Sim Sim at the Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas has one of the best Friday Brunches in Abu Dhabi by far.
The Saadiyat Rotana Resort and Villas is home to some of the finest dining venues in Abu Dhabi and hosts what is arguably the best Friday Brunch in town at their superb Sim Sim restaurant.
A multi award winning brunch styled on the lines of a fresh market, The Market Brunch at Sim Sim will leave you amazed with the sheer variety of cuisines on offer, from classic Indian street food to Peking Duck, a whole Lamb Ouzi, the freshest seafood, caviar, desserts we can go on and on.
The Venue
We arrived to find the place packed with a short line of guests still waiting to be seated and we could tell they definitely have something special going on here. The ambiance is electric and we couldn’t wait to dive in.
Sim Sim is a huge outlet with a massive central island featuring live cooking stations behind glass and traditional market style counters along the sides bustling with activity. Keeping with the market theme the entrance is flanked by colorful carts loaded with fresh vegetables creating an market illusion.
Seating inside is suitably distanced and there is a massive outdoor patio almost extending all the way to the pool that offers fantastic outdoor seating complete with umbrellas to shade you form the sun.
There is music playing with waiters scurrying around furiously, the aroma of fresh grilled seafood permeates the air and we are immediately relaxed looking forward to a few hours of sinful gluttony.
The Food
The food, we don’t think we can do justice to all there is at this fabulous brunch, but we will do our best so lets start with the central island. At the start is the Indian section serving some fresh grilled kebabs and a street style Chola Puri which we loved. The biryani was fragrant and perfectly flavored.
We move on and come to the Asian section, there is Peking Duck and an array of classic Asian fare, the fried rice and the Kung Pao chicken are amazing and were sent to our table in traditional takeaway boxes which was a neat touch.
The momos and dumpling section is next along with an assortment of spring rolls that are crisp and tasty, we couldn’t resist the fresh French Fries and the bao buns. The Pasta counters is next, we grabbed an excellent Fettuccini in a Truffle Cream sauce that was just decadent.
The cheese cart is calling us, a huge selection of the finest cheese awaits along with an assortment of preserves, there is a life size cow pointing the way to the cheese which was so cute.
The salad stall is next with rows of fresh salads waiting to be sampled, we loved the freshness of the produce but decided to try just a small sampling to save space for the rest.
Next up is the sushi counter, rows and rows of freshly prepared morsels of sushi are ready for you, we grab some California Rolls and move on to our table, our plates are full.
After a suitable gap we venture out again and find the caviar and oyster carts, the freshest oysters are waiting to be had, we couldn’t help grabbing a few and hey were simply divine. The caviar on tiny blinis were irresistible, we must admit we had to go back for seconds.
Up next is the extensive cold cuts display with a mind boggling selection of cuts, some we have never heard of before so we helped ourselves to a few samples which were delicious.
Next up is the huge seafood section, rows and rows of the freshest seafood is on offer, choose form mussels, razor clams, crab legs, calamari or move on to the seafood market where you can pick any of the fresh fish, prawns or lobsters and have them grilled to your liking and served tableside.
There were live lobsters that were still moving around which were irresistible and we had some sent to the grill along with a bunch of plump tiger prawns. The lobster came back pink and lightly grilled the meat was sweet and tender, just perfect we had to ask for a second serving.
At this point we are ready to burst so a brisk walk around the pool was in order before we could gather our thought and head over the massive carvery section.
The carvery takes up one full side of the central island, huge chunks of prime rib, brisket, grilled fish, roast chicken turkey, lamb shanks and a stunning Beef Wellington are on offer. We loved the braised brisket and the prime rib, the Beef Wellington was magnificent and the roast chicken was exquisite.
Next to this is a huge covered platter of Lamb Ouzi with a full lamb in the center that is fork tender, the rice is aromatic and fluffy and the lamb just melts in your mouth, simply stunning.
Its time to stop gorging ourselves or there will be no place for the magnificent dessert selection so we head on over and are completely blow away by the sheer variety. It felt like the dessert section was a brunch in itself.
The Desserts
Rows and rows of artfully decorated racks each with a mouth watering selection of exquisitely crafted deserts just blew us away. There was a chocolate fountain and a huge dessert wheel that you could spin and select any of the different single serve bowls you fancied, never seen one of these in Abu Dhabi before.
The Blueberry Cheesecake was one of the best we have ever had and the Mango Passion cake was another stunner. We couldn’t pass on the Cherry Tart or the Chocolate Fondant, there was a special place for the Tiramisu as well as the fruit tarts, the variety is truly spectacular as is the presentation.
That was it for us, the thought of the long walk to the car just made us cringe so we moved outside to recoup over a cup of cappuccino and enjoy the afternoon breeze, perhaps a short nap would be in order?
The Verdict
The Market Brunch is truly spectacular, the sheer variety on offer is mind boggling and the taste is exceptional. We were amazed at the exceptional level of service in such a busy brunch, there was not a time we felt neglected or our drinks were not replenished in time, hats of to the remarkable team behind this huge operation.
We truly indulged to our hearts content and are happy to say The Market Brunch delivers way more than one would expect form any brunch in Abu Dhabi. We will definitely be back again soon.
The Packages
- Soft Package at AED 390* per person inclusive of unlimited soft beverages.
- House Beverage Package at AED 515* per person inclusive of unlimited house beverages.
- Premium Package at AED 615* per person inclusive of access to the VIP lounge, bubbly, premium beverages, grapes & mixology.
- Children from 6 to 11 years old at AED 195*. Children below 6 years dine for free.
Full day pool & beach access for brunch guests:
- AED 175* per adult
- AED 300* per couple
- AED 400* for family (2 adults and 3 children, from 4 to 15 years old).
- AED 100 for additional child. Complimentary for children under 4 years old.
Every Friday, from 1 pm to 4 pm at Sim Sim Restaurant.
The Contact
For reservations call +971 2 697 0000 or click here.
