La Villa

Mediterranean style restaurant in City Centre Discuss this article

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From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2008

Ah, the Mediterranean; sun drenched stucco houses with tile roofs and bouganvilla climbing the walls; the ocean waves lapping gently, animated conversation, excellent food. Now picture La Villa; an echoey, cavernous hotel lobby, tinking piano, cutlery scraping, hushed conversation.

The restaurant is actually located on the mezzanine floor of a hotel, so your view is of the lobby down below. The two have only excellent food in common. Like the Med, the menu here is dominated by fresh fish – the monkfish in red wine sauce is good, and the fresh scallops are soft, juicy and sumptuous.

A starter of sizzling king prawns is excellent; the plump and meaty crustaceans arrive hot and packed with flavour. Luckily, the fresh bread is a perfect foil for scooping up the sauces. Also try the beef carpaccio, as thin as paper, with lemon juice and cracked black pepper cutting through the richness. A main of boneless grilled chicken manages to be juicy and soft with a lovely charred flavour, and is accompanied by a creamy mash.

If you brought your sweet tooth with you, try ‘the chocolate’ to finish – a deceptively- simple named dessert of chocolate mousse, brandy snaps and rice cake smothered in chocolate sauce. The crème brûlée is suitably smooth, amply supplied with crunchy topping, and another good choice is the tiramisu – with an immense serving of the creamy, delicate confection on offer.

The only snag is the tomb-like atmosphere of the hotel lobby. Despite the lovely food, you may need to close your eyes and dream of sunny skies and limpid waters to make this a truly enjoyable meal.

• Previous reviews
  • 12 March,2007- reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff
  • 06 September,2006- reviewed by Time Out Dubai
  • 30 April,2006- reviewed by Time Out Dubai
  • 01 May,2004- reviewed by Rob Orchard
  • 01 July,2002- reviewed by Carolyn Robb
  • 01 April,2002- reviewed by Carolyn Robb
  • 01 November,2001- reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff

Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.