Review: Isabella Cucina Italiana, Vida Emirates Hills
“Isabella knows very well who she is…”
Italian food famously prizes simplicity over fussiness. It’s a culinary vein that has organically chosen to focus on the primacy of individual ingredients, to respect and honour regional traditions, and represents the edible embodiment of the phrase, quality over quantity.
That’s pretty much the ethos that drives everything at Isabella Cucina Italiana, a new basilica of European cuisine at Vida Emirates Hills. It comes from the same team and let-the-produce-do-the-talking philosophy as steakhouse, Hunter and Barrel.
The look
Pizza diavola – Isabella Cucina Italiana
Nestled in the upscale Emirates Hills neighbourhood of Dubai, Isabella Cucina Italiana is a restaurant that encapsulates the spirit of Italy.
Isabella Cucina Italiana, an authentic Italian restaurant launched in Vida Emirates Hills
Gnocchi di patate ai gamberi – Isabella Cucina Italiana
That’s not to say either venue has suffered any lack of imagination in the curation of their interior aesthetics. Isabella knows very well who she is, proudly flaunting low-lit earthy tones, a functioning glass-fronted pasta-drying cucina, a grand brasserie-style bar, horseshoe dining booths, dainty frilled lamp shades and soft-edged art deco influences. She has a bellezza natural (natural beauty), and palpable down-to-earth charm.
The menu
Currently, the entire menu fits on a double-sided card, and I hope it stays that way. There are none of the Japanese sharing distractions some other ‘authentic’ European restaurants feel compelled to offer. You will find a crudi collection though, from which the tartare di tonno rosso (Dhs95) is worth inspecting – served with an aromatic burst of eggplant caviar, and a umami-tempering anchovy-based colatura sauce.
Dubai’s pizza portfolio already has a pretty dense base. There are plenty of examples of the classic Neapolitan, the New York slice, the Roman-style squares, the American chain pies, Detroit bakes and crispy thin-crust pinsa. Isabella has chosen a different take on the bake, their 48-hour proofed pizza tonda – which come fresh out of the statement wood-fired oven – lie somewhere between a Neopolitan and a round Roman affair. I ordered the spicy salami-topped diavola (Dhs95), it’s blistered in the right places, has a satisfying bite to it, and the rustic breadiness satisfyingly cradles the deep, steeped tomato above it. Call me a stickler for tradition but when it comes to pizza, my first love is Napoli, and whilst Isabella proposes an attractive alternative, that’s one cheat day I’m not prepared to sign off on.
The fritto misto (Dhs65) is a playful version of the Italian staple. The plating style here makes it more amenable to sharing than the old-school tower formation, and the chili jam and citrus mayonnaise is a casual and cunningly conceived accompaniment. From the pasta, I can confidently back the ravioli ricotta e spinaci (Dhs85). It’s a sublime mouthful, fully evocative of balmy afternoon Sicilian piazza dining. A secondi recommendation, the osso bucco – a bargain at Dhs135 – is exactly the sort of reason you should stray from the pasta e risotto section of any good Italian restaurant. A tender veal shank, clad in velveteen stock, abruptly jackknifed by a zesty gremolata.
I’m sure the tiramisu is lovely (I didn’t try it, sue me) but I was deeply impressed by the crostata di mele (apple tart, Dhs50). It’s a rugged, fruity, tarte tatin proxy with renaissance-level elegance of pastry.
I’d heard rumours there’s an as-yet-unopened Negroni bar on the upper level, so before leaving I engineer a brief tour. It’s a dramatic departure from the restaurant floor, in a gorgeously rendered way. But that’s a story for another day.
Vida Emirates Hills, Emirates Hills, daily 11.30am to 1am. Tel: (0)4 323 7347. isabellas.ae
