Brunch at its very best

Having been lucky enough to experience many Friday brunches over the past four years in Abu Dhabi, brunching had lost its ‘wow’ factor a little. But it was a very different story this weekend at the Fairmont’s CuiScene as we surveyed the variety of mouth-watering dishes on offer with wide-eyed amazement.

The scale and scope of the brunch was incredible; you name it and it was there. Featuring areas dedicated to Indian, Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine, Frankie’s Italian Restaurant & Grill chefs were manning a live pasta station, and the chefs from Marco Pierre White were cooking up steaks and seafood to order. Not forgetting the canapés, cooked breakfast, chilled seafood, sushi and dessert stations on offer.

To start we tried a prawn and pineapple cone canapé, which looked like a miniature ice cream cone, and a slice of Japanese pizza – both looked and tasted unique. The Japanese pizza is a creation of Fairmont chef Bura Mayat; the pancake-like base was light, fluffy and layered with juicy prawns, calamari, spring onions and sweet soya sauce.

Next up we sampled the marinated king crab legs, Fine de Claire Oysters and tempura. All were flawless but the vegetable and prawn tempura was our dish of the day; the crispy tempura shell slathered in crunchy peanut sauce was the perfect balance of sweet and savoury.

After raiding the dessert section we moved outside to wile away the rest of our evening. We stood in front of the Fairmont’s fountains as the sun set behind Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque ­– the sky streaked orange and gold, and took home a picturesque photo memento of a memorable day.

Parents, there is a dedicated children’s play area in Frankie’s equipped with an Xbox, Wii; and colouring kits to keep your kids entertained while you eat.

Catriona Doherty