friday brunch at spice island

My family and I were fortunate to have received an invitation to have Friday brunch at Spice Island in Crowne Plaza (former Renaissance Hotel), Deira last Friday. Although we’ve tried the buffet dinner there a few times already (when it was still Renaissance Hotel), this was the first time for us to try their brunch.

We arrived a little after 12:30, I mentioned the name of our contact person from the hotel, and we were escorted to our table. The first thing I noticed was that there were lots of colorful balloons and an area for kids where they had their own mini-buffet set-up of all sorts of food, candies, juices, giant mats, pillows, and television. There was even a clown available to paint the kids’ faces. As for the (adult) buffet, it seemed it was the same assortment of international food which is served during evenings: Japanese, Mexican, Chinese, Indian, Mongolian, cooking stations, a salad bar, and all sorts of breads and desserts. The only thing that made it “breakfasty” (for brunch) was the addition of waffles, pork bacon, pork sausages, and an egg station where you could have your eggs done any way you wanted.

During our brunch, our host shared little bits of information about the restaurant: Spice Island was the first ever restaurant in Dubai that offered buffet-style dining, and as it became popular, other restaurants and hotels began offering the same concept. Also, when you look up from the kids’ area, you’ll see two giant hats (I think they’re Mexican sombreros) which are the biggest hats that can be found in Dubai.

We spent approximately 2 hours at Spice Island, filling our plates and stuffing our mouths until our stomachs didn’t have room for more. Although the hotel changed names, the variety and quality of food in the restaurant remained the same as I remembered. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures because there was so many people and our host was with us practically the whole time; it would be too embarrassing.

Anyway, the service was good and the food was delicious (although some of it tasted just average). The restaurant was practically full, with about 60 kids that day, which shows that it’s a very popular place among the expats to have brunch at. So all in all, our experience was generally ok. Would I go back? Sure! That is, only if there’s an occasion, or if we have guests in town, or if someone else pays. Because if it’s just for an ordinary brunch or buffet dinner, malulugi lang ako dahil mahina akong kumain =)