Nothing is more daunting than heading out for a relaxed meal with friends and children.\u00a0Will the kids\u00a0eat anything? Will they make a mess? Probably not and\u00a0probably;\u00a0the thing is, they’re so unpredictable, particularly\u00a0when you’re dealing\u00a0with a couple of kids between two and five years old.<\/p>\n
PI.Dubai is a\u00a0recently(ish)\u00a0opened gourmet pizzeria\u00a0on the lower ground floor in Dubai Mall and they\u00a0have just gone all\u00a0out to\u00a0set up a fun menu for the pleasure of your little ones.<\/p>\n
After a trip to see\/run around the Dinosaur, (a handy way to pass some\u00a0spare time at the mall)\u00a0we rampaged into the\u00a0Italian\/American\u00a0diner.\u00a0We were greeted by friendly\u00a0enthusiastic staff\u00a0who seated our\u00a0group of eight\u00a0at a comfortable table with plenty of\u00a0room for roaming. As soon as we started scanning the menu we could see how much they\u00a0care about the\u00a0ingredients; everything is made from scratch using seasonal and regional\u00a0produce and\u00a0sustainable seafood and meats that are free of hormones, chemicals and GMO\u2019s…this got two thumbs up from us\u00a0health-conscious parents!<\/p>\n
We ordered our food and drinks, gave the kids some colouring pens and paper and spent\u00a020 minutes losing track of conversations while we wrangled with\u00a0the kids. Just as the kids had\u00a0started wrestling,\u00a0screaming and\u00a0calling\u00a0each other\u00a0poo-poo-head (yes, it\u2019s a word) the food arrived…<\/p>\n
Here are five reasons why\u00a0we’ll be making a return journey:<\/p>\n They were crisp on the outside, soft in the middle, not overly\u00a0fried, made with real ingredients and served with a passata and a cheese dip. Kids and adults alike paid attention when these tasty treats arrived. Next,\u00a0platefuls of delicious looking chicken\u00a0parmigiano and squares of moist, hearty lasagne were plonked down…things were looking good.<\/p>\n Come on let\u2019s face it;\u00a0who doesn\u2019t look longingly at their children’s food and wonder if it\u2019s\u00a0too early to say \u201chave you finished yet?\u201d\u00a0Well, at\u00a0PI.\u00a0there will\u00a0be PLENTY of leftovers. But some words of\u00a0warning – don’t fill up on the kiddies meal.\u00a0PI.Dubai also offers a mouthwatering menu for the \u2018grown ups\u2019. Just try tucking into the Wagyu Meatball Lasagne\u00a0which was\u00a0superb\u00a0really meaty,\u00a0or the Fresh Herb Fettuccine served\u00a0with\u00a0butter poached shrimp and tomato crab ragu. I ate every bite\u00a0of this and wiped\u00a0the plate clean after…the sign of a good meal!<\/p>\n This decadent\u00a0extravaganza arrived with the puddings.\u00a0Definitely dark chocolate, definitely real whipped cream and\u00a0definitely for Mummy next\u00a0time. As a Mum you spend most of your time trying to limit the amount of sugar\/sweet\u00a0things your child consumes\u00a0so there is something pleasurable (and a bit smug) about\u00a0watching them suck down something that they think is a sweet treat while\u00a0you know it’s\u00a0actually filled with goodness.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t get me wrong, the kids weren\u2019t in the least bit interested in this and\u00a0it was wholly\u00a0consumed by the adults. There are few children out there who\u00a0would take an\u00a0apple pudding (including actual apple)\u00a0over the chocolate option. You can hear their minds working\u00a0\u201chmmm? chocolate\u201d. However,\u00a0if you can persuade them to order this dessert, they will\u00a0love it. It\u2019s JELLY! Do not mention however, (if they can read, you\u2019re in trouble) that it is\u00a0made with\u00a0crisp green apples secretly blended with dark leaf kale………yup kale. There are no\u00a0chemicals, no colouring and it’s\u00a0served with fresh whipped cream and caramel sauce. It was\u00a0fresh and zingy and sweet and firm. Such a treat.\u00a0<\/p>\n Menu description: whipped cream, sea salt, fresh mint……..fact. What that description\u00a0doesn\u2019t tell you is that the sponge is firm but moist, oozing with an amazing sweet\u00a0and salty caramel sauce, the mint on top has been finely sliced as a beautiful garnish but it\u00a0also adds a tiny little extra delight to each mouthful. You need to experience it. It was, and I\u00a0quote my friend who was lucky enough to order it,\u00a0\u201cthe best\u00a0pudding I have ever had\u201d.<\/p>\n Go and try this for food. You\u00a0might need some entertainment to occupy the kiddies at the start but you’ll have some very happy campers by the end,\u00a0and I’ll tell you what;\u00a0Mum to Mum\/Dad…They did not bring the kids food out until it was cool enough to eat!<\/p>\n PI.Dubai is located on the lower ground floor of Dubai mall.\u00a0<\/p>\n For more info<\/a>\u00a0or call\u00a0\u00a0+9714 447 1757<\/a>\u00a0to book.<\/p>\n What we paid:<\/p>\n Mini marguerita AED 30 (Kids Menu)<\/p>\n Chicken parmigaina bites AED 45 (Kids Menu)<\/p>\n PI potato croquettes AED 35 (Kids Menu)<\/p>\n Lasagne Squares AED 45 (Kids Menu)<\/p>\n Homemade Green Apple Jello AED 15 (Kids Menu)<\/p>\n Wagyu Meatball Lasagne AED 95 (Adult Menu)<\/p>\n Fresh Herb Fettucine AED 120\u00a0( Adult Menu)\u00a0<\/p>\n Hot caramel Cake AED 30 (Adult Menu)<\/p>\n![\"Pi](\"https:\/\/cloud.lovindubai.com\/images\/uploads\/2016\/04\/_blogWide\/PI-DUBAI.jpg?mtime=20160420194421\")
<\/figure>\n1. The PI.\u00a0potato croquettes\u00a0<\/h3>\n
![\"Pi](\"https:\/\/cloud.lovindubai.com\/images\/uploads\/2016\/04\/_blogWide\/PI-potato-croquettes.jpg?mtime=20160420193921\")
<\/figure>\n2. The size of the children’s portions<\/h3>\n
![\"Kids](\"https:\/\/cloud.lovindubai.com\/images\/uploads\/2016\/04\/_blogWide\/kids-lasagne-squares.jpg?mtime=20160420194326\")
<\/figure>\n3. The hot chocolate<\/h3>\n
![\"Hot](\"https:\/\/cloud.lovindubai.com\/images\/uploads\/2016\/04\/_blogWide\/Hot-Chocolate.jpg?mtime=20160420194018\")
<\/figure>\n4. The\u00a0Homemade Green Apple Jello\u00a0<\/h3>\n
![\"Homemade](\"https:\/\/cloud.lovindubai.com\/images\/uploads\/2016\/04\/_blogWide\/homemade-green-apple-jello.jpg?mtime=20160420194118\")
<\/figure>\n5. The hot Caramel Cake is\u00a0<\/h3>\n
![\"Hot](\"https:\/\/cloud.lovindubai.com\/images\/uploads\/2016\/04\/_blogWide\/Hot-caramel-cake.JPG?mtime=20160420194151\")
<\/figure>\nThe verdict<\/h3>\n
The important bits<\/h3>\n