A Cut above
Team TMN couldn’t wait to discover the latest in refined brunch offerings, from one of Dubai’s most decadent restaurants…
What: Friday Brunch at CUT
Where: CUT by Wolfgang Puck, The Address Downtown Dubai
When: Every Friday from 12pm – 4pm
The promise: “At the pinnacle of the fine dining experience, CUT by Wolfgang Puck invites visitors to indulge in an impeccable brunch that is beyond fulfilling. CUT offers an elegant dining experience with a menu that will make you crave more.”
Did it deliver? CUT by Wolfgang Puck has long been on the to-visit list here at TMN. Helmed by famed Austrian-American Chef (pronounced ‘pook’), the Dubai outlet is the latest addition to a family of world-renowned restaurants famed for their excellent steaks.
With enormous bay windows offering world-class views of the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai fountains, the restaurant itself is quite simply stunning. Team TMN loved the light and airy feel of the space, with its high ceilings and clean décor, and the restaurant was intimate enough for a good catch-up without feeling stuffy or cramped.
Opting for a table with a window view, we took our seats, and were made to feel thoroughly welcome. Promptly presented with a basket of delicious home-baked breakfast breads and croissants, a create-your-own Bloody Mary cart was also wheeled before us. As conversation (and cocktails) flowed, food began to arrive at our table – we began with canapé-sized portions of steak and miniature grilled cheese sandwiches, and both were devoured keenly, with the bite-sized steak acting as a tantalising glimpse of the mains to come.
CUT completely avoids the eternally disappointing buffet-for-brunch concept, and offers a selection of starters delivered to the table in a steady trickle, before one main course per person is selected from an a-la-carte menu. This meant that the quality of the food remained exceptionally high and we managed to try a little bit of everything, including some of the restaurants signature dishes – highlights from the starters we sampled included smoked salmon blinis, a wonderfully light scallop carpaccio, and an expertly prepared, utterly delicious steak tartare. By the time it came to order mains, team TMN were already feeling thoroughly spoilt by both the decadent food and excellent drinks list.
Obviously, going to a steakhouse for brunch meant only one thing when it came to mains: steak! Although we were provided with a surprisingly varied menu of mains, including incredibly tempting fish and vegetarian options, team TMN couldn’t pass up the opportunity to unleash our inner carnivores and we all ordered the prime rib! Our mains arrived, tender and cooked to perfection, with a selection of equally delicious sides – perfectly crisp French fries, well-dressed salad and a selection of sautéed greens.
Following our mammoth mains we requested a short break to enjoy the terrace and its stunning views, cocktails in hand, before heading back inside where we were presented with a trio of deserts and coffees to round off the meal. The blueberry cheesecake and rhubarb pancake were both light and fruity, but the standout of the trio was a chocolate egg which, when covered in a light sauce, melted away to reveal a delicious fondant dessert – the added touch of drama in its presentation, and its luxurious taste making this the perfect ending to such a refined Friday brunch.
The Verdict: CUT is not the liveliest place for brunch in Dubai, so if you’re looking for a debauched Friday afternoon, this is not the place for you. Having said that, the wonderful setting and variation in dining space – with small, romantic nooks as well as the large, open tables – does make this the ideal place for couples and groups alike to be social/celebrate an occasion. The excellent quality of the food alone makes this a brunch worth visiting, particularly for carnivore-enthusiasts, and the free-flowing beverages are at a level that is superior to many brunches Dubai has to offer. Packages start from AED290 for soft drinks and go up to AED650 for premium-selected beverages. While this isn’t cheap, when you consider that the average dinner at CUT without alcohol is around AED1,000, it is excellent value.