A Carnivorous Friday Feast
You all know I love food, and Mexican is probably my most favorite food on this planet. There aren’t too many Mexican restaurants that are tasty in the UAE, so I have expanded my palate to include all the spicy flavors served south of the United States. Thankfully, Toro Toro Friday Brunch is here to pique everyone’s Latin palate, and it’s great for carnivores. Vegetarians do call ahead and make yourself known.
The stylish restaurant is located in the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers and serves Richard Sandoval’s signature spicy pan-Latin/South American fusion.
Brunchers can choose between tables inside or outside with a stunning view of the capital waterfront. We’ve been to Toro Toro Abu Dhabi before by night but never by day. It’s bright and airy. Sadly, it’s too breezy to sit outside so we are seated in the dining room.
Serve Yourself?
The layout of the brunch is a bit funny, but we adapt quickly to its self-service drink model with a little assistance from the friendly staff. In the past, the service has been a little dicey, but today the staff is out in full.
For Starters
In addition to guac, the star of the starters, there was a delicious array of savory hot and cold bites. The highlights included the seafood ceviche, the LomoSaitado empanada (beef), wild mushroom flatbread, chicken Antichucho (chicken skewers served dramatically on hot coals). The Toro Toro salad and cornbread were a touch too sweet as were most of the dishes that were more suitable for vegetarians.
The Main Event
We, a table of six with four devout carnivores, one who dabbles and one vegetarian, could barely finish half of the food.
We then capped off the feast with an enormous dessert course of decadent cheesecake, tres leches cake and fruit platter. The plating was lovely and the piquant scoops of fruit sorbets were a cool delight after a waistline-bursting feast.
Toro Toro Friday Brunch: The Takeaway
This brunch is not cheap. We would have preferred drink service to self-serve. We would have loved to have been made aware if it were available along. That was an aberration to the otherwise faultless service, which was fabulous and indeed never stopped until the clock struck four.
In fairness, I didn’t call ahead to let the restaurant know that I am a vegetarian. Toro Toro brunch is not an easy landscape for vegetarians. But, if you dig your meat, run, do not walk to Toro Toro Friday Brunch. If you are vegetarian, do let them know; you will be grateful you did.
Toro Toro Friday Brunch is ready to cook up a storm every Friday so get in there and give it a try. I’d love to know what you think. Dhs295 (soft drinks), Dhs445 (house beverages and mixed drinks), Dhs545 (bubbly).
Fri 12.30pm-4pm. Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, West Corniche (02 811 5882).