Flavours on Two, Towers Rotana

Following our less than glowing review of its sister Restaurant, Mr & Mrs Brunch thought we owed the Rotana group a sporting chance to redeem themselves. The brand is omnipresent across the gulf, and as such it would be unfair to tarnish every outlet with the same deficient stick that we had been so unceremoniously walloped with at Channels. So…predispositions momentarily cast aside, and with our adulation for a hump-day-mid-week brunch fuelling our fire, we strolled down to Towers Rotana on Sheikh Zayed Road to give one of their midweek theme nights a try.

Food

On Tuesday, the Theme is British night and is billed as "an ultimate voyage of mouthwatering discovery." The food section is spread out tidily down the left hand side of the narrow restaurant with cold cuts and a cheese station acting as bookends either side of the main dishes and live station on one side, and a healthy salad bar and dessert section on the other. The cold cuts featured Chicken and Salmon Pate's, a Beef Bresaola and Carne Furnada, Italian Turkey Roll with Olives and another variety with Tomato and Raisins, Moroccan Chicken and a Cured Smoked Salmon. We then moved across to the colourful Salad Bar which is very well stocked and as we noticed, regularly replenished to maintain its freshness. For lovers of the leaf, this was heaven and included a Waldorf Salad, German Potato Salad, Greek Salad, Caesar Salad and many more with various dressings and accompaniments such as olives, iceberg lettuce, onions and an eclectic selection of Breads available individually if you would rather create your own composition.

Once we had had our fill of the preludes, we moved onto the hot section…and where else could we start on British night but the savory scented aroma which draws you into the live carving stations, where Roasted Duck, a Roast Leg of Lamb, Veal Sausages wrapped in Beef Bacon and Fish and Chips were on offer. All complemented by a selection of gravy boats containing quintessentially British Gravy, Pepper Sauce, Mushroom Gravy, Horseradish, Mint Sauce and different Mustards to enrich your selection of meat.

The Hot Plates to the left of the live carvery were jam-packed with classics such as Cottage Pie, Hot Smoked Salmon, Yorkshire puddings, Chicken and Beef pies, Scottish Fish Stew, Rosemary Roast Potatoes, and of course Mushy Peas. If you still had any lingering doubts as to the Britishness of this particular evening, our next course had us diving into homely and humongous Lamb Shanks, dreamily fluffed and creamy Mashed Potato, a selection of seasonal Vegetables, a very British take on a Chicken Curry and to our added surprise a traditional newspaper wrapped cone of crispy and perfectly seasoned Chips is surreptitiously brought to your table whilst you are filling your plates at the buffet, a lovely touch.

Last but by certainly no means least we have the dessert and cheese sections, depending on how you usually chose to finish off your meal. The dessert section is a bountiful array of small desserts centered around a large chocolate fountain and all of its incumbent add on sticks such as fresh fruit, marshmallows and biscotti's. The White Forest Gateuax was particularly enjoyable, although there was something for everone's particular sweet sensitivities including Apple Cinnamon Cake, Raspberry Cheese Cake, Fruit Salad, Red Velvet Cake, and Chocolate Sponge which were all made extra special by subltle additional details such as flecks of gold icing or protruding white chocolate flaked toppings. As a self confessed "Cheesie" Mrs Brunch makes a special point of trying every single one at each Brunch we visit….and to her glee she had found perfection in the Melted Brie and Camembert, whilst the Double Gloucester, Blue Cheese and Gorgonzola did exactly what they were there to do alongside the Grapes and the Chutney, whilst never setting the world alight in terms of standout flavours.

Drinks

The drinks packages include beer and wine only, beer, wine and spirits, or a bubbly option which encompasses all of the above for an additional 50 AED. We opted to start with our signature barometer of restaurant competence by testing out their wine selection. The Sauvignon Blanc included in the package was a crisp Santa Julia from Argentina and our waiter on the night was expeditious in his "spotting and topping" up of our glasses. The narrow length of the restaurant, coupled with the relative scarceness of guests made it easy for the waiters to frequently circle past our table and give them the acknowledging nod if it was ever needed. The house spirits on offer included your standard house Gin, Rum, Whisky and Vodka which all come in healthy measures and again were topped up regularly until last orders…where they even let you double up on your orders.

Atmosphere

We get the impression that Flavours on Two is not trying to create any particular kind of atmosphere in which to drag its guests along with, instead creating a neutral and dimly lit ambience that is equally habitable for couples on dates, hotel guests or work colleagues enjoying an after work meal and drinks. With no audible music to be heard, the background noise and atmosphere is provided by the louder than average chatter which intensifies as the night progresses and provides a congenial sense of community with the other diners.

Overall

We have certainly shaken off the negativity of our last Rotana experience and we were full of pleasant comparisons between the two on the night. The Towers Rotana set itself apart in the Topshop/River Island category whereas the previous experience stagnated itself in the realms of a Primark. Not that there is anything fundamentally wrong with Primark…of course we all like to shop there on occasion…we just don't openly admit it ;) nor would you choose to buy your wedding dress from there. Although neither are at the "Designer/High End" of the Brunch spectrum, Flavours on Two retains its sense of modesty and affordability but with an air of added coolness. The quality of the British incarnation would certainly lead us to explore their other Themed nights: Asian on Saturday, Sizzling Salsa on Monday, Flavours of the Ocean on Wednesday, and Flavours of Italy on Thurs and Friday. You have restored our faith in the Rotana Brand. Mabrook!

British Night for AED 190 and Bubbly for an additional 50 AED - Tuesdays

For more information, please call us on 04 343 8000 or email us at fb.towers@rotana.com