Olive Garden - Sheikh Zayed Road - Dubai

[caption id="attachment_3495" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Our dining table at Olive Garden[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3509" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Olive Garden - Interiors[/caption]

There is this new Italian restaurant that just opened on sheikh zayed road by the name Olive Garden. My friend who went to the US recently told me about their good food so I thought I must go and have a try. This one's located just opposite to Time Square on sheikh Zayed road. It's a little difficult to notice if you don't keep your eyes open on the right side once you reach close to Time Square centre. They have a branch in AbuDhabi as well. We were in here for lunch and the interiors were cozy enough to make you feel at home.

[caption id="attachment_3483" align="aligncenter" width="678"] Drinks - (left - Frozen Tiramisu - Dhs 22) and right (Strawberry Fresco - Dhs 20)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3490" align="aligncenter" width="678"] Bellini - Dhs 20 - made with indulgent signature frozen blend of bellini and fresh peach fruits[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3482" align="aligncenter" width="705"] complimentary starters at Olive Garden[/caption]

We first picked our drinks

1. Strawberry Fresco - A sweet fruity cocktail made from strawberries, served with fresh strawberries and topped with soda


2. Peach Bellini - Frozen blend of Bellini and fresh fruits.


3. Frozen Tiramisu - A combination of espresso, vanilla and almond syrups, cocoa powder and ice cream.

Whatever drinks you order, don't miss the strawberry Fresco. It is a mind blowing refresher. Quite impressive that the other drinks just went into shadow including the Frozen Tiramisu. While we waited for our drinks came their complimentary bread sticks and two different dippers. Their fresh bread sticks and the dippers made a great match which gave us a good start :)

[caption id="attachment_3484" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Soups - Dhs 18 - Minestrone(infront) and chicken Gnocchi soup[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3487" align="aligncenter" width="705"] house salad - complimentary with any maincourse[/caption]

The one nice thing about their lunch was you get to choose a complimentary soup or salad along with your order of a maincourse and that too it's unlimited refill! Their classic Italian soup called minestrone was top notch which was a combination of vegetables, beans and pasta in a light tomato broth. Their house salad looked simple but definitely a salad that anyone will enjoy.

[caption id="attachment_3485" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Lasagna Fritta - Dhs 38 - Parmesan breaded lasagna pieces, fried and served over alfredo sauce topped with parmesan cheese and marinara sauce[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3489" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Lasagna Fritta - Dhs 38[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3486" align="aligncenter" width="705"] shrimp scampi fritta - Dhs 39 - lightly breaded and fried shrimp, tossed with a garlic and butter sauce or a spicy cherry pepper sauce[/caption]

Their shrimps came small in size and was light on taste. But the man of the match to me in this department was the Lasagna fritta which came like towers lined up on a plate. It was cheesy and crunchy.

[caption id="attachment_3491" align="aligncenter" width="705"] chicken scampi - Dhs 59 - chicken breast tenderloins sauteed with bell peppers, roasted garlic and onions in a garlic cream sauce over angel hair pasta[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3493" align="aligncenter" width="705"] ravioli di portobello - Dhs 59 - portobello mushroom filled ravioli in a creamy smoked cheese and sun dried tomato sauce[/caption]

The chicken scampi had a good portion size and was satisfying. The pasta along with chicken scampi had a nice flavour to it but their chicken was less tender. The stuffed ravioli didn't reach up to my expectation. I thought they could improve the sauce used on top of the portobello mushroom filled ravioli. Next visit I should definitely try their pizza, they looked yummy.

[caption id="attachment_3494" align="aligncenter" width="705"] wildberry cheesecake - Dhs 27[/caption]

Their warm apple crostata(sliced apples, rich vanilla cream and caramelized almond biscotti crumble baked with a shortbread cookie crust) looked interesting but I was overstuffed to have something that heavy so I picked the wildberry cheesecake. The wildberry cheesecake was fab. The cake was supersoft and delicious with all those berries and slices of cream cheese in between the soft vanilla cake. It's a dessert you can have, even if you are not a cheesecake fan ;)

[caption id="attachment_3496" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Me along with chefs and staff of Olive Garden[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3498" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Goodbye chocolates at Olive Garden[/caption]

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