Luigia - Amazing Italian in Strange Surrounds
Promising the best of Italy - Luigia at the Rixos Premium on JBR seems to be making a pretty bold claim. While there aren’t many would be competitors along the strip other than the highly rated Bianca, it would seem that Luigia is a very sensible choice if they can deliver.
Having been imported by two very switched on Italian gents by the names of Luigi Guarnaccia and Enrico Coppola who have their restaurants scattered all over Switzerland this outlet at the Rixos prides itself on sourcing the best quality, freshest Italian ingredients and supposedly uses recipes lovingly handed down from generation to generation of Italian grandmothers. Now whether actually true or not, it turns out that they’re pretty good at creating Wood Fired Pizzas. Speaking of pizzas their menu boasts dozens of them, listed in a somewhat strange way – based on their toppings.
Menu quirks aside – it should be noted that the menu itself is actually pretty large and in Italian so perhaps a little over whelming to take in at first glance, no matter just pick a pizza and a pasta and you’ll be ok.
On this occasion the choices were the Linguine alle Vongole (AED 120), the amazing Lapa Pizza (AED 90) with bresaola and a Classic Margherita (AED 69). For some extra excitement, a few sides were also on order which included the Patate Gioiose (AED 45) and a piece of the highly vaunted Luigia Petali (AED 60) which is a petal of pizza wrapped with turkey ham and topped with truffle.
Starting with the sides, the Patate was excellent. A heady mix of potatoes and pardon peppers it was seasoned well and tasted great. Despite its pedigree the slightly burnt Luigia Petali showed signs of brilliance but in reality fell a little short on execution. At this price point per piece it seems a little steep.
On to the mains and well, what can I say? The Pizza was excellent.
The combination of traditional toppings and a wood fired oven is a recipe for pizza brilliance and this is what Luigia delivered. Both the Classic and the Lapa were simply outstanding with the Lapa possibly being one of the absolute best pizzas ever encountered in the city. It was soft yet crispy, you fold it and bite with that crunch that you want while still being sumptuous. The bresaola and the cheese combining beautifully. This is a must try.
After stuffing ourselves with two pizzas and the starters there was only one dish left to go and the Vongole was definitely a more than competent rendition of this classic pasta dish. This is one of my all time favorite pasta dishes, it’s extremely basic and relies on perfect execution of the best possible ingredients. The saltiness of the clams goes perfectly well with the nicely cooked pasta and the fresh parsley. The broth was very light and could have done with a little more punch and at 120 AED one could argue that it was a little light on in the clam stakes. Overall it was very nice but not such a great value for money choice.
By now you would know that I tend to get excited about design and details, which leads me to offer an opinion on the somewhat strange choices for the decor here at Luigia. In this instance the less said the better. You could describe the overall design style as being quirky but that would be being overly polite. Let’s just say the combination of red and lavender is not for everyone.
Bottom Line:
The jarring interiors do nothing to compliment the beautiful food, in say the same way Bianca presents a lovely and humble rustic feeling that suits the offer perfectly. On the other hand, Luigia is bold, bright and brash and doesn’t feel homely in any way, shape or form but the food is excellent if not a little expensive.
A few visits in now and it’s pretty clear that the food is great, but without wanting to labor the point, it is at the top end of the scale price wise - which in my opinion always warrants service excellence. On each occasion however, the service has been spotty at best.
Taking the lack luster service and crass interiors into account the overall experience comes across as being slightly impersonal and disjointed. For me this type of thing usually relegates a review to the lower end of the spectrum but being honest, the food is seriously good even if there are some quibbles around the overall dining experience.
Is this the best of Italy? Probably not. Is it worth a visit?
Definitely yes.
