Brunswick Eatery, Bar & Terrace: When refurbs work.

I visited Brunswick (I will use this shortened version of the name, as not to confuse between the new and old ones, also, I’m just lazy) nearish to when it originally opened, and at the time, thought it delivered a slightly above average sports bar experience (see my old review, here). While I’m still not entirely sure why the refurb was required, budgeted, or executed, the new space (and name) is a definite upgrade. As a friendly hotelier type friend guessed, perhaps Marriott had too many pubs in their portfolio and thus when reviewing a list, Brunswick was the easiest to change. Whatever the reason, the ‘new’ interior still holds the basic layout of the old one, only with an expanded new indoor/outdoor space and a slick new finish in the form of large, dark subway tiles.

Having heard nothing but rave reviews about the food, and with friends visiting from out of town in town, I was happy to accept an invitation to check out Charlie’s Brunch, a Friday meal dedicated to a fictional person travels around the world (kind of similar to what’s going on at Hotel Cartagena). On arrival, the doors to the outside terrace (convenient for smokers, yes?) were open and unfortunately, could not compete with the outdoor temps of 45C+. The staff quickly closed the doors, and the interior cooled down nicely.

With ten courses in front of us for brunch, we settled in for an afternoon together catching up about careers and travel. We were quickly greeted with drinks, and then offered to grab a plate of delicious fresh bread, fancy butter (with chive oil and soy marinated salmon roe) along with slow-cooked tomatoes. This course was followed by fried lavash, Greek yogurt, marjoram, and crushed olives.

And then…we waited. The second course of scraped tuna donburi, with crispy rice, roasted nori and wasabi arrived and disappeared quickly.

And then the waiting really started. It’s not that the courses weren’t tasty, or well presented, it’s just that there was a significant amount of time between each. I’m not sure what your brunch style is, but I think 3 hours end to end is enough for an ala carte style. Overall, there was plenty to enjoy, but nearing 4 PM, it was an absolute rush to the finish.

So, what were the highlights?

• Outstanding service. Really, the wait staff was unobtrusive, personable, and polite. The setting of plates and cutlery, refilling, etc. was seamless. Congrats to a professional team.
• A unique menu. There were a ton of elements in each dish, and ten courses is a lot — basically, you won’t find anything like this in the Dubai brunch scene.
• Including espresso martinis. While I wasn’t inclined to enjoy (way too much sugar), I thought ‘pairing’ the final course with freshly made martinis was something a lot of people might enjoy. In another way, it was a way to more or less have a last call, without actually having one. Very clever.
• Po-tat-toes. One of my favorites dishes was the humble mashed potatoes served with the roast rib eye — they were whipped and creamy, everything you need with a heavy protein.
• Live music. I would make some changes (see below), however, live music is always a lovely addition.
• Outdoor space. The real winner of the refurb is the expanded interior and terrace. Whereas before the restaurant was a bit dark, now the natural light pours in. Also, as mentioned, smokers have an outlet that does not involve leaving the venue (and doesn’t bother other guests).

My suggestions are as follows:

• Switch out the music. As much as I like jazz, and live entertainment, the volume was too loud, and the style didn’t particularly match the crowd or space. Really, I would go with a smooth mix (ask Barbary for their playlist), and then introduce the acoustic guitarist an hour earlier. He was quite talented and much more in line with the mood/demographic.
• Steady service. While I’m sure the kitchen had their reasons, it seemed that courses could only go out when all of the food for the entire dining room was ready. As a ten-course menu is ambitious for brunch, I can understand the need for this, however, I think a course or two could be cut, value for money would still be in effect, and the time between plates wouldn’t be so pronounced.
• Upgrade the wine selection. A rose certainly wouldn’t have been out of place. I would’ve also loved to have a rum on the spirits list. We all agreed the Chenin Blanc and Merlot Blanc were too sweet for our palettes.
• Switch out a course or two. The whipped ricotta (third course), while lovely, felt strangely placed in the meal (especially at the start). Similarly, I’m still not sure about the tempura vegetables (they needed to be served all together, and with another veg — not drawn out).
• Some temperature issues. I’m pretty quick on the draw getting photos snapped, but our calamari was more or less cold on arrival.

As a last note, AED390 feels just a bit high per person, however, given the amount of food, live musicians, and drinks, I don’t think it’s entirely out of line.

Would I go back? Sure, although it does take a lot for me to turn down my usual Shake Shack habit… Also, I didn’t get to try the pizza that everyone’s been raving about.

Who is Brunswick best for? Honestly, it’s a good one for impressing out of town friends. If visiting MOE, pulling this trick from up your sleeves is a well-deserved break from the masses.

Have you been to the ‘new’ Brunswick? What did you think?

A to Za’atar was a guest of Brunswick Eatery, Bar, and Terrace. Opinions are my own, just ask my husband.