My friends have always told me that the way I talk reminds them of a Valley girl. If you’re unfamiliar with the cultural reference, a Valley girl is a woman who resides in the valley area of southern California and says things like “Oh. My. God” or “I literally just can’t”. So when I heard that Scape at Burj Al Arab is launching a new Cali/Valley/Malibu brunch, I literally could not.
Last Saturday, Malibu had officially met Dubai.
Getting to the Burj is a little experience on its own; escalators up, past the dancing fountains, elevator down on the pool level. Once you step outside, it’s like 50 shades of blue with the sky, the pool and the exterior structure of the iconic Burj Al Arab. As you walk in, you are handed a pink lemonade in a bag, with a tiny wooden clothespin.
There’s also a cart of fresh Burj Al Arab branded coconuts that you can drink as you walk around exploring the vast terrace that the brunch is hosted on. The best part is that brunch is served straight on the table. Buffets are so last season.
We enjoyed an eclectic range of starters from different regions in California. First up was Nor Cal (northern California), which included fresh oysters with seaweed tartar and horseradish foam, a bowl of miso broth and a plate of the freshest grilled asparagus I’ve ever had. The second round of appetisers was called Central (central California) and these were made up of sushi doughnuts, raw veal with capers and beetroot and a burrata salad with crispy quinoa. And finally before the main influences, we travelled down to So Cal (southern California), where we were served some amazing Angus beef tataki, veggie tempura and cheesy chicken quesadillas.
For our main course, we could choose one dish and honestly, at this point we really didn’t need any more food, so one was perfect. On offer was a glazed Baltic salmon, lobster chunks on a frittata sort of tortilla, a chicken and octopus pozole, braised short ribs with mashed potato and some enfrijoladas (tortillas with black bean sauce) with Monterey cheese. I went straight for the lobster, which was portioned perfectly, since I was worried about how much more I could fit into my stomach.
Dessert was a show stopper. A giant two storey platter filled with quirky sweet tacos, a few ice cream sandwiches, brownie cookies, doughnut cheesecakes, seasonal fruits and a unique Cali baba, a famed Arabic dough ball bathed in sugar syrup, all served on smoky ice.
The leaves were not brown and the sky was not grey. Brunch at Scape is a dream on a Saturday.
The details
Location: Scape, The Terrace of Burj Al Arab.
Cost: Dh495 for the Healthy Cali that includes soft drinks and mocktails, the Classic Cali for Dh695 that includes free-flowing signature beverages and the Bubbly Cali for Dh795.
Timings: Every Saturday from 12.30-4pm.
