ينيعب ةفايضلا

THE AVANT-GARDE REVOLUTION:

When it comes to haute-couture hotels you can usually expect haute cuisine, yet this is not the case with Bulgari’s five food and beverage offerings. Our destination for this visit is the Bvlgari Resort Dubai Yacht Club, a nautical themed restaurant strictly focusing on Mediterranean cuisine with a heavy Italian influence, paying homage to the luxury brand’s heritage. David Tapley explores...

The UAE has no shortage of fashion-branded hotels, with the likes of Armani and Palazzo Versace dominating the hospitality scene. Attempting to insatiate the region’s appetite for all things luxury comes the arrival of the Bvlgari Resort Dubai, taking things up a notch having been built on its own private offshore island shaped like a seahorse.

The Yacht Club stands somewhat apart from the hotel building, separated by the Bvlgari Residences and a sweeping marina home to a number of super-yachts – it’s the epitome of OTT. Stepping across the Bvlgari branded carpets and into the restaurant space, the similarities to Cipriani (another popular fine-dining Italian spot) are unmistakable. Interiors are panelled in wood in a similar fashion to the deck of a ship, with the metaphorical bow replaced by a well-stocked bar. Vintage photographs and staff dressed in a hybrid of white tuxedos and sailor uniforms complement the maritime theme.

As pleasing as the interiors are on the eye, we can’t resist the charms of the outdoor deck, overlooking the water, the vesselshaped hotel and punctuated by the glimmering spire of the Burj Khalifa on the horizon. Atmospherics aside, the food during the course of our lunch was consistently strong. With little room for re-invention, the Yacht Club menu represents a selection of Italian classics done remarkably well, under the guidance of charismatic Chef De Cuisine, Andrea Calducci.

The Yacht Club’s take on an old fashioned utilised Campari rather than whisky makes a strong first impression, served in a sliver cup and adorned with the Bvlgari logo burnt into a slice of orange peel (it’s the small details that count). We order the Burrata Pugliese, served with crushed tomato, basil and Taggiasca olives to complement the generous portion of creamy Italian cheese. Similarly, the Tartare Di Tonno Pinna Gialla presents a beautifully plated tuna tartare with quails egg and pink grapefruit that delivered on taste and left us wanting to take the Bvlgari crockery home (spoiler alert — we didn’t).

It was actually a dish that was recommended for us that came up trumps. The Fritto Misto Di Mare arrived upon the insistence of our waiter and we thoroughly enjoyed the lightly battered mix of squid, shrimp and vegetables – an indicator of how this dish should be executed. Definitely the most impressive fritto misto we’ve had in a while and the same can be said for the tartare.

We’re offered tasting portions of two pasta dishes, of which the al dente Linguine Al Limone is our preferred choice. A lemon linguine with clams and Sardinian bottarga (salted fish roe) provides a beautiful taste of the sea perfectly matched by our surroundings. The unique Maltagliati Al Ragu plates olives, red mullet ragout and maltagliati paste but fails to leave as much of an impression as the linguine.

Instinct draws us towards the seared octopus for our main course, but once again we’re swayed by our waiter’s insistence on the Salt Crusted Catch Of The Day. The salted crust is efficiently removed at the table and works as a means of keeping the flavour locked in and adding an intensity during the cooking process. The fish is expertly filleted and presented with a simple lemon butter sauce, potatoes, tomatoes and broccoli. Much like the aforementioned fritto misto, the fish capsizes our expectations into something we would certainly order again.

Five desserts are offered and despite the Italian influence there is not a tiramisu in sight - thankfully. Instead, we enjoy the Baba Classico, a yeast cake saturated in Limoncello syrup, marmalade and served with Chantilly cream. The baba is denser than we would’ve liked and we struggle to finish the portion. However, the Carpaccio Di Ananas has the table talking and marks a lighter way to end the meal. Pineapple carpaccio marinated with vanilla and basil and served with lemon sorbet.

Dining at Bvlgari, we weren’t entirely sure what to expect but we found the pricing to be sensible (considering the brand) and the service to be in the upper echelon of Dubai hospitality. Matching these factors with impressive food, of which many ingredients are locally sourced, and the Yacht Club makes for a pleasant treat when you want one.