It’s always a delight to discover delicious additions to the Italian food scene in Dubai. I mean, who doesn’t love Italian food?
Casa Da Venice grabbed my attention on Zomato – foodies seemed to have given it a thumbs up, and the menu looked like it would be great value for money. That’s why when we set out for a casual lunch date, it seemed like a great option.
Admittedly, we went in at an odd time (around 4:30 pm), and were the only ones in the restaurant. At first glance, we weren’t really sure if they were open. We were seated promptly inside, and I had a few minutes to take in the carefully crafted Venice-influenced decor.
I was pleasantly surprised to see a partly Indian fusion menu, with dishes like “Tikka Pizza”, “Bollywood Pizza”. You can tell that a lot of thought went into creating this menu; Upon noticing the lack of any meat items in the description, I asked the server whether the restaurant didn’t serve meat and lo and behold, I was in a 100% vegetarian Italian restaurant in a corner of JLT Cluster C. But instead of showing any resistance or being disappointed, I was actually very excited and all the more curious to see what Casa Da Venice had to offer.
We started off with the garlic bread assortment, which was a combination of plain, cheese and masala garlic bread. I found the garlic bread to be a great start to the meal, as it was fresh and flavorful, with the right tinge of garlic. Masala garlic bread wasn’t as much masala as garlic bread with pizza toppings, and I didn’t like it as much as the plain and cheese.
For mains, we ordered the Naples Pizza and the Mona Lisa pasta, which is listed as a Chef’s special and was also recommended by our server. We asked for both dishes to be made spicy. I really enjoyed the Naples pizza, and although I would call it medium spicy, you could add chili oil or chili flakes to it as desired. Similarly, the pasta sauce was rich and creamy, and although flavorful, I found it a little too heavy for my taste buds.
Even though my friends would classify me as a hardcore meat lover, I really wouldn’t mind heading back to Casa Da Venice to try more of their menu. cute little Italian spot serving Italian with a desi twist, and decent service overall – although I’m not sure how they cope during busier hours. If you’re in the neighborhood, this one may be worth a try.
FilmyFarah 