Hoist your sail

For a restaurant that is part of such an infamous legacy, Cipriani's location and ambience does not disappoint. Upon arrival, we were given a very warm welcome by impeccably dressed staff and as we drank in the atmosphere and stunning interiors, we were assigned an experienced waiter and shown to our table overlooking probably the most idyllic vista that Abu Dhabi has to offer: the Yas Marina — peppered with super yachts — and the F1 track from which we could hear the exciting purr of super car engines. The interiors screams "nautical chic" designed to give diners the novel experience of feeling like they're on their own private yacht. Bar staff are dressed like yacht crew and authentic portholes of shiny brass display a bobbing ocean beyond. The restaurant and terrace were buzzing with a typical Friday brunch excitement of family and friends getting together for a long lazy afternoon enjoying the jazz tunes being played by a talented DJ, who was setting the mood. Cipriani prides itself on Venetian cuisine, so we were keen to taste their most authentic dishes. Our attentive waiter kindly pointed out that the set brunch menu and "Brunch Items" were designed to cater for more international tastes with offerings such as eggs Benedict; French toast with pear compote, fresh berries, mascarpone cream and warm maple syrup; and top sirloin burger with caramelised onions and French fries. We were advised though that the a la carte brunch menu carried some Venetian classics such as Carpaccio alla Cipriani, grilled fish and various meats. We opted for the classic carpaccio and three herb fried oysters with dry Martini béarnaise sauce to start, followed by the Bismarck steak "al Gorgonzola" with shoestring fries and white tagliardi pasta with veal ragu for main course. Breakfast basket By the time our first course arrived roughly an hour later, we had devoured the tasty breakfast basket of light pastries and grilled brioche and were about to ask for a second. The Carpaccio itself was beautiful — melt-in-your-mouth beef and perfectly wafer thin, however the signature mayonnaise-based sauce latticed over the beef was overpoweringly creamy for such a delicately flavoured meat and didn't do it justice. The oysters were in fact fried scallops beautifully cooked in the béarnaise sauce, but most surprising as it was not what had been on the menu — perhaps they'd run low on oysters, but it was a disappointing start. We pinned our hopes on the mains. Another 45 minutes later and a prompt to another waiter was needed to find out where our food had got to. It arrived, to a mixed welcome. The steak was overcooked and tough — we'd requested medium rare — and the shoe string fries were so overcooked they disintegrated upon tasting. The tagliardi pasta dish, however, was a winner — perfectly al dente and it arrived piping hot. Desserts could be chosen from an array of mouth-watering cakes and puddings presented at the table. The house special: vanilla meringue cake — fluffy meringue and sponge mixed with a light vanilla cream — and the classic Italian tiramisu were faultless. The tiramisu was one of the best we've ever tasted — a must. Cipriani's brunch sets itself apart from a typical Friday brunch with its authentic maritime chic atmosphere, stunning vista and infectious buzz. Sadly, the food and service went downhill after such a wonderful start, but I'd like to think that was just down to them being overstretched and understaffed on the day. CIPRIANI -    Location: Yas Yacht Club Building, Yas Island. Tel: 02 657 5400 -    Ambience: Infectiously buzzy and relaxed -    Décor: Glamorous maritime chic -    Must-have dishes: White tagliardi pasta with veal ragu and tiramisu. -    Price: Dh150 for the three-course set menu.