WAKA RESTAURANT & BAR

Location: The Oberoi Business Bay
Pricing:
AED 200 (Soft drinks)
AED 350 (House Beverages)
AED 400 (Bubbly)
Timings: 8.00pm-11.00pm

“Stay busy, get plenty of exercise, and don’t drink too much. Then again, don’t drink too little.”-Herman Smith- Johannsen

For the hardcore brunch enthusiast, many Friday’s can pass where one does not the see the moon of night. If you have ever been to brunch before, then the sight of ultra drunken men & women will not be an unfamiliar sight to you. Drink too hard during brunch, and it is likely you will end up in bed before 7pm. Therefore when some friends suggested that we swtich things up, and go out at night instead, I was excited to see how the city’s nightlife has evolved. That was until I stumbled across the news of the Waka late brunch. Old habits die hard.

Waka is (yet another) Peruvian influenced restaurant & lounge, located in The Oberoi Hotel. After a brief explanation of the brunch offering from our friendly waiter, we all opt for the house beverages package, and proceed to the ceviche bar. There you can help yourself to a Sea Bass ceviche, Salmon Tiradito, and Corn salad. All three were tasty, yet I wish they offered more variety, given that they have 6 types of ceviche and 5 types of Tiradito on the menu. Starters are served to the table: Chips & Guacamole, two types of Maki (Sea Bass and a Vegetable version), two types of Empanadas (beef, and corn), and chicken Anticuchos. We enjoyed all the dishes enough to order a second round, except the Maki rolls, which were substandard and served with too much sauce.

For main course you are asked to select from: Roasted Baby Chicken, Arroz con Pollo, Truffled Quinoa Risotto, and a Veal Belly. The Veal was a terrible disappointment; I only managed to take two bites out of my dish. The Quinoa Risotto was arguably the best of the bunch. It is quite surprising that no seafood or beef options were on the menu.

The house beverage package included: red & white wine, bottled beer, and house spirits. I was really looking forward to sipping on Pisco Sours, thus I was bitterly disappointed when I was informed that they did not offer cocktails in the package.

Although the restaurant did not get more than half full through out our stay, the house DJ kept the crowd entertained with a nice mix of music genres (Yes, he played Despactio). With a few minor tweaks to the food & beverage menus, this late brunch has the potential to be a winning option for a fun Friday night out.

Rating
Ambiance: 15/20.
Beverages: 10/20.
Food: 14/20.
Service: 18/20
Value for Money: 14/20.
Total: 71%