BOCA

Location: DIFC
Pricing:
AED 245 (Non Alcoholic)
AED 295 (Sangria & Beer)
AED 345 (House Drinks)
AED 545 (Möet)

Timings: 1pm-4.00pm

“I fell in love with the Mediterranean Philosophy of good wine, good food, and family”- Stephen White

Boca’s cuisine is based around the Mediterranean costal regions of France, Italy, and Spain- which coincidentally are the three culinary giants of Europe. The menu is seasonal, thus changing constantly depending on the best ingredients available. The menu is designed as a sharing menu, Tapas Style. I am a big fan of seasonal menus, so I was super excited to try out this brunch.

The restaurant is located in DIFC, which happens to be a ghost town during daytime on the weekends. I have noticed increased efforts from the DIFC contingent of restaurants to attract more patrons by promoting Friday & Saturday Brunch. Unfortunately the atmosphere was quite at Boca on the afternoon we visited with only a handful of tables present.

Four packages are available for selection- I opted for the house drinks as I was in the mood for wine. The house wine served is Torres Sange De Torro and Torres Vina Esmeralda- both very good. However, it would be nice to include a wider selection of wines. My companions all opted for the Sangria & Beer option and were unanimously happy with the quality of Sangria. House drinks include your standard spirits, yet no cocktails- I must be sounding like a broken record- but I repeat: restaurants must go the extra mile and be able to deliver quality cocktails.

Food was a set menu that consisted of cold starters, hot starters, mains and dessert to be shared amongst our table. You are welcome to request additional plates of any dish should you wish to do so. We started with an olive mix, Pan con tomate, Burrata, and a chilled summer soup. The quality of the ingredients was superb. Hot starters consisted of croquettes (ham and potato), arancini, sautéed prawns, and pasta of the day (gnocchi with braised beef). The dishes were all simple yet delicious. Mains consisted of Grilled sirloin, and fish of the day (Sheri)- again delicious and perfectly executed. A special mention must go to the kitchen staff that were flexible enough to accommodate the menu for a companion that has several food allergies (many restaurants in town are either unwilling or unable to accommodate allergies- which for me is completely unacceptable).

Overall the experience was definitely an enjoyable one- perfect for catching up with close friends over good food and wine. Perhaps Boca will explore spicing up the atmosphere with live music or a DJ?

Rating:
Ambiance: 10/20.
Beverages: 16/20.
Food: 18/20.
Service: 18/20
Value for Money: 18/20.
Total: 80%