Thiptara Hypnothai Friday Brunch | The Palace Downtown Dubai

March 19, 2016 , Haiya

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The Dubai Food Fest 2k16 has officially ended, but is the celebration of food ever really over in Dubai? I think my ever-expanding waistline should answer that question with a big fat NO! Last Friday, my sister and I (who absolutely LOVES Thai food), decided to head to Thiptara for their new Hypnothai brunch, to celebrate the return of the sun and an end to the otherwise gloomy half a week of being rained in. I’m a big Entertainer voucher fiend when it comes to brunches and buffets, but at just AED 260 per person for the non-alcoholic package, the brunch at Thiptara was a steal regardless, and we couldn’t have been more thrilled.

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I didn’t book ahead, so I couldn’t get an outdoor table on the terrace, but the entire restaurant has floor to ceiling windows so everyone was surrounded by hues of of blue water glittering in the sunlight. Also, even though we were indoors, we could clearly see and enjoy the fountain shows that happen at 1:30 and 2pm respectively. I know, I know, the Dubai fountains are such a “touristy” attraction, but I’m an absolute sucker for them. There’s something extremely mesmerizing about those fountain shows that makes time stop for the duration of a song and allows me a mental break before I continue to rush on to whatever task brought me to The Dubai Mall in the first place.

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The Hypnothai brunch at Thiptara is quite unexpected and unusual, as it breaks free from the otherwise prim and proper aura of the hotel and offers a very casual, relaxed and improvised atmosphere. Simply put, it is extremely Thailand. With a supercool female DJ playing techno music, this is just the brunch singles and couples want to unwind at on a weekend, to enjoy extremely delicious, very authentic tasting, and beautifully presented Thai food that knows no limits. You won’t find bouncy castles, face painters, or any over excited kids here (sorry young parents). You will, however, get to knock back some Pina Coladas straight out of a pineapple, and have made-to-order Som Tam salad and dig into stir-fried Canadian lobster.

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The variety was overwhelming and a novice might not know where to start but my strategic expertise guided me through the buffet and I sampled a bit of all the appetizers. Sadly, this also meant that when it came to the main courses, I had room to try only so many.

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We started off with some appetizers that were brought to our table. These included spring rolls, the most amazing lemongrassy crab cakes that made me realize crab cakes can actually taste good/great, and coconutty chicken skewers that were on point. A good start is a good way to start 😛

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After guzzling down some coconut water, we then tried the following works of edible genius:

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Salmon Tartare. I could have had 10 more of these if I had had the room. 

 

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Scallop with julienned green mango, ginger and lemongrass

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Grilled Beef Salad

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I clicked my heels wit joy when I saw Som Tam, but this was not your average street food Som Tam; this was elevated by using lobster instead of shrimp, and cashews instead of peanuts. And it was something I could have easily had 20 more servings of- if only my stomach had more elasticity.

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Just when I’d think I’ve had the best dish of the day, I’d get surprised with yet another mind blowing option. This Chicken Tom Kha soup was rich from coconut milk and sour from lemon juice and it ws EVERYTHING my life has been needing.

By the time we got to the mains, there was just no way for us to try all the options, so we had some Phad Se Eiw Je (Wok fried flat noodles with pak choi, carrot, baby corn and soy sauce, Kung Mung Korn Phad Prik Thai (Wok fried Candian lobster with spring onion and black pepper), and Gaeng Kiew Wan Gai (chicken in green curry with eggplant and sweet basil leaves) – and yes, I took a picture of the menu because there is no way I could have remembered these names, haha! Everything was sheer deliciousness, and before I even got to dessert, I had decided that this is a highly commendable brunch.

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I’ve said this plenty of times: as much as I love Asian food, I dislike Asian desserts. So naturally, my expectations were low when I tried the desserts but a lot of them were really, really good. The Khao Neaw Mamueng, Tab Tim Krob, and Wun Gati were my top three favorites!

 

My absolute favorite part about visiting any Emaar restaurant though: the fact that they all serve the TWG water fruit green tea by default. This is easily my favorite green tea, ever.

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The Hypnothai brunch starts at AED 260 with soft beverages. You can make a reservation on +971-4-4287806 or theaddress.com/tasteofthai . I highly reccommend this brunch for anyone who loves Thai food and can’t wait to go back!

Thiptara Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato