CLAW BBQ-ROCK STAR BRUNCH

Location: Souk Al Bahar. Indoor & Outdoor seating available
Pricing:
AED 229 (the beginner: soft drinks only)
AED 329 (the Pretender: bottled beer, wine, & house spirits)
AED 399 (the Professional: same as previous + cocktails + shots)
Timing: 12pm- 4pm (last call 3.50)

“Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.”
~ Ernest Hemingway

Walking into Claw always transports me back to the bars of the USA. There is a juke box near the entrance, tons of random US-related memorabilia hanging on the walls, and if you walk to the room at the very end of the restaurant you will be thrilled to find drinking games such as Jenga, darts, and beer pong.

I am there for my friends 32^nd birthday and we are a large group of almost 40 people. Brunch kicks off with a welcome drink in the form of a refreshing mojito. I select the ‘professional package’ and order a giant classic margarita, which is served in a massive glass with a Dos Equis beer bottle placed inside. I proceed to the food buffet to scan the offerings on display. I start with the cold seafood section, filling my plate with oysters, prawns, and crab. The prawns are a hit but the oysters disappoint. I move on to the hot dishes, which consist of traditional roasts, American classics and Tex-Mex favorites. I fill my plate with chicken wings, fish fingers, mini burgers, mac n cheese, and the beef fajita. I also put together a large plate of nachos (fully loaded) to share with the table. Although the burgers are a tad dry, everything else is well executed. I move on to the roasts, which unfortunately are quite dry, and a big let down. Fortunately the desserts save the day with the star being the chocolate cake.

As the DJ plays a good mix of old and new popular tunes, we continue to order round after round of tequila and giant margaritas with the staff happily obliging. Feeling full and ‘borracho’ I can’t help but thinking that I shall return to this brunch sooner rather than later.

Rating
Ambiance: 16/20.
Beverages: 16/20.
Food: 12/20.
Service: 18/20
Value for Money: 14/20
Total: 76%