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Restaurant review: La Brasserie at Al Faisaliah Hotel

All-day dining is a cut above the rest at La Brasserie…

At the luxurious Al Faisaliah Hotel, booking a restaurant is no easy feat. Not because of a complicated reservations system or strict door policy. Simply because there’s so much excellent choice. Alongside internationally acclaimed restaurants LPM, Meraki and Yauatcha, there’s the hotel’s equally-impressive array. Since Al Faisilah entered a partnership with Mandarin Oriental in 2021, these restaurants have also been given a chic and contemporary upgrade, most noticeable at La Brasserie, the hotel’s iteration of an all-day dining restaurant.

Located in the hotel’s East Wing, La Brasserie is a large restaurant with double height ceilings and a wall of floor-to-ceiling window that joins the outdoor terrace with the indoor restaurant. Typically this might make the restaurant feel soulless, but warm, natural hues, walls of glassware and cleverly positioned columns ensure there’s a cosy, inviting feel no matter which table you perch up at. Special mention should be given to the private dining room, where the back wall printed with hundreds of jewel-hued books makes it feel like you’re dining in the grand library of an ornate private home.

The left hand side of the restaurant is dedicated to station after station of food and drinks. From the long wooden bar guests can order freshly mixed juices, smoothies and even bubble tea on our visit – when La Brasserie is hosting a two-night special dedicated to Malaysian cuisine. Then there’s countertops piled with fresh salads and breads, chefs manning stations of steaming pots of Malaysian signatures, and plates filled with just-cooked meats and fish. Live cooking stations also allow guests to fill their boots with cooked to order dumplings and steaming curries, a popular spot that diners around to return to again and again.

The dessert buffet is among the finest in Riyadh, and no visit to La Brasserie is complete without finishing the evening with a plateful of sweet treats. From panna cotta to crème brulée and creamy cakes, each is a sweet and colourful creation.

The dinner buffet is SAR275 per person, while the Friday brunch is SAR 397.

La Brasserie, Al Faisaliyah Hotel, Olaya, Riyadh, 6am to 11am breakfast, 12pm to 4pm lunch, 7pm to 11.30pm dinner, 1pm to 5pm Friday brunch. Tel: (966) 11 273 2005, mandarinoriental.com

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