Rest : Dolce Vita
Meal : Dinner
Loc : Highstreet Phoenix
One of my post movie rituals at Phoenix High Street is to stop by Dolce Vita and then the Food Hall to see if any of my favourites have made an appearance (Strong Bow cider, Sarsons Malt Vinegar, McV's Jaffa Cakes etc) so far i have only found the malt vinegar at both places. Still 2 out of 3 ain't bad.
Post Avengers, whilst strolling around Dolce Vita, we decided to check out their Cafe and give the usual Moshe & Indigo Deli a miss. We could spy an empty table and that sealed the deal.
Dolce Vita is modelled after Dean & Deluca in spirit if not in size, while a cafe within a grocery store is fairly common abroad in India it is quite a rarity. The accent and product range within the store is high end and we assumed the menu would be the same.
The French Onion i had to order, thankfully the garlic toast came on the side, i have seen a few places set it afloat in the soup which makes it a bit of a soggy mess. The soup itself was good a little more flavour would have made it absolutely awesome.
Mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese were a no brainer, not bad either, i added a little extra balsamic vinegar on em and it went from good to great.
The Caprese was pretty good too, them Mediterranean folk really know how to keep it simple, caprese is a travel staple for us when in Europe. It came with a little balasmic drizzle, some flecks of pesto and some herbs. nicely done
The couscous salad should have been the first indicator of things to come, this was literally the biggest salad i have seen in this country. romaine, green beans, squash, olives and of course couscous.Not bad, a summery salad.
The wife uncharacteristically ordered a burger which she liked from the get go. Unfortunately this was again too big a dish, the giant bowl of crispy fries was brilliant but had to be left alone as well..
The burrito, served with sour cream and salsa, was nice. They were out of guacamole and i noticed the hub hub in the corner of the restaurant which indicated to me that they did not have fresh guacamole. I saw them trying to find some avocados in the restaurant but they weren't ready either.
A little disappointing but ive seen the same complaint made at (Sanchos, the erstwhile Taco Fresco, Sammy Sosa, only Starboard gets avocado on demands.. but then that's the Taj) Thankfully they did not try to fob us off with avocado paste (which the wife uses when avocados aren't available)
My only complaint here was that there were no refried beans in the burrito just rice.
I was far too stuffed to get the cheese course to finish off, the wife preferred to go with the server's recommendation the White Chocolate Fondant, the menu says its served with whisky ice cream but i think it was served with plain ol Vanilla.
I must say this is probably one of the best desserts available out there, up there with the Belgian Chocolate at Indigo Deli. Beyond delicious, this one is a must have. The wife wolfed it down and she is not a fan of white chocolate.
Overall, the space is decent and the menu attractive. The focus and style is definitely on the European side for the mains without being too Mediterranean which is refreshing to see.
I have seen crowds there most of the time, so the experiment must be working. However they should surely market it a little as a stand alone restaurant/ dining option as the food is good and should have a larger audience.
The service is warm and friendly but the dishes can take a little time to come around.
For the carnivores, they have a butcher shop where one can pick up meat or sea food and the chef will cook it as per your desire. They had some New Zealand Beef on sale, so steak aficionados, should check it out.
The pricing is on the higher side but cheaper than an Indigo Deli, so not a bank breaker. I did not notice till we were leaving that they have a full bar and cocktail menu beyond the wine list.
Food : 8/10
Service : 8/10
Damage : 2500 for 2 without drinks.
Meal : Dinner
Loc : Highstreet Phoenix
One of my post movie rituals at Phoenix High Street is to stop by Dolce Vita and then the Food Hall to see if any of my favourites have made an appearance (Strong Bow cider, Sarsons Malt Vinegar, McV's Jaffa Cakes etc) so far i have only found the malt vinegar at both places. Still 2 out of 3 ain't bad.
Post Avengers, whilst strolling around Dolce Vita, we decided to check out their Cafe and give the usual Moshe & Indigo Deli a miss. We could spy an empty table and that sealed the deal.
Dolce Vita is modelled after Dean & Deluca in spirit if not in size, while a cafe within a grocery store is fairly common abroad in India it is quite a rarity. The accent and product range within the store is high end and we assumed the menu would be the same.
However the menu was quite accessible, a world menu with a something for everyone vibe. Usually that is a red flag to me, because i have been to very few restaurants that can truly cater to everyone, including 5 star coffee shops. The mains are more or less European inspired which is different from the pasta heavy options in and around Phoenix.
Also happened to notice some old school favs, which you don't see around too much nowadays, French Onion soup being one, Creamed Spinach the other.
trusty ol tonic for the mrs.
superb ice tea, was so good i had another one right away
The French Onion i had to order, thankfully the garlic toast came on the side, i have seen a few places set it afloat in the soup which makes it a bit of a soggy mess. The soup itself was good a little more flavour would have made it absolutely awesome.
Mushrooms stuffed with goat cheese were a no brainer, not bad either, i added a little extra balsamic vinegar on em and it went from good to great.
The Caprese was pretty good too, them Mediterranean folk really know how to keep it simple, caprese is a travel staple for us when in Europe. It came with a little balasmic drizzle, some flecks of pesto and some herbs. nicely done
The couscous salad should have been the first indicator of things to come, this was literally the biggest salad i have seen in this country. romaine, green beans, squash, olives and of course couscous.Not bad, a summery salad.
The wife uncharacteristically ordered a burger which she liked from the get go. Unfortunately this was again too big a dish, the giant bowl of crispy fries was brilliant but had to be left alone as well..
The burrito, served with sour cream and salsa, was nice. They were out of guacamole and i noticed the hub hub in the corner of the restaurant which indicated to me that they did not have fresh guacamole. I saw them trying to find some avocados in the restaurant but they weren't ready either.
A little disappointing but ive seen the same complaint made at (Sanchos, the erstwhile Taco Fresco, Sammy Sosa, only Starboard gets avocado on demands.. but then that's the Taj) Thankfully they did not try to fob us off with avocado paste (which the wife uses when avocados aren't available)
My only complaint here was that there were no refried beans in the burrito just rice.
I was far too stuffed to get the cheese course to finish off, the wife preferred to go with the server's recommendation the White Chocolate Fondant, the menu says its served with whisky ice cream but i think it was served with plain ol Vanilla.
I must say this is probably one of the best desserts available out there, up there with the Belgian Chocolate at Indigo Deli. Beyond delicious, this one is a must have. The wife wolfed it down and she is not a fan of white chocolate.
Overall, the space is decent and the menu attractive. The focus and style is definitely on the European side for the mains without being too Mediterranean which is refreshing to see.
I have seen crowds there most of the time, so the experiment must be working. However they should surely market it a little as a stand alone restaurant/ dining option as the food is good and should have a larger audience.
The service is warm and friendly but the dishes can take a little time to come around.
For the carnivores, they have a butcher shop where one can pick up meat or sea food and the chef will cook it as per your desire. They had some New Zealand Beef on sale, so steak aficionados, should check it out.
The pricing is on the higher side but cheaper than an Indigo Deli, so not a bank breaker. I did not notice till we were leaving that they have a full bar and cocktail menu beyond the wine list.
Food : 8/10
Service : 8/10
Damage : 2500 for 2 without drinks.
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