Talk & Soul "Jazz" Brunch, Movenpick JBR

Awarded as the Best Brunch at the BBC Good Food Middle East Awards in 2014, the Talk & Soul Brunch has been on our sizeable "To Do list" for quite some time. Talk, a bustling family restaurant and Soul, which is an intimate lounge come together for an indoor and al fresco extravaganza, proclaimed as the Friday Brunch with more Jazz than ever. They have certainlyTalked the Talk, let's see if they could Walk the Walk!

The Food

Executive Chef Didier Laufenburger and his team have really excelled themselves with the multiplicity of gourmet items which are prepared at the various interactive cooking stations throughout the Brunch. He adds "The main focus in my kitchen and for my team is consistency, food of a high quality, a modern approach with a French touch and healthy, organic ingredients." Variety here is also definitely the order of the day and we were amazed by both the quality and quantity of fresh dishes on offer as we embarked upon our gourmet world tour pre-brunch. We had no idea where to begin, there was Sushi and Seafood, to the freshly Marinated Grilled Meats at the Rotisserie, or the sumptuous Curries and dishes fired out of the Tandoori and a dedicated Arabic section. We continued our journey through China and Thailand with some stunning sweet, sour and spicy Asian dishes, through Mexico with classic Tortillas, Guacamole and Chilli Con Carne, and drooled over freshly baked Foccacia, Quiches and Italian delicacies from the Pizza Oven and live Pasta station before finally deciding upon how and where to actually start eating!

For those feeling particularly conscientious, the "Go Healthy" corner has the ingenious idea of providing all of the nutritional information on the labels, giving you the green light to indulge upon dishes such as an Oriental Duck and Mango Salad, or a Black Lentil stew with smoked Tofu. We then followed up with the very novel "vitamin station" which offered some lovely fruit based shots to cleanse the palette and the soul, leaving us with that sense of self-satisfaction you usually only get after a big session at the gym…well, for the first part of the day at least.

Removing ourselves from our self-anointed sainthood, it was time to cue the gluttony and we began with a Hand Cut Tartar, of which you could choose either Beef or Tuna, visited the Cured Meat station, the Breakfast & Bread stations (make sure you try the Eggs Benedict!) and one of the most impressive and informative Cheese sections we have seen at ANY brunch. The level of detail placed on both the presentation of the cheeses and the accompanying information which included a map of the particular region from which it emanated meant that you could educate your mind at the same time as satisfying your stomach.

The selectiom of desserts was as bountiful as we had come to expect from a brunch boasting its own DESSERT ROOM…yes you did hear correctly, a dessert room! You will have to see and experience this for yourself but to highlight a few standout dishes we still had room left to try, the Chocolate Nutella Swiss Roll, The Saffron Kulfi Parfait, and The Cheese Cake with Salted Caramel. All presented beautifully, all deliciously delicate, sweet and impossible to leave alone. That "Go Healthy" corner seems so far away.

With too many mouth-watering dishes to mention, we have listed our top 5 "must try" dishes to help you decide where on earth (literally…) on this world map of consumption to start:

• Breakfast - The eggs benedict.

• Cold Appetisers - The Smoked Duck with Cottage Cheese,

• Cured Meat Section - The Air dried Lamb

• Rotisserie - The Roast Beef Striploin

• Dessert - Salted Caramel Cheesecake

The Drinks

With a motto like "It's not drinking....it's brunch" heading up their Drinks menu we already knew that there had been some thought put into this oft-overlooked part of the day (not by us I might add. We liked their style and as suggested on the menu, followed their recommendation of starting our experience with their selection of Cocktails or Homemade Lemonades, of which we were particularly partial to the Rum & Pineapple based cocktail of the day.

We then moved onto the wines and it was great to see more than just the standard house white and red available. There were 2 whites, a De Bortoli Semillion Chardonnay (Australia) and a Frontera Concha Y Toro (Sauvignon Blanc (Chili). The 2 reds were a De Bortoli Cabernet Merlot (Australia) and a Frontera Concha Y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon (Chili). The Sparkling Wine was provided by Grandial Brut (France) or as suggested by their witty menu, you could "Take a shot or enjoy it long" with a selection of premium spirits including Gin (Bombay Sapphire), Vodka (Russian Standard, Whisky (Dewars), Rum (Bacardi) and even Tequila (Sauza Blanco). For Beer aficionados, your choices included either Amstel or Budweiser and If all of this is still not enough for you...we were agreeably informed that you could further enhance your brunch experience by upgrading the bubbly to Marie Stuart Champagne for AED 216pp.

That would definitely be all angles covered then. Tick.

The Other Stuff

The brunch boasts that guests have the choice to opt for the family-oriented atmosphere of The Talk where a kid's corner keeps children entertained with bouncy castles, movie screenings, face painting and such, or the more intimate setting of Soul restaurant with its indoor and al fresco seating. This certainly was the case, however the 2 divergent atmospheres seem to meld together seamlessly to create the perfect blend of bustling, whilst not overtly rambunctious fun. This is perfectly personified by having the Graffitti wall on which to unleash your inner "Banksy" on the one hand, whilst the live jazz singer and saxophonist from London serenade you with sultry, smooth and sophisticated Jazz on the other. It shouldn't work, but it just does!

We really found it hard to find fault with this Brunch. It has every conceivable situation covered, from the atmosphere or rather 'choice of' depending on your mood (or accompanying children)...to the generous drinks selection and ofcourse the food world tour. This could be the new "Pin Up Girl" of the Dubai Brunch scene....They have Talked the Talk, and can certainly Walk the Walk…in 9 inch stilletos we might add! Bravo!

Every Friday from 12:30 p.m. until 4 p.m.

AED 279 per person, including buffet and soft beverages.

AED 379 per person, including buffet and beverage package (White, Red, Sparkling, Cocktail of the Day and Beer) Champagne menu is available.

Children 12 and under eat for free.

call 044498834 or email Talk.Jumeirahbeach@moevenpick.com