Per Te: A Cosy Lunch "Per Me"

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On a mild winter afternoon, I find myself wandering the streets of Jumeirah while quizzically examining the GPS on my phone. I’m on my way to Per Te for lunch. While there is an outlet in Business Bay, I’m checking out the main restaurant behind Jumeirah Plaza. Soon enough, I stumble upon what appears to be a little neighborhood café on a quiet street corner. It’s an interesting choice to set up the restaurant away from any main roads, which only adds to the ‘neighborhood joint’ vibe.

On entering the restaurant, I discover it’s much more spacious than it seems, with four main dining areas: two on the ground floor, one on the first floor, and a terrace.  The main dining room has a slightly rustic look with wooden seating and large windows, but is also a bit cluttered, sharing space with a café, open pizza kitchen and retail area. It’s an odd mix, like a casual eatery that’s masquerading as a fine dining restaurant without a license to serve wine.

Per Te has a separate vegetarian menu, which is always a plus, and it’s a fairly extensive one at that. The customary bread basket arrives shortly after I place my order, containing pieces of freshly baked focaccia with tomatoes and mushrooms. These are presented alongside three dipping sauces: arrabiata, basil pesto and sun-dried tomato. The bread is nicely fluffy and all three sauces are good, though I’m partial to the tomato.

As I’m finishing up with the bread, my appetizer of Zuppa di Funghi, or wild mushroom soup, arrives. It’s creamy but not too rich and has the deeply earthy flavor that one would expect from any mushroom-based dish. A dollop of mascarpone adds an extra level of creaminess, but the soup would have been just fine without it. There’s a decent spread of main courses to get through, so I hold off on trying out any other appetizers.

The next dish to arrive is Orecchiette con Brocolli e Asparagi, which is one of Per Te’s signature vegetarian dishes. It’s a bright and cheery looking dish, topped off with purple micro herbs and sliced asparagus tips. The orecchiette is just shy of al dente, and has an almost slippery texture that goes well with the cherry tomato and butter sauce. All the flavors are perfectly balanced, with the sauce and pasta providing a rich background for the sharp notes of the asparagus and broccoli.

The Risotto con Giardino Giallo, or Pumpkin and Zucchini Risotto is another bright dish with its vivid orange hue, dotted with small pieces of pumpkin. The flavor strikes a good balance between sweet and savory, but the risotto has more of a soup-like consistency than I’d expect, with quite a bit of liquid in the bowl. Another dollop of mascarpone makes an appearance here, though it seems less superfluous than it did with the appetizer.

My final savory course is the Pizza Alla Verdure, adds even more color to the table. It’s not very cheesy at all, shifting the focus more toward the vegetable toppings such as broccoli, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and eggplant. Combined with a nice crisp crust, it is a decent mix of tart, bitter and savory flavors.

I finish up with an eggless semifreddo, which is served with chopped strawberries, crushed pistachios and a dark caramel sauce. The whole thing is surrounded by a ‘cage’ of solidified caramel and topped off with a caramel shard. As with the main courses, there is a beautiful use of color, with the gold of the caramel contrasted against the bright red berries. The semifreddo itself tastes nice, but the visually interesting caramel elements end up being a distraction when it comes to taste as they’re just too sweet. I end up leaving the cage alone for the most part.

Per Te offers a tranquil dining experience that’s well suited for a quiet lunch getaway or a relaxed night out. While it’s not the best Italian food I’ve had, the flavors are quite good overall. Maybe I should spend some more time roaming around the Jumeirah streets. You never know, there might be a great Mexican place right around the corner.

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