First Look at Barilla – Dubai Festival City
It’s new. It’s lovely. It’s Italian.
The makers of the finest pasta in Italy, Barilla have launched their very first outlet of Barilla Restaurants in Dubai Festival City Mall. My colleagues and I were humbled for having been invited for an exclusive menu preview this afternoon and we were more than impressed with their delectable variety. Get to know in-depth about the dishes I sampled and check out the first look of the restaurant.
We kicked off our lunch at Barilla with a fresh lemonade and mango juice. Served chilled on an afternoon, there was really nothing better you could sip on while waiting for all that Italian goodness. Or was there?
The star of the cold beverages section definitely was this Passion and Grapefruit Fizz. Delightfully refreshing, as Barilla very rightly terms it, this drink brought together passion fruit and pink grapefruit syrup along with a lemony taste and was beautifully garnished with passion fruit seeds and a slice of grapefruit.
You can also try out their Basil Spritzer for a classic Mojito taste or give your Mojito a twist with green apple and lemon grass flavors, or keep it a little frui-tea with raspberry pomegranate iced tea. No matter what you choose, you have to order one of these. Have to!
Not one of my first choices, yet I was glad I chose this.
I would loved to try the Burrata, but it’s unfortunate unavailability skewed my preference towards this fruit & meat combination.
Cecina e Melone takes your taste buds on a wonderful ride. Starting with the sweet tangy notes of fresh sliced melon, it moves on to the more stronger flavors of smoked cured and peppered beef. And of course, there’s the crunchy green mix lettuce with the purple cabbage standing out. So many wonderful colors on this plate highlighting the perfect marriage between Mediterranean and Italy.
I would have liked the homemade bread a little less crusty and maybe with some parmesan on top, but the garlicky ripened tomatoes, dotted with basil and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil gave this Bruschetta at Barilla a juicy touch. They do offer a bread basket on welcome and also have a tomato and pesto bread on their antipasti menu. But for me, it’s going to have to be the Burrata the next time I’m there.
The pastas at Barilla Restaurant are simply perfect. Take this Fusilli Montanara for example.
It features a combination of sautéed chicken and mushrooms in a creamy parmigiano base, served over al dente Fusilli from the world-renowned Italian pasta brand Barilla. The creaminess of the Alfredo sauce doesn’t leave you feeling guilty, which in my opinion is one of best ways of devouring pasta.
Since we are on the topic of pastas, let’s look at this plate of deliciousness too. The Penne Integrali Mare Blu starts off with whole grain penne from world-renowned Italian pasta brand Barilla. It is enhanced with sautéed shrimps (that are just so juicy), zucchini and cherry tomatoes – tossed in a light garlic dressing with fresh dill. The dish brings together a healthy feeling with its filling ingredients. Definitely trying this again, maybe with chicken.
Although I would have loved to try the pizzas myself (which I will when I visit next time), the pastas were just so filling, I had to give the former a miss. But a colleague of mine did end up trying the Nobile pizza from Barilla’s menu. This one came with the not so regular ingredients like thinly sliced beef bresaola, blue cheese and arugula, along with the classic cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and parmesan.
The pasta dish in the picture is Linguine Vesuvio which combines sautéed calamari and shrimps along with capers, fresh basil, olives and chili flakes in a tomato based sauce.
The pizzas at Barilla are so much more interesting simply because they are not the traditional round ones, but in fact come in a petite rectangular serving, making it good for one. And don’t even get me started on how healthy they look and feel. I could end up writing an entire article on that. Barilla has a good mix of meat, vegetarian and even vegan toppings, plus they offer an option where you can choose a blend of wheat and whole grain dough for your pizza. I know I’m going to order Ortolana or Vegana on my next visit. What about you?
That’s the Tiramisu with a twist at Barilla Restaurant. More like a deconstructed version of the classic Italian dessert, it comes with espresso soaked lady finger biscuits on the sides and lots of mascarpone and cocoa goodness in the center. Indulgent yet not so sinful, but I would have preferred it the classic way with the biscuits at the base. Heard lot of good things about their Pannacotta though. Why don’t you try it out and tell me how it is?
Weekday mornings seem difficult? Fancy a cup of Joe? Head over to Barilla Restaurant in Dubai Festival City and let the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans take over your weekday woes as you indulge in a wake-me-up cup of Lavazza coffee.
On our visit we tried the Latte and Americano with milk.
Barilla Restaurant is DFC’s newest casual dining outlet which offers a great blend of Mediterranean diet highlighted with Italian flavors.
Their feel good food and drinks are wholesome, healthy, colorful, and undoubtedly delicious. But don’t believe me, go there and try it out yourself! Barilla is open for everyone now, so go ahead and enjoy the happy marriage of Italian and Mediterranean cuisines, only at Dubai Festival City Mall.
