Le Rivage, JA Ocean View Hotel
The Food
French cuisine has a long and well-established reputation for the emphasis it places on the
aesthetic appeal of its dishes, as well as its flavour profiles within both haute and nouvelle cuisine. This is the first thing that struck us on our pre brunch scout-around of the restaurants' various stations. With such a wide assortment of dishes on offer, we thought a well-ordered and systematic approach would serve us best, starting with the first meal of the day: the breakfast station which featured everything your staple buffet should consist of, such as a live egg chef, Boiled eggs, Turkey Bacon, Beans, Hash Browns, Chicken Sausage and Grilled Tomato with Parmesan Cheese. There is also an "alternative" section featuring a devilish homage to our rotund pink friend who dwells in the mud, including deep fried Bacon, Pork Sausages, Gammon, Pork Casserole and a beautiful cold Charcuterie display.
Next up were what we classified as the Hors d'oeuvres, located on a central island behind the breakfast items. Here is where the chefs really let their French creative flair shine with a series of immaculately and imaginatively presented individual morsels such as the Andalucian Gazpacho, Mini Egg Mimosa's (Devilled Eggs), Scallops with Green Pea Mousse, Beef Bresaola with Celeriac Mousse and a deconstructed Tuna Nicoise Salad to name but a few. Each of the dishes were so inventive, it would be unfair not to highlight a few more of their standout dishes, so here we go: The shot glass Potato and Leek Soup ticked all the right boxes, the Avocado puree with Crab Tartar was smooth and rich in texture, the Duck Rillettes with Caramelized Pears were a clever combination and the Puy Lentil with Salmon was layered so meticulously that it was with a real pang of guilt that we had to cut into the chefs fine display in order to taste it.
With space rapidly dwindling in our stomachs, we hastily pushed through to the "entrees" starting with the oriental corner of Twisted Prawns, Spring Rolls and freshly wrapped Crispy Duck pancakes before moving onto dishes such as Lamb Roulade, Baked Salmon, Stuffed Chicken with Truffle Sauce and Bacon wrapped Vegetables which are served in the traditional silver chafing dishes. One of the most impressive features on display was the colossal Tomohawk Prime Rib and on a smaller scale, but no less important, the detail of placing individual bowls of differently flavoured rock salts next to each dish along with a host of other accompaniments including confit garlic.
The desserts section was a vibrant fusion of colours, shapes, swirls and sticky goodness that resembled a section of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, if Mr Wonka
had OCD. Every swirl, drizzle, and slice methodically placed with such precision it was hard to tell whether the display was for consumption or purely for show. From Pear Strudel, Melba Pudding, Strawberry Panna Cotta and Peach Crumble, to Cherry Chocolate Mousse, Orange Crème Brulee and a Banofee Pie ingeniously served in a mini tea cup. There really was something for everyone, even us with our notorious lack of a sweet tooth.
The Drink
Upon arrival, we were greeted by the manager who handed us a glass of bubbly, which my mother told me is the way you should start every meal (maybe I embellished that fact a little….) but it was a great start nonetheless. There was a choice of either Hardys Sparkling Brut, or a fruity Pierlant Sparkling Rose which we were more than happy to stay on as the waiters passed by with refills almost as fast as we could drink them. It seems a half empty (or half full) glass here is a faux pas. We then moved onto our favourite Sauvignon Blanc (Antares - Chile) before the bubbles got a chance to impair our traditionally stoic sense judgement and with that wandered around to investigate the two pop up bars situated in close proximity to the Breakfast station. One Bar was a jack of all trades and was frequented by the large group of Great Gatsby dressed revelers who had taken a shine to the JaegerMaester station. As we discovered, they also served shots of Tequila or anything else you could ask for, as well as your usual house spirits, and the Mojito Bar slightly to its left featured different flavours of the Cuban classic, although we found these a little too heavy on the sugar and syrup at that stage of the day.
Atmosphere
As mentioned in the drinks section above, we were lucky enough (depending on your outlook) to have picked a day when 30+ revelers dressed to the nines in Great Gatsby themed fancy dress were celebrating a birthday at Le Rivage….and celebrate they did. I believe their starter, main course and dessert consisted of Jaeger, Jaeger and more Jaeger, which made for a raucous side attraction. We wouldn't usually pay particular groups a huge amount of attention as they change on a weekly basis so aren't usually reflective of the actual brunch, however we had to give this group particular "props" as without them and a few isolated tables of what can only be assumed were hotel guests on full or half board packages, the Brunch was almost empty. And herein lay the biggest travesty. When it comes to entertainment, we are fairly hard-nosed critics and only once before have we paid particular mention to a "Brunch Singer" (Khalil Barazi at Sparkling Brunch). Enter to stage left, a cheeky chappy from Cheshire named Olli Frost-Danson who stole the show with his energetic acoustic remix's from R Kelly to Ed Sheeran and Justin Timberlake to Oasis and everything in between. He had everyone (ourselves included) up on the dancefloor and talent like his deserves a larger audience.
Overall
Le Rivage is an unknown and unsung gastronomic giant. If you are looking for beautiful and imaginative dishes served with Michelin-like flair in a light, quiet atmosphere, then Le Rivage is for you. Set conveniently on the walk on JBR, most of the clientele appeared to be hotel guests popping in on their way to or from the beach, and depending on your viewpoint, this could either be a real shame, or a blessing in disguise considering the quality of both the food and the entertainment on offer. For those wanting to continue somewhere with more of a party vibe, we recommend heading upstairs to Girders after brunch.
Friday Brunch served from 12.30pm - 4.00pm
AED 179 for Non-Alcoholic options including Tea and Coffee
AED 299 for Alcoholic options including Sparkling
Contact: +971 4 814 5590 or email eatout.ovh@jaresorts.com
