Soul is precious – it is forged with strong will and determination over time.

And some restaurants just carry their heart and soul on their plates, with nonchalance, even without realizing it.

Definitely it cannot be faked, and absolutely cannot be bought – not even in Dubai.

Yet Cloud 10, a small and happy neighborhood cafe in Jumeirah Village Circle, blessed with abundant natural light and smiling customers, could serve as a pristine example of that rare quality.

How do they do it?

I don’t really know – but you feel it!

Maybe it’s in the genuine friendly personalities of the staff?

Or is it deep within the flavors of this fantastic Lamb Bunny Chow dish?

I can tell you without shame that I licked the plate clean!

Maybe it’s the unpretentiousness from the good folk in the kitchen, who simply prepare honestly-good food, with elegance and care?

I’ll bet the green and fresh environment helped…

As did the homey feel of the pleasantly simple decor…

But let me come back to that Bunny Chow…

I’m going to be thinking of that dish for some time to come!

Look a little closer…

A Bunny Chow is an Indian-origin dish of South African descent, particularly from the city of Durban – and it is a humble dish, popular as a street food, and loved by generations of South Africans from all walks of life.

Basically, a bunny is a half-loaf of soft bread (or a quarter – looks like half at Cloud 10!) that is hollowed out and filled to the brim with a flavorsome curried stew.

I won’t say curry, although the original certainly was, because then you’ll think of the many varieties of Indian and Pakistani curries we are fortunate to find in Dubai – no, Cloud 10’s Bunny Chow goes above and beyond a familiar curry.

You must try this speciality and let me know!

In fact, I would consider Cloud 10’s Bunny a kind of culinary masterpiece – without the fancy of how that sounds, but based on the actual yum and feeling of satisfaction from a magnificent comfort-like food, dipping and absorbing the hot and spicy into the soft bread, with deep flavors from keeping the cracked bones in the stew, slowly bubbling for hours, as well as who knows what secret concotions of spices! Pure deliciousness!

I would drive all the way across UAE with a smile on my face, just to eat a bunny at Cloud 10 – that’s how good this is!

But there is much more on the menu!

I’d have to write a book to describe it all!

To their credit, Cloud 10 also presented an excellent balance between serving wholesome food, while maintaining an elevated level of professionalism – because having soul does not equate with sloppiness, neither does being genuine automatically qualify as a fully satisfying dining experience.

In fact, professional wholesomeness is a delicate art form, understated and not in-your-face: again something that cannot be bought.

And Cloud 10 pulled this off effortlessly – bravo!

And you can notice it in the attention to detail – such as how a healthy lime and cucumber Life Sparkle drink is mixed and topped with a generous matching garnish and offered with a spear to fish it all out:

Or how Cloud 10 coffee or matcha latte is served in double-walled cups…

And in the focus on investing where it counts – in a top-pro pizza oven, for instance:

I regret not trying Cloud 10 pizza during my visit, because that oven sure looks like it will blast out temperatures that are required for exceptional crust, and that most ovens cannot hope to reach – that puppy will make pizzas sing!

Good – another reason to come back to Cloud 10!

Actually, it would be very easy to become a regular… it’s that kind of place.

Overall, for real wholesome cafe dining, at a high level of deliciousness and friendliness, Cloud 10 should no longer remain the neighborhood secret of Jumeirah Village Circle, but also welcome new friends from across Dubai and the UAE – because a trip to Cloud 10 is not only about the yummy foods you’ll find there, but also about leaving with a satisfied smile.