Brunch on Saadiyat Island is an experience that every Abu Dhabi resident should splash out on at least once, and if you’re in the market, the views at Buddha-Bar Beach are almost unbeatable.
From the moment you pull up to The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, it’s hard not to be awed by the location. The hotel is immaculate and the walk to Buddha-Bar Beach gives you a real tour of the expansive venue (be prepared to get your steps in).
Our expectations are sky-high already, since the venue is a past Time Out Abu Dhabi restaurant award winner, but the brunch gets off to a rocky start. The staff seem overwhelmed and are less welcoming than usual (one staff member asks whether we’re aware that it’s a brunch, and whether we’re aware of the price – was it something we wore?).
The experience regains its footing with the first course, which features three delicious ceviche dishes, oysters, edamame, and a selection of sushi. The colourful plates look like pieces of art (a theme that continues throughout the brunch) and we can’t help but take multiple pictures of every dish.
The next course consists of a trio of salads that are light and fresh, and will keep you happily munching while you wait for the hot starters. Those include a tori sumiso chicken, black tempura prawns, and beef gyoza. The meat dishes are a little dry, and the black prawns are interesting to look at but dull to taste.
For mains you get bife robatayaki, sakana tacu-tacu, black pepper chicken, and nazu panka-miso. The sakana tacu-tacu is excellent: full of flavour and cooked perfectly. But the black pepper chicken is so peppery it overwhelms the entire dish, likewise with the wasabi in the robatayaki’s mashed potato. The most disappointing dish is the nazu panka-miso, which includes a limp strip of eggplant that has been charred for a little too long, a few charred broccoli bulbs, and a bland bed of quinoa. The fried rice and shiso mashed potato are both good (especially the potato) but they aren’t enough to rescue the course.
Finally, dessert arrives and it is definitely the strongest hand played. The 100 percent chocolate dish comes with a trio of chocolate barks, chocolate cake, and drizzled in hot chocolate. Crispy custard is the most interesting dish from the whole brunch, with peach compote, yuzu caviar, and lime milk. All the flavours combine to create an unexpected swirl of sweet, crisp, and sour notes. And the mochi trio is a sweet way to end the meal.
You won’t walk away from this brunch feeling heavy and some of the dishes are certainly noteworthy, but is it enough? The views at St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort might be unbeatable, but we’ve come to expect a little more substance from Buddha-Bar Beach.
Dhs325 (soft), Dhs450 (house). Sat 1pm-4pm, 7pm-10pm (three hours). The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Saadiyat Island (02 498 8888).
