Le Vendome Brasserie

© ITP Images

From Time Out Abu Dhabi Eating Out 2010

While the décor is reminiscent of a medieval monastery, with its high vaulted ceilings and marble pillars, the L-shape floorplan as used in most of Emirates Palace’s other restaurants means that almost all of the tables are in high-traffic areas. Therefore, while service is irreproachable, this is not the place to go for a quiet dinner unless you can reserve one of the tables on the outdoor terrace, which has excellent views and a wonderful ambience. The food selection is limited when compared to other hotel buffets and is heavy on the cold appetisers, salads and desserts. There is a good selection of cold seafood, with several types of shrimps, mussels, and oysters, as well as a variety of salmon dishes, but the hot main dishes are limited and feature a few too many curry and chicken biryani-type dishes.

The live cooking station features a different dish every night: one night quesadillas made to order, the next night seafood curry. Similarly, the carvery serves an outstanding beef rib-eye. The a la carte menu only features a few appetisers such as cold salmon or Caesar salad, plus a few sandwiches, although the Angus beef-burger for Dhs95 is an expensive, if appetising, treat. Le Vendôme Brasserie is an expensive hotel buffet offering good food and impeccable service, although it comes at a price which few might be willing to pay.

• Previous reviews
  • 01 January,2009- reviewed by Time Out Abu Dhabi staff

Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.