Premium BBQ meats, picture-perfect cocktails and amazing 360-degree sea views: welcome to Abu Dhabi’s newest and most exciting beach brunch
The UAE is not lacking in beautiful beach bars and stunning brunch venues. But still, Sand & Koal is in a class of its own.
Set out on the private white-sand beach of Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi, one of the most iconic hotels in the Middle East, it’s a surreal venue that quite literally takes your breath away.
Every table is housed inside raised shaded platforms, and this gives the venue an intimate and exclusive feel. Sophisticated and elegant, it’s easy to imagine the hotel’s many rich and famous guests dining here.
With azure ocean views available from every angle, it takes us a while to stop taking photos and focus on the real reason why we’re there: to review the freshly launched Brunch by The Sea.
Based around a unique open-fire cooking concept, it’s served in a relaxed, sharing-style format that matches the idyllic, beachside-chic setting perfectly.
We start with the cold starters, and they’re all far superior to the usual tried-and-tested brunch menu appetisers that you often expect to see.
All obviously made with the finest ingredients that money can buy, everything is skillfully made and creatively presented. We marvel at the way the mandarin tuna tartare comes served inside delicate white shells, and the incredible sweet flavour of the heirloom tomatoes with charred tomato bread. The oysters are big and juicy, and the plate ofcured Scottish salmon and roe eggs is too big even for us to manage it all.
However, the hot starters are perhaps the highlight of the entire afternoon. Spanning tasty octopus skewers with golden potatoes and homemade XO sauce, and melt-in-the-mouth Angus short rib skewers with caramelised onion, we can’t help but order cheeky seconds of both.
For the main course, you get one dish per person from a choice of tempting meat and seafood signatures. We opt for the hearty and satisfying line-caught sea bass, and the Wagyu striploin. The latter will set you back an extra AED 150. But, given that it was the best steak we have ever had, I can honestly say that it’s worth every single dirham.
Even as two ‘savoury over sweet’ people, we had to admit that the desserts were absolutely extraordinary. Showcasing three equally magnificent sweets, it’s impossible to say whether we preferred the thick and creamy yuzu Basque cheesecake, zesty grilled pineapple and cream, or the dramatic smoked chocolate Macaé 62%.
Of course, no beach dining experience is complete without a cocktail or two, and Sand & Koal’s brunch drinks list is one of the most extensive I’ve seen in all my years in the UAE. Along with offering a choice of refreshing bespoke concoctions, we’re encouraged to request any classic cocktail we like, and choose from a selection of wines, beers and soft drinks.
With the smell of the open-fire BBQs wafting over us, and close enough to the waves to feel the cool sea breeze, it’s an unimaginably idyllic brunch experience. We wished it would never end.
If you want a lively brunch filled with dancing and mingling, it’s perhaps not the one for you. However, if you’re looking to celebrate a special occasion, impress your visitors from overseas, or simply make the mostof Abu Dhabi’s dreamy spring weather, it doesn’t get any better than this sizzling and ludicrously picturesque beach brunch.
Saturday, 1pm to 4pm. AED 380 (soft drinks), AED 480 (house beverages) and AED 580 (bubbly). Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi
