Colourful balloons towered dining tables at The Meydan Hotel’s recent reopening of its Friday brunch, their tiny owners grinning from ear to ear in colourful face paints. One girl looked like a bunny. Another one looked like a cat. They all looked adorable.
In a while, they were off to the play area, leaving the happy looking grownups to enjoy the food, the conversations, the feel-good music from the three-member jazz band, and of course, the lavish buffet spread in Farriers restaurant.
The Friday brunch here is a family affair with a five-star flair. Of course, what do you expect from the hotel that hosts the richest horse race in the world in its backyard? You can tell that the staff really put a lot of thought into the entire experience, from the food, the presentation, the service and the entertainment for all ages.
The buffet features the best picks from the kitchens of its signature restaurants: juicy cuts and grills from Prime Steakhouse, Asian and Japanese cuisine from Shiba and international flavours from Farriers.
The two-part buffet section includes six food stations inside Farriers and spills over to the grand lobby where chefs in live cooking stations were busy dishing out freshly rolled sushi and sashimi or perfectly battered and fried tempura and steamed dimsum. At one station, the chef was taking orders for freshly grilled meat or seafood. The lamb chops were perfect. The delights at the fresh seafood counter is also a must-try. It’s impossible not to come back for seconds.
The buffet also includes fresh Saj and shawarma station, pizza and pasta section, an extensive cheese and bread section and delights from the kitchens of India, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. When you’re done, there’s a sinfully delicious dessert spread, including dates, cakes, pastries, waffles, crepes, chocolates and ice cream.
Back inside Farriers, I was as relaxed as the jazz song that was playing while I sat in my window seat that gave a partial view of the amazing Meydan racecourse. It’s the closest I could sit to get that on my viewfinder without baking in the afternoon sun. Perhaps when the weather is cooler I’ll move to the al fresco area.
But more importantly, my table was close to the fresh seafood section. It was as if the cosmos were saying, “Enjoy now, diet later!” I had fresh oysters, lobsters, giant prawn and smoked salmon to my heart’s content, relishing each bite and already taking a mental note of coming back here as soon as possible.
