Five-star pizza... and more

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Five-star pizza... and more

Ronda Locatelli at Atlantis The Palm is well worth the buzz, serving up an unforgettable evening of food and big-hearted Italian hospitality

by

Karen Ann Monsy

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Published: Fri 12 Apr 2019, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Fri 12 Apr 2019, 2:00 AM

Perhaps you can't judge a book by its cover - but you can certainly judge a restaurant by the queue of diners waiting to be seated. It was just 7.30pm on a Thursday evening, but Italian joint Ronda Locatelli at Atlantis The Palm was completely booked out. My partner and I watched as hopeful diners were politely requested, one by one, to take a seat by the entrance till tables freed up.
The first word that came to mind as we were ushered in was: cavernous. With its dome-like side seating areas, the place looked massive. We didn't have too much time to reflect on its size though, as we were almost immediately 'accosted' by the most engaging server we've ever had the pleasure to meet to date - and we've been to more restaurants than we care to count. Maurizio is from Italy and espoused such a great combination of humour and hospitality, he left my partner and I doused in a warmth that had nothing to do with the fiery orange and yellow hues of the restaurant interiors.
When we first looked up reviews for Ronda Locatelli, we couldn't believe how many people were visiting a five-star property for... pizza! And yet, there was the big woodfire oven in the centre of the restaurant, dishing out close to two dozen varieties without a break. As 'pizzaheads', we were determined not to leave without trying one, but the rest of the menu proved too stellar. Our starters of Arancini (fried rice meatballs, stuffed with braised beef and cheese) and Fritto Misto (fried calamari, prawns, courgettes) set the tone for an incredible evening of food - and never slowed down a beat. More below.
Taste: You cannot leave without their 48-hour slow-cooked short ribs (my partner ate his 'I never give full marks' slogan along with his incredibly tender meat). I was most happy with my gnocchi pasta, and a final trio of desserts - tiramisu, cannoli, cheesecake - sealed our food coma fates.
Ambience: The feel of the restaurant is classy through and through - definitely the kind of place you'd head to for an occasion. We wished our tables weren't so close in proximity to our fellow diners, but apart from that, there's far more to delight in than niggle about.
Service: Look up Maurizio! We'd go back just to be served by him again. We also enjoyed talking to Anura, another member of staff, who kept checking in to ensure we had all we needed. Dishes took a while to reach our table, but we presume that's just the Italian way of dining out: leisurely.
Presentation: No fancy presentation gimmickery here - but then, we'd assume this isn't the place for such tricks either. All the dishes are presented well enough. All of them look fit to be snapped first, then devoured. What more could we ask for?
Value for money: Ronda's prices are definitely on the steeper side. In typical high-end restaurant fashion, they don't even have the prices on the menu. But we genuinely felt the food, service and ambience all lent themselves to justifying the hefty bill - and a generous tip to boot.
AT A GLANCE
Ronda Locatelli, Atlantis The Palm, Dubai
Reservations: 04-4262626
Cost for two: Dh700
Rating: 4.5/5
karen@khaleejtimes.com


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