Food Blog | Leonardo Restaurant | Stella di Mare Hotel | Dubai
Today, I’m sharing a lovely restaurant - Leonardo at the Stella di Mare Hotel. This is one of the highest-rated restaurants on the “The Entertainer” app, and it so rightfully deserves that acclaim. This is one of the best deals on the app, and I’ll show you what we had!
Context: They have some set meal options as well, but if you do have The Entertainer (Buy 1 Free 1/25% off, the deal at Leonardo is insane.
Where It Is
It is located at the Stella di Mare hotel on Al Mattla'ee Street. It’s a narrow street with limited parking. The easiest approach would be to valet and stamp once you finish the meal - although they have a multi-level parking bay that I suspect is a bit pricey.
Funnily enough, they ended up parking our car right at the entrance because there was space there.
Address: Stella di Mare Hotel - Al Mattla'ee St - Dubai Marina - Dubai
Operating Hours
Sundays to Thursdays: 5 pm - Midnight
Fridays: 12:30pm - 4:30pm , 6pm - Midnight
I suggest making a reservation through Eatapp to ensure you have a seat. I even noticed they take quite a lot of care with couples here to celebrate anniversaries - as they laid out flower petals over a table to a neighboring table on the day.
What it Costs
The total for the 4 of us came up to AED189. This is honestly a ridiculously cheap deal - especially after you see what is part of this meal (the free bread alone fills you almost a quarter full. Do note that this is after factoring in The Entertainer (Buy 1 Free 1)
The 189AED is broken down:
Frito Misto (AED74)
Risotto Funghi (AED89)
Spaghetti Bolognese (AED79)
Duck Ravioli with Pumpkin Cream (AED85)
Still Dolomia Large Water (AED26)
The duck ravioli and spaghetti bolognese were free as part of using The Entertainer App and there is a 5% VAT fee, 7% municipality fee, and a service charge of AED15.43. I would say that you could probably view it as a meal for 3 - as there are 3 mains and 1 appetizer to share - but trust me, this is enough for 4 people with the bread and the additional appetizer they offer.
This meal averages out to AED47 per person.
How it Tastes
The first thing to note is that they actually offer 2 complimentary appetizers. The first starter is a really cheesy starter. I believe it was something like a fried cheeseball on cheese (don’t quote me on that haha). But super yummy - a bit on the heavy side to start off the meal but it’s a really nice free starter at the compliments of the chef.
Next up, the breadbasket. And I really mean basket because this is one of the best/biggest bread baskets I’ve been served up. You have a selection of breads - 1 portion of all the different breads for your tasting pleasure. They recommend the ham bread and it is actually pretty tasty. But ultimately the point that I’m trying to get to here is that they don’t skimp on the service and the food.
So first up, the appetizer - the Frito Misto. You have a collection of fried items: prawns, calamari, zucchini, carrots, and white radish. I would say that they’re all tasty with their selection of sauces - if I had to pick a favorite, I personally liked the vegetable options better (zucchini, carrot, white radish) - but I think this is more about what tickles your fancy.
Next up, the spaghetti. The first thing that I noticed personally about the spaghetti is the alcohol in the ragout. This is one thing you need to keep in mind - a lot of the dishes here contain alcohol - but they are clearly denoted in the menu, so look out for that. But otherwise, it is actually a really nice spaghetti - normally not much room for experimentation with spaghetti bolognese, but it was nicely done. The pasta was nice, the ragout was tasty as well.
This leads me to another dish where you can taste the alcohol: the mushroom risotto. I’m personally a HUGE fan of risottos and this one definitely hits the mark. Really creamy and the rice is really well cooked down in the wine. The texture and taste are great and probably in my top 2 risottos I’ve had in Dubai so far.
Lastly, the duck ravioli. Out of the mains, I would say that this one is the most ‘out there’ thing we ordered. and is one of those things where you will like it or not. The ravioli is great - neat, cooked perfectly and the pumpkin cream goes great with it. Do note, however, that it comes with a gorgonzola sauce (blue cheese) that is almost mixed in with that pumpkin cream. So cheese haters, don’t order this. But it’s a really nice dish otherwise.
I would say my personal favorite out of the 3 is the risotto (but of course, I’m a bit biased, as a risotto fan). It is just so creamy and rich in flavor that made me have to pick it as my personal favorite!
Star Rating
8.5/10. But this is with the caveat that you use Entertainer. I would almost give it a 9/10 but I think 8.5 is just about right. I would say this is an 8/10 without the buy 1 free 1 main. But the service is good, the ambiance is nice and the food is yummy, so I definitely would recommend coming here!