by ADELA EILEEN
Al Bustan’s brunch at Beach Pavilion is one for the books, serving delicious food and ocean views.
After months of renovations, Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton Hotel has finally revealed its new charm a few months back, and my first wish was to head over there for their brunching session with a view, at one of my favourite spots: Beach Pavilion.
The Friday brunch at this bright, drenched in sunlight spot has made diners do their pilgrimage to this now refurbished restaurant, offering succulent dishes and seafood classics prepared by arbiters of culinary excellence at the hotel.
A welcoming drink of jasmine tea, passion fruit and cranberry is served to kickstart this ritual of brunching. As we made our way to the food section, we couldn’t stop admiring the effort put in the new brunch, especially with the mini plates. As a true foodie who loves to try everything on the menu, It’s great to have your food in bite-size, which gives real justice to the whole experience.
To start this beautiful afternoon session, we had mini plates of Caprese salad and lobster medallions, which tasted amazing.
After devouring the Caprese, we dived into the mains. The brunch offers a very upscale food affair consisting of baked scallops sitting on a gorgeous shelled plate that’s placed on stones, which was our definite choice. We enjoyed the dish with local oysters infused with hints of international flavours. The mains included sushi, sashimi, seafood and some mix grills. To complement the rest of the food, a selection of cheese and bread are on offer, as well as the juicy meat pot pie.
On the outside, This beautiful place has a fabulous view with a cool breeze blowing your way. It doesn’t get better than this. So we head outside for some fire-kissed barbecues. The live BBQ stations offer Omani, Thai, Indian and South African grills. We savoured a number of items. Our favourites were juicy sausages, Omani lobsters seasoned and grilled to perfection, and marinated lamb chops at the Indian station. Every meat station is amazingly spiced up with delicious flavours of that country, taking individual care of every grill.
To end this unforgettable brunch experience, we had desserts, as you know, a brunching session is incomplete without some heavenly desserts, and Al Bustan has topped the charts in my book. If you want a sublime dessert, go with one of these: The kefir lime and coconut tapioca verrine, the versatile lemon meringue tart, the very pleasing in-house ice cream and a variety of chocolates. These options promise to send you straight into a sweet coma.
I truly enjoyed my experience at Beach Pavilion’s Friday Brunch, and I cannot wait to come back and indulge in the goodness all over again. Come here if you want to enjoy a well-deserved weekend break, you can thank me later.
*kids below 12 dine for free with dishes served from their perfectly designed kids’ menu.
Brunch at Beach Pavilion:
Location: Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Al Bustan Street.
Cost: OMR25 with soft beverages, OMR46 with house beverages.
Contact: +968 2479 9666
