Armani Caffé
New opening
A swarm of impossibly good-looking staff dressed in crisp white shirts and well-cut black trousers strutted around confidently topping up glasses of San Pellegrino. Discernibly laid back, designer-clad shoppers sat on bar stools next to their boutique buys – chatting loudly on mobile phones and sipping on Illy espressos and skinny lattes – around a central bar while a neon strip light smoothly changed colour. Diners devoured dishes which could pass for miniature works of art. These were served on square glass plates to match the symmetrical tables which were lined up under the shadow of black and white portraits of stunningly beautiful models wearing exquisite clothing. Looks are everything here – which is hardly surprising since the café bears the Armani name.
The beef and tuna carpaccio starter featured tender strips of perfectly succulent meat complemented by thin slivers of black truffle and given a satisfying crunch by fresh earthy rocket and crunchy artichoke hearts. The generous mound of mussels on the other side of the compact table for two were too subtle for our liking – more marinara sauce to soak into the accompanying garlic bread would have been nice.
While we sipped on deliciously fruit packed smoothies – the healthiest thing on the menu and sure to be popular with the body-conscious Via Rodeo shoppers – we waited with bated, garlicky breath for our mains. The veal medallions were chunky slices of char-grilled, and disappointingly overcooked, meat with rounds of crunchy potatoes, porcini mushrooms, rocket and drizzles of sweet balsamic vinegar. The lobster, which was served Medusa-style with spaghetti exploding out of its head, featured many chunks of rich meat but the tomato sauce could have done with more of a kick. For dessert we enjoyed deliciously rich icecream and a cold melon soup; refreshing if a little plain.
Armani Caffé is only a week old and we noted some teething problems. One of the aforementioned handsome waiters insisted on reaching his arm across our faces to fill our drinks, the till momentarily broke down while we were waiting for the bill, and the tables are lined up far too closely together, meaning my broadshouldered dining partner was barged more than a few times by passing customers. But these are pretty excusable mishaps that will mend themselves with practice. With nouveau presentation of hearty Italian cuisine using superior ingedients, and all at surprisingly reasonable prices, mall fare doesn’t come much better than this.
Armani Caffé (04 341 0591). Taxi: Mall of the Emirates. Open 10am-11.30pm Sat-Thu; 2pm-12 midnight Fri. All major credit cards accepted.
The bill (for two)
Beef and tuna carpaccio Dhs45
Mussels Dhs36
Veal medallions Dhs90
Lobster Dhs90
Melon soup Dhs25
Ice cream Dhs23
2x Latino smoothies Dhs48
Total (excluding service) Dhs357