You can find a blazin' brunch in Dubai here

ATMOSPHERE IS OBVIOUSLY a key ingredient in the recipe to creating the perfect restaurant, but to what extent is it the vital component? We always believed it was up there, but as long as you had good food you could pretty much serve it out of a van (and many do) and people would always go back for more. Then you picture the soul-crushing void that is a mall's food court and, even with the greatest cuisine in the world on offer, we would struggle to wish a meal in one on our worst enemy. These thoughts came to a head during a recent trip to the Sheraton Grand's Caribbean haven, Miss Lily's. For with any visit, we realised, we didn't really need to try whatever new dish they were purveying. A few seconds in and we already knew we were in for a good time. Waltz into the somehow dimly lit yet at the same time colourful dining room, take a glance over at the beach-shack bar, choose your table - some of which are made up to resemble giant vinyl records - and listen to the mostly reggae beats the DJ is spinning and we dare you not to feel smitten. We dare you! Miss Lily's is everything you could desire from a fun, vibrant, cool eatery: laid back enough that you don't feel put upon, sufficiently highfalutin so eating there feels like an occasion, and so trendy even the social media-phobes will be tempted to put something on Instagram. As it turns out, atmosphere does rank higher than we had previously given it credit and Miss Lily's has it in spades.
All this is magnified with the establishment's Friday Blazin' Brunch. From 12pm to 4pm every week the restaurant aims to provide a little more chill by relaxing the dress code to allow shorts or sweatpants, taking the tunes down to a steady chug and delivering a taster of all their most popular dishes mixed with a few brunch exclusives.
Straight out of the gate, no sooner have you taken your seat and ordered a beverage, a selection of starters come your way. A tapas-like arrangement, these are the plates the chef feels represents Jamaica's finest with a slight local twist. The best example of this fusion is the ackee hummus, which is irresistible. Ackee, a West Indian fruit, is mashed into this beautiful spread and served with flatbread. Add the superb jerk chicken wings and pepper shrimp to your bundle and you've got yourself a party. The barbequed chicken infused with spices in particular always, always, always provides the taste sensation we crave.
As with all set-menu affairs, the entrees would probably have been satisfactory, but if you're going to do brunch, you have to go big. The package includes the platter of starters and one main, followed by a platter of desserts. For the big dish we went for the Miss Lily's Burger and a Reuben sandwich, both accompanied with spicy fries, dollops of sauce and cheese. The Reuben took first prize, as the salt beef was cooked to perfection. The burger was enormous, which meant only half could be consumed. What a half, though! Other brunch exclusive dishes we had our eye on included the new cheese & callaloo omelette and fried fish coco bun sandwich, but we were happy with our choices. It just means we'll have to return to try out the rest.
Overall, this four-hour session starting from Dhs250 is one of the best out there. Far too often a frenzied affair in Dubai, Miss Lily's reminded us what brunch should be: relaxed, amusing and full of flavour.
Where: Miss Lily's brunch, Sheraton Grand
Best dish: Jerk chicken wings & ackee hummus
Price: From Dhs250
david@khaleejtimes.com 

• Food and Dining