Taste of Italy

There is one rule I have learnt about an Italian dinner after a rather special feast at Bice Mare the other night – this is not a cuisine you enjoy in a hurry. Each course deserves to be savoured and relished at length for the taste lingers long after you have finished your meal.
With the spectacular Dubai fountains providing the perfect backdrop for a great evening out, my friend and I began our culinary exploration. We prepared for what we knew was going to be a long and elaborate dinner with a fantastic Bellini to begin with.
Next up was a mixed seafood appetiser platter. Calamari, seafood salad (consisting of Italian tempura, prawns and tuna), a prawns-crab-lobster avocado salad, octopus salad and tuna and sea bass tartar – it was literally a feast for the eyes and the tummy! It was hard to pick a favourite but I couldn’t resist another helping of prawns, crab, lobster and avocado in pink salad – fleshy, slightly creamy and absolutely delicious.
It was time for the main course. We began with pasta calamara that was named thus because of its quirky, calamari-like shape! The second round of the main course comprised the very special Ricciola (king fish) dish – grilled fish accompanied by Italian rica salad, bread, capers, black olives and tuna. It was quite an explosion of flavours but outstanding, to say the least.
There was no room for dessert but since I believe in saving the best for the last, I helped myself to a generous bite of tiramisu and soufflé. By the time coffee was served, almost three hours had passed but who’s complaining? It’s not every day that you have food that can only be described as a true-blue foodie’s fantasy come true!
Info:
Where: Souk Al Bahar, Downtown Burj Khalifa, Dubai
Opening Hours: Open daily 12 am to4 pm and 6pm to 11pm
Contact: 04 423 0982 for reservations