Talea by Antonio Guida — Restaurant in Abu Dhabi

We were just there on June 6 2024 to celebrate my daughter's graduation. The brief summary in my opinion--Good ambiance, attentive service, and average to above average food certainly not worth the price. Additionally why Michelin star rated, I still cannot figure out!

The highlight of the place is the comfortable setting and good service.

We ordered a salad, many main pasta courses, and two best rated pizzas, and with the staff's recommendation.

While we waited, sourdough bread basket was served with a pre-combined mix of balsamic and olive oil. Very average! How about replacing the sourdough with a focaccia or bruschetta?

The burrata insalata di pomodoro cipollotto was neither adequate, nor tasty. The quality of the tomatoes in that salad was not up to expectation(one would expect top quality heirloom tomatoes or Roma or Beefsteak tomatoes), and neither was the small portion of the burrata. It was even missing a sprinkling of olive oil. The shaved red beetroot was a distraction! Certainly not worth the price as lacking on quality and portion sizing!

The pasta courses and the risotto came next. The standouts were the Fettuccini Alla Nerano (fettuccine with zucchine, parmesan and basil), and a special spaghetti with shrimp dish with a tomato sauce that the chef made. It was disappointing to have quite small additions of both the zucchini and shrimp in the particular dishes. We had ordered the Ravioli dish, which was good, but nothing to rave about. The Pasta main with Provola cheese and potatoes was also good, and something we had not tried or had before. The Fregola, Pomodoro Secco and pesto pasta main was also good, but not memorable. The pasta here was a bit before Al dente...Most of the white pastas tasted around the same minus the textural difference from the size and the cook of the pasta, except the pasta with the Provola cheese which had a distinct taste.

During the pasta courses the manager was quite enthusiastic in describing the pastas and the regions of Italy they came from. We learned quite a bit in that exchange. Much appreciated!

The Risotto with tangerine, saffron emulsion, green tomatoes and red prawns from Sicily was a big disappointment. Both the texture and the flavour was off. It seemed a complete waste of money!

The Margherita pizza was probably the best bite of the evening, interestingly enough. It was simply delicious! The Pizza Al Nero (which supposedly is the best seller per staff), was so so, and nothing to go crazy about, in my opinion. I am sure there must be enthusiasts for the same.

The mojitos were average at best, and didn't have any zing to them. Flat!

The congratulatory dessert course was complimentary and was a nice touch, and appreciated.

In the end, we felt that the Michelin experience was not there, from the food standpoint. The restaurant should pride itself in the quality of service provided by the staff, however. For us, it was not an experience that was wow, and worth returning for. The value for money, in my opinion, was not...

Walking into Talea was like walking into a Tuscan dream. With regional classics executed to literal perfection, Talea stands out for its authenticity, depth of flavor and the kind of service that makes you feel like you’re back at home. The food, I have no absolute words. Every bite was like a recipe from Nona’s cookbook coming to life. Each bite of this incredible, divine food, didn’t just melt in my mouth, it told me a story of love and then disappeared with grace. We ordered: Tartare Di Spigola, Gnocchi Di Zucca, Fettuccine, Rombo, Burratta and Tiramisu. Every dish was a dance of art and story of a Tuscan paradise and it left me speechless. The sourdough of the Tartufo pizza was lighter than air itself and it made me crave more. It wasn’t cooking but a painting, expect the paint was made from truffle, Italian olive oil and delicious cheese. The gnocchi was so so unique and mouthwatering that it’ll make you crave for more. I am personally a huge fan of tartar and this place, no doubt, makes the best tartar ever that it took me back to the early days of my childhood. The tiramisu is to die for and they even made it right in front of us. No one can do tiramisu better than this beautiful Italian restaurant. I’d fight someone for that last bite of tiramisu and I’d lose with honor. Some meals feed your tummy, this one fed nostalgia. All the flavors fit so well that I felt they were singing in harmony. It was like having a little dance in a plate or a piece of home. Don’t even get me started on how amazing the atmosphere was. The place is beautiful and there was even a live singer. Our lovely servers, Roshan and Davide , made us feel like we were being welcomed into a family; warm, familiar and eager to feed you until you surrender! The service and food were served with a soul and not just a smile because they don’t serve guests but memories that made me feel like I was right back home. The staff was so professional that it anticipated needs that I didn’t know I had until they gave them. The whole thing experience was just an edible escape to Italy, no passport required. I do recommend this place and I think this is THE Italy restaurant of the UAE. Want authentic Italian food? This is the right place to go! Thank you to all the lovely people here and my generous compliments to the chef because he definitely has magic hands to create such amazing, tasty, loving food filled with life and soul in each bite. Thank you...

Unfortunately, I give this restaurant below average. It is not deserving of Michelin restaurant and being a fine dining, except the fact that it is located in Emirates Palace. It all started upon making the reservation a week before where we did not even receive any confirmation from it on the date itself when we called to ask for confirmation they told us we will call you back and then they change the timing from what we requested to another timing and said OK we have made your reservation now and they sent us an SMS at that point we understood that the first Reservation was not made at all. The atmosphere was very empty not even a background music on the staff was not attentive at all, and I cannot believe that I had to fill our own water glasses in a five star hotel Michelin star restaurant, despite the waiter, seening the glass, adjusting the empty glass on my table in order to place new set of cutlery. We had the chefs tasting menu consisting of five courses. None of the courses were exceptional or a culinary experience very basic maybe their Michelin star came from best pizza in town very disappointing. it seemed to me like the staff was playing hide and seek with each other even other tables they could not get attention of the waiters when they needed something. From my previous experience, not only visiting other gourmet restaurant, but also working with gourmet restaurant. I am very much aware of the level of attentiveness to give guests, and at this point, we did not even know who is the waiter who is the hostess who is the manager who is the restaurant manager? Everybody was serving the table little bit back-and-forth coming and going as it pleases them, that’s why I say it was as if they were playing hide and seek, and they were looking for each other and in between if they found the table filled with empty plates, somebody would collect it.The menu description from the waiters was very limited to almost none. The expectation is when you get aed 500+ per person tasting menu for the waiters to explain each and one of the dish as part of the experience before tasting it. The description was as far to your eye octopus mashed potato pistachio steak with polenta risotto that was it very, very basic and very...