Friday brunch at Palazzo Versace Dubai

Chocolate Leaning Tower of Pisa at Palazzo Versace in Dubai. Rebecca McLaughlin-Duane / The National

Palazzo Versace is located just a stone’s throw from Dubai Creek in an area called Culture Village. Word to the wise — leave yourself a lot of extra time to get there, the hotel is anything but an easy find. Your best bet is to book a private car with GPS as we struggled to find a regular taxi driver who was willing to venture to Culture Village, which is still pretty much a construction site.

The atmosphere

Convivial, if not a little confused. While the hotel, in great part, oozes Italian elegance, Giardino restaurant seemed somewhat at odds with the Mediterranean theme. This probably has something to do with the very loud house music that was pumping through the near empty venue on the Friday my guest and I visited. Strains of Volare and That's Amore would perhaps have been more conducive to conversation and lent to a less forced party atmosphere. The decor is a verdant jungle-themed one — remember J-Lo's Versace dress from the Grammy's in 2000? Well, chairs, walls and napkins pay homage to the showstopping silk chiffon gown.

The food

Simply outstanding. In fact, any preconceptions my dining companion had were completely blown out of the water. The fare — apart from some Indian and Chinese offerings — was authentically Italian, prepared by Italian chefs cooking with Italian ingredients. The pasta was perfectly al dente and I particularly liked the cooked-to-order gluten free pesto linguine which was bursting with basil, garlic and pine nuts. The raw seafood bar was well considered and the grilled lobster with zingy lemon butter sauce was so good we had to have seconds.

Other sections that merited a revisit included the cheese, foie gras and dessert stations. Matching style and substance, an impressive chocolate Leaning Tower of Pisa and confectionery Colosseum had us snapping away on our smartphones.

Who is it best for?

Foodies, without a doubt. While there was mostly couples dining on the day we visited, Arabic families were also well served by staff who were incredibly quick on their heels.

The verdict:

How wonderful to be pleasantly surprised by brunch which many detractors feared would be a food and fashion cliché. In fact, it’s anything but. Our only wish is that the road to Rome was better signposted.

The National was a guest of the venue.

• Brunch at Palazzo Versace Dubai takes place every Friday from 1-4pm and costs from Dh350-650. For reservations go to www.palazzoversace.ae or call [phone]