Very simply put, Tomato & Basilico is like an Italian family-run restaurant: authentic good food, plenty of menu options, a homey welcomey feeling, and a great sense of humor!

A few base philosophies apply:

Food is for family – long tables, lunch can go on for hours, and check out the special menu items for the little ones!

Food is for fun – a fountain at the entrance, a Roman statue to greet you at the door, Tomato & Basilico does not pretend to be anything: just a simple delicious fantastic restaurant!

Food is all about choice – yes, but it’s always Nonna’s choice! But see how many items are on the menu! I counted towards a hundred and gave up…

And Tomato & Basilico does not disappoint – we had an excellent meal!

For appetizers, we went for the young waiter’s suggestion: Misto dello Chef, for two (basically, Chef’s Mixed Platter) including mozzarella di bufala, gorgonzola cheese, eggplant parmigiana, straccetti of fried pizza dough, and arancini rice balls.

It was a lovely balance of flavors – the gorgonzola always a hit, with its intensity; and it was juxtaposed by the mozzarella, soft and creamy – quite a contrast, and it worked very well.

The parmigiana was very tasty, as were the arancini. At this point you know who is behind the stove is Italian. It is true that with a good recipe any person of any nationality can prepare a dish from any culture, but when you come from Italy, and you taste Tomato & Basilico, you nod your head in understanding – yes, you are authentic as you say you are.

But authentic is not enough. Dubai is a different ball-game altogether. We are not in Cassina de’ Pecchi, where you can walk down to the market and fill a wicker basket of fresh ingredients – and Tomato & Basilico dare put on the menu Rigatoni all’Amatriciana?

This is a very flavorsome pasta dish of large maccheroni, with a strong reduced tomato-based sauce, and when I read on the menu that it is cooked with beef bacon, I raise my eyebrows – really? Really you want to present a beef-bacon substitute Amatriciana?? OK, let’s see, challenge accepted…

But first, one of their signature dishes: a simple fresh soup: Tomato & Basilico Soup.

Excellent! A perfect summer dish to start the meal. Light, and so simple in the flavors – and yet at the same time delicious, where you can’t stop dipping in the crusty bread that is served with it.

We followed on with a pizza – Napoli, of course – and were pleasantly surprised with abundant anchovies and even slivers of sun-dried tomato, as well as a very good base sauce and cheese.

It was soon time for the Rigatoni, and as I waited for the moment of truth, I took a walk around.

There is something about Italians and style.

Tomato & Basilico at Dubai Motorcity is effectively a small restaurant – it could stay small, and limp along; but no! In a typical David vs Goliath way, the premises have a bigger heart than the physical brick building – it expands outside, in a garden setting (it’s on the sidewalk, but you will feel as if you were in a garden), and inside its smile goes beyond the tables and chairs – it has soul, and it is wonderful to see that.

And in a rectangular space with no corner, even they have created the sense of corners, with shelves, and clever decorations.

And now, the Rigatoni!

It’s amazing how, without the characteristic and central ingredient, Tomato & Basilico served a very well-received typical Italian dish – and delicious!

The pasta was perfectly cooked, al dente; and the sauce was reduced to a point of wanting to scoop it up with bread alone!

So many other dishes await at Tomato & Basilico, but I couldn’t possibly try them all. Although I was really tempted to try the fresh pasta, of which they have 10 items available; I also wanted to compare the regular tomato sauce pizza with their ‘mozzarella base’ pizza (sans tomato sauce, I think), and especially I wanted to taste the… well, Tomato & Basilico will simply just become a favorite go-to restaurant with always something different to try!

I will highlight, however, an extensive offering of fresh juices and mixed drinks,

and several exciting dessert options!

All finished with care and attention, and all typically Italian – such as the cannolo siciliano:

All in all, Tomato & Basilico is a typical Italian restaurant, that you could find packed with office workers in Rome at lunchtime, or lined up with youth and their scooters on a late Friday evening in Naples, or frequented by neighborhood families on the weekend in the suburbs of Milan.

For it to be available in Dubai, at three locations, and even for delivery, is nothing short of a miracle!