Saturday Brunch at Zuma Abu Dhabi - Everything You Need To Know

THE ROOM

The restaurant has a cellar-like quality, with big open kitchens and food prep areas: watch the chefs making sushi, cutting sashimi, cooking takoyaki and grilling, all with big knives, big flames and big noise. Extensive windows look across the bay towards the city and there's a semi-private room off to one side where the F1 drivers congregate every December to chopstick up and celebrate the year that was. Side note: in 2024, Valtteri Bottas too care of the cheque, (his last year at Kick Sauber being the catalys?) and in 2025 the lovely Pierre Gasly stumped up for the bill.

There's no live music at Zuma brunch - it simply doesn't need it, the kitchen sounds and chatty guests bring an unparalleled vibe.

THE GUESTS

This is not a party brunch.

There are couples on date brunch, there are birthday party tables of 10, families, foursomes having a catch-up. Women wear smart trousers and shirts, dresses, low heels. Men need to step up their game: rocking up to Zuma brunch in an old t-shirt and slouchy jeans isn't the one, no matter how cool you think you look!

Whatever combination they come in, they have one thing in common: they're foodies. And specifically, lovers of great Japanese cuisine.

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BE TACTICAL

Try to pace yourself.

At first glance, it's apparent there are buffets groaning under the weight of plate after plate of sushi, nigiri, tataki ... they have it all. And it's all impeccably presented and tastes above all else, so beautiful, with depths of flavours unmatched by other venues.

The torched salmon is the best in the city (I know, I've had them all). The yuzu seabass, the sliced yellowtail and the salmon shisho all stood out for me, but there were so many great options. Grab a made-to-order takoyaki at the beginning of the sushi buffet and swoon over its freshness and depth of flavour.

ROBATA

The other side of the room holds cooked food: glorious sweet corn, grilled asparagus, yakitori in every flavour, gyoza - delicious. The wagyu sliders may have been my absolute 'dish of the day', the bun was soft, the wagyu patty seared to medium rare. The spicy chicken katsu bao were not great - they were dry, making them just about the only thing we didn't like.

MAIN DISHES

We chose both wagyu sirloin and a delicious, not-too-spicy tenderloin that simply melted in your mouth. Black cod is one of the dishes Zuma is most well-known for, and while this was good, it lacked the hallmark caramelisation that would've elevated it from good to incredible. Finally, the large, meaty lamb chops were excellent for sharing.

DRINKS

The drinks menu is small. The house package includes Kirin beer, wine and prosecco, which seemed to be the most popular options. The only mixed drinks on offer were the Zuma cleansers or mocktails, which were sensational. Our favourite was the boutoko: grapefruit and passionfruit with almond syrup, shaken with cranberry juice and served long with a glorious amount of crushed ice. Champagne is Bollinger. In my opinion, this is a downfall of the brunch: I would like to see a decent cocktail list added -although, having said that, prosecco glasses were never empty, which is better than having to order cocktails that take an age to come.

As a bonus, you're invited to the bar area to watch the sake ceremony, which involves all the bar staff, ably led by the excellent sommelier, involving the crowd in a vibrant breaking of the sake barrel. Everyone is then offered a cup of sake - a fabulous Japanese tradition.

DESSERT

Desserts were slightly disappointing and I think knock Zuma off the top of 'the best' list. Alongside the usual brunch tarts and small bites, there are some items from the dessert buffet you need to try. Although it seems a bit off-piste, the chocolate cookies were warm, gooey and absolutely dreamy, the mochi was superb and the tiramisu (definitely off-piste!) was good too. The Japanese cheesecake came giving Basque and was very creamy but not sweet enough for my preference while the carrot cake felt like something out of a catering kitchen. The yuzu craquelin cream puff however, was gorgeously tart and just sweet enough and the chocolate fountain with skewers of strawberries and grapes was a good addition.

SERVICE

This wasn't what I would expect from a restaurant of this calibre. Wait staff were unsmiling and with the exception of the prosecco pourer, mechanical. Drinks service (again, except the prosecco) was incredibly slow and considering there aren't any cocktails on the list, there isn't really an excuse for this. There didn't seem to be anyone assigned to our table per se and we had to take a punt and flag someone down to take our mains orders (it's difficult to tell the difference between busboys and wait staff). The black cod mains came out 20 minutes before the meat mains which wasn't ideal.

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THE VERDICT?

Zuma Saturday brunch is one to add to your list. It's not the most affordable brunch in Abu Dhabi but the amount of food on offer and, more importantly the quality of this food makes it somewhere to try at least once in your Abu Dhabi brunch journey.

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TIMING: 12.30-3.30PM

PACKAGES

kitsu includes soft drinks and zuma cleansers AED 495

kowaku includes prosecco, sommelier's selection of wine and beer AED 595

kyasha includes champagne, sake, sommelier’s selection of wine and beer AED 695

kodomo for children aged 4-12 AED 195

BOOKING: call 02 401 5900 or https://zumarestaurant.com/book

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