Takeaway talent - Brilliantly Bricco
As food lovers, Abu Dhabi Week should know better: just because a place has Michelin stars behind its name doesn’t mean the food’s amazing, for example. Similarly, overlooking a back street burger joint just because it’s a back street burger joint may have us miss out on a really yummy opportunity. But in a city famed for world class food, we can sometimes become a little biased. So we’re a little embarrassed to say that we rang up mall chain Bricco Café for takeout with little expectation. Embarrassed because the delivery guy dropped off some of the best Italian we’ve ever had in the capital.
Let’s talk about their spaghetti all’ortolana first. We just love it when a dish can hold its own without the help of meat or fish. The BC team do a great job masking the fact that zucchini and eggplant are pretty flavourless vegetables, as they stand out deliciously when all tumbled up in ricotta cheese and tomato sauce, and showered in paprika. And the juicy burst of cherry tomatoes adds even more life to this simple, classic and memorable meal. So simple, you could probably fool your friends into thinking you yourself made it (just don’t forget to throw out the boxes). One other simple pasta dish worthy of note is the spaghetti alla carbonara tossed in a delightfully creamy sauce (though look out for the inclusion of pork).
And their salads, although featuring typical ingredients, taste curiously fresh and exciting. We wouldn’t get bored if we ate the Insalata Mediterranea every day – a healthy, heaped bowl of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, corn, black olives, tuna and boiled eggs.
And their pizza: a thin, crisp crust littered with clean, colourful and quality ingredients always beats the thick, doughy, oil-drenched chain brand variety, and you can’t choose a better stay-at-home-on-the-sofa treat than their four cheese pie with mozzarella, emmenthal, brie, gorgonzola and walnuts.
It sounds strange, but it’s delicious.
Several carbohydrates and evenings in with Bricco later, this Italian joint still has Abu Dhabi Week impressed, and completely unfazed by how much of a couch potato we’ve become.
What? Bricco Cafe
Where? Al Wahda Mall and Khalidiyah Mall
Cost: Feed a family of four with just AED 200
Why? For brilliant Italian. Khalidiyah Mall’s mall manager (an Italian) didn’t station a branch just opposite his mall office for nothing.
Why not? The only frustration may be trying to explain your location to the delivery man if you don’t live close to a landmark. But order a few times, and they’ll soon remember your address.
We say: Bravos for Bricco!
Contact: 02 635 4162 (Khalidiyah);
02 443 7751 (Al Wahda)
