Abu Dhabi Country Club’s new restaurant, Mondo, is aiming to tick a lot of boxes. The prices, full Italian menu and formal tableware all suggest evening dining. At the same time, cranked-up air conditioning and a bright, leisure-centre colour scheme give the place more of a daytime vibe, especially since the doors open out on to the club’s swimming pool area. Although we visited for dinner, we pictured families spending the day splashing about outside and then popping into Mondo for a quick bite.
Our meal began with bread and pesto, which we made very short work of, and, fortunately, a huge antipasto platter wasn’t far behind. Fried calamari rings, roasted Mediterranean vegetables and dressed salad leaves really hit the spot and were packed with flavour, but a heavy-handed serving of beef slices and a handful of icy-cold prawns were less well-judged.
The menu of pizza, pasta, and meat and fish dishes was very routine, so after a while spent poring over the options in search of some standout dishes, we settled for the Italian classics of quatro staggioni pizza, lasagne and a caprese salad. These were hit and miss. The pizza was covered in chopped egg, processed meat, mushrooms, artichokes and spinach, and had a perfectly crisped base. But at Dhs60, fresh meat would have been a far more satisfying topping, and too many dried herbs sprinkled on top left a tinny aftertaste. Not a bad effort overall, but for a restaurant calling itself a pizzeria, it wasn’t as good as it should have been. As for the rest of the meal – the hefty lasagne was weighed down with layers of melted cheese, but the caprese salad was a resounding success, packed with buffalo mozzarella, big juicy tomatoes and plenty of fresh basil.
Mondo is a decent spot for relaxed poolside dining, but not worth going out of your way for if you’re after a top-notch evening meal.
The bill (for two)
Antipasto Dhs110
4 staggioni Dhs60
Caprese salad Dhs65
Lasagne Dhs78
Total (excluding service) Dhs313
