Hola Hola Brunch @ Toro Toro, Grosvenor House Dubai

Best to blog when it’s still fresh, otherwise I tend to get lazy and then kinda forget about it 😉

First off, Happy New Year everyone! Been absent for weeks now as we’ve gone back home for the holidays and well, just been lazy really.

My dad keep telling me during brunch today – you have to fill in the review form about the waiter – I like him. Mum was also very entertained and was a bit disappointed when I told her after she came back from a little tour around Toro Toro that Silvio had finished his shift and gone off for the day, lol! I suppose this blog is supposed to be about the food and restaurant, but hey – it’s always the people that make the difference ay.

It’s funny how of all the different restaurants we’ve been to, GHH always seem to deliver the best when it comes to hospitability. Sloane’s comes top of the list, then Kitchen 45. We’ve yet to ventured out to the rest ay. One by one!

Booked for 5 today at Grosvenor House Hotel in Dubai Marina, for the Friday Pan Latin brunch in Toro Toro. It’s situated on the ground floor of Tower Two (same building as Embassy). You get in from the outside, i.e facing the waterway and Infinity Tower. Upon entry, you’re welcomed by giant golden bulls on the right hand side and the friendly smiles of restaurant staff behind the counters.

Silvio came to our table shortly after to explain to us how the brunch works. It’s a lil different from all the other brunches in Dubai – basically it’s a ‘serve to table’ brunch so you don’t have to go and queue with all the others, which worked well for us! To be honest I quite prefer this than the latter because a) you’re comfortable and b) you don’t really waste food because you order what you need, and c) the food was so, so, so good 🙂

You’re first served with cold starters of delicious freshly-made guacomole and tortilla chips, followed by a ..”very nice fish dish”, which according to the menu is called Ceviche A la Crema De Aji Amarillo, ha ha ha. Apparently it’s a mixture of pink snapper, Onion, and two other ingredients that I don’t comprehend. Ah, whatever it was, it was yum. There was also a nice combination of fava beans, corns, cheese and potato.

Very shortly after, our Lazy Susan was filled with the hot starters – combination of turkey ham croquettes, wild mushroom on flatbread and ground lamb skewers. All delicious and mum was really quite full by the end of it and thought that lunch was over ha ha. Welcome to “Brunch in Dubai!”

Silvio was always very attentive and made sure that we had enough drinks, and was also very entertaining, he he. I was quite nervous before bringing the family here because we’ve been to some places for lunch in Dubai (on a Saturday at Grand Grill, Habtoor Grand for example) and it was completely empty i.e 0 points for atmosphere. Toro Toro wasn’t completely full and buzzing but it had just enough people, and I suppose because Silvio was probably ‘the entertainment’, we had a really good time there 🙂

We took a rest before mains, and that was when the the restaurant staff came out holding freshly grilled Brazillian churrasco meats. Big bro reckoned that the lamb is the ‘best lamb he has ever had’, and that says a lot, coming from someone who has lived for many years in New Zealand! The beef, and chicken was delicious. Mum and dad doesn’t eat beef and Silvio took out a little plate of fish for them, which was definitely a nice touch (Thanks again).

Whilst they serve you meat, your Lazy Susan will be filled with side dishes that can be refilled as you wish. There was cilantro rice cooked with red capsicum and corn, a nice fresh salad which really complemented all that barbeque meat, plantain with tomato sauce, and yuca fries. Dad was a big fan of the hand-cut yuca fries, of all things!

Many hours into brunch, we were all, as you should be – stuffed 🙂 But it was a “nice-stuffed.” Again like I said before, I really like the “serve to table” concept, and the fact that all the food was nicely cooked to perfection with excellent service. And well I don’t know about you, but I felt good that we didn’t waste any food ay. There’s just so many brunches in Dubai and you often wonder what happens to the leftovers – I really hope it goes to… someone! 🙂

The non-alcoholic package is DHS300 and it comes with a nice selection of fresh juices and yummy mocktails, which is something different from other places (Mazina’s Saturday Brunch at The Address, Dubai Marina for one). Alcoholic package is DHS400, with sparkling wine, red and white sangria and a few different cocktails.

And the service – priceless! Fingers crossed you get Silvio next time you head out there? 🙂