Why we open at six

At six in the morning, Dubai is a different city. The cranes are still. The light is not yet white.

We open at six because Khalid arrives at six. Khalid delivers our bread from Sharjah. He has been baking since 1987. His manakish are warm when he hands them over at the back door.

The first customer on most days is a woman named Huda. She arrives at 6:15 and orders a double espresso. She sits in the same seat and reads. She has never told us what she reads. We have never asked.

Between six and seven, we serve maybe four people. It is not profitable. But those four people are the reason the café exists.