Why is it so difficult to choose which is the best Friday brunch Dubai?

Best Friday brunch Dubai?

Countries have gone to war over lesser issues, and more frustratingly, an answer never seems any closer.

Let's see if we can work through why to get to which.

‘Best Friday brunch Dubai' – different strokes for different folks

Firstly, perhaps it's because different people want different things from brunches:-

• you've got people that will go just for the flowing booze and perhaps eat one slice of pepperoni in 4 hours
• you've got foodies that will only judge by the cuisine
• you've got party animals that just want to ‘go large'
• you've got the beautiful people that want to be seen, lounge about at beach clubs and listen to great DJs, and be less bothered about drink and food
• you've got the deal merchants, using The Entertainer two for one deals,  whose only criteria is cost and getting a freebie
• you've got families that are looking for kids facilities, entertainers, etc.
• you've got couples that want either the romantic or chilled ambience for ‘date night'

‘BEST FRIDAY BRUNCH DUBAI' – DUBAI FACTORS

Secondly, we all have one problem living in Dubai – we get spoiled. Whilst back in our home countries we may settle for pie and peas, now we expect only quails' eggs and lobster.

So, not only are our expectations set unfeasibly high, our patience is reduced with the ‘yalla' mentality.

We're used to poor service back home, yet when we go for brunches unless we have a personalised tour guide of the foie gras and our own sommelier per table.

What this means in practical terms, is we want more, we want it now, and we become flippant.

‘BEST FRIDAY BRUNCH DUBAI' – COMMERCIAL FACTORS

Thirdly, we do need to think of the venues and businesses – it is so competitive after all. In typical Dubai style, rather than just keep to Fridays (as if we dont already have enough choice) we've now got venues trying to bombard us on evenings, Saturdays and even school nights.

Such is the competition for our dirhams, we've now got brunches trying to carve a niche or a theme to seem original or appealing.

One factor is new brunches often use Entertainer Monthly Offers or promo deals to entice new customers, which leads to artificial over-demand and then falls off. I know one Palm brunch went from 20 covers to over 200 in one week due to an Entertainer promo.

What this means in practical terms is brunches have a short ‘window of opportunity' to find customers and then tougher still, get them to return whilst maintaining quality and profitability.

I’ve been to some terrific and fabulous brunches, returned a few weeks later with friends and they’ve been far less impressive, somewhere around just ‘pretty good'. I put this down to venues reducing their offerings to cover for the empy seats – understandable, but still disappointing.

‘BEST FRIDAY BRUNCH DUBAI' – MY SHORTLIST

So, considering all of the above, I come to one conclusion – the key factor in the ‘best brunch Dubai' debate clearly is consistency.

So, without further ado, here is my list of the brunches I have visited several times and received consistently good quality, service and value., so I would gladly recommend.

(in no order)

Toro Toro – Grosvenor House, Dubai Marina

Toro Toro Terrific food, great drinks and cocktails, close to Barasti to rest and recuperate afterwards.

The meat alone (carved at your table Churrascuria style) is worth a visit, and no matter what cuisine diners prefer everyone appreciates quality and will not be disappointed.

This is the Dublin of brunches; the safe bet that everyone enjoys whatever they are looking for.

Bubbalicious – The Westin, Mina Seyahi

Bubbalicious Quality and variety of food – across several restaurants – is exceptional, , but what really sets this apart is the beach and the ‘labaratory' of all different drink concotions.

This is the one that the ‘Out of Towners' come for.

Eden Beach Club – The Palm

Eden Beach Club An outdoor pool and cabana venue with chilled vibe, great music beautiful people and surprisingly good drinks and food service.

Think ‘Wolf of Wall Street' meets your letting agent.

Rosso – Amwaj Rotana, JBR

Rosso – an indoor and outdoor venue, across two restaurants – Benihana (Japanese) and Rosso (Italian), this is a very good value brunch and popular with JBR residents. Whilst not as ‘in your face’ as lots of brunches, it has great service and quality food and suits larger groups and occasions well.

Rosso is the Coronation Street of brunches, whilst you always know what you will get other more exciting happenings you still keep coming back to it.

Beachcomber – Jumeirah Beach Hotel

Beachcomber A terrific outdoor location on the beach at Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Food is a good variety of international and Asian cuisine and there’s entertainers for families.

The patio tables are particularly good for those Instagram shots overlooking the Burj Al Arab, or if you just want to blag your way onto the beach afterwards.

Saffron – Atlantis, The Palm

Saffron – ‘Go large, then go home’ sums up Saffron, one of the most infamous brunches in Dubai. Eternally popular, and always full (due to abundance of Entertainer offers and other promos) and you need the waiters to guide you around all the different cooking stations.

Brunches here often get quite raucous and like your favourite feisty Aunt on the sherry at Christmas, end up dancing on the tables.

Frevo/Breakslow – Fairmont, The Palm

Frevo / Breakslow are two different brunches, same venue, both delighful. Frevo is a ‘carve at your table' affair whilst Breakslow is a late breakfast buffet with international dishes served to your table.

Lots of value to be had here – often good promos to be to be found on the voucher sites make these the equivalent of your sound, reliable Uncles' Volvo estate of brunches.

Yalumba – Le Meridien Dubai, Garhoud

Yalumba is the Big Daddy of Dubai brunches, from being one of the first it’s still rolling with the punches (or should be rolling with the drunks?) and is still as popular as ever.

Tremendous value, insanely fast drink refills, copious amounts of food, and lively atmosphere make up for one of Dubai’s ‘Old but Gold' brunches. Has a particularly wide range of post-brunch options including Warehouse & The Terrace should you have any possible capacity for further indulgence – however unlikely.

Yalumba is the Cliff Richard of brunches, it will always be around and as much as we may pretend to have more refined tastes, it doesn’t take much to start swaying.

Double Decker – Al Murooj Rotana, Downtown

Double Decker – If there was ever a case of brunch snobbery, it’s likely to be when you mention you were thinking of trying Double Decker, yet it should never be discounted for an experience and a fun time.

Whilst it’s seen by many as ‘cheap and cheerful’, it does the brunch basics very well. Fast serving drinks, stock English fare such as breakfast, roast and some side dishes, then after a couple of hours it ends up like a school disco.

Imagine a Club 18-30 holiday meets ‘The Only Way is Essex’, flown by RyanAir, and you won’t be far wrong – but everyone’s having too great a time to care.

‘BEST FRIDAY BRUNCH DUBAI' – FURTHER READING

Whilst the above list is a start, one of the best sources for brunch-specific information is the excellent Mr and Mrs Brunch blog.

Please check them out here Mr and Mrs Brunch

Another good brunch website is TopBrunch Dubai

What are YOUR favourite brunches?

Why not leave a comment below?