Friday Brunch at Dusit Thani Dubai

One fine Friday afternoon, Mark and I found ourselves indulging in a festive spread yet again, this time at Dusit Thani Dubai.

We arrived at the hotel a little past noon and were welcomed by the Thai musicians playing traditional Thai instruments, serenading us with a soothing music that filled the air.

As the lift opened on the 24th floor of the hotel, we were greeted with smiles by the staff who also offered us some welcome refreshments as we were ushered to our table at Pax restaurant. I immediately fell in love with the restaurant's classic yet elegant ambience. We were seated by the window which also gave us a lovely view of the busy Sheikh Zayed road.

For the past year that I've been in Dubai and after having tried a couple of Friday Brunches, I have noticed that for hotels with more than one F&B outlets, it's a no-brainer that they showcase the specialties of each of their restaurants on their Friday Brunch offerings.

Dusit Thani Dubai's Friday Brunch offers specialty dishes from their restaurants: Pax (Italian cuisine), Benjarong (Thai cuisine), and The Californian (international cuisine).

Fine dishes adorned the atrium of the 24th floor, starting with this centerpiece of the buffet spread. It was filled with cold salads, seafood selection, and sushi and sashimi.

Surrounding the cold dishes were a selection of food from the Italian cuisine including pizza, croquettes, and a live cooking station for pasta...

Thai cuisine which includes the Thai noodles soup, momo, chicken and beef satay, and peking duck rolls...

and American-inspired international dishes.

Choices of salads, breads, and cheese are also available.

Also not to be missed are the Arabic dishes including mezze, roast beef, and other Arabic favorites.

Aside from the ice sculpture centerpiece along with the cold offerings, another highlight of the Friday Brunch in Dusit Thani Dubai is their exhibition of sweets.

They also have assorted baklava, fresh fruits, ice cream, and crepes.

I felt like I was already full after having seen all the mouth-watering dishes. And while I had a hard time choosing what to have, Mark already knew what to get first the moment he saw the sushi.

I'm not a fan of raw fish, which is what most of Dusit Thani's sushi were made of, so I only got a couple of it with no raw fish, plus some salads. Mark and I agreed that the sushi were just okay. What stood out for me was the shrimp salad. The sweet and supple shrimps worked well with the savory cherry tomatoes. It also had that mild dressing which my palate suggests were from light mayo and a little zing from wasabi I guess. The fennel leaves not only added texture but also gave out that distinct aroma and flavor which resembles that of the flavor of anise.

Mark went for the grilled meats for his second plate. The grilled beef and lamb chops would have been good if the bitter charred taste wasn't overpowering. They were a little overcooked too making it a bit tough to chew. Good thing the roast beef was fork tender and flavorful. I am not a fan of fish, but the grilled salmon passed my palates. I think the fennel leaves and other herbs were a good addition since the salmon didn't have that fishy taste.

I missed getting to have Thai noodles, Pad Thai specifically, during our brunch at the Thai Festival in Movenpick JLT, so I made sure that I'd get one when I knew that Dusit Thani also offers Thai food. I guess luck was just not on my side because the staff in the noodles stand said that they serve Pad Thai for brunch before but just not for that specific day. :( I guess I'll just pay Benjarong a visit next time. :)

Having noticed my disappointment, the staff happily offered their Thai noodle soup instead, which turned out to be such a nice alternative. The silky rice noodles and the flavorsome beef balls swimming in a slightly sweet and piquant beef broth were nothing short of enticing. I was kind of reluctant when lots herbs were added. Parsley, chives, and toasted garlic have strong flavors on their own, but they went perfectly well altogether, to my surprise.

I also got some momo, peking duck roll, and beef and chicken satay to complete my Thai gastronomic feast. The momo is similar to the Chinese dumplings, which is made of ground meat and veggies, the only difference that I observed is that it is served with tomato sauce and sesame sauce with ground peanut, pepper, and cilantro; instead of soy sauce. I found the dumpling wrapper a little too thick, which somehow overpowered the tasty filling. The peking duck roll wasn't also something to rave about. The beef satay was okay but I must give it up for the chicken satay. My palates definitely approved the combination of grilled and nutty flavor of the chicken tenders.

Satiated from our gastronomic feast, we still made sure to leave room for desserts. While Mark went on the safe side and chose the usual cakes and mousse, I went with my favorite assorted baklava plus some lemon meringue tart, pistachio cake, and cheesecake.

Although the service at Pax restaurant wasn't really prompt, mainly because there were a few staff compared to the number of guests in the restaurant, I can still say that Dusit Thani Dubai definitely offers one of the best Friday Brunch dishes and overall dining experience.

Friday Brunch

Timings

12:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Prices

AED 225 with soft drinks, chilled juices, and still water

AED 285 with house wines, draught beer, soft drinks, and chilled juice

AED 350 with unlimited sparkling wine, house spirits, house wines, draught beers, soft drinks, and chilled juices

AED 495 with unlimited champagne, sparkling wines, house spirits, house wines, draught beers, soft drinks, and chilled juices

FRIDAY BRUNCH at Dusit Thani Dubai

24th Floor, Dusit Thani Dubai
Sheikh Zayed Road, Trade Centre Area
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
+971 (0)4 3174515
+971 (0)4 3433333
www.dusit.com
Nearest Metro Station: Financial Centre (Red Line)

We were guests at Dusit Thani Dubai and our meal was complimentary, but as always, this post is sincerely written and all views and opinions are my own.