Barasti - Wild Thing Jungle Brunch (Saturday)
Brunch Reviews | In Unspecified on July 11th, 2017
200-300 AED
Unspecified
Air conditioned throughout to a constant 22 degrees, the famous hangar at Barasti Beach has been spectacularly (and temporarily) transformed into Dubai's coolest summer "jungalow"...also known as The Lost World of Barasti.
The ‘Wild Thing' brunch is a brand new, late starting, all-inclusive offering with plenty of hearty eats and treats served alongside live music inside the lush tropical setting. With the British and Irish Lions game finishing just minutes before the start of the brunch at 2pm, the opportunity to slide next door to check it out sounded too "roarsome" to pass up.
THE FOOD
The food truck revolution has well and truly taken hold of Dubai's culinary imagination. We have our very own food truck theme park Last Exit and even the region's very own reality TV show by the Truckers of Arabia called "We Started the food truck thing."
The concept of using food trucks at the Wild Thing brunch alleviates the stress on Barasti's kitchen (clever). A pleasant surprise for us, and for others who may have questioned the quality of the food you are about to eat for the relatively low cost of the brunch, is that the food trucks are the very same ones found every Friday at the famous Bubbalicious brunch. (Result!)
The various trucks are dotted around the perimeter of the jungle and include the Fish & Chips Truck (self explanatory), the "Welcome to India" truck featuring dishes such as Butter Chicken, Mutton Curry and Saffron Rice, and the Grill Truck featuring Mini Wagyu Beef Burgers, French Fries and the infinitely finger-lickable Grilled Spicy Chicken Wings.
A station featuring Pizza's (pepperoni, vegetarian, Mexican and margarita) and British Beef, Lamb and Chicken Pies was the only station that didn't quite capture our imagination, and we instead chose to skip straight on to the "Sunday Roast" truck. The Roast Chicken was expertly cooked, and the sweetness of the honey glaze and delicate final sprinkling of sesame seeds is testament to the level of detail that goes into each preparation. The other meat available was a New Zealand grass fed Beef Sirloin, and that didn't disappoint either. Served with your choice of Mashed Potatoes, Veal Gravy, Yorkshire Puddings or Roast Potatoes & Sprouts, the only thing left was to try and finish off at the "The Sweet Spot" truck. This came with a saccharine selection of Ice Creams, Sorbets, Deep Fried Nutella Gnocci, Fried Ice Cream, Waffles and Eton Mess! Underestimate a food truck at your peril!!
THE DRINK
The Wild Thing Jungle Brunch allows waiters to solely focus on delivering beverages from the bar to the thirsty customers, and for the price, again we found the selection and choice to be extensive. Hops include Corona, Fosters, Stella and Magners, whereas fans of the grape will be pleased with a selection of Merlot, Chardonnay (Eagle Hawk), Pinot Grigio Rose or Sparkling (Conte Fosco). Completing the beverage line ups are 3 cocktails, The Banata, Barasti Cosmopolitan and the Barasti Hawaiian, with additional house spirits of Gin (Gordons), Rum (Mateusalem), Jim Beam, Tequila (Jose Cuervo Silver), Red Label Whiskey and Smirnoff Vodka.
THE OTHER STUFF
Entertainment on the day can either be provided by the numerous TV screens showing whatever sporting action is on that day, or if you are like us, by seeing how many different types of animal you can spot such as the bat hanging above our head or the cheeky monkeys drinking Coronas! On a serious note, the entertainment is just that in the truest sense of the word with one of South Africa's most sought after bands - Sweet Chilli Jam rocking the stage with a series of toe tapping, hair swilling, air-guitar-inducing classics that had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands. The Vibe carries on at the completion of brunch with the DJ keeping the tempo up for the remainder of the evening and into the night.
Wild Thing Jungle Brunch is, in our humble opinion a "SUMMER SENSATION." Having previously lamented the venue in the past for it's reluctance to change it's ways and prices… (why would you when it is such a tourist trap) this is probably their smartest and most exciting move since the World Cup football dome on the beach. Enlisting the help of the food trucks from Bubbalicious, the extensive choice of beverages on offer, the free choice of seating, amenable start time, the band, and most importantly, a price that won't break the bank. Bravo Barasti, Bravo!
Every Saturday During the Summer
2PM - 5PM | AED250 guys | AED175 girls
5PM - 8PM Happy Hour prices on selected drinks
The various trucks are dotted around the perimeter of the jungle and include the Fish & Chips Truck (self explanatory), the "Welcome to India" truck featuring dishes such as Butter Chicken, Mutton Curry and Saffron Rice, and the Grill Truck featuring Mini Wagyu Beef Burgers, French Fries and the infinitely finger-lickable Grilled Spicy Chicken Wings.
A station featuring Pizza's (pepperoni, vegetarian, Mexican and margarita) and British Beef, Lamb and Chicken Pies was the only station that didn't quite capture our imagination, and we instead chose to skip straight on to the "Sunday Roast" truck. The Roast Chicken was expertly cooked, and the sweetness of the honey glaze and delicate final sprinkling of sesame seeds is testament to the level of detail that goes into each preparation. The other meat available was a New Zealand grass fed Beef Sirloin, and that didn't disappoint either. Served with your choice of Mashed Potatoes, Veal Gravy, Yorkshire Puddings or Roast Potatoes & Sprouts, the only thing left was to try and finish off at the "The Sweet Spot" truck. This came with a saccharine selection of Ice Creams, Sorbets, Deep Fried Nutella Gnocci, Fried Ice Cream, Waffles and Eton Mess! Underestimate a food truck at your peril!!
THE DRINK
The Wild Thing Jungle Brunch allows waiters to solely focus on delivering beverages from the bar to the thirsty customers, and for the price, again we found the selection and choice to be extensive. Hops include Corona, Fosters, Stella and Magners, whereas fans of the grape will be pleased with a selection of Merlot, Chardonnay (Eagle Hawk), Pinot Grigio Rose or Sparkling (Conte Fosco). Completing the beverage line ups are 3 cocktails, The Banata, Barasti Cosmopolitan and the Barasti Hawaiian, with additional house spirits of Gin (Gordons), Rum (Mateusalem), Jim Beam, Tequila (Jose Cuervo Silver), Red Label Whiskey and Smirnoff Vodka.
THE OTHER STUFF
Entertainment on the day can either be provided by the numerous TV screens showing whatever sporting action is on that day, or if you are like us, by seeing how many different types of animal you can spot such as the bat hanging above our head or the cheeky monkeys drinking Coronas! On a serious note, the entertainment is just that in the truest sense of the word with one of South Africa's most sought after bands - Sweet Chilli Jam rocking the stage with a series of toe tapping, hair swilling, air-guitar-inducing classics that had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands. The Vibe carries on at the completion of brunch with the DJ keeping the tempo up for the remainder of the evening and into the night.
Wild Thing Jungle Brunch is, in our humble opinion a "SUMMER SENSATION." Having previously lamented the venue in the past for it's reluctance to change it's ways and prices… (why would you when it is such a tourist trap) this is probably their smartest and most exciting move since the World Cup football dome on the beach. Enlisting the help of the food trucks from Bubbalicious, the extensive choice of beverages on offer, the free choice of seating, amenable start time, the band, and most importantly, a price that won't break the bank. Bravo Barasti, Bravo!
Every Saturday During the Summer
2PM - 5PM | AED250 guys | AED175 girls
5PM - 8PM Happy Hour prices on selected drinks
