Can this Spanish brunch weather the storm of DIFC competition..?

Those who shout the loudest don’t always have the most to say. That might sound like the sort of casual cliche you’d find in a fortune cookie, but as is often the case with biscuit-buried wisdom, it seems to be a pretty reliable rule of thumb. And it’s no less relevant when directly applied to the hallowed high-end foodie district, DIFC.

If you’re looking for a Saturday brunch at that end of town, you’ve got quite the choice. Big names in the Dubai culinary game all calling loudly for your brunching business. But it’s one of the, we’d argue, softer voices that caught our attention when they announced their new brunch, La Comida.

Iberian-Latino restaurant La Niña, located to the rear of ICD Brookfield Place, is a stately vision clad in azulejo tiles. During daylight hours the interior space is lit up by the venue’s floor-to-ceiling windows running the full length of the outer walls. The aesthetic keystone comes from the blue and white naval murals that tattoo the restaurant’s backdrop.

La Comida, which translates as ‘principal meal’, is a serenade of sharing Spanish tapas and more substantial mains. And you don’t have to journey too far before you’re given a declaration of intent. A simple dish within the opening salvo of ‘picky bits’ – the pan con tomate (basically bruschetta-style bread and tomato) forcibly demonstrates La Niña’s commitment to best-fit sourcing. The unmistakable tongue-top tango of Spanish tomatoes is a rare and exquisite pleasure in these parts.

The house package comes with all the usual beverage inclusions as well as one of La Niña’s signature blended drinks – Agua de Valencia. It’s a sparkling sangria that went to finishing school, and is well worthy of academic review.

The cold entrada high point is undoubtedly found in the salpicon de pulpo, an octopus confit served with criolla – a citrus-cured salsa. The Latin accent pulls the octopus in delightfully unconventional directions and contrasts effusively with the accompanying artichoke salad. The warm starters speak a deeper tapas truth. The braised short rib canelón is an artist’s interpretation of a sausage roll; the oil from the garlic tiger prawns will result in an immediate bread shortage on your table; and the wild mushroom and manchego croquetas are fully reminiscent of the Ramblas.

As two chilled gazpacho soups slink towards our table, a wider palate cleanse is going on around us. The music shifts from up-tempo Cubano lounge to higher-tempo Latin drum beats. We’re suddenly at a fiesta brunch, unexpected but not unwelcome. We’ve just got a few more important meetings before we can truly let the rhythm take control. Of the main plates, the lobster and octopus paella is the high-net-worth-individual. Scooped up from a central dish, the rice bears the sweet caramelisation scars of a truly authentic paella. Alongside your Iberian biryani (a term I’m fully expecting hate mail for using) you get a choice cut of striploin asada style, robed in a vibrant chimichurri; and pisto manchego rehashed and remastered for fine dining elegance.

Sweet send-offs abound from the suspiciously mellow 12-month-aged manchego cheese flan and seasonal shaved ice. But we’re already out of our chairs, last orders beckon, and this song… is a tune.

Verdict: you leave decision-making in La Niña’s hands when at their brunch, and doing so will likely be one of the best decisions you make in a given weekend.

ICD Brookfield, DIFC, 12.30pm to 4pm, soft Dhs325, house Dhs450, bubbles Dhs550. Tel: (0)4 395 1300. @laninadubai

Images: Provided