Brunches in Dubai are not at all similar to ''brunches'' back in England. A good ol' English brunch is simply a light snack in replace of a full breakfast or lunch... its not a big deal in any way, shape or form.
Dubai brunches however, are a totally different story all together. Let me explain....
The basics to a Dubai brunch:::
- They start at around 12PM
- Prices include ALL house beverages (vodka, wines, beers, other chosen spirits...and mixers)
- Unlimited food is available.. (usually an open buffet of some sort)
- Brunches finish at around 4PM
- The venue stays open more often than not for the rest for the evening... offering drinking deals and turning the music up for people to dance. Thus allowing everyone brunching, to now leave their tables and mingle..
(In case you haven't grasped the whole idea of what Dubai brunching really means then let me break it down for you... - We arrive. We eat. We are then left with approximately 3 and a half glorious hours to see how many drinks we can all fit in. We then party.... its all rather messy)
Not quite the English version of ''brunching'' is it?!
Well, over the past few weeks I have fell victim to a few brunches around Dubai. In fact, it seems that I have become rather partial to day time drinking over night time clubbing. Ok, fine... I do both but that's besides the point.....
The point being that I thought I would offer some insight into some good brunching spots around Dubai. There are many brunches on offer, far too many for me to mention on here... let alone for me to try as I would probably be a raging alcoholic by now as pretty much every hotel in Dubai offers some sort of brunch. But lets just start with the most ''well known''....
1.
Double Deckers. -
www.rotana.com/almuroojrotana -
(04 321 1111).
DD's is a British Brunch... and being one of the cheapest it gets extremely rowdy.
For approx. 180 AED (they keep changing prices), you can enjoy a British Carvery and all you can drink from 12pm - 4pm. Up to recently, this has pretty much been my usual brunching spot... purely because its the cheapest and so my thinking was - why pay more to have the same drinks? I now know better....
Double Deckers can be a good laugh... but a few years ago it was much better. Now the price keeps slowly creeping up and the tables keep getting smaller... they really pack you in like sardines. However... if you don't mind a crowded room and the occasional drink thrown your way... then DD's is spot on for your moneys worth. Everyone attending DD's knows they are not going for luxury or even amazing food.... they are there to get their drink on and that's exactly what everyone does.
Be warned ::: you have to keep a close eye on your waiter to get your drinks lined up in order to get your moneys worth... or else the slow service will see you without a drink for most of it!
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| The Venue at Double Deckers |
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| A sample of the food... carvery |
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| During brunch... getting busy |
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| After brunch.. the partying commences! |
2.
Warehouse - 299 AED.1pm-4pm.
Le Meridien, Dubai,
Garhoud (04 702 2455).
Not too dis-similar to DD's, Warehouse is definitely a brunch to go to if your looking to get your party on. The difference though, and probably the reason for the marginally higher price, is that Warehouse has a much more appealing venue.
Warehouse is quickly becoming a top brunch of mine. Food on offer is an array of South - East Asian food and of course all house beverages are included in the price. The buffet has enough to choose from to satisfy most peoples tastes (I pretty much stuck to the crispy duck pancake rolls.. AMAZE) .. and they also offer an a la carte menu that isn't just South - East Asian foods.... (the lamb and mash is devine) !
Personally, I think that Warehouse has the brunching experience spot on. There's plenty of space, staff are friendly and towards the evening the music is loud and dancing is encouraged.
Bonuses also include super cheap drinks after brunch has finished (a glass of wine is just 29aed).
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| The venue at Warehouse. Downstairs. |
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| The Venue... upstairs..this is where the dancing happens! |
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| South East Asian Buffet |
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| Bar |
3.
Yalumba - 495 AED. 12.30-3pm. Le Meridien Dubai (Airport Road). 04 217 0000.
Described as a ''Modern Ecletric Cuisine,'' the Yalumba brunch is definitely worth a visit. Yes, the price tag is near on to 500 AED and yes I do realize that by the time you taxi over towards the airport and also filter in drinks after the brunch... and lets be honest girls... a new outfit for the brunch... then yes... the price does creep up. I for one... was not going to try Yalumba purely because I couldn't warrant spending so much for just one days woth of partying. However, when my works end of party (all expenses paid) was held at Yalumba's brunch.... I gladly went along (obviously).... here's what I thought..
With its elegant and classy interiors, Yalumba is unquestionably a cut above most of Dubai's more rowdy brunches. The best thing about this brunch is undoubtedly the food. A large buffet is available offering selections of Asian nibbles, curries, meats and yes there is a cheese station too (if you are a cheese lover like me.. then you will adore the camembert melted cheese and sides of mushrooms (another love of mine). Desserts..... well they have this spot on too. Yes there is the usual suspects that you would expect to find at a dessert stand... but there was also endless haribo sweeties... assorted ice cream flavours and... candy floss!! To top all of this, there was also an a la carte menu to choose from.. and from what my colleagues ordered... it all looked just fabulous!
Moving on... our drinks were constantly topped up and the atmosphere was buzzing. To my surprise, people were up dancing and mingling after the brunch too... which I was concerned wouldn't happen in such a deluxe environment... but hey I guess whatever class you are... drunk is drunk and fun is fun!
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| The Venue at Yalumba |
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| Food Station |
4.
Saffron - 435 AED. 12.30 -4pm. Atlantis The Palm, Dubai. 04 426 2626.
Saffrons brunch is where the party is at. This brunch is known for its lively atmosphere and is aimed at a more extravagant audience.... but don't be fooled this brunching experience is anything but extravagant! Many ''brunchers'' choose this spot for large group bookings and celebrations...so be aware that Saffron's brunch gets messy and it gets loud...very loud! Adding to the rambunctious atmosphere is a performing magician and 70s music loving DJ.
The food is mixed between Chinese, Indian, Thai and some European dishes. There is huge variety.. some may say the food would be better quality if there was a less selection.. but I doubt that's really a massive worry considering the venue is Atlantis!
What I also love about this brunch is the after drinks. Being at Atlantis, there are so many venues to choose from and conveniently being on The Palm you are never too far away from all the bars on offer elsewhere.....(unlike a long taxi journey from above said brunches on Airport Road, Garhoud). Basically Saffron makes for a perfect day and evening of drinking, bar hopping and ridiculousness.
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| Venue at Saffron |
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| Drinking.... ! |
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Food Stations at Saffron
Complete with Drinking Stations...dangerous !
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So there you have it.... those are my top brunching recommendations in Dubai (so far). There are soo many others to choose from... and some that probably have much better food on offer, for example at The Westin. However, I have particularly chosen the above brunches.. because... well... I'm 25, I'm single and I enjoy silly shenanigans.... therefore I personally tend to lean towards the more vibrant and messy brunches. Family - friendly brunches are good... but yeh they are for families or for the less rowdy kind.....(not me basically!)
Have fun people....for any newbie ''brunchers'' just pace yourselves...!
x o x o
P.S. My weekends plans include a brunch for me and my girls as we are celebrating a friend returning to Dubai...... so maybe I will see some of you out and about!
