Billy's Brunch @ Bai Bar, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Canal View

We drove up to Business Bay one Saturday to meet another family for brunch – this time to review Billy’s Brunch at Bai Bar. It was one of those weekends in March where we were sceptical what the weather was going to be like. It was going to be either hot and icky (like the week before) or ‘nice and breezy’. Thank goodness it was the latter. I’m sure its location right the Dubai Canal helped, as well 😉

So – here’s how Billy’s Brunch went for us.

Bai where? Which Radisson Blu?

We all know there are tons of Radisson Blus in Dubai. This is Radisson Blu Hotel – Dubai Canal View. Googlemaps has thankfully fixed the location for Bai Bar, so you can search for that, or the hotel itself.

Why did you want to do this brunch again? All the way in Business Bay?

For the music.

We’ve been wanting to check out this one local musician for awhile ( well, found out about him from another *Waves* ). Knew he was playing at the brunch at Bai but wasn’t all so keen to drive all the way to Business Bay on a Saturday. Then, I saw this video. Yep, we’re going.

Dubai-based musician Aston with his son (Photo shared, with permission)

Unfortunately the other musician Yamane was not playing that day, but thankfully – he was 😉 And as expected – did not disappoint. From U2, to Coldplay, to James’ Blunt’s Stay the Night. I honestly don’t think I’ve heard this song before – had to google the lyrics to find out what it was. He improvised it – changed the lyrics – we loved it, and could tell that most of the crowd did too. It’s a pretty laid back vibe at Billy’s Brunch and the music suited it well. So adorable when his son joined him on stage as well 😉 If we brought my little man, I’m sure he would have rushed on stage as well, ha!

You can follow Aston Wylie on socials here, to see where he plays in and around Dubai.

Let’s backtrack a little.

Let’s talk about the food.

For Billy’s brunch, all food is served in table.

You get to order as many starters as you like – which they’ve called ‘snacks, small plates and plates’ on their menu. Glad to see that it wasn’t the usual ‘pub grub’ – there was soft-shell crab, charred lamb ribs ( yum!) and even a tuna nicoise salad (fancy!) Of all the starters, the only one that was not a winner were the beef croquettes – bit more salt/taste, maybe?

Have a peek at Billy's Brunch menu here.

Small Plates (Clockwise) | Soft-shell Crab – Padron Peppers – Charred Lamb Ribs – Kale Salad -House Smoked Salmon

What about mains?

You can either choose one for yourself, or let the team know and they will get a selection for the table to share. We decided to pick our own that day.

My charcoal grilled prawns was good, though a tad mushy. Husband was happy with his chargrilled flank steak. Our friend who went for the seafood rice did comment that it needed more taste – salt, spices, flavouring.

We all loved the dessert though – the affogato, the eton mess, the ice cream sandwich. Perfect to end the brunch with.

Is the brunch and venue family-friendly?

Whilst not specifically targetting families, Billy’s Brunch does welcome families. We decided to bring just the eldest who is 5, and our friends brought their 6-year old as well. They kept each other entertained. There were a few other families around, plus there is ample space in Bai Bar’s terrace for them to walk around if they wish. There is also a pool table and darts inside if the older kids want to play.

Overall Thoughts

Do Billy’s Brunch, if you appreciate and enjoy a good live acoustic set – a musician with a guitar, a good voice and his harmonica. To highlight that there’s usually two of them – so that’s even better 😉 We did enjoy the food, the atmosphere – it’s a laid back one, somewhere you can have a conversation with friends, enjoy a drink or four in the outdoors.

Let me know how it goes if you go 😉 Pretty good value, seeing that it’s Buy 1 get 1 free, and kids under 6 eat free!