Myla Laurel
“If pubs back home did brunches, they’d be just like this!” This is what Ricky said upon arriving at Longs Bar for our Friday brunch. Judging by the crowd around us, it certainly seems like this attracts the British ‘brunchers’, who I’m sure love the authentic dishes and good range of dishes on display.
The first thing we noticed was the atmosphere which was loud and very jolly! We were sat down and greeted by the waitress who showed us our options. As with many brunches there are ‘3 levels’ to choose from. One is non-alcohol (it didn’t seem many on the day went for that one!), one is a basic alcohol and the other is the top tier. The biggest difference for the top tier choice is you can choose from any draft beers and have a little more selection of spirits. The value of drink was very good though, exactly as you would expect from a brunch, and even included sparkling wine for both options!
As for the food, Ricky and I both agreed that this brunch goes for quality over quantity. It has a small selection carefully crafted around the tastebuds of the British.
As a Filipino and pork lover I was in heaven! They had some lovely cured ham, delicious bacon and mouth-watering bbq pork ribs that I kept going back for. You don’t always find pork at brunches here for obvious reasons, especially at this price point, so this was great to see (it was also good that the pork was clearly separated and signed for those of us who do not eat it).
The roast station was another highlight for us, with roast beef and the lamb which combined beautifully with a mint-infused gravy. This reminded Ricky of his ‘Sunday dinner’ back home, especially with the yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes – yum!
The lighter options included salads, a fine selection of cheeses and mussels – all of which were perfect accompaniments to the main events mentioned above!
For sweets, there was a great selection of small cakes made by the bakers in the Rotana including a delightful oatmeal fig cake and raspberry cream cake. They also had bread and butter pudding (another British classic!) and…my favourite… a waffle station where the chef prepared fresh waffles for you! After getting ours, Ricky headed back to the pork section and inventively added some bacon on top of the waffles (the Americans and Canadians would be proud)!
Throughout our time the staff were very attentive and extremely easy to order from. Ricky stuck with Guinness and Amstel, whilst I went for cranberry and vodka. Neither of us are big drinkers, but we certainly felt well looked after! Even when we wanted to move to a quieter spot, the waiter helped us and immediately guided us to a nice corner seat.
Overall we had a great time at the Long’s Bar Friday brunch, it is an affordable, no frills, hearty brunch, with a great atmosphere. If you want a taste of great British style pub-grub in the form of a brunch, I would definitely recommend this for you!
Long’s Bar
Towers Rotana
Sheikh Zayed Road
T: +971 4 343 8000