Masterchef the TV experience at Millennium Hotel Dubai.

 Any foodie needs no introduction to the highly successful TV program Masterchef. The restaurant with the same name inspired an eager visit indeed. At booking it was no surprise to know they were almost fully booked for their Friday brunch. The arrival was welcoming and a pleasant surprise that the outside seating was well enclosed and very comfortable. Our waiter Robin was a delight and very helpful.

The menu is a combination of their own creations and offerings from different Masterchef winners from around the world. There were five starters on offer with the Crispy rice cakes and Rillettes clearly being the best. The Prawn Bhaajis with Avocado  were excellent followed by the Lemongrass and Ginger Meatballs on a skewer offering an explosion of flavours. It would have done more justice to the quality of the starters if they were not brought to the table all at once but gently rolled out one by one in intervals of ten odd minutes.

With eight main courses on offer there were adequate choices on offer. The steak and eggs which we went for was excellent. With the brunch timing closer to lunch we thought four of the eight main courses were biased towards eggs and felt this could be redressed with perhaps two offerings with eggs. It would also help to include a couple of main courses for vegetarians and one of eight items seemed to leave vegetarian eaters with no choice. 

The desserts were simply first class and one could feast on desserts alone. The highlight was the creme brûlée on french toast, though one could not fault any of the sweet offers. 

The only disappointment was the drinks as two of us had gone for the sparkling package where the drinks were quite limited. For instance only one brand of beer was offered, limited cocktails (only two) and for the soft drinks package only two mocktails. It would seem for the die hard brunch goers the restaurant will have to rethink their drinks especially considering their pricing is in the same range of the more well known brunch venues in town, where the drinks offering is more extensive.

There was live music performed by the duo of Monica and Wilson who were simply brilliant and set a mood that had people, clapping and singing along. Another welcome moment was the manager, Brian Webster coming and sitting with us and found him very open to our comments acknowledging that works needs to be done to further improve the experience. This is a welcome sign and one can expect the Masterchef experience to improve further as the season picks pace. 

Pros

Some gems on the menu.

Excellent staff.

Great entertainment by the duo who perform there.

A caring manager who wants to listen to his clients.

The outdoor seating is highly recommended 

Cons.

Some tweaking of the starters and mains is needed.

Serious thought into the drinks offering.

Conclusion

Definitely worth a visit and an experience which will be well remembered especially with the Masterchef apron  to take home.