Dubai’s Kind of Brunch: 2015 Part1 (1H)

Dubai’s kind of “brunch” has been a staple for expats. After all that sun, sand and hardwork, we (including a full time mom like me yey!) all deserve to eat and binge like a king! 

Here are my reviews/opinions from the spots we have tried for brunch (on a Friday or Saturrday) at the first half of this year. Cost per person is not more than AED450 (alcoholic package or not) and those marked with asterisk means the 2015 Entertainer (2for1) vouchers were used:
 

Beachcombers

1. Beachcombers*, Jumeirah Beach Hotel: Cuisine – Pan-Asian, with more focus on Thai; Pros – yummy fresh seafood, live band, family friendly, outdoor seating with fantastic-in-your-face view of the Burj Al Arab; Cons – not really sure if there is something notable as negative from being here couple of times (dinner and brunch).

1. Casa de Tapas*, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club: Cuisine – Spanish tapas with paella and roasted piglet on the side; Pros – good service, nice views of the creek, live band; Cons – loud crowd (I’m including myself on this, harhar).
    
   

   Mazina

2. Mazina, The Address Marina Mall: Cusine – International; Pros – vast food selections, separate section for kids’ parties, roasted duck, foie gras, and their awesome dessert creations; Cons – either the tables are small or I had so much plates at once, nah its the former. And oh, we weren’t able to use Entertainer here.

3. Luciano’s, Habtoor Grand Hotel: Cuisine – Italian; Pros – Gelato, pork cold cuts; Cons – a lot. I think they are overpriced for the food selections they have, which is just a few. Could be too hot during summer as the location is open with pool views and small dim indoor dining area.
    

   

   BBC

4. Belgian Beer Cafe, Madinat Jumeirah: Cusine – Belgian; Pros – Kriek & Leffe (myself and my husband’s fave beers), belgian waffle; Cons – this branch at the Madinat offers set menu plus 3 beverages of your choice, quite a limited brunch compared to the rich menu/buffet offered at the two other branches (DFC, Tecom). 
    
   

   The Market Place

5. The Market Place*, JW Marriott Deira: Cuisine – International; Pros – Saturday brunch available, live cooking station for fish whether grilled/fried/steamed; Cons – not so extensive selections for starter and desserts (which I am more fond of).
    
   

   Dusit Thani’s Grand Brunch

6. The Grand Brunch*, Dusit Thani: Cuisine – Thai, Italian, American; Pros – a grand feast from the hotel’s 3 restaurants (Benjarong, Pax, The Californian). Its a good value for money. Ask to be seated at either Benjarong or Californian for superb views of the Burj Khalifa; Cons – few and not so special desserts. 
    
   

   Thyme’s Live band

7. Thyme*, JA Oasis JBR: Cuisine – Mediterrenean; Pros – intimate ambience, live band, fairly priced, pork section, loads of seafood and starters, good service; Cons – none personally, my husband and I come here often and always love it every time -mostly because it’s never crowded considering the quality of their food.
    
   

   AOC French

8. AOC French Brasserie*, Sofitel JBR: Cuisine – International with a touch of French; Pros – selections of sushi rolls/sashimi/maki, fresh seafood (oysters opened only as u take), pork cold cuts, non alcoholic package includes mocktails; Cons – not so flavourful mains, the starters can compensate for it. And no french pates or terrine or duck confit, if you’re expecting that.

Disclaimer: Please note that the above reviews are only my opinions and based on my experience, taste and standards. If you don’t agree -write your own blog (hehe), or for more info -google more *wink! 

See my 2014 brunch list here

Cheers! 

DIY: Floral Crown/Headpiece

Another dear friend of mine is saying goodbye to singleton (yey!)… and for her bachelorette party, we’re theming for Luau/Yacht party -and we’ll all be wearing floral crowns! 

My DIY (do-it-yourself) mode was quickly turned on after seeing the prices of one floral headpiece at the malls. Hence, for a price of AED35/USD10, I have made 10 floral crowns -compared to H&M’s rip-off AED20/USD7 per piece!   Doing it is simple: just loop, tie, and twirl!

1. Preparation. You simply need fake flowers (c/o Daiso, all items at AED7/USD2) -with stem/wires; then use a plant node/stem or string for the body of the crown; scissors and tape/string to fix the ends of the node/stem.      2. Loop the plant node/stem on a diameter you prefer. Fix the loop with a tape or string.

3. Twirl the fake/decor flowers onto the looped node/stems. I have mixed colors with 5 pcs per headpiece. Feel free to be creative and put as much as you want if you prefer.

  Et  voila, all done!
    Looking pretty doesn’t have to be that expensive… *wink! 

  

DIY, love. Bachelorette party, fanta-bulous! ❤

Fraiche Cafe & Bistro – JLT, Dubai

Hearty and heavy (all you can eat) breakfast until 4PM, who’s up? This place is amazing! I suggested this place for my friend’s birthday breakfast and we were impressed.

You can order anything from their breakfast menu and until how much you can gobble plus a buffet table of sweet treats and cereals/muesli, all for a deal of AED75 (excluding drinks). With quality and humongous servings, the price you pay is a bargain. And for a big breakfast eater like me, this one easily made it on our ‘fave list’ (move over iHop and Eggspectation).Their selections and combinations with poached eggs were fantastic, and that banana chocolate french toast… goodness gracious!        

If breakfast isn’t your cup of tea on a weekend, have a look at my list of places for brunch 🙂 cheers!

Hearty Breaky at Le Pain Quotidien

We often come around Le Pain Quotidien (Dubai Marina Mall & JBR outlets) for a surely good, hearty (organic) breakfast. We have tried going here for lunch but I believe it’s at its best during breakfast with its freshly baked basket of breads and jams/confiture, it is quite hard to resist to choose another.  

 Everytime we come (Dubai Marina Mall) in the morning, it’s packed -mostly with young families. It has a cozy atmosphere inside and outside you’d have a lovely view of the marina.  

 I adore their smoked salmon omelette and their selections of jams/confiture (my fave is the belgian chocolat!) on fresh breads, justifies that breakfast is the best meal of the day!  

  Their belgian waffle is lovely, although I have to say their paris-brest was not at par (vis a vis Vendome’s) and their lemon tart is tad bit over sweetened. But since all their pastries are organic, you’d feel less guilty spoiling your sweet tooth.

Overall, this place is highly recommended if you’re looking for a good, hearty/organic, and freshly served breakfast. We heart “the daily bread”.

Dampa Seafood Grill, Dubai – Fresh & Cheap

Fresh and decently prepared seafood can be quite expensive, especially in Dubai where fancy hotel restaurants usually get the nod for guaranteed seafood indulgence. Well, this one’s a good news -Dampa Seafood Grill in Deira (at Centurion tower, close to Deira City Center/Day to Day) will surely please you (your taste buds and wallet).    

 The interior isn’t shabby at all, quite like an industrial design with wooden chairs and tables at aplenty outside and on their mezzanine floor. 
Note though that on a Friday, they open at 12:30pm and not 10am like noted in Zomato.   

 Service was quite fast and satisfactory too, considering they’re packed after just 30mins from opening.

Here’s a lowdown of how much we’ve enjoyed (3 adults, of which 2 are men) our seafood at a bargain: 139Dhs dump-a-seafeast group pack that has a good-for-3 servings of crabs, mussels, clams, and shrimps plus corn on cobs and 2 bowls of one litre of flavored drinks of choice and unlimited rice; another litre of drink; grilled squid; and deep fried tilapia. All for a total of 204Dhs only for fresh and flavourful servings of seafoods. Now that’s a steal! Hence my husband suggested they should open in Marina (hopes up!).  

       

I recommend this place to fellow expats in Dubai who are asking or looking for a good/decent place to gorge on Filipino foods. You’d pay a cheap price for fresh seafood here. Plus the fun experience of eating with your hands and lickinh it (with plastic gloves tho)!