Restaurant Review: Jumeirah Zabeel Saray's Superbrunch

What is it? A luxury, high-end brunch held across an array of the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray’s spectacular eateries, with live entertainment.

“As is our brunch strategy, we grabbed a drink and did a recce”

Why we love it: You know you’re in for a treat, when, setting the brunch scene as you walk along the Avenue of Indulgence at the glitzy Palm Jumeirah hotel, is an opera singer high up on the balcony, singing guests to our (early) supper. And it’s a luxe touch that continues inside as a violinist serenades the guests who wander among the living statues and Renaissance-era performers. Lucky enough to be invited to the very first Superbrunch, myself and my husband were soon ensconced at an intimate table in the impressive Imperium restaurant – although you can dine alfresco too – and as is our ‘brunch strategy’, we grabbed a drink and strolled off to do a recce.

Quite frankly, the choice is amazing, with an outdoor BBQ, 18 live cooking stations dishing up eight global cuisines, and plenty of beverage stations to whet your whistle. The sushi room is astounding, with a vast array of sushi and sashimi on offer, served among impressive ice sculptures. While my husband started with the raw fish, I ventured to a live cooking station to fill my plate with chicken and vegetable dim sum, spring rolls and vegetable noodles. The food was delicious, fresh and tasty and we were soon up and ready for the next course, which took far longer than expected, because as we were wandering around, we kept bumping into friends and had to keep stopping for mini catch-ups. I headed to the Indian station next, for a prawn biryani, tempered with cooling raita, which I scooped up with naan bread; while my husband hit the seafood area, enjoying BBQ’d prawns and lobster, as well as plenty of oysters. As well as the outdoor stations, inside at Imperium, we discovered a traditional ‘Sunday roast’ section, with beef, Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes – all the trimmings, in fact – as well as a selection of classic brunch dishes such as eggs Benedict, salads and pastas with tasty garlic bread sides. Plus, there’s yet another selection of seafood on ice. After a roast dinner to rival any our mums ever made, we headed into the cheese room for plates of brie, cheddar and emmenthal, served on slices of crusty bread, before hitting the incredible dessert room. Macarons embossed with images of their flavours (think pics of lemons on the lemon versions and coconuts on the coconut ones) jostled for space with salted caramel goodies and strawberry favoured delicacies, rounding off a, well, a truly superbrunch!

What to wear: Match your gorgeous surroundings and dress up.

Who to take: Take visiting family and friends; make it a romantic brunch a deux, or host your next big celebration here.

What’s the deal? Superbrunch costs Dhs525 per person, and runs on the following dates throughout 2017: March 3, April 7, May 5, October 6, November 3 and December 1

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