Brunch at Nineteen

The last brunch I went to - a birthday, admittedly - was a raucous game of musical chairs, consisting of a large number of people squeezing in as much full English breakfast/roast dinner/sushi AND drinks as possible before the closing bell sounded. It was a total riot.

Not that I've decided in any manner to bring balance to my life, but the prospect of brunch at Dubai's award-winning Nineteen sounded like a welcome calming yin to that earlier brunch's wild yang.

Nineteen -a slick mix of classic French and stylish Asian -recently introduced its Friday brunch, which has a nice twist on the usual all-you-can-eat buffet: Much of the food's made to order.

There are no steam trays brimming with crusted-over Thai chicken curry or forlorn sausages sweating under a heat lamp.

Instead, there is a glorious serve-yourself array of cooling starters, including a raw bar: sushi, oysters and smoked fish glisten in the sleek black wood surroundings. (On this bright summer morning, it made for a peaceful sanctuary; when I've eaten there in the evening, I did find it oppressively dark.)

On trays dotted around the room are shot glasses of chilled soups, powerful blasts of flavour able to dust off that Friday-morning head-fuzz. The cucumber was fresh and sprightly, topped off with a glistening crown of caviar; the gazpatcho had a delayed hit of pleasantly searing heat.

The requisite little dishes are there, featuring large shrimp topped with creamy avocado and a juicy strip of mango or dollops of smoky moutabal.

My first stop, despite the early hour (12.30pm), was the cheese and meat table, where lush scrolls of cured meat -of every kind -peeked out from between sheets of flatbread.

The cheese was perfect: squishy when it was meant to be, like the lush brie, and firm and nutty gruyere.

Focal point

So where's the cooked food, you're wondering? The mains at Nineteen's brunch are where the a la carte comes into play (the excellent staff present you with a menu on arrival).

I was torn between a seared piece of kingfish served alongside ginger-scented carolonero (a vegetable nearly never seen on menus here, to my constant disappointment) and duck breast topped with foie gras. Of course the foie gras won out, and it lived up to expectations.

Presentation is a focal point here, and the duck is a perfect example of why this brunch is a must. While every other brunch in the city is about piling on as much food as possible, the mains here are smaller than the average portion, dressed on the plate with the attention an artist gives to a sculpture.

You won't go home hungry -the duck breast was the right shade of juicy pink, the fatty liver crisp and caramelised on the outside, and melting within -just the right balance of flavour in a portion that won't bust your pants.

My dining partner took a fillet steak -well done unfortunately -so I won't comment on how good that was, although she assured me it was perfect. Its truffle hollandaise sauce was a dream.

Gladly we still had room for dessert, and if you save yourself for even one thing, it should be the cheesecake, which was mind-blowingly good. It had the right balance of sweetness and stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth creamyness. We couldn't stop eating it.

There's something for everyone at Nineteen, including the young gourmets among us. When I took a much-needed food break on the terrace overlooking the golf course (the restaurant being the 19th hole), I was in the company of a family, whose little one was happily chowing down on marshmallows, strawberries and M&Ms.

Checklist
Where: Nineteen, The Montgomerie.
How to get there: In the Springs neighbourhood, off Shaikh Zayed Road. Call 04 3905600 for reservations.
Brunch hours: Fridays from 12.00-3.30pm
Price: Brunch starts at Dh160.
Must Have: Cured meats, cucumber soup, duck breast, cheesecake.

The verdict: ****