FACT’s Asad Khan heads to Di Capri at La Cigale Hotel, Doha for a themed night ‘Apericena’ to savour Italian delicacies in small bites of flavour and warmth.

In 2021, you don’t really need to go to Napoli for authentic Italian food, the best Italian restaurants in Doha serve every conceivable variety of pasta and risotto, often made in-house, while Doha diners are very familiar with everything from panzerotti to rocca salad, ravioli and paccheri pasta.

And then there’s Di Capri at La Cigale Hotel, a warm, cosy place with pleasingly old-style décor, credited with transforming Doha’s gastronomy offering of Italian delicacies from its out-ofthe way but central spot in the city, where the oven is lit almost all the time due to the brimming customers, even on a weekday. On the menu? Fettuccine Boscaiola, penne with eggplant, cleverly prepared risotto, polpette in salsa (meatballs in tomato sauce) and Arancini with stuffed cheese. It also wouldn’t be erroneous to say that the restaurant seduces guests with its menu of selected beverages.

As I enter I spot the new offering by Di Capri scrawled on a chalkboard. A themed night Apericena: the many tastes of Italy, every Saturday featuring a set menu with small bites served one by one. I am escorted towards the exclusive dining area that is minimalistic in décor but speaks volumes of the Italian heritage. Amidst the warm, dim lighting I see a mural behind the bar featuring an Italian landscape with a Vespa in the centre of it all. There’s also live music — a violinist — complementing the pan crackling in the open kitchen.

It’s sparkling water with ice and lemon for me to start before the chef asks to take the liberty of surprising me with the best he has to offer. Oh my, that’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss because a chef knows his kitchen and he knows it well!

Rocca salad with bresaola rolls, tomatoes and parmesan cheese arrives accompanied by burrata cheese salad with rocca and tomatoes in olive oil with a surfeit of sea salt and a vibrant thwack of chilli.

The appetisers are truly great. I’m not really a fan of greens and more a person who loves calamari in starters. But here, the salads are so minimalistic yet bursting with flavours that my well-crusted calamari with vegetables tempura and tartar sauce takes a back seat. The calamari is of course well-done and good, but I’m more interested in the burrata and mini panzerottis on the other plate.

Now the second round of appetisers: ravioli stuffed with ricotta, spinach and tomato basil sauce, paccheri pasta with seafood, fettuccini with chicken and spring vegetables risotto. Ravioli with tomato sauce is an Italian staple; you cannot visit an Italian restaurant and not savour this. It would be an absolute shame! The fettuccine is al dente with the subtleness of mushrooms, the sauce is velvety and delicious. They are right to offer some additional bread for the sauce because this is pasta at its best.

The mains started with chicken breast marinated in Dijon mustard sauce with vegetables. I know it’s just chicken but it really goes above and beyond, almost tender in its butteriness. The dish manages to be all things to all people: rich but light, healthy while almost brazenly luxe and practically categorised as comfort food. At the heart of the menu is meatballs in tomato sauce. I can taste the squashed tomatoes and the meat so well cut and formed in terms of the fat content that it can pass as Wagyu. So earthy in taste and even more delicious once you take time to analyse the flavours. It’s the perfect combination; it’s like a friend — a savoury, thick and flavourful friend.

That’s all for the food, which is beautifully presented and hard to fault. There are no gimmicks here, just a perfect take on classic dishes — it’s wholesome and filling enough to skip breakfast next day but don’t leave without ordering the assorted Italian ice cream to end your day. Arrivederci! ✤

GO: CALL 4428 8840 FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO MAKE A RESERVATION.