Friday brunches in Dubai fall into two categories: There’s that all-out meal where you let all inhibitions go and wind up dancing on top of tables; and then there’s the other where you drink in panoramic views and eat some fabulous food among company that you love. The brunch at the Italian restaurant Alta Badia, perched on the 50th floor of Emirates Towers, is at work to make the latter happen.
It’s definitely the restaurant with the view. The chic white and black minimalist decor with door-to-ceiling glass facade (stylishly updated from its previous venue Vu’s Bar) accentuates the blue water and sky scrapers that you look out at.
No sooner had we been seated when an attentive waiter brought us a bowl of wafer-thin potato crisps and a roasted bell pepper consomme, which doubled as a cleanser.
We began with a selection of antipasti: a platter that underlined the importance of keeping things simple and letting the fresh produce do the talking. Served in batches, the antipasti platter had a good mix of sea food, cheese and veal. We began with bruschetta topped with mushrooms and goat cheese served on a rustic wooden board, aracini di riso (fried saffron rice balls with tomato dip) and mozzarella in carrozza (a crispy mozzarella sandwich). It was comfort food at its best. But be careful not to stock up on these fried-but-never-greasy wonders. What came next was an ode to fresh seafood. Laid out on a white rectangular plate was marinated yellowfin tuna with fennel and citrus. It was a pretty dish that tasted good too with its explosion of flavours.
The vitello tonnato (chilled roasted veal with tuna sauce), a classic Italian starter that married two unlikely ingredients, was a knock-out dish too. The cold slices of meat bathed in rich creamy sauce were perfect for a balmy afternoon. But the unanimous vote (there were four of us) went for zuppa di piselli. On a soup plate there were sundried tomato tortellini, and a dollop of ricotta cheese and in grand fashion the green pea soup was poured over it. It was poetry in motion. The flavours weren’t overwhelming and the ring shaped pasta had the right bite to it and didn’t fall casualty to being chewy.
If soups don’t make you warm in the cockles, there’s burrata ravioli (pasta stuffed with fresh mozzarella curd) with lemon thyme, and potato gnocchi with braised beef ribs. It was also heartening to see the restaurant’s chef Claudio Melis add a personal touch to the afternoon by mingling with the guests (in that sexy Italian accent of course) and talking up the flavours of Italy that he had transported to Dubai. Such diversions were welcome because it’s important to pace your meal.
Fortunately, the main course portions weren’t too huge. While there’s a robust variety to choose from, we went for the gamborini (grilled prawns with orange dip) and asparagi (grilled asparagus, poached eggs in butter sauce). The jumbo prawns was the hero dish, while the butter sauce slathered on eggs that were poached to perfection was an instant hit at the table.
Once you have tucked that in, it’s a good time to give yourself a break and enjoy the view from the top because there’s the dessert platter to be enjoyed. Served on a giant round plate, the sweet goodies evoke the glory of communal eating and has a lush pick of popular Italian desserts ranging from pies to gelato. The ricotta pie and cioccolato (hot chocolate and caramel cake) weren’t overly sweet and were our collective deal clinchers. We didn’t dance on the tables but that caramel cake made us do a mental jig.
