20% OFF WITH BB+

Looking for a fun Sunday brunch experience with a nod to the smaller members of your household? The Verso La Famiglia Sunday brunch is just the ticket.

But I give you fair warning: this is not the 'oh I'll just have a light lunch' brunch, the dishes kept coming!

We started really quickly with drinks and an antipasti course. These dishes were so good, I had to literally ask them to take the plates, knowing I had to pace myself. We loved the tuna tartare with little hints of apple to freshen it up, the individual prawn cocktails, the lightly spiced ribbons of aubergine, the calamari and the exceptional cheese and cold cuts platter - I've decided there's nothing I love more than cheese dipped in honey or jam (I think it's the devil-may-care attitude to calories when I'm presented with it that makes me love it all the more).

Oh, and the bread. The foccacia especially was just so pillowy, and soft and begged to be dipped generously into house-made pesto. Delightful.

What could be described as the primi piatti came next. We enjoyed the pizza, fresh and hot from the oven, especially the pizza verde, heavily laden with peas and prosciutto; it tasted fresh and wonderful. The children enjoyed the uncomplicated margherita and the equally as universally appealing spaghetti amitriciana. My pick from this course was the mushroom risotto, served from a massive parmesan wheel with a flourish. Considering the amount of restaurants serving pasta in Abu Dhabi, it's hard to find a good risotto but Chef Lucci performed a masterpiece with this one: it was neither too rich nor under-seasoned, in fact, it was fantastico!

With mains still to come, we thanked God for stretchy waistbands and got involved. The whole fish, plated tableside by Chef was beautiful and looked spectacular and the chicken with mash was a great dish for children to enjoy.

We finished with the best thing to come out of Italy, tiramisu! Creamy and smooth, with a good coffee hit, this was a fine ending to the brunch.

Children are right at home with Italian food and there's also a popcorn station to keep them happy from the get-go. While they weren't eating, there was a cute little clown doing face-painting and making balloon animals. As the weather gets cooler, there are more outdoor activities planned for children.

The house beverage menu came with prosecco, Aperol Spritz, Garibaldis and a negronis as well as pinot gris and birra Moretti. We had the best non-alcoholic Shirley Temple and there were endless soft drinks for those who don't want a big Sunday.

Verso is a really funky restaurant and it's very easy just to sit back and let the La Famiglia afternoon unfold, until you find yourself awash with food and drinks and it's time to go home. Not the worst way to do Sunday, don't you agree?

Time: 1PM-4PM

Price: Soft AED180, house AED280. 20% off with BB+

Contact: 025101234