Carluccio’s in Dubai Mall, Downtown Burj Dubai, Dubai - Restaurant Reviews

Carluccio’s

We try out the kiddie-friendly Italian in Dubai Mall. Reliable grub and crayon's to keep the kids entertained 11 Reviews

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A small child was getting ready to throw herself in my direction. She launched herself near the table that my date and I were occupying, but was quickly brought down to earth thanks to the leash strapped to her chest. Carluccio’s hasn’t been opened long, but already its market has found it. Nearby tables were packed with children threateningly clutching crayons. This was a family restaurant. I sighed.

I’ll be honest: I don’t tend to give family restaurants much credit. I don’t have kids, so I can’t really say I appreciate them. For one thing, many of them don’t have very high food standards. As a result, I expect thoroughly average fare from any place that caters to them. However, I resolved not to let prejudice get in the way and to give Carluccio’s a fair shot at disproving my theories.

The waitress asked if I wanted olives and bread.

‘Sure,’ I said, not realising that I’d be billed for both at the end of the meal. We started with an order of calamari, which while not deeply nuanced, was tender underneath a feathery batter. The arancini (two fried rice balls – one topped with a bland though oozy mozzarella; the other with saucy ground beef) were, at least, different, as far as Italian options go. They were light, but lacked enough flavour to hold our attention throughout the dish (we left them half finished).

Mains certainly surpassed the type of Italian fare you’d find at most chain restaurants, in that they were well prepared, but they too lacked panache. I (stupidly, my date told me) ordered ribeye, mainly because I was intrigued by the fact that the menu boasted it was grass fed. The meat was, however, measly in size and greasy in texture. On the plus side though it was cooked perfectly rare.

I was starting to note a theme: the cooking technique was good, the ingredients were not. My date’s linguini frutti di mare (with shrimp and squid) satisfied in the most basic way, but fell short of riveting, probably because no flavour really came to the forefront.

Of everything we ate, my companion’s dessert – a date smoothie – was perhaps the most interesting concoction on the menu. It was sweet, creamy, and contained whole chunks of date. My tiramisu, by comparison, was nice, but, without the added bit of Amaretto or rum (Carluccio’s isn’t licensed ), it lacked its usual kick.

Perhaps the problem is that I’m not in the right age bracket for Carluccio’s. I am both too old and too young. The fact is the place was packed with families. I can see why – even if the menu doesn’t excite, it’s the type of restaurant that doesn’t throw curveballs and I imagine that for new parents that is an asset.

Still, the food is definitely reliable, if unimaginative, and for a kids’ joint, there are a lot of healthy options – a real bonus when trying to steer youngsters away from the perils of fast food. I imagine that’s a good enough reason alone to take the family.

The bill (for two)
1x Large Acqua Panna Dhs16
1x Bowl of olives Dhs18
1x Bread tin Dhs22
1x Calamari Dhs42
1x Arancini Dhs32
1x Ribeye Dhs96
1x Linguini Dhs66
1x Tiramisu Dhs32
1x Date smoothie Dhs22
Total (including service) Dhs346