Fizz Factory Royale Friday Brunch - Le Royal Meridien, Abu Dhabi
The F&B offerings at Le Royal Meridien continue to mature, and having tried several of their outlets, I approached this brunch (Market Kitchen also does a brunch) with excitement. At the end of the brunch, these talking points emerged.
Concept
The name says a lot. Fizz Factory. Think about fizz - bubbles, refreshing, happy. Think about factory - where things are made. A place where happiness is created. This is driven home the moment you arrive. A kids' bubble machine sends bubbles into the air and like a child, one is tempted to grab them. My daughter, as children would be, is less self conscious and chases after them. It is a land of fairy tales. Even inside the theme continues. Colourful clocks are playfully used at the seafood area. But do not think for one moment that it is exclusively a kids' brunch. The brunch is spread over three dining areas - Café Palmier, whEAT and Amalfi. Depending on what you are looking for in terms of ambience, you will find it.
Three restaurants
I am not a big proponent of brunches that span more than one restaurant because I think it robs the brunch of a unified vision. It works here, though, for two reasons. Firstly, the restaurants are very close to each other, so you never have to walk too far. Secondly, the brunch is about, what William Blake calls, Innocence vs Experience. The lively, carefree joy that is to be found in Cafe Palmier and even whEAT, while over at Amalfi you have the more elegant, austere, darker but still 'brunchy' dining area.
Cafe Palmier is the hub if you will. All your major and more traditional brunch stations are here. whEAT is packed with desserts and fresh bread. Finally, Amalfi of course features your live pizza and pasta stations, pork station and other delights you would expect from a fine Italian restaurant opening its doors for a Friday brunch.
The dishes
The main dining area has all the stations you would expect from a 5* brunch. I particularly liked the playful presentation of the deconstructed mozzarella salad, served in plastic open domes and bottles with straws. The seafood station is so inviting, with a fish market feel created with large wooden barrels filled to the brim with oysters, crab, mussels and clams.
Amalfi has a different atmosphere to Cafe Palmier. I saw no children there, and it felt quite mature. A visually arresting seafood area with skewers stood out. However, the excellent pork cold cut station was the highlight for me, as were the made to order pizzas. The crust of the pizza - simply divine. My daughter, meanwhile, enjoyed one of the custom made pasta dishes available. At WhEAT the playfulness that one found at Café Palmier continued, with desserts that would appeal to the child in any adult. There was also a memorable chocolate station.
Verdict
The Fizz Factory Royale brunch is an ideal foil to Market Kitchen's Table Brunch. It is family oriented, as evidenced by my daughter saying it was one of her two favourite brunches in the city - it is very child friendly. However, if you need a space where kids are not going to disturb you, then Amalfi gives you exactly that. Really an ideal brunch all round where children and adults can both be equally satisfied. You will not find a brunch of this quality for the price they have here - 399 AED net for a Laurent Perrier brunch!
The Essentials
Fizz Factory Royale Friday Brunch
Café Palmier, Amalfi and whEAT
Le Royal Meridien Hotel,
Abu Dhabi,
LeRoyalMeridien
971 2 674 2020
Packages
• AED 95 net kids from 4 to 12 years
• AED 190 net without Alcohol (Soft drinks and Water)
• AED 299 net with Alcohol (House Wine and Beer)
• AED 399 net with Alcohol (House Wine, Beer and Champagne)
Disclaimer: I consult at restaurants and hotels in an attempt to look at the entire product to take service levels to where they should be. I visited Friday brunch as a guest of the restaurant.
Concept
The name says a lot. Fizz Factory. Think about fizz - bubbles, refreshing, happy. Think about factory - where things are made. A place where happiness is created. This is driven home the moment you arrive. A kids' bubble machine sends bubbles into the air and like a child, one is tempted to grab them. My daughter, as children would be, is less self conscious and chases after them. It is a land of fairy tales. Even inside the theme continues. Colourful clocks are playfully used at the seafood area. But do not think for one moment that it is exclusively a kids' brunch. The brunch is spread over three dining areas - Café Palmier, whEAT and Amalfi. Depending on what you are looking for in terms of ambience, you will find it.
Three restaurants
I am not a big proponent of brunches that span more than one restaurant because I think it robs the brunch of a unified vision. It works here, though, for two reasons. Firstly, the restaurants are very close to each other, so you never have to walk too far. Secondly, the brunch is about, what William Blake calls, Innocence vs Experience. The lively, carefree joy that is to be found in Cafe Palmier and even whEAT, while over at Amalfi you have the more elegant, austere, darker but still 'brunchy' dining area.
Cafe Palmier is the hub if you will. All your major and more traditional brunch stations are here. whEAT is packed with desserts and fresh bread. Finally, Amalfi of course features your live pizza and pasta stations, pork station and other delights you would expect from a fine Italian restaurant opening its doors for a Friday brunch.
The dishes
The main dining area has all the stations you would expect from a 5* brunch. I particularly liked the playful presentation of the deconstructed mozzarella salad, served in plastic open domes and bottles with straws. The seafood station is so inviting, with a fish market feel created with large wooden barrels filled to the brim with oysters, crab, mussels and clams.
Amalfi has a different atmosphere to Cafe Palmier. I saw no children there, and it felt quite mature. A visually arresting seafood area with skewers stood out. However, the excellent pork cold cut station was the highlight for me, as were the made to order pizzas. The crust of the pizza - simply divine. My daughter, meanwhile, enjoyed one of the custom made pasta dishes available. At WhEAT the playfulness that one found at Café Palmier continued, with desserts that would appeal to the child in any adult. There was also a memorable chocolate station.
 |
| Cheese station at Amalfi |
Verdict
The Fizz Factory Royale brunch is an ideal foil to Market Kitchen's Table Brunch. It is family oriented, as evidenced by my daughter saying it was one of her two favourite brunches in the city - it is very child friendly. However, if you need a space where kids are not going to disturb you, then Amalfi gives you exactly that. Really an ideal brunch all round where children and adults can both be equally satisfied. You will not find a brunch of this quality for the price they have here - 399 AED net for a Laurent Perrier brunch!
The Essentials
Fizz Factory Royale Friday Brunch
Café Palmier, Amalfi and whEAT
Le Royal Meridien Hotel,
Abu Dhabi,
LeRoyalMeridien
971 2 674 2020
Packages
• AED 95 net kids from 4 to 12 years
• AED 190 net without Alcohol (Soft drinks and Water)
• AED 299 net with Alcohol (House Wine and Beer)
• AED 399 net with Alcohol (House Wine, Beer and Champagne)
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