"Guilty Pleasures Brunch" at the Black Lion, The H Hotel

A guilty pleasure is commonly known as something, or someone that you have an often hidden desire for…something which you know you shouldn't like, but secretly can't get enough of. Certainly for us, the notion of a brunch itself would fall into this category, so with it's tagline unashamedly declaring that "whether its girls [who] just wanna have fun, or fellas who want to get footloose? this is the place where everyone parties like its 1999," we took this to assume we would be in for a combination of naughty treats and pretending (badly) not to know the words to the Spice Girls and Britney Spears. Look away now if you are of the stand…..pout, and take yourselves too seriously variety. Luckily, we always leave our egos firmly at home, but had to know for sure whether this brunch would truly "re-light our fire?"

Read on to find out…

The Food We were introduced to our waiter Bartek who informed let us know how the afternoon was going to play out, with a sharing platter of appetizers, a choice of main course from the menu and finishing again with a sharing platter of deserts. This format is widely becoming a popular choice with a lot of brunches across the city, fitting into the very "Dubai" system of convenience. All the benefits and choice of a brunch without ever having to trouble yourself to leave the comfort of your chair! Wonderful.

Before we knew it our sharing platter had arrived at our table. Considering the name, we were expecting an smorgasbord of glutinous, calorific, deep fried, belly bulging bar snacks so we were slightly surprised to find an altogether healthier combination consisting of a Cobb salad with Cajun chicken, Avocado, Tomato a Boiled Egg and Blue Cheese. We also had Hot & Sour Chicken wings (that's more like it!), moreishly homemade Nachos and finally a large Shrimp cocktail which looked like an oversized Margarita with large prawns protruding over the side of the glass. The Sauce itself had a unique flavor which we can imagine may not be to everyone's taste due to its sharpness, but as appetizers go there is certainly something for everyone to nibble on, and we were impressed by the portion size for two people.

Moving onto the entrees, we actually took a while to come to a final decision on which dishes we were going to choose and not for the first, or im sure the last time in our culinary lives, we wished that we were able to choose 2 or 3 dishes each to help our cause. We were pleased with the array of items on offer, including traditional late breakfast type dishes of Smoked Salmon & Scrambled Egg Bagel, Braised Beef Short Rib Benedict, Corned Beef Hash and Blueberry Pancakes with Veal Bacon & Maple syrup. There was also a Caesar Salad (Chicken or Shrimp ) and a Steak & Gem Heart Salad with Blue Cheese, Pickled Pear and Walnut for anyone feeling particularly health conscious. And finally, for those of us feeling less guilty came a real homage to classic American comfort food straight out of an episode of "Diners, Drive Ins & Dives, " including Mac n Cheese with wild Mushroom, Black Truffle & baby Spinach, Rump Steak & Frites, Southern Fried Chicken with Red Cabbage & Hazelnut Slaw, and finally Shrimp & Grits with Smoked Sausage.

We have to admitthat this was our 2nd brunch of the day, so our choices were definately more health conscious than they usually would be. The Short Rib Benedict and the Caeser Salad with Chicken were both excellent.

Finally, the desert section at the time of our visit contained only 2 dishes, but what a double act they were. The super-sized sundae was a monstrous mountain ice cream and chocolate sauce, served next to a huge, golden brown deep filled apple pie with Vanilla Ice Cream. We were definitely starting to feel the guilt by this point!

The Drinks

The drinks selection was just as generous as we had a free following choice of beers, wines, spirits and sparkles, as well as a favouarble position next to the bar. However, to ensure that they stand out from the ‘Brunch crowd' they also have a very liberal attitude to the passing out shots of Blackcurrent Sours at random intervals throughout the evening, and even bringing over a large half watermelon which is filled to the brim with a colourful cocktail, and presented to you flamboyantly with a giant sparkler as if it was your birthday. Now usually, especially in nightclubs, this gregarious, boastful kind of "look at me" behavior is something we fully detest…however the playful nature of its delivery, coupled with the generally relaxed and fun-time nature of this brunch means that the sparklers were more of a signal for cheers and inclusion rather than the opposite.

Atmosphere As you approach the back lion through the light, plush and spacious entrance of the H hotel, the entrance to the pub is almost completely shrouded away to the right like a back alley den of iniquity. As you make your way inside however, a beam of life and soul hits you with Tunes supplied by DJ Froid with his infectious soundtrack of Funk, Hip Hop, Soul and ofcourse the Cheesy classics we all love (to hate…).

On our particular visit, we had attended the evening brunch and there were still a few survivors of the daytime edition at the bar, as well as a number of party goers from Okku's disco brunch upstairs. The black & white pictures adorned the walls which were a mixture of exposed white bricks, wooden slates and classic French window shutters in a striking red which gave feel of a traditional British gastro pub with a New York prohibition era twist. The frosted glass windows also add to the feeling of being involved in a "lock in" away from the judging eyes of the outside world, allowing you to really get into the spirit with your air guitar and hairbrush microphones as you pretend not to know the words to the Spice Girls and the Macarena. It seems we were not alone and the mix of music did seem to bring people together, many producing dance moves that they usually keep hidden away, but when in Rome…

Overall The Black Lion is Dubai's first American inspired gastropub, and the guilty pleasures Brunch really does suck you into its genial party atmosphere without ever being too raucous. There is a relaxed and comfortable vibe at the heart of the lion and the part healthy, part indulgent food menu allows you to party the day or night away whilst re-living your younger days to the soundtrack of some real crowd pleasers. If you have the stomach for it, you can continue to sing the night away with a special 'Lock In' menu from 11pm to 3am and if your anything like us…love every minute. #GUILTY

FRIDAY 1:00pm - 5:00pm & 6:00pm - 10:00pm Soft drinks AED250 House drinks, and fizz AED395

Please note - The menu has changed since the time of our review…for the most up to date version, please CLICK HERE FOR THE MENU

+971 (0) 4 359 2366 reservations@theblacklion.ae