Dino’s Bistro Italiano

With a vintage bicycle filled with flowers by the door, an American diner-style ‘Dino’s’ sign up on the wall and kitsch red-and-white checked tableclothes, Dino’s has a cool and casual vibe which comes as a refreshing suprise in a place as fancy as Abu Dhabi.

The staff are super friendly, and being asked to scrawl our names on the table with crayons just adds to our enjoyment. In fact, when we’re not gobbling up the Italian grub, we’re kept entertained by playing noughts and crosses. What can we say? It’s the simple things.

Dipping the warm, cheesy foccacia bread into the mix of balsamic vinegar and olive oil is a brilliant start, and the parmesan-dusted cauliflower fritti which follows soon after is just as lovely.  The big pile of battered vegetable is piping hot, covered in a generous dusting of cheese and served with a pot of aioli. However, we find that it goes just as well, if not even better, with the tomato dip that came with the bread.

Next up is the ricotta and spinach ravioli. The fresh pasta is cooked al dente, with just the right amount of bite, and topped with plenty of juicy tomato sauce. Once sprinkled with some chilli flakes and extra Parmesan, it’s pretty much perfect.

The signature scarpariello is a comforting stew-like dish of Italian sausage, peppers, chicken and onion. It tastes like a proper homemade country recipe, and it’s far more interesting than a standard margharita pizza.

We enjoy everything about it.