The city of Ajman has recently seen an uptick in foodie appreciation, and Filini is one of the restaurants leading the movement.
Hosted at the trendy Radisson Blu Ajman, downtown, Filini Bar & Restaurant is an Italian-style eatery possibly inspired by the famous Italian film-maker, Federico Fellini.
Filini is a happy place, with an interesting and well decorated interior.
But the first indication of the feast that is waiting ahead for you is an exquisitely-stocked wine cellar!
Oh! Was not expecting that!
In fact, very few, and almost exclusively fine-dining restaurants in the UAE build a full-size, stand-alone room to serve as a professional chiller for wine…
Yet here is Filini… just look at you!
Indeed, the weekend brunch starts with an invitation to sample the prosecco!
And what followed was just as pleasant a surprise…
Two waves of starters graced the table, both of which would have made Italian masterchefs proud…
One was a double charcuterie board elegantly loaded with cheeses and halal hams, and the other just covered with freshly-baked breads, foccaccia, and grissini, with black olive and a sun-dried tomato tapanades!
And the other was a selection of fresh salads, perfectly seasoned, and sporting delicate ingredients such as artichoke hearts, and mozzarelline di bufala, among many others.
Plated elegantly, the starters were absolutely delicious!
We were delighted!
It was obvious that some talent was running around in the kitchens at Filini…
This was confirmed by the main dishes:
The lasagna was in the regional Bolognese style – tightly layered pasta, little besciamella cream, and dramatically tasty tomato sauce – I didn’t even know that chefs outside Italy would know of this very authentic version!
In fact, this was a dish one might expect when visiting grandma – if she were from Bologna, Italy!
The other pasta dish was executed with similar perfection…
A piping hot plate of Casarecce pasta!
Now, casarecce are again a distinctly regional variation of pasta, this time from the very south, from the island of Sicily – and they must have been handmade fresh at Filini’s.
They were cooked perfectly, and the seafood sauce was exceptional.
Dessert crowned a delightful brunch at Filini, within the Radisson Blu Ajman – with a Tiramisu’ and a Crème Brûlée – wow!
We were left wondering if we were having a foodie dream or if this was real life…
All in all, for a fantastic Italian weekend brunch different from all the others, Filini Bar & Restaurant at the Radisson Blu Ajman is batting way above average, offering regional specialities at a high level of deliciousness, presented within a set 3-course brunch set menu second to none – try for yourselves.