Last Friday, I had the pleasure of being invited to a bloggers’ brunch at Cocktail Kitchen by the lovely Monica Kapila from the Do In Dubai blog.

We tried out their Vinyl Brunch, a three-course menu inclusive of drinks.

Cocktail Kitchen’s Vinyl Brunch is available every Friday from 1 pm to 4 pm,  and comes in 3 price packages:

• With house beverages and cocktails AED 345
• Add bubbly to the mix for AED 395
• and sans alcohol for  AED 195

The Vinyl Brunch menu consists of a number of favorites from the restaurant’s a la carte options. You get to pick one appetizer, one main, and a dessert. We were a table of six, so we got to mix and match our orders and try out a number of options.

Here is what we had for our round of appetizers:

Popeye Salad: you guessed it, this is a spinach-based salad! It also includes blue cheese, chicken and walnuts for crunch.

Sizzling Sausage: a rustic-style baguette, stuffed with sausage meat and condiments. This was one of the favorites on our table!

Fritto Misto: an assortment of seafood and vegetable tempura, deep-fried to a crispy golden brown.

Burrata: Fresh Italian burrata cheese served with marinated vegetables, sundried tomato pesto, and toasted sourdough. Loved the fresh, vibrant Italian flavours of this dish!

 

For our mains, we had the following:

Paella: You get a choice between chicken or seafood, and we went for the latter. This is one photogenic dish! The portion size is generously large, and even as a table of 6, we couldn’t do justice to this platter.

Risotto Funghi: Moreishly creamy, and cooked perfectly al dente, Cocktail Kitchen’s Risotto Funghi is a work of art! It is shamelessly Italian, and cooked the traditional way with generous lashings of Parmesan and white wine.

Roast Beef: Using prime Australian Angus beef that is cooked how you like it (medium-rare for me please!), it is served with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and grilled seasonal vegetables. A true carnivore’s delight.

However, my favorite meaty dish on the table was Cocktail Kitchen’s The Left Leg Of The Lamb. Falling off the bone tender, the meat literally melts in the mouth and is served with glazed onions, cranberry and a delectable parsnip puree on the side.

 

At Cocktail Kitchen, the delicious food spread is only half the story. As their name suggests, this restaurant is the place to be for specialty cocktails! The Vinyl Brunch includes a number of interesting mixes, and the best part of the story is that they taste just as great sans alcohol. The mixologists at Cocktail Kitchen are absolute geniuses. The drinks come in spunky names like Allones Bonnes, Someone That I Yuzu Know, Stop Wine-ing, and my absolute favorite, the Big Tom that came served in a can!

 

Why is it called the ‘vinyl’ brunch you ask? They actually have a gramophone playing, and diners can bring in their records to change the tune. How novel is that! Loved the old-school beats in the background.

We ended Cocktail Kitchen’s Vinyl Lunch on a sweet note with their Dessert Platter. This is a mixed selection of sweet treats including Tiramisu, Apple Terrine, Chocolate & Smoked Berry Semifreddo, Negroni Ice-Cream and fresh fruit.

 

Would I go back to Cocktail Kitchen? Absolutely! The ambiance of Cocktail Kitchen is bright, chilled out and welcoming. It’s casually stylish vibes makes it an ideal joint for hanging out with friends, and impressing them with a very interesting selection of drinks. Got a few vinyl records lying around? Give them a good dust-up, and head to Cocktail Kitchen’s Vinyl Brunch this Friday!

Cocktail Kitchen is located in Armada Bluebay Hotel (level B1) in Cluster P, Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT), Dubai. Call 0568280727 for reservations.