Friday brunches are an exciting scene in Dubai. Some of the best hours of a friday could be a well spent time on a Friday brunch with family and friends. Manzil Downtown located at Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard at Downtown Dubai has now come up with a brand new Friday brunch this year held at their restaurant Boulevard Kitchen which not just entertain adults but also takes care of their little ones with a dedicated buffet menu for children as well as entertainments such as face painting, arts and crafts and other planned activities which is sure to keep them busy and excited as much as the adults enjoying their Friday brunch at Manzil Downtown. The cuisine found here is a mix of both Western and Arabic.
You feel like you are eating at a space in the palace where luxurious and modern Arabic themed interiors are worth to admire. We had our table facing the iconic Burj Khalifa(worlds tallest) coupled with a cool climate we just didn’t want to give up our seat till the end.
Besides the traditional drinks found at the entrance, you also get to order your mocktails/cocktails and other respective drinks from your table found in their beverage menu which is inclusive of your buffet price. Even kids have their own selection of mocktails menu, how cool is that?
Their salad bar was an elegant stretch of both western and middle eastern salads. Both categories had their own share of temptations. The muhammara here was one of the best I’ve had which was blended with some of the finest nuts. Some of the other items you could find from the cold mezzeh would be Hummus, Moutabal, Tabbouleh, Fattoush, Babaganoush, Potato harrah, Rocca salad, Vine leaves, Moujadera, Foul bil zeit, Eggplant, moussaka, Mix olives, Mix pickles. There is quite a bit and they are so neatly presented that you wouldn’t feel like ignoring any of them but you really need to plan well else you could run out of space in your tummy.
From the English salads you could find:
- Breads
- Tuna, green beans, potato and Kalamata olives
- Mushroom with white bean and radicchio salad
- Marinated artichoke salad with black olives, cherry tomatoes and Italian vinaigrette
- Grilled fennel salad with smoked duck and orange vinaigrette,
- Zucchini and cous cous salad with balsamic onions, tomato and olive oil
- Three beans salad with bell peppers and lemon vinaigrette
- Smoked salmon with onion, capers, horseradish cream, lemon wedges
- Smoked chicken cold cut
- Beef pastrami cold cut
They also have a LIVE cooking station where you would find hot appetizers and shawarma sandwiches being prepared fresh. The make really nice crispy sajs and they are a must try.
- Saj zatar
- Saj with cheese
- Saj with labneh
- Chicken sharwarma
The grilled meats where on high demand specially the giant tiger prawns which was a site. The hot meat grills continue to be refilled while we are busy emptying them. The lamb chops and tiger prawns where my favorite picks. I ate most of these two from the meats. The lamb ouzi is ever tempting and as you can see it’s more loaded with lamb than rice.
Kids are very much taken care of during the Friday brunch at Manzil Downtown. With a dedicated made to order customized menu just for the kids which includes a selection of main course, desserts and mocktails. For the kids entertainment they have have a dedicated staff to play and assist your kids with arts and crafts etc. It’s not just the usual painting and brushing as you can see above there is a lot more to it with professionals guiding your kid throug out at the kids corner. The beautiful craft work can be taken home after it’s completed and is worth hanging up on your house wall.
To me their desserts were very special. They had all that I wanted. The best of both worlds(middle eastern and western). Wish they had kunfas as well. I was addicted to their chocolate fudge mousse cake which sits on a perfectly crafted thin crispy wafer base, each time you put it in your mouth it would just melt and you would want more of this delectable dessert. The cream puffs and Halawat Al Jeben were well made and I felt they were even better than those that you would find in a traditional shop.
Some of the arabic desserts were: Znoud Al sit Halawat Al Jeben Basbousa Muhalabiya with coffee jelly Maamoul selection Katayef nuts Balah Al sham, Oum Ali.
Some of the western desserts were: Cream caramel Chocolate fudge mousse cake Chocolate honey tart Chocolate banana choux buns Lemon éclairs Opera cake Strawberry tarts Seasonal sliced fruits
Pricing for the buffet would be:
- AED 295 (includes a delectable buffet, house beverages and a hubbly bubbly)
- AED 195 (includes a delectable buffet, soft drinks, juices and a hubbly bubbly)
- AED 95 (children between 6 and 12 years old)
Click here to visit their official webpage. Click below to see pictures in full screen view:
I will certainly visit Manzil Downtown Dubai