Dubai is packed with skyscrapers, it’s true, but they’re not all born equal. Two of the most luxurious of these mega-tall buildings are the Jumeirah Emirates Towers which house the five star hotel and Alta Badia Bar and Restaurant.
Alta Badia is a smart restaurant that encourages the sharing of delicious dishes with friends and family and focuses (unsurprisingly) on the food of Alta Badia in the north of Italy, a ski resort nestled in the Dolomites. The focus here is very much on the plates the kitchen produce, so the dining room has been afforded a chic, slick look, keeping minimalism at its heart. The main and most striking feature of the space is the geometric windows which reach up and over diners heads to reveal jaw-dropping views of the cityscape below. Being so high up the views extend far past the manmade elements of Dubai out onto the sea in one direction and across to the desert in the other.
In keeping with the setting the food is also kept simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s not accomplished. The chefs here champion the use of just a few key ingredients to allow for clean, crisp flavours to come through. Beef carpaccio is a house special which is prettily presented with a few additional textural elements, while the seafood platter is a real shows-stopping starter for two or more to share. Come mains and to miss out on the pasta would be a mistake. Freshly made sheets are filled with all sorts of luxurious ingredients - from seafood to black truffle.
Sweets are a crowd-pleasing contingent of classics, from a rich and cocoa-topped tiramisu to fresh and fruity homemade sorbets.
The average cost of a meal for two without drinks comes in around AED 400 and there’s a smart casual dress policy, so do keep those couple of things if choosing to dine here.