Brunch at the Creek

One of the most popular things for expats to do in Dubai is to attend a "brunch."  When I think of brunch, I think of that meal that's not quite breakfast, not quite lunch.  You know... maybe have some toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, juice at home in your pyjamas... I thought it was weird when I kept hearing of people attending brunches at fancy hotels.  Little did I know the scale of an epic Dubai Brunch.

Some Dubai brunches are in the evening (dinner?!) and some in the afternoon (lunch?!) so it still confuses me as to why they're referred to as brunches.  Each brunch will usually offer the option of having free flow alcoholic drinks.  The whole affair can be expensive (around $100) but when in Dubai, it's fun to embrace the luxurious lifestyle once in a while as a special treat.

A few weekends ago my friend Andrea decided to celebrate her birthday at a brunch (lunch?) at the Park Hyatt Hotel alongside the Dubai Creek.  One of the restaurants there, Thai Kitchen, has a brunch from 12-4:30 with several different drink packages to choose from (soft drinks, wine/beer, champagne, etc.) and a great selection of Thai food.

While some brunches are buffet style (like the one I previously wrote about at Celsius), the brunch at Thai Kitchen was served to us.  We sat outdoors under a covered patio surrounded by tropical trees, overlooking the Dubai Creek Marina, with servers bringing us small portions of Thai food to try.  We could ask for as many dishes as we liked, and it was nice to try everything.  There was a "rice man" coming around with a basket of rice, and the servers were so good that I didn't even realize my drink was being refilled half the time.  The curry and spring rolls were my favourite, and of course the mango sticky rice for dessert.  I would definitely recommend the Thai Kitchen as a place to have proper Thai food in Dubai.

Black bean ice cream... pretty good!

Mango sticky rice, my favourite Thai dessert

Thai iced tea

We stayed there the entire time of the brunch... so we definitely got our money's worth!  Sitting out near the water in the garden was very relaxing... I felt like I had been transported to a spa in Southeast Asia!  It was a great time out with new friends, and I'm looking forward to going back some time to get more of that mango sticky rice!

Dubai Creek Marina