What’s on offer?
You could never accuse the Centro, located behind Mall of the Emirates in Al Barsha, of being pretentious; its approach to brunch keeps things basic. A selection of Indian, Arabic and international foods are laid out in a buffet, while items such as chicken tikka are prepared on request. Service is strong and efficient, with the attentive staff happy to top up drinks as required. While none of the food can compete with Dubai’s higher-end brunches and à la carte offerings, if you like food without frills and prefer an informal environment to some of the city’s stuffier dining rooms, it’s not a bad shout. Throw in the affordability factor and it starts to look feasible, especially as you consider it’s the sort of brunch you can visit regularly, rather than just on special occasions.

The venue?
It feels very much like you’re in the lobby of a hotel, but, like the rest of the venue, it’s clean, modern and comfortable. We would have preferred more atmosphere though.

What sort of crowd turn out?
It's an understated affair, with gentle chatter. There’s no need to dust off the glad rags for this event – jeans and a t-shirt are more than adequate for an afternoon of relaxed socialising.

Room for improvement?
While strong value is the selling point of this brunch, some of the food is a little underwhelming and would benefit from more attention.

Standout dish?
We especially liked the succulent made-to-order chicken tikka kebabs.

In a sentence…
A sensible option if you fancy whiling away a Friday afternoon with friends and family, without breaking the bank.
Dhs109 with soft drinks, Dhs149 with house beverages. 12.30pm-4pm. Centro, Al Barsha (04 409 8877).