Centimetro

Order food by the centimetre and relax in style Discuss this article

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‘You should have arrived at three o’clock.’ Our cheery waitress shook her head in mock disappointment as she tapped a watch that read half-past six. Although we were on time for our reservation, it left us a mere three and a half hours to exploit the unlimited drinks and finger food in Centimetro at the Madinat Souk, a new Italian rooftop bar (upstairs from Segreto) with a measured approach to lounging. The Saturday deal, our waitress explained, is perfect for celebrating a birthday – all day. But whatever the occasion, it appeared just as good for relaxing with a healthy selection of drinks as a cool breeze rushes through the silk-strewn windtowers and a peachy sun sinks beyond a watermelon sky.

‘I’ll have a beer then,’ I chimed, as the first wave of snacks arrived perched on a tiered stand like crackers on a Christmas tree. I picked up a piece of bruschetta laden with plump prawns and chirpy chickpeas, and crunched into the tasty slice. But it came as some disappointment that Centimetro’s gimmick – that brushetta can be ordered by the centimetre – was evidently not available tonight. It would appear that the Saturday deal – Dhs220 per person for an all-you-can-eat-and-drink lounging session – doesn’t involve any metric mischief of any description. And I’d brought my tape measure, too. So I consoled myself with smoked salmon, cream cheese and rocket on pillow-soft focaccia bread.

As plates were emptied, fresh ones arrived, and the drinks flowed as freely as the silk banners that licked and flapped overhead. A mellow apricot glow seeped from muted lamps, crept across cool floors and cast gentle shadows on plush cream leather beanbags that puffed like soufflés around squat tables. And while the murmuring basslines of Brazilian lounge music pulsed through the night air, we sipped tart Volante cocktails and nibbled at crispy croquettes, which crumbled open to luxuriously stringy mozzerella cheese.

The selection of snacks, as tasty as they may have been, was nowhere near as varied as the drinks menu, which would support the theory that true Italian lounging is perhaps perfected following a few bottles of Peroni, a couple of exotic cocktails, and one or two elegant wines. As I finished off my drink, I mused that – for Saturdays at least – Centimetro should consider changing its name to Centilitro. And then I ordered another one, just for good measure.

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