The name of the weekend brunch is “Get Hammered”, and so that left little to the imagination, and I’d decided it wasn’t really my scene – but again I was proven wrong!

Definitely the Blacksmith Bar & Eatery is a hopping hot watering hole in Business Bay, powerfully free-flowing as Niagara Falls… and the brunch is spectacular in that regard.

But Blacksmith pulled it off with a secret weapon, that took what could have been a liquid brunch into the realm of a delicious dining experience with excellent live band, and a lot of good-natured merry people.

It’s not an easy balance to achieve, by the way – for most places it’s either a bar or a restaurant, and oftentime the two don’t combine too well. The crowds have different expectations: for one the music will be too loud and the atmosphere too dark, the dishes”bar food”, and they look at the other tables having fun as uncouth yobs; and for the other group it would not be the place to let the blasting music let your hair down with your mates and unwind after a hectic workweek.

Blacksmith’s secret weapon?

Simply, a touch of class.

And a superb and committed team of professionals behind the scenes, literally running to keep a fabulous runaway train of an evening on the rails – and they managed with great success!

Please allow me to elaborate.

The bar and several DIY stations are pumping full tilt, with an enviable variety – but also they have a sophisticated wine cellar to back them up.

There’s a lot more than meets the eye to just pouring pints,

and keeping the self-serve stations fully stocked.

In fact, it’s the operations, the good people running the logistics, that elevated “Get Hammered” to a five-stars smoothness of delivery – they are the engine behind the stage, and the results of their efforts were tangibly excellent.

Similar approach for the food: a busy on-demand kitchen, supplemented by a served carvery station, and backed up by a top-notch butchery: worked like a charm!

Walk up to the live carvery whenever your plate needs filling, choice of delicious grilled chicken or salmon pie, with scrumptious veggies and a selection of sauces.

Backed up by a phenomenal butcher’s with chilled dry curing on display – second to none in Dubai!

And platters of goodies magically arrive in waves at your table!

And each serving benefits from the expertise in the hotel kitchen – from bar snack favorites such as nachos…

and the best glazed chicken wings I’ve had in a long time!

but then also notching it up to grilled steak, lamb chops, and large grilled prawns…

And so the evening brunch comes full circle – yes, “Get Hammered” added an excellent dining experience to a vibrant bar, or vice versa; and then combined the two in a classy synergy which exponentially bounced off each other with both charm and good old fun.

The three-pronged strategy of table service, dispersed self-service stations, and served carvery buffet, ably backed up by a swinging F&B team, gave the new Blacksmith Bar & Eatery hosted at the The First Collection Business Bay a rip-roaring start!

Overall, for an evening weekend brunch with an all-inclusive drinks package, allowing for both unbridled party fun and seriously delicious food and beverages at a sophisticated level of quality, Blacksmith Bar & Eatery at Business Bay Dubai deserves to be the talk of the town!