Friday Brunch @ Prime 68, JW Marriott Marquis Dubai

Friday Brunch at Prime 68 is one classy affair. Black and white inside out, you know you’re walking into a chic brunch as you are escorted down the corridors through the steakhouse. Though we have been and stayed in the JW Marriott Marquis many times since its opening, this would be the first time dining in this restaurant.

So, did Friday Brunch at Prime 68 live up to expectations? Is it worth the hefty price tag?

Let’s start with the ambience.

White leather sofas, black tableclothes. We were appropriately dressed in black and white for the bridal shower – thanks to the organiser, a long-time friend and sister of the bride. Looking around, the crowd is slightly older, mid 30s to 50s – and for the right reason. Without discount (which I’ll get to later), the drinks package for this brunch is 495 AED, so it does attract an elite bunch – those who can afford to splash out, or people like us who do this once in a very blue moon, for a very special occasion.

There are a lot of couples, and a few large groups like ours. The one private dining room (which we hoped to get) was booked out long ago – definitely one to keep in mind if you are organising a get-together with friends.

Shall we talk about the food?

As their marketing blurp goes – ‘succulent prime steaks and signatures, served family-style’ – is spot on. Have a browse through their menu so you can see exactly what you get.

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You know you are at a good brunch when you can’t stop eating the bread. Oh, the bread. Served with butter, olives and speck (I had to google this) – apparently it’s Montreal-style smoked meat?

The fresh oysters, burrata with tomato and basil – I am hungry just doing this review. Even the crab cake served with old bay tarte and lemon was delicious. Happy to see salad added to the mix – though I am not a fan of bleu cheese. I suppose bleu cheese is for the really upper-class lot 😉

To mention, they did have beef sliders as well – possibly to feed the big-eaters as I was saving myself for the main deal – the steaks.

Yes, the steaks.

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If you love your meat, you have come to the right place. You get USDA Bone-in Rib Eye for mains – deliciously smoked in bourbon peppercorn-bearnaise. I would return for more. They do ask how it should be cooked – and with such a large group (9 of us) – we had different portions to suit – medium-well, medium-rare.

Loved the grilled jumbo prawns cooked with garlic, herbs and chili – as with the red wine braised short ribs. And to go with all that – you have truffle mac and cheese, sweet potato fries, grilled greens and mash.

Take me back.

The drinks.

Most of us went with the drinks package – c’mon it is a happy occasion 🙂

Cocktails are well-prepared – and they are definitely not stingy with the good stuff. I started with the cocktails and happily moved on to sparkling. Be careful of the Smoked Old Fashioned Whiskey.

What about desserts?

I’m sorry but this is one of very few brunches where I didn’t save much space for the sweet stuff. I wish I could take home the desserts and try it the next day. Or at 11pm at night. Maybe next time?

The service.

Special mention to the man of the afternoon – Arun, who served us well. Drinks were topped up, there was never any hiccups with the food service. Also to note that the team were definitely not aware that I will be writing about the brunch, as this was booked by a friend.

Also to mention that Marriott definitely have trained their restaurant reservations team well. Emailed the team to ask about their brunch discounts and I actually got a response. Good job, guys.

I love doing reviews this way.

Overall thoughts.

Choose Friday Brunch at Prime 68 if you are looking for a classy adults-only brunch, serving really good food – particularly if you like your meat. The service definitely was a cherry on the cake.

It is sophisticated, it is chic. It is also quite painful on the pockets, but thankfully we booked through Inbrunch.com, which meant paying 375 AED instead of 495 AED. Many thanks to the team who made our special gathering so good 😉

Check out their bathrooms while you’re there. They do have the most ridiculous sinks.
Go up to Vault for after-brunch drinks. Just don’t move too much after all those drinks, as the chap on duty will come to you every 5 mins to say dancing is not allowed. Because dancing is still….not allowed 😉