The location
The classy Italian eatery Café Milano sits off the lower lobby of Al Maryah Island’s Four Seasons Abu Dhabi, offering a prime waterside vista gazing out across bright blue waters to the city centre. On our early April visit, the restaurant opened refreshingly out into the open air, but the intimate venue can be shuttered up for the sweatier season.
The atmosphere
An established fine-dining venue in Washington DC, Abu Dhabi’s Café Milano is only the second outpost globally, and this take channels a subtle mix of modern and tradition. The bright, airy, open dining space feels chic without ostentation, yet the white table cloths and sharp-dressed waiting staff hark bark to bygone dining days.
At the venue’s brand new “brunch del Sabato” (that’s Saturday brunch) the lazy tempo is set first with a mix of jazz and Italian show-tunes, before dialling up to poppier electronic fare as the afternoon stretches on. With a mix of couples and large groups, there’s a lightly buzzing vibe, but the volume never exceeds a murmuring undercurrent. The fact there’s a (rather reasonable) children’s price on menu speaks volumes.
The food
It’s all Italian, and thankfully, it’s all served direct to your table, arriving in a series of themed courses. The bar is set decidedly high with an epic opening cold antipasti course – partly presented on a three-tiered sandwich tray, afternoon tea-style – which included excellent buffalo mozzarella, a sharp tuna salad served in a tin can, some still-on-trend quinoa served with a cute beetroot macaroon (nice touch) and a large stack of breakfast pastries no person in their right mind would begin a brunch with.
The hot antipasti were a little more hit and miss – full marks go to the roasted scallops, the poached egg in parmigiana sauce and the eggplant timbale, yet the soupy, stewed cuttlefish and the potato omelette underwhelmed.
Prepared live at the table, the pasta course met all reasonable expectations, with an excellent veal cannelloni and a homely pici pasta dish – a Sicilian speciality served in a potent tomato sauce.
By now, of course, any appetite was a valuable commodity, but I valiantly tried a little of each of the three mains on offer – of which most diners would choose just one – all for you, dear readers. My pick would be the soft sea bass fillet, served in a subtle saffron sauce. Also on the menu is a chunky, smokey grilled lamb rack, and some passable roast chicken in a gloopy lemon sauce.
Delivered from a passing trolley, the homemade desserts were worth far more stomach-space than I was able to grand them, with the tiramisu an obligatory, inevitable highlight.
Who is it for?
Foodies – the culinary offerings here are several cuts above most brunches in town. If you’re looking for a party, take your trade elsewhere – this one is for quietly savouring every fork-full.
The verdict
A welcome opportunity to eat top-notch a la carte fare at a leading Italian restaurant, in a lazy – and very competitively priced – brunch format. And the fact it takes place on a Saturday will be music to many serious diners ears.
Bottom line
Saturdays noon-4pm, from Dh190-250 (children Dh60). Café Milano, Four Seasons Abu Dhabi, Al Maryah Island (reservations 02 333 2444 or dining.abudhabi@fourseasons.com). www.cafemilano.ae
The National was a guest of the restaurant
rgarratt@thenational.ae
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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