Ciro’s Pomodoro in Le Méridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, Jumeirah, Dubai - Restaurant Reviews

Ciro’s Pomodoro

Garish exterior hides impressive Italian food 1 Reviews

From Time Out Dubai Eating Out 2008

If a night in a cruise ship bar, surrounded by a party of Essex girls on a hen weekend, decked out in plastic veils and bunny ears and belting out the Spice Girls, erm, classic, ‘Wannabe’ at the top of their lungs is your idea of a great night out, we’d be willing to bet a handy sum you’ll love Ciro’s Pomodoro.

To walk into this restaurant/bar is to step into an early 1990s time warp, where nothing much appears to have changed since Bush Sr was president, Baywatch was the biggest show on TV and Sylvester Stallone was king of the blockbusters.

The interior, walls adorned with photographs of the many celebrities who have allegedly frequented one of this chain of restaurants, evokes images of a 1991 Club 18-30 holiday to Tenerife. While hardly the ideal venue for an intimate meal, particularly not on karaoke nights (oh yes, they do them), when psychedelically flickering lights are likely to disrupt your meal halfway through the night, the food is nevertheless a cut above what the Planet Hollywood tackiness of an interior leads you to expect.

Starters include the tasty, if very deep fried, sweet chilli shrimps and excellent mussels in tomato sauce.

With the extensive list of main courses featuring their appetising pizzas, every bit as big and unhealthy as they should be, pasta dishes which are nice enough, if nothing to rave about, and a more than decent range of ‘off the grill’ options, from which the perfectly tender veal can be recommended, a peek behind

Ciro’s garish exterior will reveal food that may surprise you by being both well prepared and affordable.

By Jeremy Lawrence