A contemporary fine-dining venue, Brute is inspired by a fusion of Latin American and European flavours.
Set among an array of new contemporary restaurants at Ramla Terraza in Riyadh, Brute is already popular with locals and visitors despite only opening in February.
Where to expect and where to sit
The contemporary interior is warm with burgundy accents. Although the venue is packed on the night we visit, we enjoyed privacy and quick service thanks to the attentive staff.
Brute can seat up to 170 people, and has an outdoor seating area with chairs, cushioned sofas and heaters for when chilly days set in Riyadh.
The menu
My dining companion and I started with warm Argentine chapa and Colombian pandebono breads, with chimichurri sauce and a delectable hazelnut butter.
We selected the beef and cheese empanadas for appetisers. The crispy crust gave a pleasing texture to the hot and steamy fillings within. Next our waiter recommended Wagyu beef carpaccio; the meat was juicy and perfectly prepared, and the dish had a burst of subtle flavours thanks to the use of fresh capers, wasabi mayo and chives.
The dry-aged provoleta (served with bruschetta on the side) was not as impressive; it was overly limp and stretchy despite being served over a burner. Fortunately, the next course, a goat's cheese salad, was crunchy, fresh and enough for two.
For mains, we had the truffle and mushroom risotto, which was creamy yet without being overpowered by its two strong flavours. It was soul food done right. Staff also recommended the baked salmon, which was served with a light and flavourful guacamole, making it a good order for seafood lovers.
Finally it was time for the dishes Brute is best known for: the best Argentinian cuts of beef from grass-fed black Angus cattle from farms in the Pampas region.
The Churrasco de Lomo — spiral-cut meat marinated for 48 hours in garlic, parsley and olive oil — was seasoned to perfection; and the tender Wagyu tenderloin MB+5 was suitably succulent.
For dessert, we tried a light and scrumptious creme brulee, but the highlight was a dulce de leche cheesecake, which had just the right amount of sweet tones complemented by burnt meringue and tangy passion fruit.
Standout dish
If you eat meat, get the steak. Any steak.
A chat with the chef
Head chef Misha Djamalov, who is from Uzbekistan, describes Brute as a venue that aims to bring “a tantalising fusion of Latin American and European influences with bold flavours, imaginative combinations, and a commitment to open-fire cooking techniques”.
“Brute is for meat connoisseurs seeking the best Argentinian cuts,” Djamalov says.
Djamalov is a fan of open-fire cooking techniques and freestyling with grilled meats. “Cooking over an open flame adds a unique and delicious flavour that cannot be replicated with other cooking methods. It allows chefs to showcase high-quality ingredients, and offer flavour and texture in every dish.”
Other than the ones we tried, some chef-recommended dishes include: braised beef back ribs with S&S sauce, orange segments, sesame seeds and pickled jalapenos; padron pepper and beetroot salad; Peruvian ceviche; salmon with mango salsa; and herb sea bream.
Price point and contact information
Appetisers range from 59 Saudi Arabian riyals (about $16) and go up to SAR130; mains go from SAR120 to SAR1,300 depending on the grade of the meat; drinks are priced from SAR 55 to SAR70; and desserts go from SAR50 to SAR150.
Brute is open daily from 6pm to 1am; and reservations can be made through the Chefz app.
This review was conducted at the invitation of the restaurant
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
Blue%20Beetle
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Angel%20Manuel%20Soto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EXolo%20Mariduena%2C%20Adriana%20Barraza%2C%20Damian%20Alcazar%2C%20Raoul%20Max%20Trujillo%2C%20Susan%20Sarandon%2C%20George%20Lopez%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
