Thank you for the music?
James Fryer goes searching for an authentic Italian experience at Grazie, the Sea View Hotel’s most recent opening.
Puzzled faces and a shrug of the shoulders were common reactions when I asked friends if they had heard of Grazie, the new Italian restaurant at the Sea View Hotel. With five-star establishments popping up quicker than you can say buen giorno, it’s little surprise that the city’s residents aren’t as familiar with Dubai’s four-star gastronomic offerings.
Phoning ahead to book however, my reservations were eased as soon as I heard the cheeky Italian greeting on the other end of the line: “We looka forward to seeing you, ciao,” came the enthusiastic reply and my mouth was instantly watering at the thought of some hearty Italian home-cooking.
On arrival, the sparse scattering of pictures, mostly featuring Mediterranean vistas appeared to be the only concession to Grazie’s supposed mother country. ‘Theme joint’ couldn’t have been further from the truth. No sooner had our attentive, yet non-Italian waiter begun revealing the specials of the day when “Mamma Mia, here I go again…” blurted from the sound system. My companion and I looked at each other in disbelief, but our waiter was unruffled by the somewhat incongruous Abba remix tape that had found its way to the restaurant stereo.
The music could almost be forgiven when a dish piled high with mussels in a rich salsa sauce was placed in front of me – delicious morsels of meaty shellfish (Dhs 33). Across the table, generous cuts of smoked salmon with capers (Dhs 38) also provided a welcome distraction, but proved less to shout – over the music – about. We were glad our waiter had insisted we also try one of the bruschetta dishes on offer – redolent with fresh garlic, finely chopped tomatoes and basil tumbling over the sides.
The techno tirade faded out and conversation returned to normal levels – at least for a short while. How did we miss the Eastern European singing sensation take to the stage? There was no missing the wince-inducing tones as they belted out across the room however. While the keyboard player flexed skills, her companion did a bored, repetitive side-to-side dance and sang down a microphone with the volume turned up far too high. Our waiter asked if we liked the live entertainment. I smiled and asked how often they played. I already knew the answer – every night for a good five hours.
A well-presented, moist and succulent chicken breast arrived opposite me, covered in a creamy, albeit subtle, mushroom sauce (Dhs 39). I opted for what proved to be perfectly cooked ravioli, stuffed with a tender beef filling and smothered in a ‘special pink sauce’. Curious to find out how the sauce gained its ‘special’ credentials I asked our waiter who raised an eyebrow conspiratorially. Probed on the restaurant’s usual clientele, I doubted his claim that Italians made up at least “half of Grazie’s European diners”.
The music had stopped, the duo were chain-smoking on the table next to their instruments of torture and the mix tape was back – this time it was Wham. Thankfully, Pavarotti-pleasing portions of desserts arrived to dull the pain. The chocolate mousse (Dhs 25) was rich and a little heavy, yet pleasing, while my soggy white-chocolate filled puff-pastry balls (Dhs 25) disappointed.
Grazie lacks a defining character and if hotel stars are anything to go by, four-stars might be right for this Arab-Italian-Eastern European melting pot. The staff were friendly, efficient and extremely enthusiastic (even if the ‘ciao man’ didn’t turn up) and the food was good, but our evening was about as Italian as Abba’s Mamma Mia, which we were subjected to at least three times.
The restaurant’s advert claiming ‘soft live entertainment completing the perfect Italian experience’ is wide of the mark, and expressing a genuine ‘grazie’ is likely to be reserved for wholeheartedly more authentic Italian venues across Dubai.
Grazie Ristorante Italiano, Sea View Hotel, Dubai. Tel: (04) 3557411.