From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2007

The food at Cucina, a longstanding favourite of Dubai’s Italophiles, is well worth shouting about. The tuna carpaccio is so finely sliced it barely exists, yet the lissom flesh floods the mouth with subtle ocean hints, while the generous slivers of Parma ham with melon offer strong flavours offset by a verdant twist of mint. The veal chop, drenched in juice and served with an emerald knoll of basil-infused mashed potato, is a fine main, while the pasta dishes are solid too – try the penne alla norma with ricotta and gooey mozzarella.

The panna cotta is a wonderfully rich dessert and energised by a clutch of slightly tart redcurrants and blueberries, and the cassata is speckled with dried fruit and made all the more devilish by an artery-clogging scoop of vanilla ice cream and two daggers of chocolate thrust deep into the pudding. There are two Cucinas in Dubai. The food is equally good at both, but if you want atmosphere and the possibility of singing waiting staff then go to the one in Deira. However, the Courtyard Cucina is a good bet for a quiet meal, as it benefits from a pretty lakeside view.