The brunch restaurant will appeal to adults and children alike with its lush array of food from around the globe. Many will consider it a brave feat to head for a brunch with a six-year-old girl and two-year-old twin boys.
But this journalist decided to bite the bullet and take the leap of faith with the Friday brunch at the Farriers restaurant at the Meydan Hotel.
What’s the worse that could happen?
My boys may think the fancy plates are flying objects and hurl it at each other like discs, or they will poke holes into the lettuce to play peekaboo. In the meantime, their embarrassed parents can swat disapproving looks from other patrons.
But we needn’t have worried. Farriers Restaurant, we discovered, was one of the most family-friendly restaurants in town.
Before we were shown our table, a tour of the comprehensive play-area awaited us.
It’s one of the minority brunches in town where you don’t have to bring along a nanny for supervision. There are experienced staff at hand to entertain your children with crafts, painting, a bouncy castle and a magician who can make birds disappear and appear. It almost felt like all forces in that restaurant were at work to make an agitated parent comfortable. The corner with coloured balls were a hit with the toddlers, while the magic show with a particularly flamboyant magician was a hit with the older one. The chaperones were warm and friendly. They took down parents’ mobile numbers so that they could be contacted, if required.
So happy children meant happy parents. On that count, the brunch here came out with flying colours.
Now coming to the food, the sheer variety of this brunch is staggering.
There are counters that showcase delicacies from across the world.
My favourite was the live station that was filled with South East Asian delicacies. The crispy tempura prawns, steaming hot dumplings and peking duck were on the offer block. However, if you are looking for healthier options, there’s always the vibrant salad station that ticked all the boxes with fresh vegetable produce and far-from-bland dressings. The shrimp served in cocktail glasses was a hit.
Any serial bruncher will tell you that the key to enjoying such a lavish buffet is to pace it out. Take it slow because there’s roast with gravy, biryani and butter chicken to be enjoyed. There was also a buffet for the children at the play area, making it logistically easier to feed them.
The children’s buffet included kid-friendly staples such as hot dogs and pasta. The pop-corn counter was a nice touch.
The dessert station was also bursting with calorific goodies. My favourite was the gooey date pudding with caramel sauce on it and the divine mini cheesecakes.
We spent more than three hours at the restaurant and any couple with multiple children can tell you that it isn’t easy to stay that long in a public eating space without getting harried.
The service at Farriers was also warm and personable, making the whole experience an afternoon to remember. They cleaned up discreetly if the children were to make a mess.
It’s also one of the brunches where the overall quality of a dining experience for an adult wasn’t compromised. There’s also live music for parents to be enjoyed as they try delicacies from around the world.
I would go back with my tribe in a heartbeat for a second helping.
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Cuisine: International
Good for: Adults and families
Credit card: Yes
Average cost per person: Dh290, Dh450 (selected beverages) and Dh590 (bubbly and house beverages); for children between five and 12 years old Dh155,
Location: Farriers restaurant, The Meydan Hotel
Opening hours: 12.30pm onwards
