Seeing a restaurant inside a museum is something we are all used to, but if, suddenly, the idea was to put a museum inside a restaurant? So thought the minds behind the Egyptian group Stella di Mare, when deciding the theme for their first restaurant in Dubai.
And the theme for the museum? Who other than Leonardo da Vinci, as the name states right away, Leonardo!
Located in the incredible Dubai Marina, with direct entrance from the street, we are just a short elevator trip from the grand dining room, of nicely worked details, warm and romantic ambiance and full of different da Vincci works.
Warmly welcomed, with several Italians in the team. The trip to the table is not easy, because we can’t take our eyes away from all the replicas of the Renaissance master. You know about our love for the Renaissance, right?
Comfortably seated, everything is pristine, from the chairs to the towel, glasses and the funny position of the napkins. In the meantime, a great variety of bread quickly arrives at the table.
Basket with different slices of bread, with highlight to the great Foccacia and the amuse bouche – a delicious lamb Agnolotti with mushroom sauce
Salmon, tuna sauce and coriander powder
A version of the Vitello Tonnato where the meat is replaced by a mi-cuit of cold salmon – I don’t know if that was the intention, but in my opinion, warm would be more interesting! Nice combo with the sauce and the salty notes of the capers.
Zucchini sformatino, fresh tomato soup
A good version of a classic, making me travel for a moment to the hands of Fabio Picci, the Florentine master at Cibrèo. Excellent texture and a simple and delicate flavor!
Cacio e Pepe
One of my favorite Roman classics, Cacio & Pepe, that lives of the mix of cheese and pepper, as the name indicates. In this version, accompanied by two crunchy bacon slices. Good spaghettoni, perfectly cooked, while the flavor was somewhat amiss, lacking more pepper and a creamier sauce with the pasta.
Hare Tortelli, cannellini bean cream and rosemary sauce
Super high level, with the pasta on point and the right amount of filling to the portion of pasta. Nicely connected with the cream and the aromatic sauce. A beautiful dish!
Duck Magret, sprouts, mango, and grapefruit sauce
Nicely pink duck, as it should, tender and tasty, and weirdly going very well with the mango sauce, mostly because of the less sweet link of the grapefruit with the bitterness of the sprouts. A good dish.
Coffee Slush, chocolate mousse, vanilla cream, and crunchy rice and Hazelnut Semifreddo with vanilla cream
Positive notes to the desserts as well, with highlight to the nice combination of textures and flavors of the coffee and chocolate dessert, as well as the dried fruit and seeds crisp, accompanying the well-accomplished semifreddo.
On the glass, we opted for Italian wines, namely the white Sicilian Ca’di Ponti Catarratto, a dry white of a less known caste, resulting in a simple wine with a good aromatic side, and a red, the Piemonte Barbera 2018 Araldica, an easy wine, unpretentious – an everyday Piemonte.
The service went along with the greatest of the professionalisms, technically correct and with a good environment.
Final Remarks
In a city with a bit of everything, another Italian restaurant is not immediately the recipe for success, so here was created a unique room, with a romantic atmosphere, and where the work of a great name of our history is displayed.
The room and the quality of the service are the great highlights of this restaurant, and the cuisine complements the entire environment and scenario created.
Leonardo Dubai
Prices from 50€ (without wines)
Stella Di Mare Hotels & Resorts
Al Mattla’ee Street – Dubai
leonardo.dubai@stelladimare.com
Photos: Flavors & Senses
