso ice cream would lift it to new heights.
This raises a point about Paper Fig. It is easy in food reviews to fall prey to a spiral of hyperbole or drag the kitchen over details. Paper Fig is the proverbial Goldilocks finding that middle path steering away from obvious pitfalls. It drives simplicity with a mission that I admire and frankly in a way that – and, Dubai, I hope you’re listening – mostly shuns style over substance. The food is not trying to blow your mind with complexity. It does not overreach. Paper Fig knows its lane. It does a few things and does them well: pancakes, waffles, eggs on toast and beef burgers.
My only ask? Maybe lean into the seasoning a little more and indulge my fantasy to open a Dubai pop-up at Sharjah prices.
We are here for lunch this time. My dining partner and I return from a trip to the Northern Emirates ravenous for a vegetarian-forward menu. I am pleased and reassured to see that Paper Fig remains open despite these tricky times for restaurants.
Paper Fig: Makes The Case That Vegetarian Is Still Delicious
We settle into the larger dining area adjacent to the kitchen window. Shakeel our server is cordial, welcoming and fully COVID compliant in gloves and masks. We ordered the Asian Salad, Paper Fig Fatteh, Corn and Citrus with Sweet Potato Fries. I debate whether to break the vegetarian ethos and order the intriguing Curry with Seabass and Jasmine Rice but I remain faithful to the mission (AED74, US$20, £15, €17).
Our Asian salad is easily a main course for two people to share as a main or for four people to graze through as a side. A tumble of shredded red cabbage, orange carrots, chilled soba noodles spiced with sesame seed and ginger dressing and topped with crispy shallots is a steal at AED54. The crunchy, herbaceous and warm space throughout is met with audible appreciation by both of us. My future cardiologist will wish that I only ate this more often.
Our Paper Fig Fatteh arrives. Roasted aubergine topped on a generous bed of garlic-spiced tomato and yoghurt tahini sauce. Shards of shatteringly crisp fried pitta bread are jewelled with parsley and warming toasted pine nuts. It highlights the versatility of aubergine together with the rewarding effort of cooking this fruit with care. Yes, aubergine is a fruit. Again this hearty main course for one or shareable dish between two seats at only AED49 (US$13, £10, €11).
Our side dishes of corn and citrus together with the sweet potato fries deserve an honourable mention. The corn is chargrilled and roasted drawing out the sugary sweetness of the corn dipped in a subtle citrus marinade. The sweet potato fries achieves that rewarding baton crispness that eludes my home cooking efforts (both AED28 each, US$8, £6, €6).
Paper Fig: and, finally, the matter of dessert
No trip to paper fig would be complete without a cursory inspection of its infamous dessert menu. A fine selection of individual tarts, large cakes are on display. Our cheerful server had me at Pecan Pie (AED20, US$5, £4, €5). Few things desserts cause my knees to buckle like the promise of an impossibly maple sweet, nutty pecan pie. The pie is coupled with a double macchiato chaser, as is protocol (AED21, US$6, £4, €5).
My dining partner’s Americano is complimentary as, today, is Emirati Women’s Day so they are offering free coffee to women. A fitting gesture from a local gem co-founded by a local Emirati businesswoman, Nawal Al Nuaimi.
Our (shared) pecan pie slice is nutty and balanced shunning the sticky sugar-soaked diabetic coma I know. I like it, I enjoy it. I appreciate the restraint. I do however think a ball of vanilla or espresso ice cream would lift it to new heights.
This raises a point about Paper Fig. It is easy in food reviews to fall prey to a spiral of hyperbole or drag the kitchen over details. Paper Fig is the proverbial Goldilocks finding that middle path steering away from obvious pitfalls. It drives simplicity with a mission that I admire and frankly in a way that – and, Dubai, I hope you’re listening – mostly shuns style over substance. The food is not trying to blow your mind with complexity. It does not overreach. Paper Fig knows its lane. It does a few things and does them well: pancakes, waffles, eggs on toast and beef burgers.
My only ask? Maybe lean into the seasoning a little more and indulge my fantasy to open a Dubai pop-up at Sharjah prices.
Would I Return to Paper Fig?
I would gladly come back again, and again. Paper Fig offers contemporary casual dining in Sharjah that would rival many cafes in popular Dubai neighbourhoods. Diners in jeans, shorts and polo shirts are welcomed. A local student favourite haunt keeps a cool vibe but without alienating a 30+ crowd, like myself.
I enjoy Paper Fig. I come for coffees and light lunches; the sort of good food that I could eat myself but equally enjoy others making for me. The service feels authentically welcoming for guests without a trace of obsequious subservience or hungry upselling.
Students looking for a quiet place to study. Local residents who want to support a homegrown talent. The insatiable sweet tooth seekers wanting some of the best desserts in town. Dubai residents cynical that solid casual dining exists in Sharjah. Healthy eaters seeking a full lunch. Early morning risers searching for that weekend breakfast in a quiet spot in which to catch up on some reading.
I enjoy Paper Fig. I come for coffees and light lunches; the sort of good food that I could eat myself but equally enjoy others making for me. The service feels authentically welcoming for guests without a trace of obsequious subservience or hungry upselling.
Who should come to Paper Fig?
Students looking for a quiet place to study. Local residents who want to support a homegrown talent. The insatiable sweet tooth seekers wanting some of the best desserts in town. Dubai residents cynical that solid casual dining exists in Sharjah. Healthy eaters seeking a full lunch. Early morning risers searching for that weekend breakfast in a quiet spot in which to catch up on some reading.
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