New In Town: Li Brasil

Experience the best of both worlds at this Brazilian Lebanese fusion spot at the new Address Beach Resort.

The arrival of a new hotel is always met with a sense of intense anticipation. For us, this doesn’t necessarily relate to lavish accommodations, luxurious spa or the stunning swimming pool. Instead, we’re always excited to see what food and beverage concepts will accompany the latest five-star properties as they throw open their doors upon our sunny shores.

Dubai’s newest five-star hotel, Address Beach Resort has been taking shape at the far end of Jumeriah Beach Residence for some time now. Instantly recognizable for its slender facade with a hole in the centre, the tallest inhabited sky bridge in the world and a soon-to-be contender for the Guinness World Record for the highest infinity pool. A lot is going on in the 77-storey property, home to over 1000 rooms, residences and apartments.

The first beach resort in the Address hotel’s portfolio brings several enticing luxury dining concepts that cater to every mood and occasion. We find ourselves at the lobby level during our first visit to the spacious property, with our dining destination of choice the intriguing Li Brasil.

The restaurant offers an intriguing fusion concept that blends Lebanese and Brazilian food. This may seem like a somewhat jarring juxtaposition of cuisines but upon closer inspection, it is evident that the concept leans more into the Middle Eastern side of things, with the Lebanese dishes making up the fair share of the menu. 

The dining experience often feels magical and the service is strong. An impressive factor when considering the venue had been open for only a matter of days at the time of our visit. Li Brasil’s interiors have a distinct steakhouse feel, with an abundance of dark wood, an elongated bar area, and low slung seating flanked by foliage clad walls.

This nod towards the Amazon rainforest doesn’t take full effect until your step out onto the terrace, which is alive with vegetation and illuminated pockets indicating where the tables are located. A body of shimmering infinity-style water offers breathtaking views of Bluewaters Island, Ain Dubai and out towards Palm Jumeriah. There’s also a DJ booth enveloped in water providing a soundtrack of seductive salsa music that injects the terrace with a hypnotic atmosphere. Meaning no disrespect towards the immaculate interiors, we couldn’t imagine dining anywhere else other than the picture-perfect terrace.

The menu takes the homely touch of Lebanese cuisine while imbuing an exotic twist to proceedings thanks to the Brazilian element. We begin with the fully loaded hummus, which provides a typical combination of lamb and pine nuts to the smooth chickpeas, providing a nice textural element. The grilled halloumi skewers delight with their seasoning of cumin powder and cinnamon that work in perfect conjunction with the cool cubes of accompanying watermelon. The eggplant caviar is another pleasing version of a Lebanese classic, presenting a charred and smoky flavoured aubergine adorned with bejewelled pomegranate seeds.

It’s with the Brazilian dishes that Li Brasil hits its stride. This particular South American cuisine is not the easiest to come by in Dubai, and we’re delighted by the arrival of warm empanadas to the table. Stuffed full of ground beef, shredded Cheddar cheese and coriander, the flaky pastry is comforting and sits easily alongside falafel, cheese cigars and fatayer on the menu. The Camarao Ao VInaigrette, a light and refreshing Brazilian shrimp cocktail was another hit at our table.

Main courses primarily revolve around the grilled meets for which both the Brazilian and Lebanese cuisines are renowned. There’s also a good vegan section, but we found ourselves swayed towards the Feijoada, a robust Brazilian-style black bean beef stew full of roots vegetables that made for a hearty choice on a chilly winter night. The Li Brasil Signature of skewered meat and seafood represents a beautifully presented dish in which diners can indulge in the best of both cuisines. Hamour, prawn, minced chicken, minced lamb, prime sirloin, mushrooms and artichoke are artfully woven onto thin wooden skewers and served with a moreish pineapple cream alongside Li Brasil’s signature Brazilian chilli fries. Trust us when we say, you’re likely to re-order these multiple times.

A concise dessert menu offers just four choices, of which we try two. The açaí cheesecake is silky smooth with a light but pronounced flavour profile. However, the baklava ice cream with its layers of filo pastry, orange blossom honey and 23k gold flake adornment is the dish we will likely remember most following our dinner at Li Brasil.

Before visiting, we were perturbed by the restaurants particular blending of cuisines. Still, having dined at Li Brasil, we can fully appreciate how Brazil and Lebanon’s food not only complement one another but are in fact, similar in so many ways. With a stunning lounge area, appealing terrace and vibrant atmosphere, Li Brasil throws down the gauntlet when it comes to destination dining at Address Beach Resort. In the coming months, we can also expect the Address’ signature homely concept, The Restaurant, alongside an international menu at The Beach Grill, and Californian Asian cuisine from ZETA Seventy Seven. Consider us very excited…

GO: Email dineatbeachresort@addresshotels.com or call (0)4 879 8866 for reservations and more information.