The Collective @ Grand Hyatt Dubai
Sometimes not knowing much about the venue or the food can end up making the dinner extra special. The Collective was one such instance. Before heading there, my wife asked me what kind of cuisine do they serve and all I knew that it was a mix of different cuisines.
On reaching at the venue, we came to know The Collective is exactly where The Market Café used to be. Overlooking the lobby gardens and waterfall, this venue was very welcoming. With an open kitchen concept, the venues screams freshly cooked!
Reservation:
Of course. Just like any 5 star restaurant, reservations are always recommended.
Parking:
Valet Parking is available at the entrance of Grand Hyatt.
Greeting & Seating:
We were pleasantly welcomed by the hostess and were given options to choose our tables. From table seating to the booths, we could choose to our own liking.
Knowledge & Service of the waiter (s):
The host, his name was Amro, came to us immediately and described the concept of The Collective. He was passionate about food and the restaurant itself. The venue has separate sections for different forms of cooking
- The Levant Emporium: consists of salads, Turkish pide, Mezze, kashkaval cheese with honey shawarma, mixed grills
- The Grill Bar: consists of beef burgers, grilled chicken, seafood, lamb, etc
- The Bombay Café: Parsi food with Iranian influence, the menu for the night was ranging from Dal Dhansak to Keema Pav to Chicken gravy and biryani
- Bakery: assortment of desserts and ice-cream along with fresh waffles and a chocolate tap
- Drinks Bar: lemonade, lassi, coconut water and various cocktails
The food is served fresh at various counters so you have to get up and help yourself. At all the various sections, the chefs were very helpful and knowledgeable. They were excited to serve which made the whole process fun and very interesting.
Our Order:
We started with The Levant Emporium at the salad station. We tried the quinoa salad with avocado and basil hummus with some hot bread along with cheese rolls and Turkish pide. The salad and the hummus were recommended by them and both were delicious. Definitely one of the best quinoa salads I’ve had. We also tried the Kashkaval Cheese Honey Shawarma, something very different and delicious. The grills at the Levant looked very tempting too but we decided to leave space and head to the Grill Bar.
Here we tried the Cheesy Meaty Burger, the Chicken, the Beef, and King Fish. The Chicken was tender and delicious, one of the best we have had. The chefs were helpful and were ready to cook the beef just how you like it too.
Finally, with the little space we had left, we headed over to the Bombay Café. We tried the biryani, the Daal, kheema pav (bready with stuffed lamb) but because we were full from all the food earlier, we did not do justice to the selection of food.
After completing our food, it was time for the Bakery, and we were so looking forward to this. Somehow when it comes to desserts, you automatically build an appetite. We had waffles with chocolate sauce along with sticky date pudding, crème brulee, chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, strawberry gelato, and chocolate baklava. With too many options, you are forced to come back to try the rest.
Courtesy extended during the meal:
The staff were extremely courteous throughout our meal and it was wonderful to have chefs who are passionate to serve you.
Food quality & taste:
The food was mouth-watering! Everything we had ate was freshly cooked, served by passionate chefs and customized how we wanted it. We couldn’t have asked for anything more.
Ambiance:
This venue offers a very relaxed atmosphere for casual dining with different seating options and overlooking the gardens and waterfall of the hotel lobby.
Price:
The price is AED 199 for the dinner which includes the food, desserts and water/soft drinks. Other drinks are charged separately and cost around AED 25 for the non alcoholic ones. Considering the amount of food they are serving and the quality and freshness, the price seems quite reasonable.
They also have just a dessert buffet with coffee for AED 75.
Overall would you return:
100%. With so much variety, we would have to return to try the rest and also repeat our favorites.
Chefs Recommendations:
Quinoa Salad, Basil Hummus, Cheese Honey Shawarma, Mixed Grills, Beef Grill, King Prawns, Various Desserts