A review of The Beam Dubai

The Beam might just be Dubai’s most elegant Sunday lunch

If you’re looking to swap loud brunches for something a little more refined, The Beam is quietly setting the tone. Think classic British charm, beautifully executed dishes, and a laidback, grown-up atmosphere that feels more countryside manor than city hotspot. It’s the kind of place where long lunches roll effortlessly into the afternoon, and everything from the setting to the service feels just right.

The Spot

Perhaps it’s because we just binged the latest season of Bridgerton, but Sunday lunch at The Beam feels faintly like dining in the drawing room of “the Ton”. It’s bright, airy and elegantly understated – quietly confident rather than showy. Sure, Dubai isn’t short on British-influenced restaurants, but few strike the balance between polished cooking and comforting familiarity quite like this. At the helm is Nick Alvis, a quietly influential figure in the city’s dining scene. He first made his mark here working under Jason Atherton and Gordon Ramsay at Verre by Gordon Ramsay in the early noughties before branching out with fellow chef Scott Price to launch folly. The Beam feels like the natural next chapter for Nick as he goes solo.

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The food and drinks

The Sunday brunch unfolds over three generous courses, served family-style to the table. Starters arrive in abundance and immediately set a high bar. There’s Wagyu carpaccio with pickled mushrooms and truffle, silky and fragrant; a beautifully cured salmon crudo with spring onion, basil and chilli; buttermilk crispy squid with sriracha; and a generous pulled burrata with sweet baby vine tomatoes.

For mains, a Wagyu sirloin arrives beautifully cooked, while the whole sea bass is flaky with crisp skin. Both are truly excellent. But a word to the wise: spend the extra. For an additional Dhs190 for two, the Beef Cart Roast Dinner is wheeled to your table and carved with satisfying ceremony. The dry-aged beef (aged on-site and proudly displayed in gleaming fridges inside the restaurant) looks spectacular: blushing pink and meltingly tender.

Desserts hold their own. The rhubarb crumble is the clear winner, sticky and bursting with sharp-sweet flavour. Worth every carefully saved inch of stomach space. Drinks flow freely throughout the afternoon. We happily stuck to Pimm’s, which feels like the only sensible thing to drink during a leisurely Sunday lunch.