Cala Vista — Restaurant in Dubai

We are JClub members for 10 years we were officially invited for the opening of new restaurant "Cala Vista Italian Restaurant" by email , we did registration before few days by email and booking time frame from 19:30 for a complementary tea and dessert. We was so disappointed and insulted, we didn't come for free desert.... they invited us and this how they treated it us, they spoiled our mood and evening, and not even apologies.... First of all nobody knew at the restaurant that we as a members been invited, waitresses and managers was very rude, they said we have nothing to do with JClub, we order a drinks as we came there already, and we asked them about the complementary dessert, manager said no, show me proof by the email, which took me a time to find the email from JClub, even though it should be in the registration system, than he said ok I will give you the dessert. Then he said no first order the main course only after that I will give you, which was not really professional way to do it. We asked for the bill and we left to another restaurant Il Borro Tuscan Bistro and had a great time and attention from stuff ang good hospitality, We are always in this hotel and spending time at the beach, having launch at shimmers, summer salt and etc. but to this restaurant we will never ever come back is the hospitality was very poor. Unprofessional stuff, they dont know how to treat costumers, especially for the opening first day and they manipulated.

Dear J Club Members,

We are excited to announce the opening of Cala Vista Italian Restaurant on Monday 15 January 2024. As valued members, we would like to offer you a complimentary signature dessert during the opening month. To make a reservation please click HERE

From this time the Beach Access Counter will relocate to the South entrance located to the left of the main lobby. We ask from this time you please access the beach from this point for sign-in, it has a dedicated air-conditioned reception with restrooms and lockers for your convenience. After signing in you can access the beach from the Souk Bridge in front of Shimmers restaurant.

As always, our staff will be on hand to assist you and ensure you have everything you need for a perfect day at the beach.

Warm regards,

J Club...

We had a reservation for six on 4 January and were delayed in traffic. We called ahead and the reservations team kindly agreed to move our booking by thirty minutes. When we arrived, however, we were told there was no record of our reservation and that our table had been given away. It seems the message was never passed on. After a great deal of discussion we were finally seated inside, which was welcome as it was a cold evening.

Our waitress greeted us and the very first question was “Where are you from?” which felt unnecessary and irrelevant in a dining setting. Shortly after we noticed an argument taking place in the kitchen which was uncomfortable to watch.

We placed our order promptly but our drinks never arrived. We watched other guests arrive, be greeted warmly, have their orders taken and their drinks delivered while we continued to wait. The manager walked the room several times, greeting every table yet never once acknowledged ours. We are British, African and Indian and could not help but notice we were the only table with that mix of guests, which made the lack of acknowledgement even more noticeable.

When our food eventually arrived the Cacio e Pepe was far too salty to enjoy and we still had no drinks to wash it down with. By the time the drinks arrived we were ready to leave. A few of us ordered the tiramisu which turned out to be a very large portion and clearly best shared. No one mentioned this to us, resulting in unnecessary waste.

I wrote a brief review on Facebook and received a message from the restaurant very quickly with a number to call. I did call and explained everything in detail and was assured someone would get back to me. Two weeks have passed and I have neither received a call nor any further reply on Facebook.

The overall experience left us feeling ignored and unwelcome. The service fell well short of what one would expect from a restaurant with this reputation and the food was disappointing. True hospitality should extend to every guest equally and I hope Cala Vista will reflect on this feedback...

I was not about to write a review as I told to the chef, but in the end the arrogant look of the blonde waitress with the blue eyes and those guys in suits sarcastically asking if the snitchel was successful made me reconsider.

So it all started when I ordered pasta bolognese. It was the worst bolognese I’ve eaten in my life and trust me , bolognese is my favourite food. I don’t like complaining so with first try I thought maybe something is wrong with my taste. I clean my mouth same again. Then I add some pepper , I ask for some Parmesan which I add there and I give it another try. It remained as horrible as it was. I said maybe I’m crazy so I offer a bite to my gf. She was shocked about how awful it tasted. We both agreed that this is the worst bolognese pasta we’ve ever eaten so instead of suppressing my feelings like all psychologists suggest not to , I tell this blonde waitress that I’m sorry but this is the worst pasta I’ve ever eaten in my life and I cannot eat it. Instead of apologising like a professional would do she gave me the most arrogant look I have ever seen like I was swearing at her or offended her. I asked for a veal Milanese as it was the safest choice not to be bad cause I was really hungry. Then the chef comes out with the attitude of a famous Michelin star chef telling me that he had 78 people already telling him how good this pasta was. Imagine before he came we had checked on Google and total reviews of the place were only 38 at that time with 4.1 rating. His own words were : I’m very humble but this is the best bolognese pasta you will find in Dubai. I was just shocked. He wanted to know what was wrong , so I told him that the sauce was awful and too much ( literally like a soup) but he responded that’s how they make it in Italy to eat it with bread in the end and that this is the best...