Da Vinci’s

A fine, cheap Emirati-Italian in which to share a sleepy evening and some good wine 6 Reviews

Leonardo Da Vinci will be remembered for many things. A Renaissance polymath, his genius reinvented artistic perspective, creating a raft of the most memorable images of the Western world and inspiring a kitsch mask-wearing cartoon mutant four hundred years later. These details are well known. What is perhaps less celebrated is the Da Vinci that resides in the Airport Hotel in Garhoud, serving up Italian delicacies with a modicum of style and a large helping of cliché. Having not visited for over a year, we decided to take another look.

The first sight is traditionalism, with a bit of tack thrown in to inspire the odd passerby. The Renaissance Man’s famous multi-limbed depiction of human anatomy adorns the wall opposite the entrance, and a mannequin is seated to the right, looking like it guzzled more Prozac than penne in a former existence.

Seated with my companion we opted for Italian when pressed for drinks, choosing a Minnini Uvello as the smells of rustic Italy’s culinary imaginings flooded out to us from the kitchen. My partner in crime chose the maritime option, the cozze gigantic gratinate, a mixture of giant mussels ovenbaked with tomato and pesto that overpowered the senses like Monica Bellucci in a translucent nightie. My friend then had gamberoni grigliati: jumbo prawn with caper potato sauce and potatoes. I erred towards caution and abstained from indulgence, going for the more ascetic pollo callione, with delicious chicken breast, cheese and mushroom smothering helpless strings of tagliatelle.

The evening wore on, more cigarettes were smoked and the candles edged us toward somnolence and dreams of Tuscany. A fine, cheap Emirati-Italian in which to share a sleepy evening and some good wine.

• Previous reviews
  • 26 March,2008- reviewed by Jeremy Lawrence
  • 12 March,2007- reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff
  • 30 April,2006- reviewed by Time Out Dubai
  • 26 October,2005- reviewed by Matthew Lee
  • 01 January,2003- reviewed by Rob Orchard
  • 01 September,2001- reviewed by Time Out Dubai Staff

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