Friday Brunch at The Foundry - Southern Sun Hotel, Abu Dhabi
It has been a phenomenal year for this small restaurant housed in Southern Sun, the South African-inspired hotel. In this time, it has won top steakhouse awards in Abu Dhabi from all major local publications: FACT Abu Dhabi, What's on and Timeout. These are awards that are richly deserved. I had the pleasure recently of trying its brunch for the second time, looking to see if they could carry this success over to its brunch.
Conceptually, the brunch revolves around 5 principle stations - The Oyster bar, Foie gras station, Antipasti seafood island, the Carpaccio, Tartar charcuterie station and a choice of soup served at the table. Of course, the main event is a selection of 5 cuts of meat made to your desired temperature. These include Australian Black Angus strip loin, Irish John Stone Rib-eye 21 days dry aged and USDA Black Angus Tenderloin.
The part buffet-part table brunch works really well. I think The Foundry plays to the reality that is brunch in Abu Dhabi, where guests are drawn to the visual, while at the same time, your relatively more brunch savvy guests want something more. This is where quite a few dishes make the experience above the ordinary. It is the only brunch I have tried where beef tartar is served, and other than the use of a boiled egg (I requested an uncooked egg) and a lack pf tabasco, I was excited about this dish.
Then the foie gras served on braised granny smith apple with a delicious cavados jus hit the right note. It was part of a couple of foie gras based dishes. You might want to try the foie gras ice cream too!
On the drinks front, The Foundry has switched champagne from Moet Chandon Brut Imperial to Laurent Perrier Brut, a move I am pleased about. There is something more complex about the latter and I believe it also carries a bit more cache. I feel it brings added pizzaz to the brunch.
The personalised nature of the brunch continues with dessert. The guest has a choice of desserts, all made to order. I opted for the Apple tart, a real delight. The medium sweetness was offset further by the berries on the side.
Brandon's verdict
The Foundry brunch continues to hold appeal on various fronts. It is an intimate brunch, that averages around 50-80 guests. Compare that to brunches with 200-350 guests, and you can see part of the reason why I am a big proponent of this brunch. Next, it offers of the best value for a brunch, and that value takes on even greater significance when you consider the quality of dishes. There is one other brunch that offers a champagne package at this price, but the choice of Laurent Perrier Brut puts this brunch ahead in terms of its quality. So, I can say that it is the best priced bubbly brunch in the city. Furthermore, the emphasis on its made-to-order dishes, makes it even more noteworthy. Not surprisingly, The Foundry's brunch made it into my Top brunches for 2015 in Abu Dhabi in article recently written for Foodiva.
For a brunch that eschews the loud, boisterous crowds while serving up some fine beef and other creative dishes, this one is recommended.
The essentials
The Foundry,
Southern Sun Hotel,
Abu Dhabi
+971 2 8184888
Soft Package 199AED ++
Wine Package 249AED ++
Bubbly package 349 AED ++
Brandon Stoltenkamp
Disclaimer: I was invited to The Foundry courtesy of the hotel.
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