Restaurant Awards 2011

Sofra Bld

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Taking home the prize for best brunch again this year, Sofra Bld serves up an impressive selection of cuisines in relaxed and elegant surrounds. Fresh dishes range from fragrant Moroccan tagines to freshly grilled skewers of meat, tender roasts and rich, hearty curries are on offer. As for dessert – how does gorging on not one, not two, but three chocolate fountains sound? All in all, this is an impressive spread that tastes as good as it looks.

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By Time Out Abu Dhabi staff
Time Out Abu Dhabi, 4 October 2011

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User reviews:

Posted by: Jay on 18 Jun ' 12 at 16:46

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• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Food was excellent. Service? divine.

Kind of pricey, 225AED for dinner buffet.

Posted by: J on 10 Jun ' 12 at 14:06

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• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Went for the buffet, wide selection and includes beer and wine (fosters). The service is unreal, and food very good.

I'd go back for the buffet.

Posted by: Maria Kopty on 21 Aug ' 11 at 14:14

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• Best for: Brunch served
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

The moment i stepped in to Sofra, i knew that this is going to be GOOOOOOOOOOD.
i wasn't wrong, the greatness kept on coming, we were seated by a the Manager "Fadi", were offered champagne to start, followed by the most yummy mojitos i have ever tasted. We then decided to start eating, we reached the buffet area to be just amazed by the setup, we didnt know how to start or where.
having returned from the buffet, the same manager was hovering around the tables and was at ours on our way back to help us be seated, offered more mojitos where he delivered them himself. He asked us about our experience so far and left.
Drinks kept coming and food stayed fresh through out our whole stay there. I informed them on the phone that we were celebrating my birthday which they surprised us with a small cake for the 4 of us. I noticed that all the staff left everyone just to come and sing for me. i felt very special keeping in mind that it was my first time there. i can only imagine how i will be treated if i go back "Which i will after Ramadan".
Timeout, you are just right by picking Sofra to be the best Brunch. I can't see myself going elsewhere.
Guys, i thnk all the top reviews are not true and are made to bad mouth this place. ITS THE BEST IN THE CITY.

Posted by: Dimitri on 13 Aug ' 11 at 12:39

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• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

I celebrated my birthday there this weekend. After a dinner during which we were largely ignored by the waiting staff (can't blame them, there were maybe 4-5 of them for hundreds of guests) and a bill of over AED 2500, we asked whether we could leave the two thirds that remained of our specially commissioned cake (organised by my wife and costing double the amount of a single person's buffet) in the restaurant's fridge to be picked up later that weekend.

We were assured this would not be a problem if we provided our phone contact details, full name and signed a form. We did so. 36 hours later, I returned to discover that my cake had been thrown away by the chef. I had not been called or warned in advance that there was a time limit to how long the cake would be kept.

I have been a regular customer (and so have the friends how accompany me). I will not be returning. Last year I organised my wife's birthday at Franky's in the Fairmont. Excellent atmosphere. Great food. Personable service. They stored her cake before and after the event without any fuss or complications. Should have known better than to change a winning formula. A mistake I will not be repeating.

Posted by: Lams on 10 Jul ' 11 at 09:39

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• Best for: Family friendly
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

This is the absolute favourite of mine in town for buffets meals. Often go with friends & family & it's always a treat. Never experienced a bad dish & just love the variety on offer!

Posted by: Siraj Nawas on 07 Jul ' 11 at 12:09

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• Best for: Business lunch
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Been to Sofra for 3 consecutive days, the first day was good, second day was better coz i know what to eat, third day was really bored and felt its not worth. I may like it if I visit again after 2 months.

The ambience and service are good. The salad bar and deserts are reasonably good though most of the deserts taste similar. The Sea food is the main attraction, but i feel most of them are undercooked or blend. I tasted a beed dish which was juicy and yummy but dont know whats the name. The mixed grill is average.

Overall, its a worthgoing once in two months.

Posted by: __ on 26 May ' 11 at 12:55

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• Best for: Brunch served
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Best Brunch EVER!!!!!!! Don't believe the moaners!!

Posted by: BiGgiE on 13 May ' 11 at 09:27

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• Best for: Business lunch
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

greaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat Foooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Saba on 17 Mar ' 11 at 03:49

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• Best for: Brunch served
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Edited by TimeOutAbuDhabi.com

It's funny 'cuz I always end up disagreeing w/Time Out's reviews. So since you guys claimed this might be the best brunch in Abu Dhabi, we were left w/no choice but to go. Good? Definitely, no doubt-very good. The best? Aeh? Hmm, I don't know. Perhaps you have tried all the Friday brunches in Abu Dhabi and you may know better than me, but personally I would not call this the very best. The salads: fresh, and plentiful. Lots of fresh seafood lying around waiting to be picked up, excellent assortment of fresh juices included in the AED 200+ that we paid per head, but the main courses & desserts need some serious revamping. So yeah, if your mains and desserts are not the freshest, most plentiful, or tasteful, does it really matter how good a salad you can toss, or how much yummie watermelon/lime/strawberry juices you can free flow? I think not. And our server definitely didn't like how much we fell in luv w/the juices, and kept asking for more. Go there again we will, but we won't call it the very best that the capital has to offer on a lazy Friday afternoon.

Posted by: Greg on 28 Jan ' 11 at 16:39

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• Best for: Family friendly
• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

Based on the strength of the editor's review, I made a point of visiting this restaurant just one week after arriving in Abu Dhabi. I am very sorry that I did.

I arrived 6:30 p.m., about 30 minutes prior to the opening of the dinner buffet and decided to sit at the bar and order a double shot of Glenfiddich, 12-year old Scotch. What I received instead was an extremely weak "pre-mixed" Scotch and water. The Scotch was so obviously diluted that the bartenders couldn't even pretend that the Scotch was real. No attempt was made to charge me for what they served.

I hadn't bothered to make a reservation and this was pretentiously and unnecessarily used to force me to either sit in the smoking section or outside against the building (but not near the pool) to the sound of some atrocious Hip-Hop soundtrack. In reality, there were plenty of available tables in the non-smoking section.

As for the food itself, it ranged in quality from poor (the undercooked and tasteless fettuccine) to mediocre at best. The lamb and beef that I sampled were very bland and the Sushi was definitely not fresh (as one other reviewer also made reference to). I found the pecan pie squares to be overly dry and the pound cake type of dessert to also be tasteless.

At 197AED, with the 16% hotel tax and service charge, especially when you consider that absolutely no beverages of any kind are included, this is a very bad buy.

I will not be returning to Sofra Blvd. or the Shangri-la Hotel again.

Posted by: John on 06 Nov ' 10 at 09:38

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• Best for: Brunch served
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

An excellant experience..service was just Perfect. and very attentive.
food was fine. something was missing though. it seemed like the food was not cooked out of fresh items. but im not a chef so i wouldnt know.
overall, loved it and will be back.

Posted by: Rowell Jan Alcos on 03 Nov ' 10 at 08:45

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• Best for: Brunch served
• Would you go back to this restaurant? No

the most horrible brunch i ever had!! the service was disaster I can even imagine!! tasteless food...

Posted by: Sara on 02 Jul ' 10 at 11:24

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• Best for: Family friendly
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Edited by TimeOutAbuDhabi.com

Best food EVER! Worth everything.

Posted by: Emma on 14 Jul ' 09 at 00:21

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• Best for: Family friendly
• Would you go back to this restaurant? Yes

Posted by: Meg on 11 Jun ' 09 at 08:41

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• Would you go back to this restaurant? No