In Review: Mezzerie at Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah

May 8, 2016

 

Mezzerie is one of the six food and beverage outlets in the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah hotel, and is the usual location for the New York-inspired Mezzerie Friday Brunch buffet.

About two weeks after my Restaurant week dinner at Social by Heinz Beck at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, I received an email about the Mother’s Day brunch on March 18th, 2016. In celebration, they were offering all mothers 50% off at the Mezzerie Mother’s Day Brunch buffet, and invited me to experience it.

For a few days I let the email sit unanswered and eventually decided to reply, respectfully declining the invitation. As my mouse hovered over the send button, I could practically hear my late mother’s voice reproachfully saying: ‘You know how much I love the Waldorf Astoria, how can you refuse their Mother’s Day brunch when they invited you?’

And I remembered the exceptionally warm and wonderful experiences we had at the Waldorf Astoria in Ras Al Khaimah when she was alive… More on that after my next visit at Eid in shaa ALLAH.

With all those memories flooding over me, I graciously accepted the invitation to the Mezzerie Mother’s Day Friday brunch buffet at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah. I know, I know… It’s already May, but now this post is perfectly timed for Mother’s Day in other parts of the world today 🙂

My friend and I (she’s a mother), arrived at the hotel shortly before 1pm. For once the traffic was not a complete disaster as a result of the road works, so we reached there earlier than anticipated. We were momentarily distracted by the beautiful and delicate chandelier that hung above the staircases going down to the restaurant.

Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah
Delicate chandelier

Although we both forgot to take photos of the restaurant entrance we did manage a few photos of the gardens and alfresco dining area. The Mother’s day brunch did not start until 1pm and we enjoyed the quiet of the lounge area while we waited for the restaurant to open for service.

Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah
Alfresco dining
Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah
Landscaped gardens

At the restaurant we were greeted by one of the managers who showed us to our seats, and offered to show us around the extensive buffet before more guests arrived. It was already rather warm outside so we elected to sit in the airy and spacious dining room.

The buffet was breathtaking and both my friend and I forgot to take any photos of the dining room interior… The cover photo is courtesy and copyright of Waldorf Astoria.

I don’t often attend Friday brunches in Dubai because they have a reputation as boozy outings where people stay for hours only to drink unlimited amounts of alcohol. This was in contrast to the relaxed and family friendly atmosphere at Mezzerie on the day of our visit.

The first stop on the buffet, and such an impressive one at that, is the Seafood Bar. It looked and smelled fresh from the sea! The last time I saw that much fresh seafood was in Elandsbaai on the Cape West Coast, during the Red tide many years ago.

Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah

The raw oysters were plump and briny with a sweet buttery flavor uplifted by a squeeze of lemon and a drop of tabasco. The lobster tails were also sweet and firm with a delicate flavor. My friend declared that she could eat chicken and meat every day, so would be sticking to the seafood.

Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah
Seafood extravanga
Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah
Oysters
Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah
Salmon sashimi
Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah
Tuna sashimi

The array of salads was extensive and there was also a live cooking station with chefs from LAO, the Vietnamese restaurant in the hotel. I loved the fresh rice paper spring rolls. The crispy crunch of the julienned vegetables with the herbs was such a refreshing change that I went back for a second helping.

Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah
Vietnamese street food
Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah
Vietnamese spring rolls

I love Waldorf salad, the iconic dish created at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City, between 1893 and 1896. At Mezzerie, the ingredients for the salad were displayed and could be assembled to one’s own liking, a little more of this or that as you preferred.

Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah
Iconic Waldorf salad deconstructed
Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah
Pate de foie gras

A highlight was undoubtedly the Roast beef and Leg of lamb with sweet roasted vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. The lamb was fork tender and melt in the mouth and the roasted vegetables were perfectly caramelized.

Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah
Roast beef and leg of lamb

I had a peek at the hot foods and grills and could not resist the vegetables that included sauerkraut, spinach, mac & cheese and creamy potatoes. The live grilling station had a selection of spiced chicken and king prawns.  The flame grilled prawns were firm but sweet and succulent and relatively easy to remove from the shells.

Further along there were slow cooked foods like lamb shank and a few Arabic dishes. The lamb shank was fall off the bone tender and very flavorsome, and I thoroughly enjoyed it with the hot vegetables and a baby baked potato with sour cream.

There were also a few child friendly dishes, but those did not look particularly inspiring and I did not try any of them.

The dessert buffet was everything a dessert lover’s dreams are made of. I could almost hear my absent aunts gasping in delight! From tortes, tarts and small cakes to individual desserts; there was something for everyone.

The tiramisu was simultaneously rich and decadent but also very light and airy and served in a perfectly proportioned shot glass. Not too much; not too little; just right.

Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah

Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah

Oh, and not forgetting the ubiquitous chocolate fountain with fresh fruit skewers and dainty madeleines. The madeleines were the best I have ever tasted; buttery and light with a light covering of white chocolate.

Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah

Last but not least, my personal favorite, the cheese and bread display. I was ogling all the cheeses for such a long time and kept going back to it as it had such a wonderful variety.

Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah

Mezzerie - Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah

Verdict

It did occur to me that the dining room seemed rather empty for a Mother’s Day, when I would have expected to see a larger crowd. Perhaps diners were put off by the traffic jams on the Eastern Crescent, resulting from the road works. Or perhaps it is just too long a drive for some.

The location with a view of the gardens and the option to dine indoors or alfresco, is perfect for the cooler months when families may want to enjoy the outdoors. Inside, the layout and design makes the dining room feel very spacious, airy and uncluttered. Although we sat close to a family with small children, we barely heard them, except when they were giggling with my friend.

We both paid special attention to the service and found that the staff were similarly conscientious and observant in attending to all the guests in the dining room. The service was welcoming and courteous and the staff were very prompt in filling beverage orders. When the plates were empty, they would come to clear and refresh the table setting. When the water and mocktail glasses were empty, they would soon ask if a refill was required. Standard one would imagine; but sadly often overlooked, even in five-star establishments.

Every now and then they would drop by with a dish from Social by Heinz Beck as an additional indulgence for brunch guests. I still think the pasta and risotto are way too salty for my personal taste. You can read my review on Social by Heinz Beck Dubai here.

I loved the bountiful array of quality seafood, meat, cheese and dessert on the Mezzerie Friday Brunch buffet. I was unable to decide on a favorite part of the meal because every morsel that I tried was prepared to a standard that I enjoyed, and beautifully and tastefully presented.

The Vietnamese street food served up by the chefs of Lao restaurant have definitely opened my eyes and my palate to the beauty and simplicity of Vietnamese cuisine, and I look forward to trying it again.

We had an incomparable experience and I would recommend this to anyone seeking a tranquil and leisurely brunch with all the bells and whistles.

At the time of writing the normal price of the Mezzerie Friday Brunch Buffet is AED 345 per person for adults, inclusive of soft drinks, although other beverage options are available. Children under 6 yrs of age dine for free, and for children 6-12 yrs you get a 50% discount. I believe that this is great value for money if you want something special.

You can find further details of their brunch offers here.

Disclaimer: I was a guest of Mezzerie at the Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah, however all opinions are unequivocally my own.

Join the Conversation

  1. WoW Razena, What a beautiful food spread!! Belated Happy Mother’s Day. This really made me so hungry and I enjoyed reading all about the experience and the food. I loved the dessert pics, especially the chocolate fountain and chocolate cake, it looks really pretty.

    1. Thanks Molly… I love taking pics of desserts almost as much as I love eating them. Those Madleines with the melted chocolate were AMAZING! 🙂

  2. What a great place and wonderful foods. This will be a nice way of celebrating Mother’s Day!

    1. My late mother would have loved it, and my friend who accompanied me definitely did 🙂

  3. That looks like such a delicious and decadent way to celebrate Mother’s Day! Your photos are so good I want to reach through the computer and eat it all right now! 🙂

    1. In part it was an ode to my mother… I giggled at your description of the photos since I was concerned that the restaurant lighting at the hot foods would give an eerily yellow or red glow 🙂

  4. Oh wow, that looks like the buffet to end all buffets 😀 The seafood section especially looked incredible!! Hope you had a great time!

    1. I at least wanted to try to do justice to the buffet by trying a bit of everything… otherwise I could very easily have gorged on only the seafood… it reminded me of the summer holidays at the seaside with my family when we could get freshly caught fish and crayfish within minutes, right off the boats.

  5. I love all your pictures! Such a beautiful place and that food looks great!

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and gives me hope that my photography is improving 🙂 The food was delicious!

  6. It looks like you’re glad you didn’t hit send! It’s great to say ‘yes’ sometimes and so nice to take your mum-friend with you. The images are beautiful and it looks like such a special place. Amazing food.

    1. Indeed, I am and my friend was pretty pleased too since her daughter is at school in the Philippines. My previous experience at another restaurant in this hotel gave me an indication of what to expect in terms of food and service, but the freshness and variety still blew my mind. I was like a kid in a candy store tiptoeing around the cheese and bread table with my camera, and those shots near the windows with lots of natural light look much better than the others under the colored warming lights!

  7. What a beautiful place! All the food looks so delicious!

    1. I loved the airy and spacious feel of the dining room… and the seafood really was the best I’ve tasted in a long time 🙂

  8. What gorgeous, mouth-watering pictures! Adding it to my bucket list! What a dream it would be to eat all of that! 🙂

    1. I had as much fun photographing the food as I did tasting the various dishes. I don’t think we managed even a fraction though 🙁

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Like
Close
Copyright © 2024 TANTALISE MY TASTE BUDS.
Made with by TASTE BUDS HQ. All rights reserved.
Close