When we hear the word ‘brunch’ we usually think of vast tables of decadent expats letting off steam over a table that looks like a food bomb has hit it. It varies from week to week, but the scene usually involves tens of empty glasses containing a mush of mint leaves, abandoned squares of sponge cake covered in chocolate fountain sauce, prawn shells, a deconstructed sushi roll perched just out of the way of a pool of gravy, and a slab of gorgonzola – all at the same place setting.
Since this scene has started to become all too familiar, we decided to try one of the city’s cheaper, more sedate options. There are no free-flow beverage options at Gems, meaning it was always going to be a far more civilised affair. Housed in the quiet Cristal Hotel, just behind the Hamed Centre in the downtown area, we were expecting a rather deserted restaurant, so were pleasantly surprised to find the place bustling with diners taking advantage of the remarkably cheap all-you-can-eat buffet. If there hadn’t been so many people, Gems might have been a little soulless, due to the generic beige and black furnishings – a colour scheme that is often the mark of a sterile hotel. But piles of food, a hum of conversation and a wiggly toddler who kept launching himself towards the dessert counter all lifted the mood.
The food, as well as the atmosphere, was also very child-friendly, particularly as the buffet was Italian-themed on our visit. Almost everything on offer was easy on the palate, including the pizza and salad, and pasta from the live cooking station. You could choose your pasta with tomato or creamy sauce, and pick from a range of ingredients to add to the dish, so kids were having a whale of a time creating their own platefuls. None of the rest of the food was of particularly high quality: steamed vegetables were bland, calamari was soggy and the lasagne was more béchamel sauce and pasta sheets than meat. But since we weren’t expecting gourmet dining at the price we were paying, we found enough there for a satisfying meal. And, as for dessert, when we saw the huge creamy cakes, fruit salads and typical brunch-style mousse-in-glasses, we’ll admit we had to end up following the toddler’s suit.
The bill (for two)
2x buffet, excluding soft drinks Dhs198
Total (excluding service) Dhs198
