Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront's Dubai-style brunch in Cape Town

BRUNCH can be confusing. Technically, it’s a contraction of breakfast and lunch, served from mid-morning till about 1pm – with or without alcoholic beverages, although I don’t understand why you wouldn’t have a Bloody Mary or a Mimosa since it’s probably weekend when day drinking is not as frowned upon as on a Tuesday.

Being a combination meal, the menu usually includes a variety of breakfast items, followed by some lunchy dishes, and perhaps desserts for good measure. In Dubai, however, “brunches replace traditional mid-morning eggs with a five-star afternoon feast of signature dishes coupled with free-flowing beverages. A gourmet afternoon served up in a la carte and buffet format, many allow diners to experience flavours from around the world in a sitting,” according to Conde Naste Traveller. It is this style that Tobago’s Restaurant Bar and Terrace at Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront is serving up, called Breakers Brunch.

It begins at 1pm and concludes at 4pm. The end time is fairly non negotiable so I suggest you get there as close to 1pm as possible to take full advantage of the feast.

The location is among the best Cape Town has to offer, with outdoor seating under umbrellas and a view of the ocean with all its attendant features like a variety of boats, yachts, kayaks, pirate ships (well, only one I know of), container ships, and streams of low-flying birds. Naturally, opportunistic seagulls lurk, kept at bay by a person with a large feather duster. Perhaps the tool itself is intended to send a message.

There are two options, namely with or without unlimited drinks (R795 a person vs R595 a person), which include cocktails (and mocktails), beer on tap, spirits and mixers, soft drinks, red and white wine, and of course, as much bubbly as you can handle. I think the extra R200 is well worth it.

Inside the restaurant are the buffets – an array of individually portioned seafood and shellfish, salads, meaty treats, breads, cheeses, sushi which never stops, and dessert. Always remember, life is short so eat dessert first, and no one will judge you here. At one point, the nice pastry chef was at the laden table, touting his wares, and even though we were still between appetisers and mains, I popped a profiterole in my mouth because why not? Also, you might fill up too much on other delights and not have space for dessert and that’s just too terrible to contemplate.

Case in point: I gorged myself on sushi so by the time my main course arrived I was too stuffed to enjoy it. It is described as a seafood platter, although in my head a picture a platter somewhat differently; this was a normal dinner plate size. I’m certainly not complaining there wasn’t enough to eat but being who I am, I’m rather particular about words and how they are used.

In hindsight, I should have just stuck with the buffet (I’d skipped a bit of it in anticipation of the platter), both for what is offered as well as pacing my belly capacity. The seafood main course comprises grilled prawns, crumbed calamari strips, a seafood taco, and a three-cheese and herb arancini. There’s a mussel pot too but I couldn’t have that on account of allergy.

My friend, whose allergy encompasses anything and everything that once lived in water and not just the molluscs like me, had the meat platter: BBQ meat taco, tandoori chicken wings, slow braised short rib, sweetcorn and the same arancini, which I have to say did not deliver on the promise of cheese or herbs. There’s a vegan platter option too.

And so onto desserts. More sneaky profiteroles, strawberry cheesecake, orange panna cotta, crème caramel, red velvet truffles, and my friend’s favourite, deconstructed milk tart. The crème brûlée was all gone, sadly. There are koeksisters and doughnuts, macarons, tiramisu, and three flavours of ice cream with all sorts of toppings to add. White is vanilla, obviously, and equally apparent is pink for strawberry. But the pale green? Not mint. Not pistachio. Asparagus. It sounds weird and not appetising but it wasn’t that bad, with only a hint of the vegetable about it. I wouldn’t want a whole bowl though.

The vibe is complemented by music, on our occasion played by DJ Tarzan’s World, who was very friendly as you can see below. and even had a Pink Floyd number in his box of mellow tricks. There was a saxophonist tooting along with him but no one knows his name. Pavlov would be so proud of me: it only took me one round to work out that every time DJ Tarzan played Tequila, someone would come out with shooters – not a bad Old Fashioned and no thank you to Liquid Cocaine based on past trauma involving blue drinks – and dish them out to everyone. One word if you’re going for the full package Bougie Brunch: Uber.

The al-fresco brunch is weather-dependent, so check the forecast and make sure you book for a sunny Saturday.