Review: Cipriani Dolci Marina Mall
Stepping into Venice, in the mall…
Arriving at Cipriani Dolci Marina Mall, felt like you were transported to Venice and had stepped into a luxurious yacht with exceptional service. From the get-go, the home-made focaccia dipped in their own olive oil and balsamic vinegar is a perfect way to start the experience.
Drinks absolutely bursting with flavour. We ordered the strawberry fields, it was super delicious. The waitress recommended the Giorgio as her favourite drink and we can confirm she has good taste — refreshing and beautifully presented.
Starting off strong
Appetisers included steak tartare and the popular “Downtown” salad. The Downtown salad was an interesting mix of shrimps, green beans and olives. The flavours all complimented each other surprisingly nicely.
When ordering the steak tartare, the waitress very kindly reminded us that the steak tartare was raw meat, and took a dad joke very well after being asked for it well done. The steak tartare could have had a bit more flavour but that may be down to personal preference.
For the entrées, we ordered a variety of items. The pasta of choice for the day was the homemade spinach and ricotta ravioli with butter and sage. The portion could have been slightly bigger, but for what it lacked in size it more than made up for in taste. The baby seabass with broccoli was cooked to perfection. We also ordered the aubergine “alla parmigiana” the overall taste was good. However, the aubergine slices were slightly thicker than preferred and it lacked the molten bubbly cheese you would perhaps expect from the dish.
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Saving the best for last
For the actual main event, Cipriani Dolci’s famous desserts. Of course we had to have their famous vanilla meringue, whipped to order pistachio ice cream and the panna cotta. The desserts were a complete showstopper.
The meringue was light and fluffy. The pistachio ice cream served with caramelised pistachios and maraschino cherries was quite possibly some of the best ice cream ever. It tasted like it was whipped with love.
The passionfruit and mango panna cotta had a tart flavour which broke the sweetness of the desserts perfectly.
Verdict: By the end of the meal, we needed a forklift to get us to the car. But it was overall a brilliant lunch, incredible service paired with delicious food is always a pleasure to experience.
Cipriani Dolci, Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi, open Mon to Thurs 10am to 10.30pm and Fri to Sun 10am to 12am, Tel: (0)50 903 9722, @ciprianidolci