Sparkling Brunch, Le Meridian Mina Seyahi

It is not very often that you will arrive at a Brunch with no set opinions or expectations. Not from the want of trying, but we had genuinely heard NOTHING about this place. Not from friends or other reviewers, even their own website is cryptically stingy in its self-promotion of the Sparkling Brunch at Le Meridian. Perhaps it is just their understated way…? Latest Recipe is described as a "Modern French Brasserie Where classics are what they should be." Is this one of Dubai's best kept secrets? Or has there been no fanfare surrounding it for a reason? Perhaps we will be the first of many, so let's kick this off and see what they have been hiding.

The Food

Entering the restaurant from the rather modest lobby of the hotel, you are greeted by the effective, yet comforting blend of an upscale brasserie and an outdoor organic food market all rolled into one. A meandering selection of wooden cask wine barrels serve as bases for chopping boards, platters and glass display units to parade their elegantly exhibited feasts to the slowly gathering crowds.

There is definitely a technique to tackling a selection this vast, and so we split up to do a military style reconnaissance and aimed to meet somewhere in the middle before deciding what to eat first. I started outside on the terrace which was home to a BBQ Smoker specializing in Ribs and Corn on the Cobb (smoked to perfection as if from the Deep South of Alabama), a separate grill with Kobe beef, Loin of Lobster and Foie Gras cooked to order (served together as a posh surf n turf and melted in your mouth like butter) and a giant inverted dome which could easily be the Deira fish market, such is the size and selection of raw fish housed underneath. A press of the button and the lid slides up to allow closer inspection of the catch, revealing whole and filleted selections of Sea bream, Sea bass, Trout, Sultani, Sole and Giant Gulf Prawns.

The wife decided to tackle it from inside-out, and started with the cold selections, which included a Tomato and Feta Salad, a Lobster Tail Salad, Tuna Carpaccio, two varieties of Terrine (Prawn and Foie Gras) and a Whole Poached Salmon which was curved and staring theatrically across the dining room. Next on the hitlist was the cold seafood, in the form of Tuna, Salmon and Octopus Sashimi, 7 different kinds of Sushi, Shucked Oysters and finally 2 giant crock pots of steamed whole Mud Crabs, Lobters and Crayfish.

Having now met in the middle, our next trip up included a visit to the Live Pasta Station and Indoor open kitchen, featuring traditional comfort inducing classics such as a Roasted Carvery Chicken, Cinnamon braised Red Cabbage, Crushed Sweet Potato, Carrots and Peas, Spanish Tortilla, Mac n' Cheese with Cauliflower, Baked Butternut Squash & Spinach, Mushroom, Leek and Cheddar Quiche, Duck a l'Orange and a hearty Tuscan Soup.

As impressive as the selection of "main" dishes were, we were equally as impressed by the level of detail that went into the accompaniments, such as the Arabic Station, Marinated Olives, Chillis, Vine Leaves etc and the Bread Selection which offered at least 17 different varieties: A few notables were the Fougasse, Tomato rolls and the Savoury Foccaccia. Finally, we took on the Desserts, displayed attractively either on the wooden casks or in the chilled display fridge including Flourless Chocolate cakes, Raspberry or Mango Mousse cakes, a Chocolate Fudge Cake, Individual Cheesecakes of either Raspberry, Lemon or Date flavour, a Key Lime Pie, Strawberry and Peach Tarts, Mixed Berry Compotes, and of course the inevitable Chocolate Fountain.

The Drink

The Al Fresco Brunch had a carnival themed outdoor bar, sporting a healthy selection of beers (Carlsberg and Becks) and top shelf spirits, including Gordons Gin, Red Label Whiskey, Smirnoff Vodka, Courvoisier, Jose Cuervo Tequila. Considering it was a "sparkling" brunch, we had to start with a glass of Conte Fosco Brut Cava, before trying out the crisp, smooth Cuvée special white wine. If I had one criticism of the bar system, it would be that the waiters with their comedy sized sparkling bow ties, in their eagerness to circle and be busy, were never stationary long enough at the bar to get their attention and we found ourselves waiting with empty glasses on quite a number of occasions.

The bar also played host to a selection of 5 Sparkling Cocktails which naturally we had to sample. The Spice Souk (Masala Chocolate Truffle Tea, Sugar, Sparkling Wine, Bitter Lemon), Peach Spritz (Sparkling Wine, Peach Snaps, Aperol and Bitter Lemon), Dessert Rose (Sparkling Wine and Rose Syrup), Mirage Punch (Sparkling Wine, Chambord and Cut Fruits) and Mary Rose (Vodka, Crème de Cassis, Cranberry Juice and Soda Water).

The Atmosphere

There is something deeply satisfying which stems from the ability to dine al fresco with the calm breeze and shoreline of the beach just metres away, and in the more distant background the faint yet booming beats of Barasti providing a subtle reminder of where you are without ever feeling too intrusive. The Sparkling Brunch is the first we have been to where the entertainment was truly part of the experience. It starts off with what looks like your average singer with a guitar on stage, until he opens his mouth and you realise that it is Ed Sheeran's taller, less ginger twin Khalil (I don't think they are really related?). A supremely talented artist who sings requests and creates his own renditions and medleys of songs using the now famous ‘'Sheeran" loop machine. This was best signified by his mashup of Beyoncé - Halo and Katie Perry's - "Tiger" which needs to be heard to be believed and was performed with the effortless energy and smoothness that either of the original divas would have been proud of.

Following a short break, the show rolls on with the introduction of a contortionist/gymnast and a very exciting Circus Juggler who wowed the audience with a number of daring high throws and catches with his neon bathed implements into the night sky.

Overall

Latest Recipe combines classic dishes along with a very healthy and fresh selection of BBQ items on the terrace. There are not many places that you will find such a generous offering of whole fish or made to order BBQ items cooked with such authenticity. Whilst we were kept waiting longer than we would have liked for our drinks, especially during the shows, the manager Hansel (as in Hansel and Gretel) was on hand to recover the situation with his humour and proficiency...

The winning ingredients are the balance it manages to reach between its gastronomic offerings, paired with the extremely talented artists which complement the night atmosphere rather than simply fading into obscurity in the background. Again particular mention has to go to Khalil the singer, who is worth the price of admission alone...overall it was a very enjoyable, all-encompassing evening out for couples or groups of friends to enjoy some classic food, drink, entertainment and scenery while the weather permits.

AED 375 - with house beverages AED 250 - with soft drinks AED 125 - kids 6-12 years | Free for kids below 6

Every Friday 7pm - 10.30pm

Reservations:

Phone: +971 (4) 399 3333

Email: service.01895@lemeridien.com