DUBAI: Every now and then, I like to treat myself to a culinary upper. To an extravagant evening of high heels and haute cuisine, where fashion meets food and my partner and I can indulge in some of the finest treats money can buy.
And perhaps that's the key to dining at Cavalli Club. Be prepared to pay the price of fine dining. Lavish restaurants may or may not be your thing, but any self-respecting food lover will tell you that you'd rather spend your last dirham on a meal with fresh ingredients than a low-budget reheated meal. And therein lies the difference between dining on truffle shavings at the Cavalli Club, or digging into a go-large burger at your local fast-food joint.
Opting for the former, my partner and I had our hearts set on indulging in the finest of fine ingredients: white truffle.
For starters I had the aromatic Uova Strapazate Con Tartufo Bianco, or, in layman's terms, eggs with white truffle. The truffle-scented hen's eggs were broken and served on Polaine bread with delicate slices of the white Alba truffle. Gingerly adding a piece of the truffle to my eggs, I closed my eyes to devour the taste. In that second, I was transported to a world of gourmand delights: the flavours of the Italian earth mixed with hints of rain-soaked soil did a dance in my mouth. My partner, although dining Italian, stuck to his French roots by ensuring a portion of foie gras on his plate. His starters of pan-roasted foie gras came with puy lentils and a truffle reduction. Considered one of the best lentils due to its slightly peppery taste, the puy lentil from the Le Puy region of France was the perfect pairing with the sinfully rich foie gras.
I was afraid that after starters of this calibre, I may be disappointed by the main. Fortunately our seconds lived up to their predecessors. My grilled Atlantic seabass fillet came with turned potatoes, baby leeks and olives. The broth surrounding my seabass wasn't just any fish broth. No, this fish swam in its own all'acqua pazza, or crazy water.
My partner decided to continue with the truffle. His main course was milk-fed veal escalopes, sautéed in truffle butter and garnished with asparagus and generous shavings of the white Alba truffle. The dish was a delicacy, the sort you really need to experience, not read about.
By the end of our seconds, I knew dessert beckoned. I already knew I was going to order my favourite comfort food: tiramisu. My partner went for one of the most exotic items on the menu: Neapolita Baked Alaska. The dish gets its name from the famous Neapolitan ice-cream, the heart of the dessert, surrounded by a thin layer of cake on the bottom and a thick layer of meringue on the top.
If our pockets were heavy enough, there's no doubt I'd go back for seconds, thirds and even fourths of this glorious meal, for as long as the truffle lasts.
The truffle menu will be available throughout November, or until stocks last.
