Do you enjoy pan-asian food? Popular chinese and cantonese dishes, reinvented by globally renowned Chef Alvin Leung. If you’re a proper foodie, and you’re keen to see what Demon Duck is like – their Saturday Brunch is probably the best time to give it a try.

Here’s our review of the Demon Duck Brunch.

---

The journey

We walked from the main building in the direction of the pool towards Demon Duck. I quietly suggested to the husband if we should take a shortcut through Alizee to save a minute of walking under the sun. It was after all, circa 40 degrees at 1pm, early July. He very gently silenced the thought. Alright, alright – I did need that extra Vitamin D anyways 🙂

As we strolled under the canopy of green, we noticed that it was surprisingly cooler than expected. There was a gentle breeze coming through. We approached Demon Duck – with its grand blue and gold entrance, and giant duck sculpture to one side welcoming us.

The Venue

Much to my husband’s relief, the team walked us indoors. After a bit of fluffing about on which table would be ideal – we chose one by the windows next to the bar. The theme is similar – velvet blue chairs with dark wooden tables.

They do have a beautiful outdoor terrace area that is ideal in the winter months as it’s next to the beach. Even when we were there – you could feel the gentle breeze coming through.

The Demon Duck Brunch Menu

Let’s talk about the brunch. This is one where you sit down, and chill. Everything on the menu is brought to the table. The only thing that you have to choose is a main – where as starters and desserts are all for sharing.

Starters

It begins with the team bringing over a tray to prepare a dish called ‘chop chop suey’ – an American Chinese dish made popular by tossing together various types of vegetables. In cantonese – it’s pronounced as tsap suei ( 雜碎 ) which literally means “odds and ends” or “miscellanous bits and pieces”. This is your Demon Duck Poke Bowl equivalent – a mixture of corn, edamame, tofu, beetroot, bean sprouts put together with honey citrus and sesame dressing. A delicious start.

A selection of dim sums are then brought over in a bamboo basket. Homemade har gao ( 蝦 餃 ) – shrimp dumplings, fun guo ( 粉粿 ) – chicken & black truffle, and wild mushroom dumplings. We typically avoid dim sums when we go out as we eat this almost everyday at home ( not sharing where we get our supply from, hee hee ) – so I’m happy to report that Demon Duck does it pretty well and surely is made on-site.

On a separate plate – wagyu short rib gyozas. Interesting that they’ve called it by their japanese term here – which understandably is much more well-known in Dubai and in general. The chinese equivalent ( gao ji  高級 ) is typically boiled and features a thicker wrapping. Love that they’ve spiced it up a little by using siracha mayo.

Next up – served in a fancy golden tier as you would typically get at Afternoon Tea – a selection of Demon Duck’s favourites.

• Crispy Duck with Alvin’s special hummus. Interesting fusion of Asian and Middle Eastern Flavours here.
• The much-known Wasabi Prawn Toast – in Alvin’s style, served with tobiko and mango salsa.
• Lastly, Scallop Ceviche with edamame and sichuan green pepper.

Mains

Save some space as you still have mains. Thankfully it’s just one course each as were both pretty stuffed by then.

Having tried a few of the dishes in there during our staycation at Banyan Tree – we went for cashew nut shrimp and grilled seabass this time. Funnily enough – the highlight was their staple – their egg fried rice. As the meat dishes were so tasty – we ended up asking for second rounds of the rice so we could finish it. You know a venue does it well when they can execute the simplest of dishes well – and for us, that’s their egg fried rice. I know most would go on about Alvin Leung’s slow roasted demon duck (which, is absolutely amazing, by the way) – but don’t miss their fried rice.

Desserts

To end the afternoon on a sweet tooth – Demon’s Dessert Platter. The centrepiece was a duck-shaped chocolate, surrounded by other Demon Duck’s popular desserts. This is all presented with dry ice which although we have seen a million times here in Dubai, is still beautiful to watch…. and that’s also when we were thinking – aww, the kids’ would love this!

My absolute favourite dessert on the platter would be their chocolate and matcha fondant. I’m not a fan of ‘too sweet’, so it was such a perfect fusion of flavours from the sweetness of the chocolate and the savoury, rich flavour of umami in matcha. We very cheekily asked if we could take the ducks home for the kids haha. It’s the least we could do!

Overall Thoughts

Demon Duck Brunch is one for foodies who would appreciate asian food with a twist. Whilst they do allow families, I would personally recommend you do it with the adults as the overall vibe of the venue is more suited for the big people. Do it over a date with your other half, or with a group of friends. Did I mention that they have an impressive wine list included in their brunch as well?

• The Demon Duck Brunch
• Banyan Tree Dubai
• Every Saturday | 1pm to 4pm
• Price : 349 AED Soft | 499 AED House | 500 AED Prosecco
• Call +971 4 556 6466
• Email here
• More on banyantree.com

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dubai Family Leisure Guide (@liloneoftheashes)

Disclosure : We were guests of Banyan Tree Dubai to review The Demon Duck Brunch.