Kuwait, in my opinion, has a disappointing shortage of Italian restaurants. Just recently, Il Tetto sprouted out at Marina Waves, but most Kuwaiti couples and foodies like to eat at less discreet places, simply because location and the see-and-be-seen aspects tend to outshine food quality. Sometimes I sit and wonder, 'Whatever happened to Prego?', but as of last night, I will wonder no more. There is a new padrino in town!
Viaggio - Florence is an exquisite Italian restaurant located on the second floor of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Farwaniya (right next to Sakura). Sure, for some, it's an inconvenient drive because let's face it - no one loves Farwaniya. Still, the fact that it's situated in a four-star hotel gives me enough closure that the drive and traffic will be all worth the while. And boy, was I right!
First things first - the decor of the place is modern with a traditional twist, which brings back warm fuzzy memories of my long summers in Rome. The dark oak wood accents and Italian leather booths only help the giant aqua-blue mosaiced pillars pop out, and the swirling red Venitian glass vases are simply beautiful. I sat at a table right next to the open-air kitchen that boasted a big brass pizza furnace oven, so I was able to peek at the head chef sliding pizzas in and out of the oven like magic. To heighten my Italian summer mood, the uppity noise of cheerful Italian songs filled the air. The food aromas were already making me dizzy with delight, so I went ahead and ordered.
The menu does not have much variety, but right off the bat, I could tell that they'd selected only the best Italian dishes to serve - none of that fuddy-duddy stuff. No; this was the real deal - Carpaccio di Manza and Crema di Funghi for appetizers, Pizza con Salame Piccante to share, Seafood Ravioli, and a Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Ravioli. I like ravioli better than any pasta because there are a thousand different fillings and sauces, and it's fun to get creative with. Mama just needed the carbs.
And nothing says Italian hospitality like a basket of mixed breads/breadsticks accompanied with cubes of Parmesan cheese, olives, and bruschetta. The Parmesan cheese, much to my Mama's delight, was aged and tasted wonderfully salty. The olives, to my surprise, were so huge and juicy, they looked like macintosh apples. Finally, the bruschetta - my favorite: chunky vibrant cubes of red tomatoes doused with olive oil and tossed with shreds of basil.
Let me kick off this review by saying that without a doubt, this place plates up very beautifully. Every dish that was served at our table as well as the dishes pouring from out of the kitchen were eye-catching, whether it was stacked, ladled, or swirled; it all looked fantastic. So let's tuck in shall we?
Carpaccio di Manza, which literally translates to Beef Carpaccio, is a plateful of thinly sliced smoked beef - a beef sashimi, if you will. It is usually served with a mixed leaf salad, as did Viaggio. The beef slices were draped in a circle around the edge, drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar and a special type of mustard, and sitting in the center of the plate was a vibrant bunch of green mesclun and arugula leaves - gorgeous! The smokey bordeaux color of the beef contrasted perfectly with the wild green leaves, and all the more when I took a bite. For a girl who is not too gung-ho about semi-raw meat, I wolfed this entire plate down and didn't share a single sliver of beef. Every piece of meat was so ridiculously tender, it practically melted in my mouth. If I hadn't known any better, I would've sworn I was eating tuna or anchovies! It didn't even taste or smell funky - the viscuous balsamic vinegar gave it a tart sweetness, and the grainy mustard added a light peppery flavor to it. To top it all off, the aromatic arugula and the bitter mesclun brought a special touch to this wonderful appetizer.
Now, my mother knows I'm not a soup person - never have been, never will be. I feel like it's just a way to fill your tummy up without any real substance. So, I'm not gonna cheat you guys and tell you that I downed this soup ;) I left that up to Mama while I had a spoonful or two. Lucky for me, this soup was kicking with flavor so much that two spoonfuls was all I really needed! The earthy brown-grey mushrooms were pureed to perfection, and their robust flavor was toned down with a swirled dollop of silky cream. The portion, thankfully, was just right. Mama didn't feel full or bloated, and I was just about ready to devour our Salame Piccante pizza that was making it's way out of the giant brass furnace.
If there's anything my friends know me best for, it's for my love for pizza. I know it's not exactly a culinary connoisseur's top choice, but because it's so versatile and can be eaten at anytime and any place! Mini pizzas, deep dish pizzas, Sicilian pizzas, thin crust, Calzones - I could go on forever. But this pizza, my friends, is in a class of it's own. Enough for four people to have a decent serving, the Salame Piccante pizza owned up to it's title as an immaculate rendition of an Italian trattoria-style pizza. The dough was thin and flaky around the edges, but still rigid enough towards the center, so it held up the ingredients very well. Adorning the pizza were thin cuts of a spicy salami - for a moment, it reminded me of the pepperoni they used at Domino's, but my mind and tongue knew better. Even the Mozzerella they used had a distinct sweetness to it, and don't ask me how, but this was the only pizza I've ever had that didn't go rubbery after sitting on the table for more than 10 minutes. If you're in the mood for pizza, this is the place you need to go, people. I'm as serious as they are serious about their pizza!
Cueing the almost-end of our Italian dinner were the delicious ravioli dishes. Mama's Seafood ravioli was a hit - the pale green mezzalune raviolis were stuffed with a mince of different seafoods. No fishy stink in this dish! It was delectable and light, and the tomato cream sauce sweetened the deal. Not everyone considers a tomato sauce when dealing with seafood; they usually think that white sauces are the way to go. But in fact, the sweetness of the tomato actually underlines the flavors of shellfish and other underwater dwellers. My ravioli, thankfully, was just as delicious. Though the alfredo sauce was a little too dense for my liking, it tastes wonderful, and the ricotta and spinach stuffing can never go wrong.
After the table was cleared and Mama eyed me with her infamous what-did-you-make-me-do-I'm-gonna-explode look, our darling waitress Sally came back with the menu and won me over with my favorite word, and everyone's favorite word, DESSERT.
We, as a Kuwaiti population, live for dessert. Every little occassion is a reason for a tray of 7ilo, a birthday cake, a doughnut or two; the list goes on. Sadly, none of the Italian restaurants I've been to in dear old Kuwait have boasted anything on their dessert menu besides Tiramisu, which is usually a hit or miss in most cases. So, you can't imagine how excited I was that there is an Italian restaurant in Kuwait actually trying it's hand at more than just Tiramisu. Canolli (which is my absolute favorite alongside a cup of steaming espresso), Miglia Foglie, and several other types of dessert sounded interesting, but the Cassata caught my eye. It is a nougat ice-cream loaded with candied fruits and meringue, drizzled with a berry coulis. Since the weather is getting warmer, I decided to give it a go and introduce my tastebuds to summer the Italian way.
I can honestly say that this was the most heavenly ice-cream I've had. Don't tell me Scoop or Marble Slab or Baskin Robbins - If I could have a giant tub of this Cassata, I would be the happiest woman alive. The toasted nutty flavor of the nougat embodied the silkiness off the ice-cream itself, and the candied fruits and crumbled meringue gave it a nice and unexpected crunch. What made the Cassata better that it would've been on it's own was the berry coulis - the devilish red of the berry sauce running across the plate and onto the ice-cream was not only appealing to the eye, but to my tastebuds as well. I would come back again and again for the Cassata, and not one or two; possibly three, four, or five of them!
After polishing off dessert and paying an extremely reasonable bill of everything we ate (a little under 25 KD), Mama and I brought our Italian night to a close. On her way out, Mama decided to confess that she never really liked Italian food, but this was the first restaurant she actually enjoyed. So with a goofy Cassata-driven smile on my face and an extremely happy stomach, I was homeward bound, eager to tell you all about my experience. If you consider Pizza Express as Italian as your meals can get, I suggest you take a detour and head over to Viaggio for real, no-frills Italian food.

Giving your tastebuds a run for their money,
The Culinary Connoisseur

For Viaggio reservations, call the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 24742000, and ask their reception to put you through to them. Buon appetito!