At.mosphere: Dining on Top of the World

Killing two birds with one stone gives me a certain sense of jubilee and excitement. We were pressed on time in Dubai, so we combined our breakfast the first morning with a view. And by a view, I mean the highest view of any restaurant in the world. Plus, the food made heaven seem even closer than it already was.  

Getting there:

Lobby of the restaurant, where someone will greet you and guide you to the elevator.

You have to go first to the Armani Hotel, where someone will greet you and tell you to go down an elevator one floor, where you then hop on another elevator and go all the way up to the 123 floor, non-stop. It's pretty simple, but on your way out be sure to stop at the same level you came in on, NOT the lobby level, unless you want to join hundreds upon hundreds of tourists.

Food

Classy presentations for the "appetizer" of the breakfast. 

Fantastic. Truly fantastic. It's a gastronomic-type experience, but there was definitely a sufficient amount of food. I selected a meal that came with and assortment of meats and cheeses, along with some fantastic yogurt and fruit. That was followed by a plate of isolated breakfast items which included: a tomato, a mushroom, a fried mashed potato (just a big french fry), some more veggies, and a poached egg. It also came with some bacon and sausage as well as standard toast. All in all, the food was superb, and presented in a very simple, clean, and organized way. I don't know if I would describe the food as incredibly flavorful, but then again it was breakfast, and it was simple the way a good, hearty breakfast should be.

Simple ingredients and simple presentation makes for a fantastic culinary experience in my opinion, especially for breakfast.

Service

These guys were all totally on their game. Waiters were always available, the hostesses from the bottom of the building to the top were great and they made the meal feel that much more special. You really do feel as though you are in some sort of special event when you go to eat here because there are just so many staff that are smiling and stoked that you are there to join them.

Views

So we chose this restaurant largely because of its great food, but also the fact that we would theoretically get incredible views as well. Unfortunately, it was mostly hazy during the morning hours, so I may advice getting lunch here if you value the view a lot, because it did clear up towards the end of our meal. At.mosphere is laid out in two parts. There is the dining room and the lounge/bar area. In  my opinion, the lounge/bar area had a better view out over the skyscrapers of the city and on a clear day the world famous Palm Islands. But really, at 123 stories high, you can't go wrong at all. It's beautifully intimidating and adds a certain thrill to having a meal. PLUS, and this may be the biggest plus of all time, you don't have to wait in any ridiculous lines as you would getting a ticket to the top of the building.

Not quite as incredible as the very top, but definitely breathtaking and much, much, much less crowded.