Brunswick Sports Club is the fourth cafe from partners Tom Arnel and Sergio Lopez, the same guys who brought us Tom & Serg (they also own The Sum of Us and a coffee joint called Common Grounds).
Located in the Sheraton Dubai at the Mall of the Emirates, the latest venture marks a departure from their usual approach – Brunswick is the first licensed venue in their portfolio. It’s designed for serious sports fans, with half-a-dozen big-screen TVs – at least one visible from every seat – and sports memorabilia lining the walls.
It’s a tidy, well-designed, very clean “man cave”.
Still, there is a decidedly Tom & Serg feel to this space – urban, industrial, modish, with exposed metal pipes and bare light bulbs hanging from electrical wires. Separated by a glass wall, the smoking area – often an afterthought – is a comfortable, oasis-inspired space with greenery covering the walls. There is a counter with bar stools, which is set apart from the main (small) dining area filled with picnic-style tables. The music is funky and upbeat yet relaxing.
Brunswick’s menu is a concise offering of inspired pub food, consisting mainly of burgers, hot dogs and some hearty mains. Chefs use free-range, certified organic Australian beef for the burgers, all of which are served in homemade brioche buns. There is also a unique list of “burgers” in which the beef is replaced by protein such as ahi tuna, soft shell crab, Australian lamb and more.
We started with cheesy mac bites and chicken wings – perfect sports-pub food. The cheesy bites come as five thick chunks packed with hot and creamy mac and cheese, made with aged cheddar and jack cheese. The thick, crisp coating added a savoury crunch and the sweet chilli sauce and aioli it comes with adds a nice level of sweetness without overpowering that cheesy goodness.
The flavourful chicken wings are covered in a sweet, mildly spicy coating, but there was no messy sauce. They were, surprisingly, a bit dry, but helped somewhat by a tasty, light cucumber and green pepper salsa piled on top.
The waiter tells us the Mac Daddy burger is one of the restaurant’s most popular, so we order it. It is a beef patty topped with a mass of pulled beef brisket and a heap of rich, creamy mac and cheese – this time made with four cheeses (Shropshire, aged cheddar, mimolette and Parmesan). The brisket is tender and full of flavour, but we’re not convinced it belongs on a burger.
Unfortunately, the patty is well done. We weren’t asked how we wanted it cooked, which the waiter admitted later was his mistake.
That aside, this big sloppy mess of a burger is fun, unique, tasty and worth trying.
Another signature item – The Filthy Dog – proves less exciting. Just in case the all-beef sausage is not enough meat, it comes topped with a pile of barbecued braised beef, jalapeño cheese and fried shallots. It also has slivered spring onions and fresh coriander, perhaps to help disguise the calories you are consuming.
Across the menu, the dishes are hearty and heavy. You certainly will not leave hungry – especially if you also order dessert.
The simply named Waffle is a massive portion of thick waffle quarters with candied pecans, candied bacon and thick pumpkin cream, drizzled with homemade chocolate syrup and served with a side of caramel ice cream.
There’s a lot going on here and the ingredients don’t seem to mesh. Even if they did complement each other, it was too hard to get a piece of each ingredient in every bite. We ordered The Frenchman, too – thick slabs of soft, flavourful French toast, dusted with sugar, and served with strawberry sauce for scooping and vanilla ice cream. This dessert is your best bet if you’ve still got room after that Mac Daddy.
Service was efficient for most of the meal, but things went wrong at the end. We waited such a long time after ordering desserts (more than 25 minutes) that the manager came out to apologise – before we had even complained.
Brunswick is indeed fun and sporty, as intended, but it really is just a menu of slightly better-than-average pub food. When you’re watching football with the guys, this place is probably exactly what you’re looking for.
•Our meal for two at Brunswick Sports Club cost Dh366. Reviewed meals are paid for by The National and conducted incognito
sjohnson@thenational.ae
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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Results
- Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns
- Braun Strowman and Nicolas won the Raw Tag Team titles against Sheamus and Cesaro
- AJ Styles retained the WWE World Heavyweight title against Shinsuke Nakamura
- Nia Jax won the Raw Women’s title against Alexa Bliss
- Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
- The Undertaker beat John Cena
- The Bludgeon Brothers won the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos and New Day
- Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
- Jinder Mahal won the United States title against Randy Orton, Rusev and Bobby Roode
- Charlotte retained the SmackDown Women’s title against Asuka
- Seth Rollins won the Intercontinental title against The Miz and Finn Balor
- Naomi won the first WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
- Cedric Alexander won the vacant Cruiserweight title against Mustafa Ali
- Matt Hardy won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
Sri Lanka squad
Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Niroshan Dickwella, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milinda Siriwardana, Roshen Silva, Akila Dananjaya, Charith Asalanka, Shaminda Eranga and Dhammika Prasad.
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FIXTURES
Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)
Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Match info
Athletic Bilbao 0
Real Madrid 1 (Ramos 73' pen)
RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
Winner: Lady Parma, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
Winner: Tabernas, Connor Beasley, Ahmed bin Harmash.
2.45pm: Handicap Dh95,000 1,200m
Winner: Night Castle, Connor Beasley, Satish Seemar.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,400m
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Mutawakked, Szczepan Mazur, Musabah Al Muhairi.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Tafaakhor, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Cranesbill, Fabrice Veron, Erwan Charpy.
Friday's schedule at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 qualifying, 10:15am
Formula 2, practice 11:30am
Formula 1, first practice, 1pm
GP3 qualifying session, 3.10pm
Formula 1 second practice, 5pm
Formula 2 qualifying, 7pm
SPECS
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360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
Formula One top 10 drivers' standings after Japan
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 306
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 234
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 192
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 148
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 111
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 82
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 65
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 48
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 34