Visiting a Friday brunch has been for a long time on my priority list but I never had the opportunity to get around this, spending an entire afternoon eating my way around from one end to the other and sample all the food. Chef R showed me around, time before all the crowd arrived, swarming towards the Champagne station to get their bubbly.

I visited first Pai Thai with its fantastic brunch buffet throughout the entire restaurant. The cold buffet station had a variety of traditional salads, presented in all kind of interesting ways, elevated and decorated. The hot section with curries, noodles and rice, stir fry’s, carvings and steam boats. I could hardly hold myself back on the variety of desserts arranged on a table next to all the fruit plates.

Going to all the stations in the main section of the hotel I settled for a small table in a corner outside Al Hambra, the Spanish restaurant. By that time guest where arriving by the truck load and by the time I was getting my bubbly almost every table was occupied.

Dubai can be a stressful city and I guess with the resent events of the meltdown of the financial market around the world some of those guests needed to let their hair down and celebrate with champagne, drinks and lots of food their well earned Friday. What better way and be surrounded by the best of food and drinks the wold can offer! Arabic, Caribbean, Indian, Alpine, Spanish, Italian, Thai, Chinese, International, British; you name it, it’s there.

A couple of Wagyu burgers with aioli, horseradish, pickles and a Spanish Beer from the keg and my brunch kicked off. Some warm Spanish Tappas and a Champagne kept me going to my next selection; Spaetzle with Raclet cheese! Slow cooked Pork belly with crispy skin with more beer was heaven on earth! Some Arabic houmus, kebab and labneh, more beer and a bit of Thai Massaman chicken curry with a bit of champagne, cumin bread, chicken croquet with mayo, more pork belly, Sunday roast with roasted veggies, beer, champagne; foodporn at its best!

With all the athmosphere, music, food, drink and service; it can’t get any better to celebrate any day, in perticular a Friday in style.

I got to have a rest or perhaps another Spanish Beer, later…

To candy Orange Slices is easy. To candy them to perfection is not. It takes days to get orange slices to a perfect texture, soft and not gooey with lots of sugar. The trick is to slowly replace the water content with sugar to preserve them. One has to increase the sugar content on a daily base until the slices turn transparent. On the last day the slices require to be air dry ed, a very thin sugar crust will protect the slices. They should not be sticky on touch and not appear heavy.

Dipping the slices in tempered, high quality couverture will enhance the taste; personally I like dark chocolate.

Since days nothing moves here in Dubai, streets are quite, Malls are busy in the evenings. Must be Eid, and that since days! Having a flu does not help much to get a celebration mood. Since yesterday I was dreaming of Raisin Buns from Paul but was able to hold myself back until this morning. For breakfast I got Raisin Buns, exactly the same I used to buy while living in Tokyo. A double Nespresso and my morning was fixed; except the flu!.