For some, Italian words on a restaurant awning are enough to entice them in. Perhaps the diners who packed the room at Centro Citta were lured in with the promise of buffalo mozzarella, paper-thin prosciutto and a creamy bowl of tiramisu. Some, it seems, think Italian food, under any guise, is destined to be good. I can’t understand any other reason that the room at Centro Citta would be quite so full. One look at the blaringly bright room, with its drearily expansive view of the Four Point Sheraton’s lobby, and I was ready to head for any of nearby Karama’s more alluring curry hubs. But mulling over books and covers (and the perils of judging thereof), I decided to stick it out.

My goal for the evening was to eat something light, and if luck wore a C-cup, maybe something fresh and tasty as well. The menu whittled my hopes. Every dish boasted cream sauces, and of the handful of starters on offer, a good chunk were fried. I decided to forego the spring roll/fried shrimp platter (judging by the plates serenading the room, it seemed this was a popular choice) and instead settled for what turned out to be a tasteless grouping of overly thick bresaola (air-dried cured beef) and bland salad greens.

For a main, I was craving some angel hair in a light tomato sauce, or perhaps a simple pesto, but it was not to be. The only pasta offerings were the ultra-rich alfredo, carbonara and the slightly lighter arrabiata. I skipped pastas and instead ordered the chicken lite (sic). Alas, it didn’t live up to its promise, as the overcooked breast came doused in lemon cream sauce, served alongside a desert-dry mound of garlic mashed potatoes. My date’s flavourless slab of grilled salmon came with a few whole leaves of spinach for good show. We weren’t tempted to order dessert.

For the kind of ‘Italian’ food you could get at Pizza Hut, the price tag was rather startling. I couldn’t understand how a restaurant such as this could justify charging nearly Dhs300 for stunningly average fare, and even less how so many patrons would be so eager to pay it.

The bill (for two)
1x Large bottle Alfa water Dhs12
1x Insalata Caprese Dhs50
1x Bresaola Dhs50
1x Grilled salmon Dhs110
1x Chicken lite Dhs65
Total (including service) Dhs287