Walking into Taste of Italy in Dubai’s Galleria Mall, you’d be forgiven for not knowing that the low-key restaurant was brought here by one of the most accomplished chefs in the world. Taste of Italy is the first casual restaurant for Heinz Beck, a German chef who has been at the helm of La Pergola, the only restaurant in Rome with three Michelin stars, since 1994. Given that reputation, I expected nothing short of greatness from Taste of Italy.
The vast, open restaurant lacks the charm you find in cosy, casual eateries across Italy. There are nice touches – the chef stretching dough and popping pizzas into the brick oven at the restaurant’s entrance is one. As is the main, open kitchen at the far end of the restaurant that provides full views of the chefs at work. That area was cordoned off when we visited, though, and we were denied when we asked if we could sit there. Instead, we sat at a table that nearly touched the wait staff’s podium where they congregate to place orders. It was awkward, to say the least, to have our waitress’s backside inches from our table.
The large display of imported Italian products for sale – olive oils, pastas, sauces, chocolates and more – adds warmth to the space. But the deli counters, filled with imported cheeses, antipasto and desserts err on the side of too casual. The odd layout might be easier to digest if the menu’s price point reflected the casual vibe it’s going for. While pasta options are all between Dh50 and Dh75, which many will contend is still too high for a casual eatery, too many other items are priced higher than we expected. The sharing-style burrata cheese appetiser with a small salad is Dh75 and better suited for one; and we were disappointed by our under-seasoned, uninspired calamari for Dh65. It came with a bowl of mayonnaise for dipping (which we ignored) and a meagre portion of a green tomato jam. While the jam was a flavourful break from the usual condiments, it was runny and oddly paired with the calamari (we had to press the calamari into the jam, swishing it around, to get enough to stick).
My husband’s veal chop (Dh150) was served medium well, not the medium rare he ordered. It’s a hard-to-forgive error made either by our too soft-spoken waitress who could have misunderstood (and should have clarified before placing the order), or a chef who simply didn’t execute.
My poached lobster – a hefty Dh190 – was cooked well, resulting in succulent, tender meat. But it was lost in the mess on the plate. Served in its open shell, the lobster was hiding under a tomato, olive and onion salad, which was tasty, but didn’t complement the lobster. There was also too much of an off-tasting brown liquid and a pesto sauce that was haphazardly squeezed across the dish the way you might squirt ketchup over a pile of fries. The dish was too busy and it detracted – both visually and flavour-wise – from the poor lobster that was stripped of its chance to shine before it ever made it out of the kitchen.
The square of pressed herbs that came atop the delicious and simply plated red snapper (Dh110) was a nod to the molecular gastronomy that Beck does so well and the chicken-stuffed ravioli with a tasty grana padano cheese sauce was well-executed. It was uncomplicated, packed with flavour and a welcome relief at the table.
The desserts were the night’s highlight. The tiramisu was reminiscent of what you might find in Beck’s La Pergola and the star of this deconstructed version is a chocolate orb delicately packed with classic, layered tiramisu ingredients. The passion fruit crème brûlée also impressed with a perfectly crisp, caramelised layer that gave way to a silky, smooth, buttercup-yellow custard.
Even with the sweet ending, we couldn’t help but feel disappointed as we left. After tasting Beck’s culinary genius in Rome, I wanted more flavour, more inspiration, more of Beck himself in these dishes.
Marco Pierre White recently told me: “If you’re behind your stove every day of the week in your kitchen, you have consistency. If you’re not there, you have to hope that you have consistency. When these [Michelin-starred] chefs say it makes no difference whether they’re there or not, that’s not true.” I couldn’t agree more.
Our meal for two at Taste of Italy by Heinz Beck cost Dh565, excluding beverages. Reviewed meals are paid for by The National and conducted incognito
sjohnson@thenational.ae
