Do you remember when, having been locked-down during the pandemic, you were able to go out and enjoy one of Dubai’s dining institutions again – the brunch?
For me, after all the worries, stress and tragedy around the world at that point, I remember feeling deeply grateful to be here in this city, so early on in the pandemic’s cycle, to be safely enjoying fine friends and fine food. I remain more than grateful today given the global climate.
Looking back from a dining perspective, one of the aspects of that changed brunch scenario was the table service rather than lively queues, and I remember thinking how much more relaxed that seemed.
Of course as restrictions were relaxed many venues quickly reverted back to the old-fashioned model, with the buffet an open season for all.
However, a few venues have decided on a different course, reflecting a little from office life, and going hybrid, the future of work / the future of brunch.
One such destination is the Garden Artisan Brunch at Address Boulevard which has adopted an elegant approach to an afternoon’s dining, blending location with great service and excellent food.
Firstly the location, this sophisticated spot by the infinity pool looks directly out to the Burj Khalifa, giving diners that Downtown view best savoured during the cooler winter months. The music is a relaxed affair too, with the DJ setting a laid-back atmosphere with remixes from my childhood (but then 90 percent of the Gen Zs music is that no?).
Diners are treated to Mediterranean cuisine with starters, main courses and desserts served to their tables, removing the need to bang elbows with rival tables in the queues. Ceviches, tartares begin the event, with pastas and rich risottos the main event, but there are a lot more choices besides.
There is also a live cooking station serving up delicious grilled octopus, lobster and roast beef, meanwhile, an oyster bar where you can customise your selection is one of the stars of the show. Even before you get to the table service the Garden Artisan has a great selection of cold meats and cheeses, with biltong and spicy sausages drawing you back time and again.
The crowd in the room is equally relaxed from chic millennials, relaxed Gen Zs to excited six-year-olds and grandparents at the other end of the spectrum. It’s elegant but not pretentious.
What is also cool is the venue’s drinks tie up with Bôtan Distillery. Made exclusively from herbs and flowers which are cultivated within Bôtan Distillery’s dedicated garden in Belgium, it’s pure botanical distillates offer a Halal-certified range of premium organic spirits, which contain no alcohol, sugars or artificial flavours, for a refined clean drinking experience that is being celebrated by chefs and mixologists across the world.
Attentive service ensures you are never left wanting, either for food or beverages (some botanical in nature), and taken as a whole it’s a recipe for one of those afternoons in Dubai where the hours slip by unnoticed, carefree.
And that? Well that’s something to be truly grateful for.
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