Review: Al Fresco

Crowne Plaza Dubai's Italian restaurantis running a 'Best of Italy' offering. Simple flavours that all add up to a bellissima evening out

by

Sushmita Bose

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Published: Fri 21 Oct 2016, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Fri 21 Oct 2016, 2:00 AM

Vir Sanghvi, one of India's most recognised food writers and who used to write a column in wknd. till recently, had made an observation about Italian food I'll never forget. With the benefit of hindsight, I realise it was staring me in the face all along. someone just had to articulate it. Italian food, he said, is rustic. My own interpretation of that? It's rusticity in the nicest possible way: farm-fresh (since the origin of this cuisine has always been home-style), very little seasoning (read - or eat: real, natural flavours) and not much cooking fire (the actual "cooking" part is minimal - which translates into retention of nutrition and absolutely no forced flourishes).
This view was further reinforced by a friend's husband, an Italian, who loves to romp around in the kitchen, rustling up incredible food. "The best stuff he makes is ready in a jiffy: it's all about throwing something into the pan and then tossing it around," my friend says.
So yes, Italian food always works best when there's minimal fuss - because that's what its essence is all about. unlike, say, Indian food, where one may need to cook for hours and hours to let various strands coalesce (resultantly, it's very rare to come across any particular stand-out strand).
Al Fresco at the Crowne Plaza on Sheikh Zayed Road has been around for a while; but of late, the restaurant - a self-styled trattoria - has been upping the game by introducing a region-based dining experience every three months (yes, yes, we all know there's more to Italian fare than pizzas and pastas, and that the tastes in Italy - so what if it's a tiny country? - varies from quartiere to quartiere). Luckily, I was at Al Fresco at a time when the Best of Italian Food is being showcased (the promotion, that started beginning of this month, is on till the end of the year, so you have time aplenty to plan a woodfire session).
Al Fresco is not really al fresco; how can that be given Dubai's perennially warm weather? But it doesn't do a bad job of enabling natural light to flow in from all sides (see picture and you'll get the picture). There's an accompanying al fresco area - complete with garden-type seating - for smokers who want to hop out for a puff or for those intrepid souls who want to brave the heat and eat Italian. Since the evenings in Dubai are now pleasant enough, we decided to lounge al fresco. It was perhaps an apt, no-fuss setting given Al Fresco is a trattoria in spirit.
Now, the food. We opted for the 'additional menu' in vogue; the regular à la carte menu is also around for the taking in case you want to stick to the old faithfuls. It's a short menu but manages to factor in the broader foodie landscape.
The standout dish was the Grilled Sea Bass with Fennel and Beetroot: light, succulent, fresh, you could taste the goodness of the fish. and no, it wasn't fishy. I was bowled over by the bread platter that thoughtfully had biscotti breadsticks as well (I love freshly-baked bread!). The bonus was the roasted garlic that came as a side. Delish.
The bruschetta. We normally associate it with the tomato salsa edition. But this was carbonara-style: toasted rustic bread topped with topinambour (Jerusalem artichoke), mushrooms and quail egg. I've never had this before - not even on any trip to Italy (maybe I was in the wrong region) - so it was interesting, in a very, very good way. Also tried out the Porcini, Taleggio and Fresh Herbs Pizza (pizza tarts, actually). I definitely sensed truffle. Thin crust, melt in the mouth. Awesome.
And then, I loved the Chestnuts Pappardelle with Truffle Sauce and Mushrooms: the flat pasta mops up the taste of truffle and mushrooms beautifully. Another winner. The desserts were the perfect exit notes: Tavola di Formaggi - assorted cheese platter, that came interspersed with walnuts, cherry tomatoes, Sardinian flatbread and (wait for this) a jar of honey - and Torta Della Nonna (aka, grandmother's tart - can it get any more home-style?) with vanilla sauce and pine nuts.
So, what didn't I like? The Red Mullet. Its accompaniments - saffron risotto and fava beans - were shining stars, but
the fish was a bit too dry for my liking. Since I was alternating it with the wonderfully juicy sea bass, the dryness was probably overstated.
Having said that, the Al Fresco al fresco meal was one of the best Italian outings I've had in a long time. Definitely very la dolce vita, harking back to the time when life was simple, no-frills, close to home.
sushmita@khaleejtimes.com

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