We’re not sure what it is about Verso’s dining room that we love so much but we’ve been big fans of the Italian restaurant since it opened.We named it Best Newcomer at the Time Out Abu Dhabi Restaurant Awards 2018, in fact.
Maybe it’s the open kitchen, the stylish decor, or it could be the tiled mosaic of a cow on the wall, but the venue is relaxed, inviting and has always served up some good Italian food, too.
We’re surprised on our latest visit that we’re the only people in the restaurant. It’s a midweek evening but we still expcted to see more of a crowd. However, we’re not here to take attendance.
Despite the restaurant being quiet, the service is a little slow and our first four choices aren’t available. We resort to asking the server to tell us what is actually available, and after a quick discussion with the kitchen, she returns and lets us know.
The dishes we do get aren’t our first (or second, third or fourth) choices, so perhaps what follows is partly down to that disappointment. Despite the arancini being crisp we find them too sweet, and while the grilled fig and speck foccacia is pleasant, it doesn’t wow us. Pizzas are better, but the perfectly crisp crusts are in danger of being overwhelmed by the toppings.
We can chalk it up as an off-night this time.
