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Classy Affair at Ewaan

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The Ewaan puts the class back into the Friday brunch, and the sumptuous seafood spread is its highlight

Published: Fri 5 Jun 2015, 4:22 PM

Updated: Mon 21 Aug 2023, 3:57 PM

It’s common (enough) knowledge that the weekend brunch is a big deal in Dubai. From its popular Friday no-holds-barred-eat-and-drink avatar, it’s now taken on different forms such as the more sedate Saturday brunch, the odd weekday brunch, and even the go-all-out variant, drunch (we won’t expand on that…).

So much so that brunches these days are not only a sort of &institution in Dubai, they’ve acquired a semi-notorious reputation in the city, thanks to their multi-course, multi-hour and multi-inclusive nature — like we said, they’re no-holds-barred, and the meal is not so much a brunch but a banquet — an all-day event in itself.

So, the brunch in Dubai has shown signs of spiralling down both in quality and purpose, and becoming just another excuse to party on weekends. But bringing a touch of class back into the proceedings is the Ewaan brunch at The Palace Downtown Dubai. It’s no stranger to the Friday brunch scene — rated among the best in town by food bloggers, it’s been something of a staple among regular brunch-goers. With a slightly amped up menu, Ewaan now serves a blend of their signature Arabic fare with Oriental specialties.

We walk into the restaurant with its familiar Arabesque-style motifs and seating. As with most weekend dining venues, you can choose to head to the spacious terrace (avoidable in the current heat), the more comfortable ‘verandah’ areas &adjoining the live music stage, or well inside, closer to the buffet stations and away from the light and heat. Though the tables seem rather closely clustered together, there’s still a measure of privacy while chatting with your dining partner. You can check out everyone around, especially the Friday fashions, without really appearing to gawk.

We’re tempted to sit back and relax for a bit before heading to the buffet sections, but they beckon us straight away, not because we’re hungry gluttons, but the sheer variety on offer, the different textures and colours warrant a closer look-up. And oh, the Ewaan brunch starts late even by Friday standards — 1 pm — so there’s enough time to work up an appetite.

Arabic and Oriental may be the highlight, but there’s still a whole range of world-favourites and Continetal stuff to try from —

Arabic and Oriental may be the highlight, but there’s still a whole range of world-favourites and Continetal stuff to try from —

including fresh foie gras terine, lobster ceviche, BBQ stations, roasted meats, and a large table only laden with French cheeses and freshly baked bread. But the star of the spread is definitely the seafood — panning across two or three sections, there’s everything imaginable: lobster, crab, scallop, oysters, shrimp, caviar, other fresh seafood, and a separate live sushi counter. There’s fish in soups, salads and mains. And plenty of that old favourite, smoked salmon.

Be that as it may, we recommend starting with the Arabic and Levantine mezze, for a healthy kick-off — plenty of tabbouleh, fattoush and other salads, with a touch of hummus and delectably sinful garlic sauce, Arabic style. We move on to our mains with some locally farmed caviar, and foie gras cooked in-house, both pretty good but falling short of perfection. Smoked salmon comes to the rescue in many forms — we have it plain and simple, and also in a quirky Salmon Pancake version, served with Russian Sour Cream and Salmon Caviar! Thumbs up for this one.

I’m not one for shellfish, but my companion goes all out with the Canadian Lobster in Cocktail Sauce, Crab Parmesan Brule and the signature Lobster Thermidore, and she rates them well, and goes in for seconds. We follow that up with sushi and sashimi, rolled live, and some delicious large prawns from the grill. These time-honoured crowd pleasers live up to their standards, and we’re ready to head to the grilled and roasted meats.

There’s Australian steak, prime beef cut, and plenty of grilled chicken, veal and other meats, but according to my friend, they’re just about satisfactory, hardly excellent or up to five-star standards. So moral of the story is stick to the seafood here, and you’re all good for the weekend.

The Ewaan brunch offers a lot in terms of culinary variety, letting you sample a bit of everything, and that, along with the copious seafood, is its USP. Plus, it’s a tried-and-tested favourite among Dubai residents, so going back there or taking visiting family or friends is a safe bet.

Five-star spreads are rarely lacking in the dessert department, and Ewaan dishes out the best in the form of a live pastry station, and a full counter devoted only to chocolate desserts — it’s fittingly called the “chocolate buffet”. Quite the indulgent end to a grand feast. - marypaulose@khaleejtimes.com



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