The awkward moment when you show up at the wrong branch for a tasting invite..
Our tasting invite was at the Citywalk, Jumeirah and we ended up at The Beach, JBR due to some miscommunication. Despite of no Head chef present, the staff at JBR branch did a commendable job and gave us one of the best services and food. Sapori Di Bice is a Multi-Award winning Italian Restaurant and my experience says they truly deserve it. To our surprise, the chef quickly whipped up some of his best recipes on the menu, making this our most memorable experience to date.
The Interior
The Restaurant interior was done very well. Mostly in white with a lot of Shelves and white lights running through the ceiling. A few long tables had Trees popping out of them which looked very interesting and unique . In house bakery and Dessert counters looked great.
The Starters
All the dishes on the menu are written in Italian with description below so it was great learning experience as well.
Cestino del Pane Biologica – Homemade Organic bread Basket with variety of bread actually took me back to my visit in Milan, Italy.
Arancini – Italian rice balls served with Spicy tomato sauce. All the three were different flavors. I personally loved the one with saffron and green peas. The sauce enhanced the flavors of the Arancini.
Burrata e Bresaola – Creamy Burrata Cheese served with Bresaola (Air dried beef), Cherry tomatoes, mix salad and balsamic dressing. It tastes even better than it looks. This is one of the best Italian starters I’ve ever had. As it is, you can never go wrong with Burrata but this particular starter just stole my heart and raised the bar really high for me.
For Mocktails we ordered the Fruit Sangria which was Fresh Orange juice and Cranberry. It was very refreshing. The other drink was Passion Fruit Virgin Mojito which was tangy. The problem with this drink was the mint leaves kept getting stuck in the straw, making it very tough to drink with a straw.
Salad
Insalata Di Lenticchie e Mela – Organic Lentil Salad with green apple, red onions and cherry tomatoes with Lemon Dressing . I’ve had lentil salads before but this particular salad was very tasty.
The other one was Cavolo Riccio – Kale Salad with Organic Quinoa, Citrus and toasted Almonds. Its also recognized as the best Kale Salad served in Dubai and it even helped the restaurant win an award. The combination of Quinoa with the greens and the pomegranate and the crunchy almond flakes was a bomb. We finished the plate within seconds.
Pastas and Pizza
Gnocci biologici di Patate – This is my new favorite Italian dish! It was mashed potato mixed with flour with tomato and cream based sauce. Its pronounced as NEE YO KEE. The burst of flavors in your mouth once you bite on the gnocci is magical and beyond explanation. The gnocci itself is soft and melts in your mouth.
Pizza Diavola – Pizza topped with Tomato Sauce, Fresh Mozzarella and Spicy beef Salami. One bite in and you can taste the high quality Salami and the mozzarella melt in your mouth. One of the best Gourmet pizzas I ever had.
Ravioli “Massaia” – Home made Ravioli stuffed with Veal, Beef and Spinach in wild Mushroom cream sauce. The sauce was rich and velvety. The herbs in the sauce enhanced the flavor of the ravioli. I just wish there was just cheese and spinach stuffed in ravioli instead of veal as I’m not a big fan of veal especially in ravioli.
The Main course
Just when I thought we were done with the food and my belly was full, we were served the ‘main’ course! Fish, Chicken and STEAK. What? I thought we were done with the main course but the chef and the manager were at their hospitable best.
Filetto di Branzino all’ Acqua Pazza – Pan seared Sea bass fillet. To be honest I’ve never ordered fish at an Italian restaurant because like majority of people, I stick to my comfort zone and order the tried and tested pizzas and pastas. But after tasting this fish, I knew what I was missing. The taste of the crispy skin along with the fish itself is so palatable. They even serve the in house sauces with the fish which compliments the fish very well. Even the oven roasted potatoes taste so delicious when you eat them with the sauces.
This was the perfect steak I tasted in a long time. I explained the manager how I would like it to be well done and tender at the same time. He suggested the steak should be ‘butterfly’ cut. Served with Rosemary roasted potatoes, this steak makes it to my favorite dishes. It was so juicy and well marinated. I loved the tenderness of the stake.
Pollo allo Spiedo – Half wood roasted Crispy chicken is the signature dish of Sapori Di Bice. I’ve had Rotisserie Chicken from many Lebanese Restaurants but the Italian style Rotisserie Chicken was an utter delight for my taste-buds. The flavor of Italian herbs in the marination enhanced the taste. It was juicy and flavorful and the crispy skin tasted so good. A must try. The size of the chicken is huge. I couldn’t even finish a whole leg.
Desserts
Tre Cioccolati – It had three layers of chocolate. Dark, milk, white chocolate mousse. I’ve never tasted a chocolate mousse cake as rich and sinful as this.
Torta Croccante Di Mele – Apple Crumble. This dessert would also make it to my TOP Favorites! Soft crust with roasted apples and cinnamon inside.
Caprese Al Limone – Lemon spongy Cake and white chocolate with Sorbet. Paired with Lemon sorbet. It was good.
Assorted Gelato – AWARD WINNING!
I have been searching everywhere for Coconut Gelato or Icecream and here it was served as a surprise and I loved it. The berry sorbet and the Mango were also outstanding.
Sapori Di Bice has won way too many awards for me to mention. Its definitely the high standards they maintain. I would like to thank the Branch manager Mr. Roosevelt and The Sous chef for preparing all the wonderful dishes and giving the best service possible. I would highly recommend Sapori Di Bice to anyone looking for Authentic Italian Cuisine or a casual dining.
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