What’s it like?

Serving up beautiful Anatolian classics with a contemporary twist, Rüya is truly a gem of a restaurant with bar and gorgeous wrap-around, al fresco terrace on the waterfront of Dubai Marina. Rüya means ‘dream’ in Turkish, and really lives up to its name with a rather enchanting atmosphere and culinary offering. It’s so good that the venue is soon due to open its second location in London!

It’s chic yet rustic interiors boast character and whisk you away to a scene overlooking the Bosphorus – down to the plates and cups, there’s a lot of Turkish charm here. Led by executive chef Colin Clague, who has built up an impressive culinary reputation for his leading roles at Jean-Georges, Zuma, and Qbara (and many others), the kitchen does not disappoint.

Brunch here is upbeat with the resident Dj playing Anatolian House beats all afternoon – it’s the type of place you can spend all day and stick around into the evening for sundowners, and quite possibly a dance.

What are the food highlights?

The newly refreshed brunch at Rüya sees the offering turn completely to an a la carte option (previous, the brunch had been a mix of buffet and a la carte), allowing you and your table to sit back and relax as everything is brought to you. With the exception of two interactive stations, including an Anatolian Bloody Mary station, plus a traditional Turkish pide station, where you can assemble your own creation of this signature dish.

The brunch journey begins with pass around dishes including the likes of crispy fried whitebait with chilli, lime and almond tarator, the most delicious Turkish spicy chicken wings, juicy iskender kebab with tomato sauce and yogurt, dreamy two-cheese pide with slow cooked egg and melted butter on top, feta borek with zucchini and walnut, and several other options.

For mains, you’re able to pick a course to enjoy by yourself, with the exception of one dish that comes for two, like we did. The sharing dish of whole grilled seabream with a spiced herb rub, was extremely flavoursome, while the fish was cooked beautifully. Other options include dishes like grilled lamb culets with smoked eggplant and tomato, and rib-eye steak with Turkish coffee and izot rub and crispy zaatar potatoes. If you have room, the desserts are definitely a credit to Turkey’s traditional sweets.

How was the service?

Service is attentive. Sharing dishes were brought over to the table regularly and our drinks never fell dry.

The bottom line:

This gorgeous venue is one I can’t get enough of. It offers high quality food and warm hospitality in a casual and relaxed atmosphere. A great location for unwinding with your other half or a small group of friends.

Stick around after brunch for selected beverages priced at Dhs25 from 3pm to 6pm – it’s the perfect place to enjoy sundowners on the terrace, and dance into the evening as the sun goes down over Dubai Marina.

Details: Brunch takes place from 12pm – 4pm every Friday and is priced at AED 299 for food and soft drinks, AED 399 with house beverages, signature cocktails and bubbly, and AED 499 with French bubbly. Call 04-3999123 or e-mail info@ruyadubai.com