We were invited by Amwaj Rotana to dine at their Italian restaurant Rosso. It’s truffle season and they have a special menu featuring the diamond of the culinary world. I was very excited for my bunch to try real shaved truffles, they have only tried truffle infused oil on pasta’s I cook at home.
The bar area was already full at 7:30 pm that Friday night, we sadly did not have the option to dine al fresco because of the sandstorm. We walked past the busy bar to the sitting area which had a good view of the kitchen. My LittleOnes always like to see the chef’s prepare the food so that kept them busy while we browsed the menu. Dad and I was settled to try their truffle dishes while the kids asked for pizza, steak and chicken.
A complimentary basket of bread with butter and olive paste was served. For starters we had Beef Carpaccio Manzo with Black Truffles and AntiPasto Misto. The carpaccio was good start to our night, the dish had a good amount of truffle for us to taste. My 7 year old tried the carpaccio with and without the truffles, he has this to say “The truffles make the food taste beautiful inside my mouth.” AntiPasto Misto was a platter of Italian pork cold cuts, Buffalo Mozzarella, bruschetta with tomatoes and grilled vegetables – we were expecting that it would offer more cold cuts than vegetables, it was large enough for two people to share.
I wanted the LittleOnes to have their meat for dinner but both insisted they order the Four Cheese Pizza/Quattro Formaggi they were so happy with each bite that I had to stop them from having more so they would have room for their main meal. LittleMiss had Honey Glazed Chicken Supreme with specific instructions that the glaze be serve on the side, the chicken was juicy and seasoned well. She tried the eat it with the sauce but was happier without it. As expected Kuya V ordered a steak dish, Wagyu Beef Striploin with Rocket and Shaved Parmesan cooked medium rare – a melt in your mouth bursting with flavor Wagyu steak, definitely deserve 10 stars. He quickly noted that he want to eat this again on his birthday next month, with a request that he gets to have two plates of steak.
The presentation of Daddy’s Pan-seared Scallops was so pretty I wanted to just stare at it. It was not just pretty but also tasty, this dish made the husband appreciate black truffle. Yes, the scallops was seasoned well but when you eat it with the truffles the taste is elevated to something more – my son would say truffles make food taste beautiful. I had the Duck and Mushroom Ravioli, the red wine reduction was delicious and I wanted more of it. Daddy found the filling was too mushy for his liking, I was happy with the texture but would prefer more duck flavor on it.
On to Dessert! We had to wait a while before our sweets were served, which was ok since we needed time to rest our tummies. Dad ordered espresso with his Decadent Layered Cake with 8 textures of Chocolate, it was indeed a festival of chocolate in your mouth! Kuya V ordered the chef’s special dessert a Cherry Tart with Pistachios Ice cream which he shared with LittleMiss who immediately claimed it was just all for her. My Hazelnut Profiteroles went well with my coffee, a generous hazelnut filling makes you want to have more. Dad’s layered cake won the votes that night.
Overall, it was a really good dining experience. The servers were polite and kept us updated on instances that it took time for the kitchen to prepare what we ordered, the restaurant was full. Our waitress gave suggestions base on what we were craving that night, she also suggested we try their cocktails, mocktails and wine selection but we were happy with our sparkling water. The only thing that bothered me was that there was no direct access to the dining area from the terrace that night (there was a sandstorm), we had to pass by the bar and people were smoking – I have two kids and want to shield them from the smoke during our trip to the restroom. If you have younger kids (mine are ages 7 yrs and 3 yrs) the loud music from the bar might bother them, LittleMiss complained it was noisy when she was done eating. The manager said that the doors to the terrace is usually open when the weather permits. Dining al fresco for dinner time at Rosso is ideal for families with children, you have more room for stroller and do not need to pass by the bar when you seat outside.
Rosso Bar and Restaurant located at the 2nd floor of Amwaj Rotana, Jumeirah Beach Residences
For reservations you can contact them at T: (+971) 4 428 2000 and Email: online.amwaj@rotana.com
Truffle menu is available until September 30, click here for more information.
Disclaimer: We were invited to dine at Rosso for the purpose of review. As always all views and opinions are my own.
Cuddles and Crumbs 