For a European-style, continental Saturday brunch, look no further than the Belgian Beer Café in Barsha – a classic conversation bar and restaurant, with added bonus of sports on lage-screens, and even a funky live jazz and blues musician!

In its essence, the Belgian Beer Café is a happy, airy place, with lots of natural light, and fantastic relaxed feeling – but especially I was grateful that the volume of the various broadcast commentaries were not over-powering, and a wholesome relaxing vibe was allowed to flourish.

And plenty of green shrubbery with gorgeous climbing pink flowers to add a indoor garden feel – which really works well with the dining hall’s high ceilings.

At the same time, there are several cozy nooks for family and friends to spend some good times together.

Or scootch up to the long and fully-stocked bar, for a seat close to the action.

Indeed, Belgian Beer Café is true to its name when it comes to bar action, with Belgium vying for the world’s top per capita beer production with over 400 breweries!

And to this background of hoppish delights, the good folk in the kitchens have prepared a Saturday brunch on two massive platters – one for starters and the other for mains.

A fresh pint of Stella in one hand, and the easy-reach finger foods are the perfect way to please all, with a selection of breads, hams, wings, savoury and cheese balls, calamari rings, etc.

But the feather in the cap is actually the quality of ingredients and very careful preparation – because bar food suffers from heavy-handed greasiness if not done right; while instead, across continental Europe, the charcuterie board is elevated to delicacy status… and that is exactly how Belgian Beer Café delivered: excellent!

The hams were carefully chosen – deep cured flavors, natural and light, as opposed to highly processed; and accompanied by several cheese types, also of excellent quality, with clever additions of hazelnuts, golden sultanas, pickled onions and gherkins, and dried apricot.

The combination of flavors and textures exalted the cold cuts and made for a delicious start to the brunch!

At the cooked end of the platter, tasty marinaded chicken wings, and the deep-fried (but light and crunchy!) items.

Included were sauces, mustard, and soft jalopeno bread:

Fantastic beer food!

A round of french fries completed the starter – but these weren’t your ordinary skinny fries… and they are served with thick, luscious and oh-so-creamy mayonnaise!

Swtiching to a wheat beer, also fresh on draught, the fries are an original dish of northern continental Europe – Belgium, Netherlands, north-eastern France and Germany (and little Luxembourg – yes, you too!), and they are usually thick-cut and hefty, often thicker and longer than your fingers.

And the pairing with a heavy glass of Hoegaarden is sublime – to give an idea of the depth of character of a gourmet beer, Hoegaarden has been brewed since 1445, and it is spiced with coriander and orange peel; preparation is unflitered, for the best taste.

The mains platter was just as impressive and delicious – and Belgian Beer Café proved that also fermented red grapes can be welcome in their premises!

A carnivore’s dream come true, each item was prepared lovingly to high standard in selection, seasoning, and preparation – again elevating the charcuterie board to its rightful historical place as an elite dining experience.

Look closer – see the crunchiness of the salmon exterior (and the interior was juicy and soft), with attractive grill marks, the sign of a pro grillmeister.

The steaks were also fresh off the grill, seared expertly – not over-cooked! – and served hot.

While accompanied by buttered vegetables, our vegetarian friends should take note that you will most probably need to order off the regular menu to fully enjoy the Saturday brunch.

In addition to the grilled fish, chicken, and beef, the platter also brought forward a rich and flavorsome beef stew – which, when slathered over those amazing french fries, were my favorite dish of the day!

As a European myself, I was delighted with the Saturday Brunch at the Belgian Beer Café in Barsha – the traditional cuisine of continental Europe has been internationalized and diluted, and it is rare to come across a truly delicious presentation representative of the traditional flavors: and Belgium, sitting at the crossroads of France and Germany, is highly qualified in this regard.

The Saturday Brunch at the Belgian Beer Café at Grand Millennium Dubai was a fantastic Euro-dining experience, paired with excellent draught beers and delectable wines – for a get-together with friends and family to unwind from the workweek and start the weekend off right!

Actually, to tell the truth, I wouldn’t mind frequenting there any other day for lunch, dinner, snack, or pint…