We’re all aware of dynasties in film, fashion and business empires (hello, Ivanka Trump!). But if I search restaurant dynasties, I’m most likely to come up with a listing for your local Chinese takeaway.
Or: Cipriani. This Italian restaurant group is a third-generation company, with namesake outlets around the world, including, finally, Dubai.
Last month, the scion of the Cipriani family, Guiseppe (named for his grandfather, who started the journey with Harry’s Bar in Venice in 1931, where he’s credited with creating the Bloody Mary, Bellini and beef carpaccio) launched the latest venue, in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The a perspective is a delicate balance of family tradition and looking forward.
That means classic Italian dishes (pasta is cooked al dente, they are careful to inform diners on the menu), alongside a selection of Japanese-inflected dishes — deep fried Dover sole with Japanese tartar sauce, or sashimi salmon with both olive and sesame oil.
In the kitchen are Alessandro Dionoro and Domenico Tonin; on the menu are the restaurant’s signature dishes such as carpaccio, baked tagliolini, risotto, and Venetian specialities such as baccala’ mantecato (salted cod mousse) with polenta, and seppioline in tecia (cuttlefish in ink).
A Cipriani experience is “a combination of factors,” says Cipriani. “Good Italian food, attentive but warm service, a decor that is not overwhelming, a relaxed atmosphere, a very eclectic clientele and a little bit of magic.”
The decor is nautical — to the point where the second storey of the split-level restaurant and bar is referred to as “the upper deck”, but it’s taken quite a while for the outlet to find safe harbour in Dubai. Announced in 2010, a building came up on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Boulevard in Downtown, (next to The Palace — a surprising location for a spot that’s as much a bar as a restaurant); the hoardings later vanished. Ask Cipriani and he’s pragmatic, if cagey, about it. “Sometimes you go through a process before you find the right place; as they say, good things are worth waiting for. We are very happy with this exciting DIFC location and our partners, Bulldozer Group. We are looking forward to all the work and fun ahead.”
(Bulldozer’s Evgeny Kuzin, Maxim Vlasov and Alexander Orlov are responsible for many of Dubai’s most well-heeled — i.e. stilleto-packed — venues, from Sass to Novikov to Toko.)
Abu Dhabi’s Cipriani, at the Yas Marina, has played a big part in the capital’s Grand Prix festivities for several years, and its waterside location lends it a “romantic” feel, says Cipriani.
“The soul of Cipriani is always the same because that is what we grew up with and have kept consistent for four generations,” says Cipriani. In Dubai, “the space is multilevel with an intimate bar, an enclosed terrace and will also see a lounge next to it. The area is a vibrant one with all the activities and offers of DIFC, different from the romantic views of the Yas Marina. Both have their beauties and uniqueness.”
That separate lounge area, called Socialista, is a private space at the rear of the restaurant with a laid-back vibe, due to open this month.
The various areas of the outlet — restaurant, bar, lounge, terrace — mean it’s got appeal for different occasions — a business lunch, drinks with friends after work, romantic dinners. “We like to leave people free to use their home as they please,”
Cipriani Dubai is at DIFC’s Gate Village, in building 10. Open daily, noon-2am (kitchen closes at midnight); call 04-3470003.
