Brunch review: Traiteur, Park Hyatt, Dubai

It is probably at the top end of your budget, but by Jiminy it's worth it. Long lauded as one of the fanciest brunches in town, Traiteur's reputation is fully justified. With the restaurant perched beautifully on the Creek, the terrace swathed in mid-afternoon winter sunshine and the light airy dining room bursting with the sights and sounds of a five-star kitchen, Traiteur's atmosphere is going to grab you before the food does.
Live music up on stage comes courtesy of Dubai's Colombian songstress Fatiniza accompanied by a very talented guitarist blasting out acoustic covers of all your favourite hits.
Okay, enough beating around the bush - on to the food. Traiteur proffers an extremely wide selection of cuisines expertly put together in an open kitchen and served piping hot either to your table or to the hot plates in a magically scented corner of the dining room. Dishes included joints of meat, eggs Benedict made to order, a superb cheese pasta concoction, roast vegetables, shellfish and cold cuts. The roast meat, often tricky to keep moist and rare at a buffet, was tender and succulent. I, being British, of course went for a big slab of beef and topped with a bit of gravy and mustard was better than anything an English pub (traditional or faux) could serve up.
The eggs Benedict, a craving I had had for around two weeks, were also right on the money. The hollandaise sauce was not too rich, which meant it did not over power the runny yolk.
I'm a huge pasta lover and the selection present was wide and well cooked. After adding in a few shellfish items including mussels from the seafood bar, it rounded off my meal delightfully.
Obviously throughout proceedings the beverages came and went. Perhaps one of Traiteur's greatest attributes is that the festive spirit never tips into anything unbecoming, as can happen elsewhere.
For dessert - a whole room of treats awaits. Separated from the main event, this every six-year old's dream contains a crepe station, homemade ice cream, a chocolate fountain, Haribo sweets, cakes and pastries. The crepes were astounding and I'm a sucker for a chocolate covered marshmallow and a fizzy cola bottle, so I was very happy indeed.
Call: 04 317 2221