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ONE of the joys of reviewing the island’s dining scene is that on occasions you uncover an absolute gem … and the Il Gondoliere, a newly-opened Italian restaurant in Seef, oozes class and delivers delights, offering a menu, which in these challenging times, is perfectly priced.
Although a part of The Asdal Gulf Inn, the restaurant has its own entrance off the car park, and has the feel of a traditional homely tavern with pictures, décor and delightful displays of colourful pasta to put diners in the mood.
The menu has been devised by Executive Chef Ibrahim Boubaker, who specialises in Italian and French cuisines and has been recruited to lead the kitchen team after an 11-year spell in neighbouring UAE.
The true test of Italian cuisine comes in the shape of a pizza and with the starting price of a La Pizza A Vostra Scelta a mere BD3.500++ and a special built-in oven taking centre stage, it was not long before the taste buds were being tantalised.
I brought along my teenage son, Stan, a pizza connoisseur, to put it to the taste test. He arrived ravenous from school and couldn’t decide what delight to add to the dish from the extensive list of extras which included bell peppers (500fils++) or extra cheese (BD1++).
Chef Ibrahim took charge by suggesting he try one of the speciality pizza dishes, the giant signature Il Gonoliere (BD9.500++) featuring tomato sauce, mozzarella, smoked salmon, beef bresaola, shrimps and rocca.
It looked magnificent as it arrived on the table and tasted even better. The secret of a successful pizza is the special flour used, the heat of the oven being at just the correct temperature and the crispy crust finish, and pizza chef Suhail Mahal was spot on with his endeavours.
Whilst young Stan was busy tucking into his perfect plate the good lady wife, Kathryn, indulged in the Insalata di Mare (BD4.200++) starter, a seafood salad featuring squid, shrimps and octopus.
Personally, I needed something hotter. For the last few days I’ve been suffering from a dreadful dose of man flu (sincere sympathy accepted although it was a lot worse than that) spread like the plague across the office by a contagious colleague (assistant production editor Zahid), although he still believes it was passed on to him by others.
Chef Ibrahim’s kitchen team came to the rescue with a bowl of Zuppa de Cozze (BD4.200) the best cold cure conjured up since GulfWeekly’s former assistant editor Marie-Claire came up with a hot honey homemade tot.
The sensational soup put together by sous chef Isaac Raju contained a marvellous mixture of mussels sautéed with extra virgin olive oil and garlic, chilies and tomato and cleared my head in seconds. Thank you, it really ought to be available on prescription.
Now I was ready and able to assault the main courses. Red meat loving Kathryn went for Angnello in Crosta di Erbette Cremagliera (BD9.800++), a perfectly cooked medium-rare, as requested, herb- crusted rack of lamb with vegetable ragout and potato gnocchi.
I remained on the fish theme and once more made for the speciality section to put the Tunisian culinary wizard to the ultimate Mediterranean test. I once tried this dish at an Egon Ronay- recommended establishment and raved about it for years.
The Il Gondoliere did not disappoint with a perfect Pesce al Cartoccio (BD9.500++), a marinated Red Snapper cooked in foil to offer a combination of texture and taste, served with parsley and lemon sauce, green vegetables and roasted baby potatoes.
It was Mother’s Day (UK version) on Sunday and the pastry chefs presented Kathryn with a special chocolate cake to celebrate the occasion. The Panna Cotta (BD3.200++) and the Cheesecake Morbida (BD2.200++), two strawberry sensations on the desserts tray will have to wait until another day.
A ‘must’ destination for a dinner date for the whole family and Pradeep Kurup, food and beverage manager, tells me that a special lunch-time menu is also about to be unveiled in the coming days. The Seef district office dwellers don’t realise how lucky they are … but they soon will.
General manager Hans Joachim Radek recently promised to offer guests ‘good food, good cheer and good times’ and his team, with a special mention to knowledgeable waitress Charito, appears to be delivering.
Asdal Gulf Inn, operated by Gulf Hotels Group, is located on Road 2830, Block 428. To book a table at Il Gondoliere, call 66311537.
