After a lazy morning, we headed out of our gorgeous suite at Rosewood Hotel Abu Dhabi, and down to their Arabic restaurant, Sambousek.

The restaurant, just like the hotel, is beautifully decorated in minimalistic elegance. We were quickly seated at our table next to the window and had a lovely view of the water. The waiter explained to us that the Friday brunch usually has an outdoor area as well, but since it was raining that day, the outside area was closed off. Rain is never something to complain about in the UAE, so we were more than happy to sit inside and look out at the beautiful cloudy weather.

This brunch is quite different from other brunches– most of the food is served directly to the table! When your first seated, the waiter brings a huge tray of all different kinds of appetizers. I could have literally filled up just on that alone! Since its a Lebanese restaurant, most of the appetizers are Lebanese– tabbouleh, mouttabel, hummus, etc., but there are also a few that are not, like the scrumptious smoked salmon wheels and sautéed shrimp.

By the time I was done sampling a little bit of each of the appetizers, I was nearly full! I didn’t even bother too much with mains. My husband, though, was a different story. He saved loads of room for mains. He got freshly-made shawarma, as well as machboos rice.

While he was having his mains, I went for dessert. In all honesty, I’m not a huge fan of Arabic sweets and I was really happy to find that there is a huge selection of cakes, fruits, and a variety of Arabic sweets. Their cheesecake is absolutely divine and a must try at this brunch!

I would highly recommend that you book a table ahead of time because this brunch is so popular that half way through our meal, we noticed that there were people lined up outside and waiting for a table! The food was really good, so they hype is definitely real.

The Sambousek Friday Brunch starts at 199 Dhs per person including soft beverages; and 349 Dhs per person including alcoholic beverages. 

Ratings (0-5): 

• Staff/Service: 4
• Ambience: 5
• Food: 4.5
• Presentation: 4.5
• Cleanliness: 5
• Value for money: 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.6

Worth Trying?: A great family-style Arabic brunch!

For more information call +971 (0) 2 813 5550.