dunes cafe - shangri-la

we had xmas buffet atdunescafe. it was a very high quality buffet, everything was super fresh, particularly the seafood, oysters, lobsters, prawns... what a feast! they also had a very wide range of hot dishes, i loved the beef ribs which was so tender and moisted. my family were so satisfied with their desserts, lots of different sweets, good job for the pastry chef! coffee was nice too:) i had some south australian white wine to pair with my food which was delicious. we all enjoyed our meal, and the staff were lovely and they sang in a choir like angels! best xmas buffet for sure, we would love to come back in the future.

had fun atdunescafe...great service by the staff esp frank at the bar, and imleye at the reception...they were very warm.. the spread was interesting and the house beverages were enjoyable

dunes café is the all-day-dining restaurant at the shangri-la hotel on sheikh zayed road. located in the lobby on the right as you enter its décor is very much a continuation of the hotels, and as such, is a very pleasant place to dine. thedunesbuffets and friday brunches have made quite a name for themselves and are considered one of the better culinary offering on the sheikh zayed strip. benjarong at the dusit thani on the opposite side of the highway being the notable other. i was atdunesto try their breakfast buffet with a friend who was staying at the hotel.

i loved the experience ofdunescafe. i went for a dinner buffet and the best part was live cooking stations everywhere.. 5 star quality. very tasty food. excellent service. i tried different cuisines in one place - japanese, thai, italian and indian.

i was at shangrila for staycation and had breakfast atdunescafe the next morning..loved each and every bit of it ..everything on the spread not only looked good but was tasty as well..i believe they have the best french toast it was delicious ..they also had indian options like paratha with alu ki sabzi and idli sambar 😍
i am definitely visiting them soon

recently, i had the pleasure of dining at the newly renovated dunes café in shangri-la hotel, sheikh zayed road. i went there for the launch of their new loyalty program called the table by golden circle that offers unparalleled benefits to members who dine at shangri-la properties both in dubai as well as abroad.

celebrated my first breakfast for the year atdunescafe. the bread and pastry spread did not impress me as i was focused on looking for asian food (it was shangrila hotel after all).

disappointed that they did not serve pork but the cafe redeemed itself with their 'chicken buns'. they were almost as good as the pork buns from hongkong. the bread was soft and sweet and the flavorful chicken inside just tasted heavenly. other asian dishes were dry and soup noodles (i only saw one kind of noodles probably egg noodles), vegetable & chicken dumplings and congee with all sorts of condiments including century egg! too bad the century egg bowl was not replenished when it ran out.

there were indian dishes as well and continental breakfast. i feasted on pancakes (a bit dry) and beef bacon. fresh orange juice was also provided.

overall, it was an average breakfast. if you come from asia though and knows about how great the usual buffets are in shangrila hotels, you'll be in for a big let down.

as expected with a shangrila hotel, service is impeccable.

my husband and i are seafood fans... particularly lobster!

dunes cafe's lobsterlicious thursday night is a dream come true! we were a bit hesitant at first, thinking what would it be like having a buffet dinner in an open restaurant beside the lobby...

we were pleasantly surprised with the quality, service and abundant amount of the food served!

every section they had was mastered by a chef... the pasta section has its own chef who would personalize your pasta to your liking - i ordered it aldente with lobsters and tomato basil sauce... their 2 soups were splendid: the miso and lobster bisque! two types of grilled lobsters (thermidor and boston) were grilled upon request and served to your table. hot and cold steamed lobster, shrimps were available, fresh oysters, delicious range of salads... a very very rich buffet for 235 aed per person (non-alcoholc beverages) and 330 (alcoholic).

the best section i loved was the japanese section which was freshly prepared by a japanese chef... how rare is it to find a japanese chef handling the japanese section in dubai.. there's tomo, anddunescafe only! don't miss out on the lobster sashimi!

desert was amazing...

you will be stuffed... so be selective! everything is delicious!

we will surely go there every week!

went todunescafe at the shangrila on szr for the first time and ordered a pepperoni pizza. after half an hour, we recieved our pizza but it resembled and tasted like one of the frozen pizzas you would buy from the supermarket. the dough was still a bit cold and the cheese was not even melted. the chef added a few slices on tomato and a few drops of pesto on the pizza. i've never had pesto on a pizza before.
we returned the pizza and opted to try the pasta instead which was acceptable. i expected much better quality, especially in a five star hotel. my friends had the buffet which they enjoyed. i probably would not be dining atdunescafe again.

dunes at the shangri-la, specifically the brunch atduneson a friday afternoon, is sure to send your taste buds on a rollercoaster. with multiple cuisines including asian, arabic and continental dishes you are never short for choice.

the asian live cooking station featured a wide variety of dumplings which i frequently visited and strongly advise. the only downfall to the buffet was the roasted duck. as expected it was rather chewy which is always tricky when it is kept on display all afternoon long!

the desert selection was fascinating yet again. the lemon tart was exceptional.
do not make the same mistake i did! make sure you save some space cause you'll surely be paying this desert buffet a few visits.

dunes did not let me down in all aspects and is definitely a place i'd recommend for a classy friday brunch!