And the award for most gorgeous venue in Abu Dhabi goes to Brunch & Cake. It’s possible that we’ve accidentally imbibed a love draft courtesy of a couple of crafty croquettes, but for now, we’re sticking with that swoon.
Already a darling of Instagram, the new café on Al Bateen’s Marina (originally from Barcelona) is proving to be one of the most photogenic restaurants in town, with clean whites and soft pinks throughout the entire establishment, a calm-inducing waterfall and a wonderfully lit conservatory area giving off serious summer vibes.
Put simply, you can enter in bad form and have your mood instantly changed, such is the power of all these uplifting colours, married with a layout that has a choice of soft lounge sofas or casual wicker chairs in which to cocoon yourself.
But there’s no point having a pretty place if the food doesn’t deliver. Good news, then, that Brunch & Cake doesn’t disappoint on the plate. And that’s not just because every dish is enormously, seemingly portioned for two, and as camera-ready as the space itself.
Begin proceedings with a plate stacked full of salt and pepper calamari (easy to blaze through and much-missed when it’s gone) and croquetas filled with a savoury mix of chicken and mushroom, served hot, and scoffed before they’ve had a chance to go cold. Complimentary bruschetta served to the table certainly keeps those good vibes flowing. For the main event, it’s a seriously tough choice, such is the yawning variety of burgers, pizzas, pastas and big sharing platters on the menu. Skip the reading material and go straight for the butter chicken burrata pot – a steaming black pan of creamy, fragrant gravy which seems to bear a never-ending supply of large chunks of tender chicken.
Pink rose lasagne also deserves a mention, with pasta shaped in the form of the aforementioned flower, packed full of chicken and peppers, featuring a spicy kick and the apparently obligatory lashings of melted cheese that seems to come with a lot of dishes here.
Up next is Brunch & Cake’s real forte: dessert. Diners are given a sneak peek of what sweet treat they can get their hands on as soon as they come in. There is cake, lots of cake, as well as cookies and croissants. But don’t worry if you can’t eat it all in one go, as the staff (knowledgeable and very attentive) will box it up for you to have with your coffee at home.
Of course, you might have done this all the other way round. If you haven’t, take it from us – come for cake, stay for brunch.
Open Sun-Wed 10am-1am, Thu-Sat 10am-2am. Unlicensed. Al Bateen Marina (800 4726362).
