I have a friend who considers himself to be a dessert connoisseur. A true Londoner, it's stodgy, heavy puddings (swimming in custard or similar sauces) that get him really excited.
He can't understand my preference for a light sorbet to round off my meal, and while I was smiling I could see him trying to mask his disappointment when we arrived at Sana Bonta to be greeted by a fridge full of gelati and sorbets.
But the proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating; and we had a while to go yet.
Theirs isn't a menu in the traditional sense, but more of a list of ingredients from which diners tailor-make dishes. Said list features a number of unusual options, and for an appetiser, my companion selected deep-fried chicken risotto balls (Dh35) — small brown balls with breaded crusts which open up to reveal a tasting of the steaming, creamy rice dish which could benefit from a more generous helping of chicken.
I had a strawberry and Mascarpone bruschetta (Dh42) — much like the traditional tomato and basil standard, it features finely diced strawberries on toasted bread topped with a dollop of the cream cheese. Sweet and savoury, crunchy and smooth, it tastes as interesting as it sounds and looks.
Not the prettiest dish
I had fun selecting my mains, as I had a range of types of pasta (I went with fettucini), styles (spinach), and sauces (wild mushroom and pesto) to choose from (Dh55). This might not be the prettiest dish to look at, but it was fresh and tasty.
My dining partner had no problems choosing the grilled chicken (Dh79) for his mains, which he combined with potato roasted with bacon, and seasonal vegetables. Soft and succulent we were both amazed to discover the flavour of the herbs that cover the flattened (corn fed) breast had penetrated deep into the meat. This is quite a feat, as this is no small piece of meat, while the herbs didn't overpower the meat's natural flavour.
Sana bonta apparently means "wholesome goodness" in Italian, and it's a claim the restaurant lives up to. Also, it wasn't just my pasta dish that was green — paper and the pencils you use are all recyclable.
Now, back to dessert. Glen's face lit up when our waitress, Diana, explained their sweet offerings. The pie of the day (Dh29), a mango take on the traditional apple pie, sounded too unique to pass up, so that's what we selected. The restaurant had run out of vanilla ice cream, and the honey-based substitute was way too sweet for me, so I opted for blood orange sorbet.
The tartiness of the sorbet went some way to balance out the naturally sweet pie, but it still got the better of me. Glen, though, was in his element. "I like that the pie's not tepid or warm as restaurants generally serve it, but hot," he said. "And then you have the ice cream melting all over, adding to the mush of the filling that's off-set by a crispy fresh-out-of-the-oven crust. I approve."
Hey, if he's happy, I'm happy.
Sana Bonta, DIFC
- Must-haves: Strawberry and Mascarpone bruschetta; grilled herbed chicken; mango pie; and the cucumber cooler fruit juice.
- Décor: Dark, but inviting. Big group-friendly.
- Ambience: It's dead at night, like the rest of the Marble Walk, but buzzing during the day.
- Total bill: Dinner for two — Dh387, including drinks.
- Call: 04-2940885
