Il Forno has been around for as long as I can remember. I think it made its debut when Abu Dhabi Mall opened its doors in the capital some time around the turn of the millennium. In my mind that's just yesterday, but in reality, it has been a decade. Anyway, Il Forno touts itself as an authentic Italian eatery, and while I think some of the items on their extensive menu border on the unique, I have a beef with some of their recipes/ingredients - pun intended.
Now despite being a foodie, I have to admit that I'm not much of a cook. I don't have the guts to handle raw meat and feel nauseous even looking at or smelling it, so that has greatly limited my exposure to cooking. But if there's one thing that I CAN put together in no time while ensuring that it tastes above average, it's red pasta sauce. And this is where Il Forno falters. In my humble opinion and not-so-limited experience, they need to tweak their red sauce a.s.a.p. because the current one tastes stale (on more than one occasion, at different venues) with an antiseptic aftertaste (go easy on the herbs maybe?). As a result, every item incorporating their red sauce is tainted with those flavors, completely ruining almost half the dishes on their menu. The other ingredient is their ground meat. I wish I could say it's tasteless, but it does have a very mild taste which is not too pleasant at all. I can't put my finger on what it is, but to me, it is a bit like chewing shredded tissue paper. As a result, I'm not going to be craving their Pizza Di Buffalo (AED 25) or Tagliatelle Bistesca (AED 35) any time soon, and their Spaghetti Bolognese is going to be something of a double whammy as you can imagine!
After my unpleasant run in with the aforementioned, I subconsciously fell into the habit of avoiding the place. Recently, I came across their revamped menu and decided to give it another go, this time optin
g for a 'Secondo' (Main Course) instead of the usual pastas. The decision turned out to be a good one as the Bistecca Alla Rosemarino (AED 71) was memorable for all the right reasons. The fancy sounding name loosely translates from Italian to char grilled steak with glazed rosemary and artichoke hearts sauce. The serving size was generous, the steaks perfectly cooked all the way through yet moist and juicy, the butter and artichoke heart sauce moreish and the grilled vegetables and baked potato perfectly done yet fresh. This was easily one of the best steaks I've had, so I guess Il Forno has found a way to redeem itself in my books with their mains.
Surprisingly, despite dining there several times over the years, I am yet to try any of their white sauce pastas. I should perhaps go back for that, but there's a reason why experience is so highly rated and mine says: Go for the mains.
g for a 'Secondo' (Main Course) instead of the usual pastas. The decision turned out to be a good one as the Bistecca Alla Rosemarino (AED 71) was memorable for all the right reasons. The fancy sounding name loosely translates from Italian to char grilled steak with glazed rosemary and artichoke hearts sauce. The serving size was generous, the steaks perfectly cooked all the way through yet moist and juicy, the butter and artichoke heart sauce moreish and the grilled vegetables and baked potato perfectly done yet fresh. This was easily one of the best steaks I've had, so I guess Il Forno has found a way to redeem itself in my books with their mains.Surprisingly, despite dining there several times over the years, I am yet to try any of their white sauce pastas. I should perhaps go back for that, but there's a reason why experience is so highly rated and mine says: Go for the mains.
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