Hooray! We are finally counting down to the weekend! Where are you heading this Friday? If you’re looking at spending quality time with the family over a leisurely brunch, the spread at Sufra might prove to be a great choice.
Sufra is the Hyatt Regency’s all-day dining restaurant specializing in Mediterranean dishes. However, their Friday Brunch is not restricted to Arabic food. They have favorites from around the globe, and give diners the opportunity to taste a number of dishes from the restaurants from within Hyatt Regency itself.
The buffet starts off with a Mediterranean spread by Sufra. Expect a wide variety of fresh Arabic salads, cheese and mezzeh.
I especially liked the self-serviced meat slicer. If you are into processed meats, you are spoilt for choice with a variety of cured beef and chicken salami options, and the novelty of cutting out your own slice is pretty unique.
They also have a live station doing Asian stir-fries, and a grill where you can get all sorts of proteins done the way you like.
If you love raw salmon as much as I do, the Sufra brunch does it 4 ways: the original smoked salmon, dill-infused, citrus-infused and chili-infused! Loved these with generous smears of the saffron aioli on the side.
Seafood lovers, there is a whole section of choices for you here! From the freshest lobster that gets char-grilled on the spot, to salt-crusted fish, shellfish and mussels, you really are spoilt for choice.
However, my absolutely favorite section of the Sufra Brunch buffet was the Mexican corner, a taster of the La Tablita restaurant in Hyatt Creek Heights). They have a live quesadilla section, customizable enchiladas, and a very delectable seafood carpaccio.
I especially liked their selection of refreshingly authentic Mexican drinks. They have a rice drink, a hibiscus drink and my favorite, a tamarind drink. The glass is rimmed with a special Mexican spice (an interesting concoction of salt, sugar and ground chili).
That Mexican spice rimming around my tamarind drink is so addictive! Then the very friendly Olysious from the La Tablita counter introduced me to a new way of eating watermelon… the Mexican way! This is a wedge of watermelon with a squeeze of lemon, and sprinkled with that special spice. Absolutely divine! I have to remember to serve this on my Iftar table this Ramadan 🙂
And here’s a peculiar looking Mexican patty… The pasty gets its unusual black colour from Mexican black corn, and it is stuffed with a beautifully spiced chicken mince.
I was telling Olysious that I love Mexican with a really fiery hot sauce, and he recommended the Valentino sauce to me. It has a pronounced hit of vinegar that makes it ideal to have over seafood, but I can handle hotter! Olysious went on to tell me his grandfather makes the meanest, hottest sauce and has christened it the ‘Girlfriend’; it is hot and pleasurable to start off with, but you really suffer from the aftermath! I love little anecdotes like these!
For dessert, the selection of sweet treats includes a vast array of international favorites. You have the usual spread of dainty little tarts, cheesecake and parfaits. The Arabic treats include baklavas, basbousa and Um Ali. One of my personal favorites was their variety of Turkish Delights. They also have a live counter for deep-fried Mexican churros.
We ended our gastronomic brunch at Sufra with steaming hot cups of cappuccino. Here’s my cuppa, with a serving of deliciously chewy, tangy-sweet Pomegranate Turkish Delight 🙂
If you are dining at Sufra with young children, you will be pleased to know they have a separate corner for kids. Here, your little ones can get busy with colouring activities, face painting, and even get balloon art to take home. The corner has its own little buffet section dedicated to little fingers. However, I wish the area was more viewable from where we were sitting as the lady there told me the area is not supervised.
Sufra, with its beautifully laid-out interiors flooded with natural lighting, is a lovely restaurant to be at for spending an idle Friday with the family over good food. The selection of international favorites keeps changing on a weekly basis, ensuring there is something new to entice diners at every visit. It is also a great way to get a taster of the restaurants within Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights. I will definitely have to make a trip to La Tablita for their scrumptious Mexican!
Sufra is located on the Ground Floor of Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights (in Dubai Healthcare City). The Friday Brunch costs AED 189 per person, and runs from 12.30 to 4 pm. Call 04 5531234 for details.
The Tezzy Files 