New Friday brunch
Traiteur
There were no monochrome miniskirts or mopeds, no chopper bikes or bellbottomed flares and not a New Romantic frilled shirt or hair-sprayed fringe in sight. But although the new Retro Brunch at Traiteur isn’t very retro, the unlimited Moët and Chandon Rosé filling the flutes is vintage and the soundtrack of popping corks punctuating the lazily luxurious Friday afternoon is timeless.
After a slow start, Traiteur’s tables gradually filled up with pink champagne being toasted in the hands of trendy 20somethings, elegant couples whose golden tans told of lives aboard yachts, and a few excitable tourists pained to put their cameras down even while knocking back their latest refill of fizz.
The emphasis is on European culinary classics – hence the flimsy retro theme, and after slivers of gravlax salmon, fresh prawns and mussels on mounds of ice we plunged into the mains. A hunk of bloody beef grew tepid, accompanied by cold Yorkshire puddings and lukewarm shallot jus – again all of good quality but passing their best during the four-hour serving period. We were disappointed to see the shoots of asparagus were not replenished and noted that there was a lack of fresh vegetables to accompany the dishes. The ratatouille, however, was a peppery and Provençal hit and the dauphinoise potato gratin was a creamy Gallic complement.
Desserts are undeniably Traiteur’s forte. A traditional lemon meringue, a satin smooth chocolate pudding and a zesty raspberry torte filled our table, with a giant vase overflowing with jagged hunks of white chocolate as a centrepiece. We commented on the chocolate display to a friendly manager and he reappeared on our way out with a ribbon-tied bag of the Lindt chunks for us to take home – a nice gesture especially when the service had tailed off as the day drew on.
The restaurant’s decor is thoroughly contemporary – honeycomb walls, cold marble flooring and a choice of low-lying sofas or conservative straight-back tables and chairs. The stainless steel open plan kitchen and towering glass wine rack adds yet more modernity – with the armies of chefs (whisking eggs and shuffling saucepans amid violent flames) providing live entertainment.
The reasonable, if not outstanding, classic dishes won’t cure any cases of retrophilia. But after a few glasses of bubbly, you might not be too fussed by a misleading title.
Traiteur, Park Hyatt Dubai (04 317 2222). Taxi: Park Hyatt, near Dubai Creek Golf Club. Friday retro brunch served from 12.30pm-4pm. Brunch priced at Dhs315 including champagne; Dhs115 without drinks. All major credit cards accepted.