Midnight Brunch @ Cavalli Club

 

Sunday…typically a day of rest or worship depending on your particular religious inclination. A day where the dust has still to properly settle on the weekends antics and the first day back at work is still an all too proximate memory. One thing is for certain, Sunday has never been a day for Brunching (even for us!)…that is, perhaps until now with Cavalli's Midnight Brunch which has been flying low under the radar since its launch in Easter of 2013.

Cavalli as a brand is synonymous with beauty, extravagance and a large amount of ostentation. Every minutia of the club's image is carefully micro-managed (by Roberto himself) so by the time we have gone through the most austere of visual inspections by the door manager upon entry, to the seated, zebra walled elevator and an entry to the imposing expanse of glittering, suspended crystal chandeliers and waterfalls bearing the by now inimitable RC logo, we knew that we were in for an evening of brand management at its finest or at least at its most in your face.

 

The Food

 

The menu aims to showcase a gourmet spread of exquisite Italian delicacies, ofcourse influenced by the man himself but delivered with love by chef Francesco Stara and his culinary team, and naturally, served on Roberto Cavalli crockery with Roberto Cavalli cutlery and glasses to boot.

The 3 course meal begins with antipasti served Sulla Piramide (On the pyramid) and to say we were blown away by the presentation was the understatement of the night. A large revolving centre piece containing removable spoons which were home to no less than 13 different dishes, all served in beautiful bite size portions including Tiger Prawn Catalana presented with a beautiful edible flower, Beef Bresaola with Rocket & Parmesan, Carasau Bread with Artichoke Cream & Ricotta, Grilled Chicken Skewers, Tomato Tartare and Mushroom Arancini to name but a few. Each side of the pyramid contained 10 spoons, so even though each dish was a mere mouthful, once we had devoured the entire platter between the two of us we felt that we had eaten quite a substantial amount of food.



For mains, you are able to select from a choice of 4 items which are slight variations on dishes found on the regular a la carte menu. We contemplated the Oxtail Ravioli with Celeriac cream and the Risotto with Roast Pumpkin, Red Wine reduction and Ameretti before going with our initial instincts of Salmon with green puree and sautéed chicory with an orange sauce (Salmone con puree di vegetali Verdi e cicorie saltate e arancia) and the Chicken Breast with Artichoke puree and Olive Sauce (Petto di pollo con purea di carciofie salsa alle ollive). The Chicken was moist and the artichoke puree was a nice variation to mashed potato and plated artistically with swirls and perfectly placed bright pink radishes and edible flowers. The Salmon was a crispy skinned artwork which sat affectionately atop the greens and yet more edible flowers. Very minimal but Delizioso!



For dessert, a piatto misto di dolce (sharing platter) on a striking zebra printed plate danced its way from the Kitchen containing 7 tiny morsels including a Chocolate Brownie, a take on the French speciality Meille Feuille, a Sopresa di Chocolato (Chocolate Surprise) and a very cheffy dollop of Vanilla Creme on the side for decoration. Much like the starters, the delicate size of each bite was just enough to satisfy us at the end of a very enjoyable meal.

The Drink

Across the club and lounge, staff attentiveness is very much of silver service standard and this certainly extends to the drinks. We were not given a menu to peruse but were taken through the selections available by our waitress very adeptly. We were able to choose from a free flowing selection which included Beer (Peroni) Wine (We were on the Pinot Grigio from Italy), a full stock of spirits and most impressively, a selection of classic cocktails. The list was non-exhuastive but included Cosmopolitans, Mojito's, Margaritas, Daiquiris and our personal favourite…the Passion Fruit Martini which had a deep, rich sweetness to it, matched only by the beauty of its lemony colour, complete with half a piece of passion fruit floating atop its frothy surface and ofcourse the creeping kick…the secret of many a good cocktail! We were certainly ready for a night on the dancefloor after a couple of these!



The Other Stuff

Regular dinners/brunchers would be more than satisfied with the meal & drinks we had received so far in combination with the service and setting we were in (perfect date night venue). However, with the Midnight Brunch, far away from its notorious reputation (justified or otherwise) for separating currency from its owners in extraordinarily quick fashion, Cavalli aims to give more bang for your buck with the added introduction of a live show and DJ to keep diners entertained throughout the night.

On our particular visit, we were treated to the strangely entitled "Almost Magic show", which included aerial acrobatics, some incredible close up table magic, a floating lightsaber illusion, and even (look away now if you are squeamish) the "trick" of dis-membering a live bird and then bringing it back to life. And how could we forget the grizzly panache of being able to swallow a series of real razors and then pull said razors from his throat on a piece of string. Certainly one to watch through your hands and we are glad we had finished eating by this point, but spellbinding and compulsive viewing all the same. Think Dynamo meets David Blaine.

Our table was set right on the periphery of the dancefloor/stage and although we saw more and more clubbers filling the venue towards the end of our Brunch and the clock struck midnight, they headed for the safety of the zebra clad tables dotted around the venue rather than to the dancefloor. Make no bones about it, people come here to be seen. Not necessarily to enjoy themselves, but to present the façade of enjoying themselves to the outside world, which for us does not have any bearing on our actual enjoyment of an evening, but perhaps re-affirmed to us the type of clientele that would usually frequent the venue. Perhaps with more of a "regular" crowd to enjoy what is undoubtedly a world class offering, the "dinner-show-club" concept can really burst into life as it deserves to do rather than what we felt was a night being held back on restraints by a self-imposed rigidity from a number of guests who were afraid not to act "Un-Cavalli-like" in their eternal quest for beauty.

All in all, a great way to experience a night like a millionaire, however on a price to reach a much wider audience. However, a slight unease remains as we ponder whether to try out the lavish venue on another night of the week. The good news is we shall most certainly be back to experience the midnight Brunch again while we make up our minds.

Every Sunday
9:30pm - Midnight
250AED per person - Unlimited set menu and selected beverages
Dress Code: Strictly Fabulous, no effort no entry

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