Imperium Brunch - Zabeel Saray

The French style Imperium Brunch located in the jaw-dropping Zabeel Saray was destinted to be a spectacularly lavish affair! Entering the hotel (be warned it is a long drive to parts of the Palm you didn't even know existed) you are treated to the usual 5* entrance and ushered to Imperium.

Let me firstly state that I visited this brunch on the opening weekend and therefore believe a few first-day jitters may have been present for staff and organisational matters. Accustomed to Dubai brunch traditions I was a little disappointed not to be greeted with a welcome drink, and furthermore have to wait 10+ minutes to order a drink and then receive it.

Drinks service throughout the day was adequate but not generous and given the hefty price tag and our large table (approx 10 pax) I would have expected a dedicated waiter on hand throughout the event.

The food itself was nothing short of spectacular. Although not of the same enormous proportions of brunch giants like Saffron, it was a large display. The salad section was varied and excellent and included the rarely seen in Dubai quiche (it is a french restaurant after all!). The seafood section was one of the highlights - lobster, crab, king prawns and so on, all deliciously fresh and perfectly prepared. The men on our table were particularly pleased with the carvery section and consumed as much meat as they could manage.My only complaint about the hot selection was the lack of vegetables available. It's always nice to have an a la carte menu at brunch and several of our table ordered fish dishes from this which were excellent.

Dessert in a French restaurant really needs to be up to scratch and I was pleased to discover that the offerings were very good. I often find desserts the worst part of a brunch but this is not true in the case of Imperium. The creme brulee, whilst only a mini-portion which seems to be de rigeour at brunch, was creamy and delicious with a fantastic sugary crunch. Unfortunately I have had a report from a friend who recently dined there that the creme brulee was lacking that hardened top...Mon dieu!

Now to the 'ambience' - the room whilst stunning, is a little on the airy side. I'm sure if it was busy this would be fine but the opening weekend was lacking guests and it felt quite empty and lacked atmosphere. The entertainment was good no doubt, a lovely lady singer belting out a range of classics, some modern some old but unfortunately nothing particularly up-beat.

It's a few months since Imperium opened and I'm willing to bet that the minor flaws have been ironed out by now. I for one have already booked my next visit... Good things are to come with this brunch. A must-do for foodies.

The Ivy

The world-famous London eatery, The Ivy opened in Dubai amid much hype several months ago. Having only recently taken the time to visit, I embarked on the restaurant having heard mixed reviews.

First impressions were good - the restaurant is dark, cosy and in-keeping with it's predecessor in London. However to my disappointment, our party was swiftly walked through this part of the venue into the bright and un-atmospheric 'tent' section, an add-on to the original room with tarpaulin roof.

We ordered a few starters to share, both meeting expectations. The Calamari was well battered and perfectly cooked, the accompanying dip was delicious.  The Parma ham and figs was very well received by the meat eaters in our party and the figs a surprise hit.

Now to the mains, the Fish and Chips with mushy peas, were as you would expect decent fish and chips. It would be difficult to get this very wrong and a crime at a British restaurant. It was well battered, not too heavy or greasy and came with fantastic chunky chips. 

The Fish pie was unfortunately the low-point of the meal for me. I was hoping a creamy, hearty, flavoursome dish and ended up with a burnt Parmesan crust on a dish that was so hot it was impossible to eat for 10 minutes. The fish inside was cooked well but the smoked variety they used overpowered any other flavours and was quite unpleasant, especially when mixed with the burnt Parmesan. Also disappointing was the lack of potato in the dish, if it was there I struggled to find it. The only redeeming element of the main course was the side of creamed spinach I ordered - beautifully flavoured and cooked. If only they had given us a bigger portion!

In a desperate bid to please my palette I succumbed to the dessert menu. The Banana Sticky Pudding was fantastic! Generous portion and heavenly taste, the butterscotch sauce was on the right side of sickeningly sweet and the vanilla ice cream the perfect antidote. The Apple and Blackberry Pie was also a winner - sweet and tarte in equal measures and washed down with a jug of cream.

Service throughout was excellent but the general consensous on the food was that it was good, but not worth coming back for.

It was always going to take a lot to live up to 'The Ivy' name - but they really need to try harder, good is not good enough in Dubai where 5* food is available on tap.