Bargain alert! If you love Italian… the pasta, the pizza, the fruity wines, the tiramisu, the works, you can have it all in unlimited quantities for a mere AED 144 per person.
This amazing offer is available for both lunch and dinner throughout the week at Ricetta, Four Points by Sheraton’s authentic Italian restaurant.
You get a taste of provencal Italy as soon as you walk into the restaurant with its cheerful red checkered tablecloths, the make-believe fruits and vegetable market and a wall plastered with classy black and white photographs of Italy.
We got there on a Thursday evening, and the place was already packed by 7. A long table of men were enjoying a boy’s night out, and taking full advantage of the unlimited house beverages offer. An elderly Italian couple sat a few tables away from us, and were echoing praises on the chilled wine. You can even choose to dine alfresco by the pool, and we spotted a few swimmers indulging in pizza right after a dip.
The menu is quite extensive for an unlimited deal, and your orders are taken and served hot at the table.
For our starters round, I went for the Insalata di Polipo aka Octopus Salad; a toss-up of boiled octopus, celery, carrot, onion, olives and a lemon-reduction dressing. The salad was delightfully light and zesty, and very generous with the quantity of octopus used.
My little girl was craving soup, and Zuppa di Pesce, a very aromatic mixed seafood broth accentuated with basil. The flavors of the sea are very pronounced in this soup, and is very satiating for seafood lovers.
My husband went for an assorted Fritto platter. These battered and deep-fried golden shrimps, calamari and slices of courgette are served with a thick, creamy caper dip and is the perfect accompaniment for the house beverages.
The house beverages menu consists of selected beers, wines, brandy, gin, rum, tequila, whisky and even an aperitif. We settled for a bottle of rosé from Italy called La Scolca. Served chilled, it was delightfully light and fruity and went down beautifully well with the meal.
The menu includes a long list of pizza options, and you also have the choice of customizing the toppings to your liking. We got a little creative and mixed together beef salami with a very generous amount of fiery hot jalapeno and cheese. It was absolutely delicious! I especially like how the crust is so thin and crisp, allowing you to enjoy the toppings.
A bottle of wine nearly down, and a pizza half-eaten, we decided to sit by the pool for more sipping and enjoy the last of the breezy evenings. My daughter enjoyed both their strawberry and lemon Mojitos (non-alcoholic ofcourse!), although I found these to be a little too sweet for my liking.
We headed back inside for our main-course. I had the Gnocchi con Pancetta di Tacchino, a moreishly filling home-style pasta featuring fresh potato dumplings in a thick cheese fondue served with turkey bacon and garnished with pistachio. One serving is easily large enough for two.
No points for guessing my husband’s choice of mains. His love for red meat is oh so predictable, and he really enjoyed the steak here. The meat was cooked a perfect medium-rare and topped with a warm, flavorful gravy sauce.
Ending the night on a sweet note, we had Ricetta’s delightfully airy, flavorful Tiramisu and also tried the Cannoli Siciliani (crisp cannoli tubes stuffed with fresh ricotta cheese, orange zest and chocolate chips). The later is quite heavy after such an indulgent dinner, I would suggest the Tiramisu… its light enough to order for seconds. My little one was all smiles with her scoop of chocolate ice-cream.
‘Ricetta’ translates to ‘recipe’ in Italian, an apt name for a restaurant that has not only nailed it with their delicious fare, but also offers a delightfully cheerful ambiance along with their immaculate service.
The Unlimited Food & Drink offer is on till the end of the year, and is open for both lunch and dinner every day of the week.
Prices start at AED 96 per person with soft beverages, and AED 144 per person with house beverages. Lunch runs from 12 noon till 3 pm, and dinner runs from 7 pm till midnight.
They also have a number of other offers for Italian food fans. Click here for more information, and book a table directly on their site. Thank me later.
The Tezzy Files 