Haute Hangouts: Ristorante Loren, Dubai

5 min read

Can’t make it to Italy this summer? Ristorante Loren brings the Riviera to Palm Jumeirah

One of the many perks of living in the United Arab Emirates is its beachside gems, offering postcard-worthy views and a holiday ambience on our own sun-drenched shores. Nestled among beach clubs at The Club West Beach on Palm Jumeirah, Ristorante Loren is a breezy Italian restaurant ideal for whiling away the day from lunch to sundown(er). The interiors evoke the glamour of a bygone era on the Italian Riveria while the cuisine — modernised since then, thankfully — reflects and respects nostalgia through time-honoured recipes sprinkled with a Mediterranean flair.

While there is nothing particularly unexpected on the menu, what visitors can expect is well-executed Italian fare. The menu opens with a selection of raw starters including passionfruit-splashed Sicilian red prawn tartare and hokkaido scallop carpaccio before leading into shareable antipasti (if you can manage to not keep the golden, delicately fried anchovies all to yourself), pasta, pizza and generous mains. The succulent bistecca alla Fiorentina porterhouse steak is a must for the table, alongside burrata and pistachio-stuffed tortelli, plump ravioli packed with wagyu beef cheek and slow- cooked grilled octopus. Whether you wrap up with traditional tiramisù, hazelnut praline- filled profiteroles or take a gelato for the road, Ristorante Loren’s desserts are by no means an afterthought.

If you can’t escape the country this summer, abandon your office for the afternoon to lose yourself in Ristorante Loren’s brand-new business lunch. A curated three-course menu of Italian favourites (angus beef tartare and orecchiette with spicy nduja are no-brainers) is up for grabs from 12 noon to 4pm, giving you the perfect excuse to ignore that ever-growing inbox just a little while longer. Book now

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  • Words by Savanna Smith