The Friday before last, I had the pleasure of attending yet another fabulous #ZomatoMeetup . This time round, we met up at Thiptara, an exclusive fine-dining Thai restaurant tucked away in the nook of The Palace, Downtown Dubai.
When somebody says ‘Thai’, the foodie in me gets super excited. Thai food is by far one of my most favorite cuisines in the world! It also means I am quite a cynic when it comes to trying out a new Thai place. We cook Thai at home, have eaten Thai all around the globe, and quite honestly, have morphed into major Thai food snobs!
We were reviewing Thiptara’s HypnoThai Brunch along with a group of 40 other enthusiastic Zoman foodies. Would their elaborate three-course spread live up to our expectations? Let me tell you the venue definitely surpassed what I was expecting! Thiptara by far, has to be the most scenic, beautifully decorated Thai restaurant I have visited in Dubai.
Right from the entrance itself, the new-age colourful Buddhas puts the mind in zen mode. The floor to ceiling windows takes full advantage of the Dubai fountain views, and the hallowed sunshine reflecting on the vividly blue waters is a visual treat to the senses.
The interiors have been tastefully decorated with Thai memorabilia, and I really liked the artistically set up menu for the main-course on our tables.
About Thiptara’s HypnoThai Brunch: Every Friday, between 1 to 4 pm, Thiptara offers an elaborate spread of Thai favorites. The buffet section features a wide selection of popular Thai starters and desserts. The main-course can be chosen from a list of enticing dishes including Stir-Fried Wagyu Beef, Wok Fried Canadian Lobster and Thai Green Curry to name a few. Thiptara’s HynoThai Brunch is available till 30th April, and costs AED 260 (inclusive of soft beverages), AED 320 with house beverages, and AED 390 if you add bubbly to your list of drinks.
We headed off to the buffet area for starters. The area has been very artistically set up with Thai monuments, and the water views add a sense of calm serenity to the overall look and feel.
Here is a look at some of the very beautifully plated starters at the Thiptara buffet:
When it came to drinks, we were really spoilt for choice.
We found the service at Thiptara to be rather slow. The staff seemed to be overwhelmed with such a large group, and a few foodies down our table were starting to whine with hunger. Thank goodness we had the option of helping ourselves to the starters!
Sure the service gets stalled when dining with big groups, but one of the advantages is that you get to try out a wider variety of dishes, sampling off one another.
Everyone got very click-happy when the Wok Fried Canadian Lobster arrived at the table. The presentation is absolutely stunning!
Marinated in exotic Thai spices with just a hint of chili kick, the lobster meat has been extracted for easy access and disappeared from the wok as soon as the camera flashes died down.
I absolutely loved Thiptara’s Vegetarian Green Curry. I would have never tried a vegetarian version had I not been seated on the same table as a young man on Easter fast 🙂 This curry is decadently creamy and brimming with flavor.
I had two generously large helpings of the Green Curry with steaming hot Thai Jasmine Rice.
The other crowd-pleaser at Thiptara’s HypnoThai Brunch was their Stir-Fried Wagyu Beef. The meat was divinely succulent. It had a soya sauce base, which was deep and robust without being overbearing on the palate. A hint of chili and basil gave it a very Thai aftertaste.
The stir-fried noodles at Thiptara’s HypnoThai Brunch was a bit of a letdown. Perhaps they were short-staffed and hurried, but this epic noodle dish was really overcooked, and this made the noodles overly stick together into a clammy mess. The sauce was also overbearingly sweet for my liking.
For those with a sweet-tooth, the Thiptara HypnoThai Brunch has a wide selection of desserts. They have continental favorites like chocolate mouse cake and fruit tarts, but I stuck to traditional Thai treats.
This post doesn’t even cover half the buffet offerings at Thiptara’s HypnoThai Brunch. True Thai cuisine lovers really are spoilt for choice here!
Apart from a few irks with the service (which is quite understandable given the size of the Zomato group), Thiptara’s HypnoThai Brunch ticks all the right boxes for a scrumptious, laid-back Friday meal with the troupe. Apart from the expansive food options, the very zen-like ambiance coupled with hypnotic Thai tunes in the background is sure to keep you seated there far longer than anticipated. Best of all, you get to enjoy exclusive Dubai Fountain views sans the manic mall crowd.
Given I am such a huge fan of Thai cuisine, I will definitely be booking a table at Thiptara for our next celebratory dinner out.
Thiptara is located on the Ground Level of The Palace Downtown Dubai (Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard). For more information, visit their website. Table reservations are highly recommended, call 04 4238884.
The Tezzy Files 