Gusto

Not up to the standards that we would expect from somewhere with a Palm address, but the view's ok 4 Reviews

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Mediterranean food often promises to be fresh, light and more nuanced then Europe’s other, heavier cuisines. And the Palm just conjures images of unbridled atmosphere. So when I was presented with the option to eat at Gusto, a new Mediterranean restaurant on The Palm (be still my heart), I anticipated attacking this new restaurant with the very enthusiasm the name implied.

Gusto’s menu is essentially a mix of Spanish, French and Italian cuisine. However, as our meal progressed, my date and I discovered that ‘fusion’, isn’t really an apt term to describe what this eatery was dishing up. Instead, it’s almost as though the chef had tried to blend a vase, a television and a teddy bear, before realising it was a bad idea and separating them again, each slightly worse off for the attempt.

On the waiter’s recommendation, we bypassed the bright white interior and took a seat on the terrace, near the property’s pool. Just as the chlorine was making us dizzy and the wicker furniture causing acute discomfort, the waiter, who was supremely nice, if a little too servile, came over to take our order. For the starter we chose the grilled halloumi bruschetta (not actually grilled) and the carpaccio di polipo; wafer thin octopus uncomfortably chilled, swimming in so much vinaigrette that picking out any other flavour was impossible.

We politely moved onto the main course, which was at least a partial success. The beef Marseille proved to be a well-presented, succulent cut with delicately prepared peppers that complemented the meat perfectly, as did a side order of sautéed mushrooms. But while the French selection was a success, the Italian offering was an epic failure.

If a pizza is served deep-pan and has a soft base, that’s fine – to be expected almost; yet thin, Italian bases should be crisp and crunchy, not the lazy, doughy variety that was served here. Even the quirky cricket-bat serving platter couldn’t make up for that.

Dessert (raspberry cannoli and pizza al cioccolato) marked the highlight of the meal. We started to debate who had the better pudding – me, with a crisp biscuit oozing sweet cheese, or my date, who was savouring each creamy bite of warm chocolate. It then occured to us that perhaps it was only in relation to the rest of the meal that our sweets seemed so outstanding. The PRs for Gusto have billed the restaurant as ‘the most boutique, personalised and highest quality beach club in Dubai’. Unique though our meal was, we can’t say we could really back the press release.

The bill (for two)
1x Bottle of Aquafina Dh10
1x Grilled bruschetta Dhs50
1x Carpaccio di polipo Dhs65
1x Beef Marseille Dhs120
1x Sauteed mushrooms Dhs25
1x Pizza Dhs80
1x Pizza Cioccolato Dhs45
1x Raspberry Cannoli Dhs40
Total (including service) Dhs435

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