La Dolce Vita Friday Brunch at Andiamo!

La Dolce Vita is Italian for "the sweet life."  Andiamo! means "let's go!" Put them together, and you get an invitation to enjoy a life full of pleasure and indulgence...or in my case last Friday, to a feast of delectable Italian dishes with Hubby and my two girls at Grand Hyatt Dubai's newly refurbished restaurant.

I remember being very satisfied with the food when I had dinner with my family at Andiamo! for my birthday three years ago; so having come from a tiring walking activity in the morning, I was really looking forward to our brunch that day.

As my family and I walked down the hotel steps and approached Andiamo! the first thing we saw was the bright red Vespa parked in front; and as you might have guessed, Caila and Sophie excitedly scrambled on and pretended to drive it.  If they could, I'm pretty sure they would have ridden it all around the hotel ☺

Upon entering the restaurant and once I gave my name, we were shown to our table just near the desserts.  I would have preferred sitting outside on the terrace, but unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating (it had been raining in the morning, followed by strong and sandy winds which lasted throughout the day).  Anyway, no biggie.  At least we had easy access to the sweets ☺

From what I remember about the old Andiamo, it had more of a dark lighting to it, probably brought about by the interiors that were mostly orange and red.  After its renovation, it became a more spacious and brighter place, giving off a more relaxed vibe to enjoy a delicious meal with friends or family.

What I particularly found interesting were these lights made from bottles.  Such a creative idea, don't you think?!

To tell you the truth, the only Italian food I know are pasta, pizza, tiramisu and panna cotta.  So aside from having our tummies filled, the brunch was also an opportunity for me to get to know what dishes from Italy I had been missing out on.  And apparently, there are a lot!

The Antipasti (appetizers) alone were very tasty and filling...there were so many to choose from, with a separate area for pork.  There were also Fritto Misto (a mix of fried seafood: calamari, prawns and red mullet with guacamole dip), Ostriche (oysters), and Formaggi Freschi (fresh cheese) including my new favorite: the melt-in-the-mouth Burrata cheese.  These are just a few of what we feasted on:

These lamb chops were amazing! Perfectly cooked and absolutely delizioso!

Caila only likes to eat cheese pizza, so she devoured two slices of those one after the other.

The breads and the cool mosaic-decorated oven

For pasta, diners could ask for Sicilia in Bocca or Tagliatelle Porcini.  Since I had no idea what Sicilia in Bocca was, I chose the latter...which was a good choice because it was very creamy and the porcini mushrooms were really tasty.  My girls practically emptied the plate!

This portion isn't much because I specifically asked the chef for a kid-size serving.

To be honest, I was already full when I ordered this, but I just had to try and see if it passed our

taste buds.  As you can tell, my kids and I loved it.

And of course, despite being full, we couldn't leave without having dessert.

I just love these butterfly accents made of edible chocolate. So pretty!

Don't these little happy faces just make you smile?! ☺

Being an Italian restaurant, you can expect that there was creamy tiramisu, coffee panna cotta, and ricotta canolli...all of which we savoured before trying out the other colorful and beautifully presented desserts.

After we had our fill, we checked out the terrazo.  I'm sure on a perfect (sunny and sandstorm-free) day, the tables would be set-up and occupied with guests who preferred to eat al fresco.  Unfortunately that day, the tables were covered in dust and sand brought about by the strong winds.

It wasn't so bad outside, though. The hotel's grass-covered lawn allowed Caila and Sophie to happily run around, and the small lakes with tranquil fountains were simply refreshing to look at.

So would we go back? Definitely! There were several dishes we kept going back for, and there were a few we would like to try but didn't...simply because our tummies were just too full ☺.  It's no wonder we felt abbiocco (drowsiness from eating a big meal) after.  And hopefully the next time we visit, the weather will be just right so we can enjoy dining al fresco in true Italian style.

Ciao for now! ☺

The La Dolce Vita Friday Brunch takes place between 12:30pm to 3:30pm.
Prices are Dhs199 with soft beverages and Dhs299 with free-flowing beers and wines.

Disclaimer: We were invited to try the La Dolce Vita Friday Brunch as guests, and although I was not obliged to write a review, I wanted to share our experience on my blog.  All views and opinions are my own.

Andiamo! 
Grand Hyatt Dubai
Oud Metha, Dubai
Phone: 04-3172221