Leave the kids at home for this ultra-relaxed Saturday brunch…

With so many activities planned out for the whole family at Jumeirah Creekside’s Nomad Friday brunch, we decided to head on down to the newly launched Social Saturdays to see if the vibe was continued throughout the weekend.

With the weather cooling down, the restaurant’s interior seemed a bit dull and dim compared to the restaurant’s sun-filled back garden, which is definitely the most refreshing thing about the setting. However, we decided to take a table inside and make the most of the chilled out vibe outside after the meal was done.

Social Saturdays is geared to friends and family so there were none of the kid’s activities such as the bouncy castle, craft stations or cookie decorating classes available on a Friday but there were plenty of bean bags to relax on after the meal and the resident ducks on the pond to give the kids a bit of entertainment. As we sat down, we weren’t that impressed with the lobby style lounge music but it did give us the chance to properly talk and catch up, rather than shout over the loud bands found at some of the more rowdy brunches in town.

We liked the mix of a la carte dining with specialist stations. One of our pet peeves at brunch time is the sheer amount of wasted food at the piled-high buffets so it was our pleasure to order a selection of delicious crunchy salads and cold meats and cheeses. The Thai prawn salad was particularly scrumptious.

By the time we moved onto main course, we were not feeling over stuffed so we were able to appreciate the delicious fare from the Spice Station. The chef adjusted the spice to our tastes and cooked up a fusion of pani puri, samosa and potato patty, which was utterly delicious. For the meat lovers, there was a fine roast lamb also on the menu.

The desserts were tempting but instead of indulging, we opted to hang out in the garden and feed the ducks with our kids.

In general, the vibe was a little too laid back even for the end of the weekend and we would definitely had preferred it if there were more kids’ activities to entertain the whole family. However, if it’s family friendly brunch that you are looking for, head down to Nomad on a Friday and on Saturday, leave the kids at home so you can soak up the vibes in the garden with your friends and family.

Social Saturdays, Jumeriah Creekside Hotel, Al Garhoud, Dubai, 1pm to 4pm, Saturdays. Tel: (04) 230 8555. jumeirah.com

— For the best of Dubai straight to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.