DETAILS: Dhs195++++ (soft drinks), Dhs295++++ (house beverages). Fri 12.30pm-3.30pm. Venetian Village, The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal, Khor Al Maqta (02 404 1921).
Everybody has their own idea of what makes a good brunch.
Great service, a nice setting, good music and tasty food are pretty much standard on everyone’s wish list.
Many will also want a large selection of foods, usually involving some sort of buffet.
Japanese eatery Kaizen, in the Venetian Village at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, has its own take on what makes a good brunch and it isn’t quite what most people will expect.
The service, setting and food are top notch, for sure. But you’ll find it is more of a set menu meal than many brunches in the city, where you can try as many little or large dishes as you desire.
The concept at Kaizen’s Mighty Samurai Brunch is simple.
You get miso soup and edamame beans, followed by a five-course meal of salad, a tempura platter, a choice of sushi and sashimi combos, a selection of mains then a dessert.
The atmosphere is cool, even if the soundtrack does sound like Japanese-language covers of songs from Disney movies. Playful but grating after a while.
A five-course meal sounds like it would be a lot, but it turns out not to be the case.
The seafood and vegetable tempura bites are light and crispy, and the battered prawns are particularly delicious. The chefs clearly know how this classic batter should be prepared. We’re big fans of the salmon and avocado sushi rolls from the following course, too.
Our main – a gorgeous cut of beef tenderloin, which comes with grilled vegetables – is very tasty, although the portion size is a little stingy.
When you only get to choose one main (from a small list), we’d like it to be a bit more substantial. But, if it’s not, then sharing size portions of all of them would be great, as we’re left wishing we could try the lamb chops or grilled chicken skewers, too.
When it comes to dessert, the pineapple sorbet, topped with popping candy, is a refreshing way to round things off, but hardly showstopping.
But, if there is an issue, it’s that the offering is more suited to an evening meal than brunch.
Clearly, it’s not one for fans of international buffets, but even those who like to choose a cuisine and stick with it might feel a little short changed by the amount of food on offer.
What we eat is all very good, however, and with prices starting Dhs195 (plus taxes) it’s far from the most expensive brunch around, but we leave a little hungry. After all, you can’t expect a Samurai to go into battle on an empty stomach.
The bottom line
Good food, but far from your usual brunch.
