The Chef Jean-Luc Morcellet brunch at Ewaan
Fact: there are few hotels in the city more beautiful than The Palace. Its Burj Khalifa Lake views, classy Middle Eastern style and low-rise luxury make it one of our favourite places to spend our weekends, and because of this, we needed very little convincing to try their fresh Friday brunch – which is masterminded by passionate French chef Jean-Luc Morcellet (he has over 20 years’ experience working in kitchens around the world, and it shows).
Walking into the airy dining room of Ewaan – at this time of year, we highly recommend opting for a table on the lake-facing (mostly shaded) terrace – we felt genuine anxiety about where to begin our meal. Being brunch aficionados, we’re normally quite confident about our eating route – start with a spot of salad, a few bits of sashimi and some dim sum and then coast straight to the roast; but there were so many beautiful-looking options here, that we had to do a few circles before we had a plan.
Our meal map included freshly shucked oysters; oodles of lobster – from cold and fresh to a richly decadent thermidor; herby calamari and grilled prawns; Argentinian grilled meat; a ginormous French cheese selection; artfully cut sashimi and even a cotton-candy machine.
Working our way through about – ooh – seven courses, our highlights included the still-succulent roast beef and huge Yorkshire puddings (get them while they’re hot); the nicest grilled calamari we’ve had in Dubai and, of course, the many forms of lobster on offer. Oh, and the soft Beef brisket was another delight.
Never before have we been so enamoured by everything we’ve eaten at a brunch – we normally make a few choices we regret. As for dessert, we began with delightful little French bites – there was a round éclair with a custard crème that blew our minds and, just as we thought we couldn’t eat any more, we discovered a fresh crêpe station – our downfall! Two crêpes later (we had to try both the Nutella and lemon-and-sugar options), we wound down with a sorely needed cup of peppermint tea while watching the crowds in Burj Park, happy in the knowledge that, although we’d consumed a lot, not one bite had been a waste of calories.
Location The Palace, Downtown Dubai
Timing 12.30pm-4pm, Fridays
Tel 04 888 3444
Tasty trio: Foodie brunches
Anise
This not too rowdy, but still very fun brunch has eight live cooking stations (inspired by the eight points of its namesake, the star anise) and the Asian cuisine is particularly pitch perfect. Sit out on the terrace and you’ll get a side of Dubai Creek views with your mains. Bliss!
Location InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Timing 12.30pm-4pm, Fridays
Tel 04 701 1127
Hukama
While this is officially a yum cha lunch, it’s one of our fave midday Friday meals in the city thanks to the fact it serves up what we think is the best dim sum in the UAE, nay, the region. Choose from a bountiful list of dim sum and mains, and fill up on flavoursome, smart Cantonese cuisine.
Location The Address Downtown
Timing 12pm-3pm, Fridays
Tel 04 888 3444
Le Deck
This fun tapas brunch is not only situated in the most enviably right-on-the-ocean spot in the capital, but it also serves up delicious Mediterranean dishes (just the sorts of things you’ll feel like eating while sitting on a sunny terrace).
Location Monte Carlo Beach Club, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi
Timing 12pm-4pm, Fridays
Tel 02 656 3500
