Abu Dhabi’s leading weekend brunch as we enter the cool season has launched at the Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri, across the canal from Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

Named after the Gardens of Babylon, this brunch sets the standard for the UAE’s capital city weekend dining!

The venue is spectacular, and the brunch takes place in the large dining halls of Sofra Bld restaurant, downstairs from the five-star hotel lobby.

In full comfort, and facing onto the terrace leading to the swimming pool and beach beyond, it’s not hard to imagine many splendid weekends enjoying the fresh air brunching out during the winter months.

The interior is both elegant and charming, in that the decor presents an unmistakable Arabian touch of refinement.

But it is the Gardens of Babylon buffet and live stations that steal the show!

An incredible selection of dishes, representing many of the international cuisines that call Abu Dhabi home: and you are assured not only vast options to suit your preferences, but each dish was prepared at a very high level of yumminess!

The foccacia and pizza section of the buffet alone could serve as an entire bakery – and that is but one corner, backed up by a roaring fire in the pizza oven, next to the cheese section, and across from the pasta section… truly you will find nothing to be be missing at the Shangri-La brunch!

Arabian cuisine is well represented too, of course!

As is Indian, and Japanese, and so on…

Indeed admire the dessert section below – in itself, the Gardens of Babylon sweets section alone is larger and better stocked than most entire buffets!

Further, another quality that set this brunch apart was the leisurely feel, that unhurried vibe that helps create an outstanding weekend brunch – otherwise it becomes overwhelming: instead the good folk at the Shangri-La very cleverly prepared the venue so that the plating worked excellently, and that added a very pleasant tone to the brunch.

In fact, one was able to sample tidbits in elegance at the table, closer to a fine-dining experience rather than a self-service buffet.

And this in great part was due to the five-star training that the Shangri-La staff receive – from individually hand-shucked oysters to personalized servings of ice-cream for the little ones, the people who powered the brunch engines were professionally polite and attentive to details.

And the result was a first-class dining experience!

And so this combination of amazing selection and elegant plating carried forward an epic brunch with family and friends.

I’ll leave the live entertainment as a surprise for you, though you can anticipate it was tip-top.

And of course several brunch packages are available…

… from a creative apertivo as you arrive , all the way to dessert!

Overall, expectations are set high when the Shangri-La Qaryat Al Beri is involved; but to experience the Gardens of Babylon brunch at such a level of excellence was simply outstanding – and so this winter season ahead, a top weekend brunch in Abu Dhabi is ready early.