We tried the food at Sicilia, here’s the verdict

  Opening hours: Lunch 12:30pm to 2:30 pm Dinner: 7pm to 11pm Brunch: 12:30pm to 4pm Dress code: Smart / business casual Location: Movenpick Ibn Battuta Hotel, Jebel Ali Contact: + 971 4 444 56 13   Not a fan Italian food has never been on my dine-out list. I guess I’ve largely ignored all of the Italian places sprouting across Dubai because of the fact that we have spaghetti at home three times a week. It takes ten minutes to boil the noodles and add the sauce, making it the perfect dinner for lazy weeknights. Who wants to dress up and drive somewhere to pay more for pasta? I give in one Saturday evening, tagging along my more-than-willing husband. We drive to Movenpick Ibn Battuta to try Sicilia, convinced that my arrogant assumption that Italian food is nothing more than a bowl of pasta I could whip up in the kitchen using cupboard staples. Italy in Jebel Ali Its attempt to give diners a feel of the legendary Mediterranean island is evident in the brick-outlined entrance, Italian ballads humming in the background occasionally coupled with the clinking of wine glasses, and walls boasting portraits of famous Italians, from Julius Cesar to Luciano Pavarotti. After being greeted and having our reservation confirmed, we make our way to our table, admiring the elaborate chandeliers that accentuated the venue’s sophisticated interior and the vast open kitchen that shows the chef and his team hard at work, flipping pans and putting finishing touches to dishes about to land on the tables of eager diners. Off to a good start The nervous-looking but obliging hostess hands us the menu, quick to tell us which items aren’t available. It’s a welcome gesture that prevents an awkward and unnecessary back-and-forth with hungry - sometimes hangry - guests. As I browse the list over freshly baked focaccia dipped in a rich artichoke dip, I’m reminded of my inferior knowledge of Italian food. Nothing on the list sounds like my home cooked spaghetti. My eyes scan a flurry of Italian words under ‘Appetizers’, daring me to choose one. I choose two, and I choose well. The first one, the roasted octopus, is nothing short of a work of art: the tentacle is cut into several pieces, gloriously scattered over a potato-lime emulsion, which also serves as a bed for the crisp baby potato, accentuated with dots of green sauce. The seafood delicacy, which in some cases could be rubbery, is crisp on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, and once inside my mouth, becomes a delicate mix of buttery richness and umami goodness. The second one is awarded best appetizer by my husband. The ceremony takes place as he delves his fork into the homemade pork lonzino, knowing immediately it’s going to be the evening’s big winner. Sicilia’s refreshing take on cold cuts consists of thinly sliced cured and smoked pork loin, arranged beautifully like petals forming a flower crown, as if to accept the honor. The pickled red onion is a welcome break from the saltiness, complementing rather than altering the overall taste of the dish. Nothing like my spaghetti Then come the stars of the evening: our main courses. It’s the moment of truth: Will I end up being blown away, or wishing I had stayed home and made my spaghetti on my own? The homemade veal ravioli exposed my culinary ignorance. My first forkful is packed with modest flavors of pasta, pears, mustard, brown butter, sage and baby spinach. They sound like basket ingredients from that Food Network show Chopped, miraculously coming together to form a dish so unbelievably complex it’s inimitable. I also have some of my husband’s Spaghettone ‘Benedetto Cavalieri’ Cauliflower ‘Cacio E Pepe’. It’s an absolute betrayal to his love of steak. The rich cauliflower cream coating the perfectly aldente thick spaghetti, and the chunks of burned cauliflower beat bacon-laden carbonara any day, completely recalibrating our carnivorous taste buds. Room for more Yes, we have room for dessert. We have to make room for it, or I’ll go to bed with cravings and sad what-ifs. The apple renette is a rich, deconstructed version of apple crumble. Every spoonful is a different experience. There are sweet doughy morsels, bits of gateaux and pastry cream, and sitting modestly on one side is a scoop of apple pie ice cream that, to my pleasant surprise, tastes exactly like – wait for it – apple pie. It’s so overwhelmingly rich that any memory of the other dessert, strawberry and milk, immediately fades. I do remember a slice of moist red strawberry cake, some jelly and pillowy soft cream melting across the plate. But in terms of taste, it surrenders to the apple renette. Making amends This is an admission of defeat as much as it is an expression of my newfound love for Italian cuisine. I have been served an extravagant Italian feast, and some humble pie. Sicilia has exposed me to the reality that preparing Italian food is best left to the experts, ruining my weeknight pasta dinners forever.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