A Fine Dining Experience at Sabella’s at the Ajman Hotel

On the first floor of the beautiful Ajman Hotel, Sabella’s is an expansive, beautiful space, with indoor and al fresco dining available-overlooking the beach. The tables are spaced apart here, resonating a feeling of close-knit privacy, and along with the classy neutral color scheme, adds an understated luxurious ambiance. The menu of Sabella’s has been completely reworked by Chef Dario-who has infused his personal touch to create an entire menu based on fresh, innovative, and delicious Italian dishes.

We began with their freshly baked bread basket with artichoke and tomato dips, with fresh olives. Since it is cold and chilly outside in the UAE these days, we opted for the unique white truffle tomato soup and the Burrata to start. The soup was a really creamy, heady blend of flavors-what was the most interesting part was that despite it being a tomato soup, it was a cream color. The truffles were also nicely muted, only enhancing, not overpowering it. The Burrata salad-always a hit with us-was mild in flavor, with baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and a drizzle of pomegranate dressing.

All of us opted to try different kinds of pasta-mine was one I have always loved the ravioli ricotta e spinaci which was, as the name implies, spinach and ricotta cheese ravioli with a delectable cheese fondue with dehydrated tomato, olives, and fresh basil. The other was the tagliatelle funghi E tartufo which was the homemade tagliatelle with sautéed mushrooms, herbs, and a truffle infusion and pecorino cheese. And finally, the showstopper-mezzelune al nero di sepia-a beautifully plated and colorful squid ink ravioli with a seafood stuffing, tomatoes, basil and saffron sauce.

We also sampled their authentic capricciosa Italian pizza, a thin crust tomato topped with mozzarella, turkey ham, olives, artichokes, and mushrooms and was actually very light and crispy.

The standout for me was the pistachio encrusted salmon served over a bed of fennel and leeks, with a light smattering of pomegranate and citrus to complete the flavors. I really liked this as I normally avoid salmon due to the strong flavors, but this was light and the pistachio crust heightened the flavors.

Desserts here are also authentic Italian; we began with a yummy deeply chocolaty cake type of ganache-topped with hot chocolate sauce in the center and served in crème anglaise. The other sweet treat was the pannacotta al frutto della passion or the pannacotta with passion fruit-a light, refreshing sweet treat which perfectly rounded up this superb dining experience.

The Verdict: Sabella’s is Ajman’s best fine dining venue with an all-new menu created by Chef Dario that not only boasts delicious Italian dishes, but has innovated to create healthy, light, and flavorful food that is not only delicious but beautifully presented.

Visit: www.hotelajman.com/restaurants.html