Latitude

Brunch spot in the Jumeirah Beach Hotel 2 Reviews

© ITP Images

If only the nations of the world co-existed in such dramatic harmony – pointed out my dining companion charmingly, though somewhat naively – then we wouldn’t have any wars. Casting an eye across the massed ranks of comestibles ranged across Latitude’s immaculately laid out floor spaces, I had to agree – he had a point. There was India, aromatic and inviting, offering up curries, biryanis, kebabs and dals for inspection. Nearby, through billowing clouds of steam was China, proud and bountiful, its borders proudly standing next to the Caribbean delegation of jerk chicken, which overlooked the impressive mountains of Italy, as evinced by the piles of fresh produce milling around the pasta station. In a corner, Hungary sulked, presenting only a solitary goulash. According to the hotel’s website, there was a gravity-defying water feature to be found. We didn’t see it.

This gastronomic United Nations can be found, of all places, on the ground floor of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, where Latitude, ‘an interactive and energy- driven concept’, is now awaiting adventurous diners. Or, to put it a tad more prosaically, Dubai has yet another new buffet touting for custom. This one has made something of a fetish of its eccentric layout, split over a major corridor, hence the pragmatic name, Latitude, backed up by some vaguely cartographic elements of decor.

So, once steered in by the exceedingly friendly staff, briefed on the delights that lay ahead of us, shown the proud ‘Smoke Free’ sign (you can smoke on a terrace, apparently), we picked up a curvy platter apiece and got stuck in. My companion loaded up on salad, pronouncing himself impressed with the general standard, especially with the inclusion of artichokes, so often cruelly overlooked in favour of more glamorous items, such as the vain sun-dried tomato or ubiquitous, insufferable rocket. I laughed at convention and waded straight into the biryani and dal, with some chicken and lamb tikka chunks on the side. The biryani was mild, creamy and meaty, while the tikka were spot-on – soft, drenched in tender spices and in a quick drizzle of fresh lime juice.

Back for round two, we followed up with increasingly surreal combos – bok choy with large mushrooms, salmon and tuna sashimi, quail eggs, dim sum, baked potatoes, snapper in congealing lobster sauce, a hunk of chicken and a minute steak from the grill. The chicken was unremarkable and tough, as were the diminutive steaks. Still, we allowed this, given the buffet conditions. ‘It’s not the food’s fault,’ commented my chum, growling over a particularly reticent slab of fish, allegedly snapper.

Why would one eat here? Certainly not for the food – there’s nothing here that isn’t on offer elsewhere in town for less (it’s Dhs165 per person here, excluding beverages) and of better quality. Similarly, the atmosphere has nothing on a roadside Satwa eatery late at night. Still, if the naughty thrill of eating dim sum alongside mutton biryani, next to a hotel corridor, surrounded by slow-moving sunburnt guests of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel appeals, then go for it.

• Previous reviews
  • 19 March,2009- reviewed by Time Out Dubai staff

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