Oro is the new Italian restaurant in the recently opened Rocco Forte Hotel. When we visited, we were ushered through the impressive hotel foyer and then into Oro itself, where we were greeted by the very friendly and super professional host and shown to our table.
Oro is a large restaurant with a large circular bar in the middle. The tables are intimate and cosy, perfect for a dinner date, and very tastefully decorated to suit a fine dining restaurant. Elegant lamps on each table were a nice touch.
Our waiter was very enthusiastic. After greeting us he told us about the chef, who is from Sicily. He then ran through some of the specialties on the menu and was told us all about each dish going into great detail.
The amuse-bouche was a lovely dish of fresh smoked salmon and polenta. A very unusual, but tasty combination. We were then each given a tasting plate of cod which was sensational. We were told that the purpose of the tasting plate was to tide us over since we had ordered the scampi risotto for our entrée and it would take about 15 minutes to cook.
Unfortunately, when the scampi risotto arrived it was very disappointing. The portion of scampi was small and the rice was not cooked properly at all. The latter was more of a surprise since it seemed that they had taken extra care in getting the dish out to us properly prepared, and which was why they had give us the cod tasting plate. The dish also lacked flavour, which was such a same as it sounded so promising. We also ordered the minestrone soup, which had delightful bursts of pesto throughout. The dish was tasty with lots of fresh vegetables.
For the main course we had the veal tenderloin which was a lovely cut of meat that was nicely cooked. It was accompanied by some bok choi and whimsically stacked potato. The dish was a little lacking in flavour, but overall it worked well. We also ordered a dish of sole that boasted pumpkin and vegetables. The fish was beautifully cooked and a very generous portion but we were saddened that the vegetables didn’t have a stronger presence on the plate, the pumpkin was merely a tiny smear.
Oro is a very nice restaurant with a wide and nicely thought out menu. If it could just iron out a few kinks this restaurant has the potential to be great.
The bill (for two)
Minestrone Dhs40
Scampi risotto Dhs65
Veal tenderloin Dhs165
Sole fish Dhs120
Total (excluding service) Dhs390
