Celebrating Roots at Vivaldi

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Vivaldi, the signature Italian restaurant at the Sheraton Creekside Hotel, has been a part of Dubai’s culinary landscape for a long time, but has fallen under the shadow of the newer restaurants that have come up over the years. Last year, the restaurant was revamped under the guidance of Michelin-starred chef Alfredo Russo, who also designed a new menu. As the festive season approaches, Vivaldi has chosen to celebrate Chef Russo’s roots in Northern Italy by showcasing the best of seasonal produce. The Root and Bulbs Menu focuses on root vegetables such as radishes, truffles and onions, as they are the most abundant during the frigid winters.

The restaurant is more spacious than I’d thought, and takes up a crescent-shaped space that overlooks a beautiful view of the creek and the Dubai skyline. The interiors are bathed in cool whites and grays with touches of blue, and there’s terrace seating available as well, but I opt to sit indoors.

The Roots and Bulbs menu has quite a few dishes that really pique my curiosity, especially dessert. I place my order and wait for the amuse-bouche. It arrives shortly, in the form of a cherry tomato cut in half and skewered, with a cube of mozzarella and a basil leaf sandwiched in between. The skewer is placed on one end of a log that has a bowl of olives in the center. It’s an interesting visual for a simple little bite. Along with this, there’s a bread basket comprising focaccia, bread made from pizza dough and another bread made with chickpea flour called farinata. The last one is so delicious that I can’t help snacking on it during my meal.

I begin with a duo of appetizers: Slow Poached Egg with Roots and Black Truffle, and Salt Baked White Onion with Gorgonzola Cheese, Croutons and Walnuts. The poached egg is garnished with thin slices of various roots including daikon, black truffle, carrots and beetroots. Most of the roots have been specially imported from Europe for this menu (there are purple radishes from France, for example) and they add a nice splash of color to the plate. The egg is perfectly poached, the yolk oozing out at a slight prod from my fork. The various roots create a nice mixture of bitter, sweet and earthy notes, but I wish I could distinguish their individual flavors a bit more.

The onion is prepared by slow cooking the unpeeled bulb in a salt crust until the insides become tender. They are then scooped out and seasoned, and the resulting mixture placed back inside the onion shell. The cooking process has brought the natural sugars of the onion to the fore, giving it a very sweet flavor; it’s essentially onion jam. The sharp and pungent gorgonzola on the other hand, has been transformed into a savory pouring cream mixed with walnut pieces. The nuts add a nice crunch, and the robust cheesy flavor balances out the sweetness of the onion.

For the main course, I have Salsify Risotto and Celery Root ‘Milanese’. The risotto is quite rich and has been finished off with a sweet Italian goat’s cheese. The main component, salsify, is a root quite similar to parsnip and with a supposedly distinct flavor. While I do get nice little savory bursts from the pieces of salsify in the risotto, as well as the pieces of radish used as a garnish, the overall flavor is just a little sweeter than I would have liked. I find myself missing the sharp salty tone that parmesan would have had.

The ‘Milanese’ is a style of cooking that usually involves coating a cut of meat in bread crumbs and pan-frying it in butter. For this dish, the technique is applied to celery root. The resulting dish is very light, without any oiliness or grease. The outer coating is very crisp and celery root almost melts in the mouth. Two dipping sauces are served with the dish. There’s a dark green parsley and caper sauce that’s quite bitter, and a bright red chili pepper sauce that’s just perfect to offset the buttery flavor of the Milanese.

Last, and certainly most intriguing for me, is the dessert of Bitter Chocolate Fondant with Parsnip Ice Cream and Milk. I would never say no to a chocolate fondant, and this one does not disappoint with its gooey and rich filling. However, it’s the parsnip ice cream that steals the show. I was curious about how well this root would lend itself to a dessert. After finding so many sweet notes in the savory courses, should come as no surprise that the ice cream was pleasingly sweet, but I never expected it to be so irresistible! There’s also a small glass of parsnip ‘milk’ extracted from the root and mixed with vanilla beans, which proves to be another pleasant surprise. It’s a clever strategy, luring people in with chocolate and then wowing their taste buds with parsnip.

I haven’t really had the chance to experience Vivaldi’s revamped menu, so I can’t speak for how good it is. The Roots and Bulbs Menu, however, is definitely one to be experienced. You get to enjoy a wonderful meal during the festive season, and without the food coma! Although the menu is seasonal, I really hope that they keep at least a few of these dishes on the menu permanently. I’d love to have some parsnip ice-cream during the summer!

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