Ladies who lunch Italian-style, plus a competition – brought to you by Bice Mare
Dubai; With the festive season fast approaching, we have an end of year competition to win not just one but two prizes FooDiva Friends – both courtesy of Italian seafood ristorante Bice Mare at Souk Al Bahar.
Thanks to new Executive Chef Francesco Guarracino (Italian of course, from Sorrento) at the helm, Bice Mare has recruited an 11-strong all Italian kitchen team from the Federazione Italiano Cuochi (World Association of Chef Societies in Italy) who all hail from different Italian regions, each with their own distinctive cooking methods, style and expertise. I am not sure how many Italian restaurants in Dubai can stake a similar claim?
Chef Francesco has just introduced a special Ladies Lunch menu every single day of the week. So whether you’re a lucky lady of leisure, or can only spare the time at weekends, the four-course lunch menu priced at only AED 120 including fresh fruit juices and soft drinks is a steal. We’re also told the odd bloke may join the gang! Dishes are light using minimal olive oil and dressing, whilst rich ingredients like cream and butter are substituted with yoghurt. Here’s a taster of the current menu, but expect ingredients to change with seasonality of produce.
Starters
Trilogia di crostacei e avocado – avocado stacked with crab, lobster and king prawns in a light pink seafood sauce
OR
Insalata mista organica con caprino caldo su crostone all’erba cipollina – organic mixed salad served with warm goats cheese and chive croutons
OR
Insalata di aragosta con frutta esotica in salsa di yogurth e basilico – lobster and mango salad with a yoghurt and basil dressing
Primi piatti
Ravioli con aragosta gamberetti e vongole – home-made ravioli filled with lobster, cooked with prawns, clams and cherry tomatoes
OR
Spaghetti di farina di Segale Integrale, con granchio e rucola – spaghetti tossed with crab and Italian wild rocket
Main courses
Sogliola al limone con mosaico di verdure croccanti – lightly cooked lemon sole served with crunchy baby Italian vegetables
OR
Dea del mare con tortino di spinaci e pomodorini – pan seared crispy sea bass with sautéed spinach and tomato concassee topped with a herb crust
Dessert
Macedonia di frutta con sorbetto del giorno – fresh fruit salad with BiCE Mare’s homemade sorbet of the day
Hands down FooDiva’s favourite starter is the warm, slightly melted goats cheese on chive bruschetta and bed of salad, followed by the perfectly al dente spaghetti with crab and rocket as primi piatti. For main, opt for the sea bass fillet, just make sure to insist it’s cooked seared so that the fish falls off your fork releasing the flavour. As for the sweet stuff, the home-made sorbet on my visit was a rich, juicy mango on a bed of freshly diced fruit – the mango on its own is sufficient to cleanse the palate. A scattering of petals garnish all the plates – pretty as a picture.
Food aside, the beauty of Bice Mare is its location smack bang in front of Dubai’s magical fountains which now even spout out during the day. So make sure to book a terrace table.
And now for our competition to win two prizes; the Ladies Lunch for four gals including soft drinks/ fresh juices AND a dinner for two at Bice Mare with house beverages. FooDiva Friends in Dubai, all you need to do is tell us your favourite Italian dish. Leave your answer as a comment on this post. You can increase your chances of winning by also Liking and commenting on my Facebook page, and retweeting my tweet mentioning @foodivaworld.
The competition closes in one week on Wednesday 21st December when the clock strikes midnight, and we’ll pick two winners randomly out of a pasta bowl on Thursday 22nd December. Remember to leave your email so we can notify you – you’ll have 24 hours to claim your prize otherwise we’ll just have to select another winner.
Bice Mare at Souk Al Bahar overlooking Dubai’s magical fountains. Open daily for lunch and dinner. The Ladies Lunch menu is available daily from 12.30 – 3.30pm for AED 120 including fresh fruit juices. Licensed. T; +971 4 4230982.
Good luck!
A bientôt.
FooDiva. x
On the whole I just love Italian Cuisine. Its my favourite cuisines of all. But the dish that I love most is Ravioli di Ricotta e Spinaci. I just love the smoothness of the ricotta along with the pesto cream sauce.
I hope my love for Italian cuisine enables me to win this competition 🙂
just one italian dish? impossible! but, if forced, a plateful of spaghetti alla vongole followed by a glass of limoncello overlooking the bay of naples in sorrento…
To me, Italian food represents simplicity at its best. My favorite dish is just that, simple and delightfully flavorful. Spaghetti aglio e oglio. Yella! Mangiamo!
Lasagna is my favorite Italian Dish. Beef Lasagna or Chicken Lasagna, best Italian food. Then many others also I like from Italian Cuisine.
Ohhhh! I love the simplicity and freshness of Italian cuisine especially a piping hot oven-fresh Margherita pizza!
I love traditional Neapolitan lasagna.
I would have to say rissoto. The combination of cheese and rice, topped with truffle mushrooms is just unbeatable!
This is indeed a steal – top of my list of places to visit now…and would love some help via Foodiva! Risotto funghi is always my first choice if it’s on a menu. It can be great (it can be awful but that’s another story) with the best ingredients and technique….simply sublime.
I love a beautifully prepared fresh clams and linguini . . . that just sings with the fresh sea air!
PS Just checked out the blog who was awarded first place . . can’t hold a candle, or soup spoon,, to yours!Foodiva is my favorite!
You’re so sweet Katie thank you. The other blogs are so well established, I am the young kid on the block so very grateful to have even been nominated let alone come second 🙂 It’s only thanks to fans like you! x
I love Italian food and my favourite dish is the Quattro formaggi pizza.
my favorite italian dish would have to be a funghi risotto with a nice drizzle of truffle oil. it’s so simple yet hearty and delicious!
My favorite Italian dish is Chicken parmigiana, I love this classic dish – mouth watering and delicious.
To pick only 1… impossible. Well not really but it’s quite hard. I’m going to go with home-made pasta with home-made pesto.
A beautiful thin-crust buffalo mozzarella pizza comes next, then lasagne. :-p
Having the hardest time ever Picking out my favorite Italian Dish!
My mind is currently exploding just imagining the flavours of evrything from a simple bruschetta to wild mushroom risotto to the amarena Cherry Tiramisu.
But THE ONE thing that instantly transports me back to Itally Would be an Incredible Thin Crust Pizza Margherita !!! It just couldn’t get any Simpler than THAT!!!
Aubergine Parmigana
I love a tasty lasagne. With a nice sald on the side and a glass of wine. Bliss 🙂
Insalata mista organica con caprino caldo su crostone all’erba cipollina – organic mixed salad served with warm goats cheese and chive croutons
Ravioli !!!!! 🙂
Though i dont make too much innovation with my food, always like my asian cuisine but one day somebody offered me cheese pasta with chicken and wine , believe me it was just like heaven, now i die for pasta, however it is cooked.
being a vegeterian, Caponata is my fav.
I love everything italian….but foodwise I would say all antipasti dishes like prosciutto and all their cheeses!!!!!
Ravioli with goat cheese stuffing. Slurp!
Oh, it’s tough to choose just one, but my absolute favorite would be chicken parmigiana.
My all time favorite Italian food is Pizza Margherita! Just keeping it simple!
I always look forward to eating Linguine ai Frutti di Mare whenever I go to Italian restaurant. That’s the first thing I searched in their menu. 🙂
My fav Italian dish would be pizza! You can eat it with different toppings, thin or thick crust but its always yummy!
Mamma Mia!! I love Italian food and have a couple of favourites like the amazing Fettucine Alfredo,Lasagna and Gnocchi with pesto sauce complete with a sweet ending of tiramisu for dessert with a cappucino of course!!!! 🙂
Italian cuisine is one of my favourite cuisines and I simply can’t get enonough of the Tomato and Basil Bruschetta, the Zuppa Toscana and the Risotto Primavera!!
absolutely love all of it!!!
One of my fav would be ravioli stuffed with goat cheese…YUM!
I’d stick to the basics…give me a thin crust pizza magharita anytime and I’m good to go!
Would definitely like to try their signature seafood as for one mentioned above the sea bass fillet, the way it has to be cooked as described in detail giving it that grand touch practically makes my mouth water. Did I forget to state mango is my any time favourite fruit.
My all time favorite is gnocchi with mushrooms and Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino. Simple and delish!
spaghetti/linguine frutti di mare all the way! i ate it 5 meals in a row last time i was in italy:-)
Spaghetti aglio e oglio
A Creamy Gnocchi just has to do it for me. I don’t indulge in it as much. I let it be my lucky cheat day meal!
Our two winners have just been announced – check them out on our Facebook page and Twitter feed 🙂 Congrats and thank you to all participants! x