Brunch at the Creek (Vivaldi by Alfredo Russo), Sheraton the Creek

Situated in the suave stylish surrounds of "Vivaldi' by Alfredo Russo, Sheraton at the Creek has a brunch which promises to showcase a number of their restaurants from one picturesque. From the aforementioned host Vivaldi by Russo, Creekside Japanese Restaurant and Ashiana Restaurant. A concept becoming wildly popular in multi outlet hotels, and something which gourmands like ourselves are big fans of.   THE FOOD   The hotel's three main outlets form the backbone of the buffet stations with clear distinctions set between Japanese, Indian and Italian. Expectations of the Italian selection were high and a visit to the pasta kitchen did not disappoint, with the chef's preparing a couple of custom fusilli and spaghetti dishes, laden with fresh chilli, cream sauce and garlic. Simple, yet delicious. The Mediterranean Seafood featuring Prawns, Clams, and local Seabream was also a delightful showcase of the surrounding area using Italian inspiration.   There is also the added surprise of a risotto trolley that slides gracefully in between the tables, serving up freshly cooked risotto with porcini mushrooms, aged parmesan and shavings of truffle. An inadvertent but textbook accompaniment to the simple salad we had just made from the "make your own" section in the main room.     The Japanese station was spearheaded by vegetable and squid tempura, which we have never been a fan of in isolation. Either the batter is too thick or the filling too cold. Luckily the ingenious infusions of soy sauce to accompany them hid any of these defects. Much like flavoured rock salts, the different levels of flavour enhancement that can be achieved by concoctions including a smoked soy, a truffle soy, and one infused with banana and caramel amongst others has to spark intrigue, even for those who may not be the biggest fans of sushi or tempura like us. The chicken Katsu roll was from the sushi section was one of many pretty dishes to take our fancy with our new soya sauce infatuation.     A personal highlight for us was the Pork station. A glass room filled with cold cuts on one side and a wine cellar on the other, just large enough to squeeze 2 people inside like a personal cellar with countless rows of grapey goodness stacked upto the ceiling. Right next to the Pork station is the dessert room, nicely positioned in the more tranquil bar area with it's sparkle-laden bar almost distracting every guest away from the selection of delicious mini desserts and cheeses on offer.   There is also small kids' area where they can relax and read a book or watch a movie, complete with a few dishes such as fish and chips and sliders. We would say this is definitely child friendly without being child-centric.     THE DRINKS   Beverages included house Italian red (primitivo), white, (pinot grigio) or rose (pino grigio rose) along with house spirits tequilla, vodka, gin and whisky and also prosecco (valdo) which Mrs B was very pleased about.     OVERALL   The restaurant and in particular the terrace is beautiful, with lots of natural light and a stunning USP of floor to ceiling terrace views over the creek. This area effortlessly showcases the Yachts in the foreground, with Dubai's skyline accentuated by the world's tallest building in the background. Although later on as the sun passes over it became really hot with the glass creating a greenhouse effect. It also doubled up as the smokers area and as non-smokers we felt a little put out. As the brunch ran later, the frequency of cigarette breaks that groups were taking increased, with the increasing temperature coupled with the suffocating whiff of cigarette smoke eventually forcing us inside. It is a high end foodie experience without the high end price tag attached to it. Certainly worth a visit for families and couples alike!     Every Friday 12.30-4.00pm   Packages · Soft package: AED 169 · House package: AED 219 · Premium package: AED 269