Vivaldi, Sheraton Dubai Hotel

There are days when you want to go into a restaurant and just relax. Days when you wish the staff would know exactly what's running in your mind and serve you the right food to relax both the body and mind.

There are also times when you need to take the help of the staff in a restaurant to place an order, when you have to catch the eye of a stewardess running busily all over the place to find out what a particular dish is about, or try to read the menu card in the dim 'romantic' light of the outlet.

My visit to Vivaldi at the Sheraton Dubai Hotel was a combination of both the situations mentioned above. I had a long day and just wanted to sit in peace and savour some good food. And I hoped the staff would be able to judge my mood and make the right recommendations for my partner and me.
Vivaldi has an idyllic setting. Once inside the restaurant you can be lulled into taking your mind off all that happened that day and admire the setting and the food. The outlet overlooks the creek, with the evening sky and the dhows giving it a special flavour.

As is customary in most outlets today, the 'romantic' lights meant that I would spend more time studying the menu to decide on what I would eat.
"Are you ready with the order, sir?" I was asked a few moments after being handed over the menu.
"No, I'm not," I replied, looking around for help.

It came in the form of the assistant restaurant manager who took it upon himself to explain the finer points of the dishes to me.
For starters, we had a typical dish served with roquette and parmesan cheese, and stuffed calamari with tomatoes, capers and olives.
For salads, I passed over chicken, seafood and vegetables for some air-dried beef with buffalo mozzarella cheese and tomato. My partner settled for the chef's favourite lobster soup.

The starters were more than just good, charging the taste buds and teasing them to try out the main course.
Just before that, we tried out the spaghetti Dolce Vita (spaghetti with marinated tomato sauce, garlic, basil and extra virgin olive oil). The quantity was sizeable and there was no way I could finish it. Unfortunately, I think the stewards thought I did not like it, though this was not the case.

For the main course I tried the grilled lobster served on a bed of seasonal vegetables tossed with balsamic dressing. My partner settled for the grilled spicy king prawns served with penne Arrabbiata.

Also available were roasted lamb, scallops of beef fillet with roquette and parmesan cheese tossed in Balsamico, roasted duck breast with orange sauce, hammour steak in lemon cream and a selection of shellfish sauteed with garlic and fresh pepper.

Both the lobster and the king prawns were dressed up well, enticing us to go in for the kill. We were not disappointed with the taste either.
We wound up the evening with Tiramisu, the traditional Italian dessert, and over-baked pear with vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce. The Tiramisu was especially good, once again a huge portion.

Vivaldi has strong points on which it is bound to build a core clientele – beautiful setting, good food and an ambience that will make you want to visit the place more often.

"Are you celebrating a special occasion, sir?" I was asked while leaving.
"No. Let's not reserve this place just for occasions," I replied, as I set my eyes on the long drive back home.