If you like dining outdoors, great, fresh – and barbecued – food with a family-friendly vibe, then the brunch at Le Royal Meridien’s Brasserie restaurant might be for you.
The resort hotel has re-geared its Friday brunch offering with a particular focus on keeping the children happy while you enjoy the food, with a child-friendly food corner and an outdoor play area set up. This includes a bouncy castle, thankfully not as super-sized as most, a magician’s show at 2.30pm and other games in a tented-style mini-play area. For those parents who struggle to contain wee ones inside while they survey a buffet, this is a good outdoor option for the cooler months.
And the food doesn’t disappoint either. If you fancy staying outside altogether you won’t go wrong with the BBQ, grill, stir-fry and pasta options; keeping (most) kids happy, while indulging in a meat and seafood lovers paradise. The barbequed lobster tails are a particular delight – fresh, juicy and delicious, complemented by large marinated grilled prawns, yum! Grilled lamb chops and tasty kebabs and meat cuts make this a plate-filling feed, but there’s lots more on offer inside the restaurant as well. The vast salad and bread stations sit opposite the main hot plates: the classic roast beef rib eye looks spectacular, served with roast potatoes and fresh vegetables; lamb ouzi, sambouseks and Indian favourite biryani and dal plus a seafood bar with oysters and other specialities.
There is a corner for kids treats – and while the savoury selection is limited to those ubiquitous staples of mini burgers, chicken nuggets and chips – it’s really all about the sweets, with enough sugar to keep them bouncing for hours! Doughnuts, crisps, jellies, lollipops, marshmallows and a chocolate fountain at children’s height ensure they can help themselves, though whether that is a good thing I’m not so sure ... The sticky toffee apples, however, were a true seasonal treat.
And if that’s not enough sweetness, adults can enjoy a dessert station with plenty of pastries, cakes and sweets like chocolate mousse, rice pudding, lemon cake, and cleverly, some eggless and sugar free offerings too. Wash it all down with some cardinal punch or mint juice.
While the interior of Brasserie is a tad dated, Le Royal Meridien promises quality food and service – but this hotel’s selling point truly is the amazing outdoor facilities. The best way to finish off such a brunch is to stroll the extensive gardens and walk to the beautiful beach, ensuring the little ones will sleep well after a fun and food-filled afternoon.
Where: Le Royal Meridien, JBR, Dubai
When: Friday from 1-4pm
Price: Dh 200 (including soft drinks) and AED 320 (with unlimited selected beverages).
Booking: 04-3165550.
