Restaurant Review: La Serre Bistro

Located on the first floor of the stylish Vida boutique hotel in Downtown Dubai, La Serre Bistro offers one of Dubai’s finest dining experiences.

On entering the bistro, I was greeted with a busy atmosphere, one that I frankly didn’t expect to find since I visited the restaurant on a weekday. Welcomed by smartly dressed staff we walked to the dining terrace, passing the bar on the right and the open-plan kitchen to the left.

In contrast to the dimly lit arrival area, the dining area with floor-to-ceiling glass windows was radiant and we naturally got drawn to a table nearest the window. Allowing us to take in the sunshine and views of Dubai’s clear blue skies and the boulevard below, the waiter, Tiago, handed us an impressive beverage list. Establishing an instant rapport, the talented waiter was swift to understand the concerns my strictly vegetarian and teetotaller friend had, particularly as there wasn’t a separate vegetarian section on the menu. It was a delight to see the waiter come up with informed choices, an expertise that gives additional value to any dining experience.

Choosing from a wide selection of premium spirits, wines and cocktails, I decided to go with a glass of vino while my friend opted for a watermelon de orgeat, which turned out to be a refreshing concoction of watermelon, orange, lime and orgeat syrup.

For starters, my friend chose the salade de choux-fleur from the Mediterranean inspired menu created by head chef, Izu. The delicately slivered cauliflower paired with orange and almond tasted simply divine. The lobster salad that I picked was artistically tossed with feta, basil and watermelon and tasted delicious without weighing you down. So I went on to try the semi smoked and marinated salmon done with shreds of onions and lime. The finely sliced salmon was again light, fresh and delectable.

Waiting for our mains, we sat back sipping our beverages and comfortably slipped into a deep conversation. Thankfully, the tables were well spaced out and offered a sense of privacy and we were only interrupted when the waiter came with the mains. My friend was recommended the grilled aubergine with feta and I decided on the grilled Chilean seabass with Soisson white beans. The grills were succulent and the accompanying dishes of tomato and mozzarella tortelli with pesto and truffle oil, gnocchi with cherry tomatoes, garlic and Parmesan fitted in perfectly.

We rounded it all off sharing a dessert of mixed berry juice with ice cream and a lemon tart. Overall, we enjoyed every morsel and each dish we tasted had an exceptional balance of flavours.

La Serre certainly seems to be doing everything right when it comes to offering the perfect atmosphere in which to impress clients, with rich, indulgent dishes and décor to match.