Hot on the heels of its’ recent launch, the first Japanese and Far Eastern gluten free healthy food café and retail store “KOBEYa” has opened its doors in Dubai at the Wasl Vita Mall.
The Emirate’s newest go to place cafe was inaugurated by Ms. Leiko H, Founding Member, who conceived the idea of KOBEYa and long-time Japanese resident of the UAE – over 15 years. Also present at the unveiling were distinguished guests, media and bloggers.
When discussing what inspired KOBEYa, she said “I am a mother of 4 children and one of my son’s developed a gluten intolerance at a very young age which affected his health severely. Going out for lunches or dinners to any authentic Japanese or Far Eastern restaurant as a family was always a difficult choice due to lack of gluten free options. KOBEYa is my inspiration to create that option in the UAE. Our focus is on promoting healthy eating habits by serving only an all ingredient gluten free menu with over 50 vegetarian, vegan, non-vegetarian and lactose free varieties that include sensational salads, burgers, healthy meals and desserts. Our extensive menu also has 10 delicious and refreshing cocktails to choose from. Customers who enjoy a healthy variety of Japanese and Far Eastern cuisine will always find something to delight their taste buds at KOBEYa throughout the day.”
She added, “I am also very passionate about Far East Asian cuisine. Growing up in Japan and as a homemaker I spent a lot of my time cooking for my family and travelled a lot in the Far East to Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong and the Philippines before making Dubai our home. My experiences have given me the vision to offer unique gluten free dishes created by an expert team of nutritionists at KOBEYa. We get to know our suppliers by visiting farms and talking with farmers. We show our dedication to our customers by choosing carefully only high quality 5-star products and ingredients.”
The KOBEYa menu features specially designed burgers with Japanese Kobe Beef, world famous for being the highest quality, healthy and tastiest red meat. Meat free Tofu Burgers, Asian stir fry and Vietnamese spring rolls are all designed to give you a treat. KOBEYa also offers cooking classes on creating character lunch boxes for kids and retails gluten, dairy, lactose, nuts free food products as well as premium fruits and healthy food concept products from Japan, Thailand, Far East and Europe.
“We are very pleased to open KOBEYa in the UAE, a place where new brands are accepted and celebrated, with its diverse, multicultural population of expats as well as its openness to host new brands and concepts, the nation represents an ideal launch venue for our brand. The initial guest reaction of the first store has been fantastic and we anticipate a great momentum particularly during the weekends when it’s very busy with families.”
“Community malls such as the Wasl Vita are mushrooming around the UAE and these are redefining the shopping and dining experience as they offer residents the luxury of quickly grabbing a meal or an hour of shopping between chores. This is one of the primary reasons we chose to open at the Wasl Vita Mall.”
