THE FRIDAY BRUNCH AT ALBA TERRACE IS A MUST TO TRY

When self-indulgence and intimacy combine for the best at this Friday Brunch

The Abu Dhabi Edition hotel offers a uniquely vibrant, stylish and elegant feel to visitors. When it comes to culinary delight, you also know you are in good hands as Tom Aikens is the Chef behind all the restaurant concepts and menus at this hotel. If his name is not familiar, he is one of the youngest Michelin starred Chefs in the world and we are fans of his cuisine.

Already addicted to The Market restaurant – proposing a healthy, flavorful and affordable range of dishes- we recently went back to the hotel for their Friday Brunch menu at Alba Terrace.

What defines this brunch is the celebration of Italian delicacies that are served at the table in a full set menu.

Our brunch experience began with a series of different starters that filled our table like a storm. At first glance, we were tempted to dive right in!

Dishes included beautiful and plumped heritage tomatoes filled with ricotta and basil. Their savory tatin served cold was a hit at the table as the zucchini and goat cheese paired well and we liked the sophisticated design with the spaghetti courgette on top.

Our personal crush was the red snapper carpaccio that had a slightly sweet taste thanks to the preserved lemons balanced with black olive crumb on top.

You can also reorder any of the dishes you want more of.

An Italian brunch without burrata would be criminal and here they offer a live burrata station which is a unique concept. First the Chef describes the different ingredients available on the trolley which include a 8-year aged balsamic vinegar from Acetaia di Canossa in a barrel.

Either you pick and combine different condiments and sauces to make your unique burrata plate or you leave it to the Chef to creates a surprise plate for you. We opted for tomato oil, saffron vinaigrette, preserved lemons, basil pesto and fresh artichokes but there is much more to choose from. We definitely enjoyed every single bite of our bespoke burrata plate.

After a short break, sipping cocktails – they, of course, propose the Aperol Spritz and diverse variations with Lillet –  and listening to live tunes, we were ready for the mains that reflect Italian cuisine mixing pasta, a vegetarian dish and more.

The crab linguine and the provencal vegetable tatin were our personal favorites and our partner in crime was more into the other two mains: veal and lamb meatballs served with tomato & basil orzo with oregano and parmesan on top. The roast baby lamb leg is also an interesting flavor combination as it comes with a rich and creamy polenta with artichoke fritter on top.

Make sure you leave room for desserts as they are all worth it, especially the deconstructed mille-feuille which seems to be a firm favorite amongst the brunch-goers. The pastry was crispy and light and paired well with the fresh berries and creme fouettée.

We also almost finished the large chocolate pot de creme with hazelnut praline served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Overall, this brunch delivers all it promises: a short escape to Italy for a few hours with Italian flavors to experience in a classy style. 

We enjoyed the intimate setting and the relaxed manner in which this brunch is executed-you don’t have to rush to refill your plate and get to enjoy it at your own pace.

The brunch is also fairly priced as it is 250AED for the soft version, 400AED for house beverage and 500AED with bubbly.

This venue is also ideal to visit during the cooler season as there are outdoor tables worth checking out surrounded by lush greenery and water features.

Every Friday, between 12.30 pm and 4.00 pm

ALBA TERRACE | THE ABU DHABI EDITION

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