"Paris by Night" Brunch @ La Residence, Raffles Hotel, Wafi
Although located at the foot of the Wafi pyramids aims to transport diners to the foot of the Eiffel Tower as it brings classic French elegance and accessible haute cuisine to the centre of Dubai. With it's "source d'inspiration" taken from Parisian luxury brasseries, and with just that added touch of "Je Ne Sais Quoi?," a menu boasting classic French recipes including a rich variety of seafood and dishes perfectly designed for sharing, the Paris by Night Brunch aims to be the new belle of the ""night brunch" ball.
The Food
We are no strangers to the various nouvelle and haute cuisine haunts in and around the city, nor indeed was this our first visit to La Residence itself, so we knew what to expect in terms of the slick maitre D's detailed explanations of the food concept and the detail of each dish. It was our first experience of the the Brunch, however and we were intrigued whilst not totally surpised to find that it comes in the form of a 4 course a la carte sharing menu in which everything on the menu comes to the table. Not that we were expecting a buffet at a French fine dining restaurant, but this was a huge relief for our FOMO syndrome (fear of missing out) or otherwise known as "Brunch Greed."
Prior to the first course arriving, you are served with a selection of breads along with the choice of either plain, salted, or chilli butter to keep you going until the first course was delivered to our table in a typical show of decadence and theatricality. The first 3 dishes to ceremoniously land upon our table were spearheaded by a large silver goblet laden with a mountain of ice and 4 rather plump looking ‘Fine de Claire' Oysters with a classic Mignonette Sauce (Shallots & Vinegar.) This was accompanied by a Salmon Tartare and a Goats Cheese, Heritage Beetroot and Hazelnut Salad. Both dishes were nicely balanced, light and as you would expect presented magnificently, although we did find ourselves committing the cardinal sin in a French eatery and asking for Salt and Pepper as we found them both lacking in any real punch.
The next course came out as a double act and featured Landes Duck Foie Gras with toasted country style bread and a Nicoise Salad with large pieces of Seared Tuna cooked and sliced with Japanese precision. As with the presentation of the food in the previous course, these dishes were immaculate, although again like the previous salad, the Nicoise could have done with a dressing just to give it a little bit of "va va voom."
They say good things come in threes, and we really were hoping so by the time the main courses came out. This trifecta included a Seafood Risotto, Beef Bourguignon with Mashed Potato, and a Macaroni Vintage Comte with Truffle Ragout (Also known in classic comfort food circles as posh Mac n' Cheese.) After meandering around the Peripherique, an area known for its dirty narrow streets where buildings are rundown, plaster cracked and crumbling, we had FINALLY arrived onto the glitzy streets of the 6th Arrondissement. An affluent and quintessentially Parisian neighborhood which was home to famous artisans such as Picasso, Hemmingway and Oscar Wilde, such was the feeling of relief brought about by the arrival of these 3 dishes we dubbed the 3 musketeers, who rode in to save the day. The Risotto was rich, buttery and jam packed with Mussels, Clams, Red Mullet, Lemon Sole and even a little "cheffy" foam to show that they were really in their creative comfort zone in the kitchen. The Vintage Comte was cheesy simplicity at its best, and the Beef Bourgignon put up an almost pathetic level of resistance...in that we were able to slice through it with the dull edge of our spoons, such was the butter-like texture of its exterior and the accompanying mashed potatoes were as airy as the beef was soft. Delicious!
With our faith restored, we marched triumphantly down the champs elyses and onto what we hoped would be another successful ménage a trois. The Paris Brest is a made of choux pastry and Hazelnut Cream, famed as much for its high calorific value as well as its taste, The French Toast Brioche with Salted Caramel Ice Cream, and another extravagant looking, ice-laiden silver goblet. Although this time decorated with Passion Fruit, Strawberries and other exotic fruits along with 2 flavours of Sorbet to really cleanse the pallet. Finally, we must return to the Brioche French Toast with Salted Caramel Ice Cream. We simply cannot lavish this dish with the amount of superlatives it deserves, so put into lehman's terms, it is quite simply the best French Toast we have ever had!!!
The Drink
When arriving we were given the choice to go straight through to the restaurant or to enjoy a welcome drink at the bar. We opted for the latter as the bar looked utterly splendid with its numerous decanters, expensive looking bottles of cognac, and large brandy Glasses that it would have been remiss of us not to. The welcome drinks were mixed in advance as we did spot numerous rows of them sat on the other side of the bar, which did slightly diminish the romantic idea of being made a fresh cocktail "a la minute" by our smartly dressed waiter behind the classic looking bar, although they did gain bonus points for being extraordinarily strong!
The Drinks menu itself consisted of an fascinating array of cocktails and mocktails. The Lemon Meringue (a sour mix of Gin, Limoncello, Lemon Marmalade and Vanilla Essence), the Classic Cosmopolitan (Vodka, Cointreau, Cranbery), Le Melange (Vodka, Merlot reduction, Fig Leaf, Anise syrup, Orange & Piper), and Finally the Cucumber Gin Fizz (Gin, Cucumber, Lemon Juice & Soda). All of the above were made with exacting levels of aesthetic precision and we are assuming a more liberal approach to free pouring of spirits…which we will never complain about, especially with a spirits cabinet including a selection of premium choices: Grey goose, Tanqueray, St Lucia chairman's, Jim beam & Jose Cuervo Traditional with mixers. What did baffle us slightly was that wine was not included in the brunch offering. It is no secret that we both share a fondness for grape based beverages, and with the French lauded as one of the world's foremost producers and connoisseurs of the craft, a meal French meal without French wine seems strangely incomplete. We have since discovered that a Sparkling option was available but this was unfortunately not highlighted to us at the time.
The Atmosphere
La Résidence's design truly is a unique combination of classic and cosmopolitan with no design element left to chance. As we sat at the beautiful dark wood tables with pristinely ironed white linen table cloths and custom made elements designed by Pierre Tachon, you could not help but feel an heir of self-importance as your posture automatically straightened and your top lip began to curl as you are lured into the refined sophistication which permeates the atmosphere. The gentle house beats in the background provide a sultry yet unobtrusive accompaniment to the low din of conversation from the mixed clientele of mid-late 30's professionals and couples on romantic dates.
Overall
We left satisfied, yet slightly frustrated with the irksome feeling we had about the lack of wine options available, and this was were echoed by a number of other tables in our vicinity who clearly share our view on the importance of a good wine to accompany a French meal of any real substance. Rightly or wrongly, when dining in highly acclaimed restaurants, our expectations are naturally raised to often unattainable levels, and with Michelin starred chef Frédéric Vardon' at the helm, we expect nothing less than the finest of French culinary traditions to be upheld. Our ever-helpful waitress was on hand to remedy the situation as best she could and did offer a house white which we gratefully accepted, although sadly the quality of this was never going to match up to the standards set by the food and that solitary glass was all that we could manage. We can't help but think that a well thought out list of perhaps 3 reds and 3 whites to accompany the food would add an extra special dimension to what is otherwise a very well thought out and very well executed concept. Alternatively, highlighting the Sparkling Grape package would have indeed fully appeased a disgruntled Mrs Brunch on this occasion, but alas… c'est la vie.
Overall, La Residence really does have the ‘wow factor' which oozes class and refined exuberance. From the alluring and romantic ambience to the exquisite presentation of the food, most notably the exquisite entrees. With just a few minor tweaks, The Lumiere by night brunch could be a real alternative to hopping on a plane across Europe for a tiny slice of Parisian decadence.
Bon Appetite
Friday 8-12pm
AED 300 with soft drinks,
AED 450 with house beverages, selected cocktails & Belair Sparkling Brut
Call 043962211 or reservations@laresidence-dubai.com
