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.
