Trip with Vakava

A new brunch for foodies and fiesta hunters

Brace yourself, brunchers: The new Trip with Vakava Friday brunch is a long brunch (five hours’ long in fact), and a great one to employ a brunching strategy. Why? Because it would be very easy to do this one all wrong.

This ‘table brunch’ is for anyone who prefers table service and enjoys ample sharing plates. The first three hours involve a server bringing you plate after plate of South American cuisine while you imbibe and chat with friends. There’s also a roving bar cart serving madeto-order drinks. Though they’re fun and inspired concoctions, they’re a bit on the overly sweet side.

The house drinks package options are limited, but they complement the food well enough. The service is excellent, which is a marked difference from previous experiences here. You also have the option to order extra portions of the dishes you loved, so you feel as though you’ve got your money’s worth with both the food and drink.

The menu changes twice a month so try not to get your heart set on any dish you’ve read about here or elsewhere. But one standard dish is Vakava’s amazing zingy guacamole because no selfrespecting fiesta takes flight without guac and chips. In rapid succession, hot and cold starters arrived. Standouts were the scallops tiradito, beef tenderloin skewers and the crispy prawns.

After a short respite, the mains began to fill the table, which never seemed quite large enough for all the food. Steak with chimichurri sauce and a delicious sea bass infused with lemongrass, ginger and miso led the way for the mains, followed by potatoes three ways and a zesty fava bean salad. Later, an explosion of flavours arrived in the form of Vakava’s rotating dessert menu and a fresh food platter.

The Trip’s timing couldn’t be more perfect for those looking to extend their fiesta into the evening. Vakava has erased those awkward Friday hours after brunching by having the food served from 2pm to 5pm in the restaurant. Meanwhile, the fiesta carries on upstairs on the terrace with sundowners until 7pm. You can go well into the night with this brunch if you do it right.

VERDICT: We arrived at Trip with Vakava expecting a brunch but found a fiesta. The food, service, beverages and atmosphere are sure crowd pleasers. As they say in Spanish, ‘vamos’, just note that this brunch fills up fast so book early and bring a large and hungry squad to fuel this five-hour long fiesta.

Conrad Etihad Towers, Fri 2pm to 7pm Dhs295 with soft drinks, Dhs495 with house drinks). Fri 2pm-7pm. Tel: (0)2 811 5666. @vakavaabudhabi