Coming up Rosina

If you haven't been down to the Corniche public beach area, you really should give it a try. In the mood for Italian, we strolled over to Rosina Bellina, the restaurant closest to the family beach and – in terms of menu – arguably the swankiest of the semi-circle.

With heaps of shaded, comfortable seating lining the beach along the waterfront, the Corniche is home to all kinds of good eats and the view of the sparkling water and well-maintained beach is nothing short of spectacular, especially at sunset.

Going back to the basics, we appeased the kids – who were exhausted after a rigorous play on the nearby playground – with Hawaiian pizza. Anyone with more refined tastes might want to try the seafood  or tenderloin but since we were dining without shoes on, we opted for the simpler pleasure of lasagne.

Even if the food had been inedible, the experience alone would be well worth the trip – feeling the breeze off the sea while we watched the people strolling by and the sun set in the distance was the perfect way to kick off the weekend. As it turned out, the lasagne was delightfully meaty yet gooey and decadent, the pizza crisp and satisfying.

The rest of the menu at Rosina Bellina is just one reason we'll be back. Between the clean public toilets, the ATM, Cold Stone Creamery, Seattle's Best Coffee, Cinnabon and several other eateries we're eager to try, the Corniche beach has way more to offer than you'd ever know if all you did was drive by.

Laura Fulton

What? Rosina Bellina
Where? Public beach at the intersection of 30th/Khaleej Al Arabi and the Corniche
Cost: A steal – most items around AED 50, nothing more than AED 90
We say: 100 percent worth the AED 4 you’ll pay for the Mawaqif
Contact: 02 639 0587