Lunch at Serendipity 3 in City Walk

I have to admit that I'm totally clueless about the Serendipity 3 restaurant , which is apparently famous in NYC. I also haven't watched the film where the restaurant was featured. Where have I been all these years? Yeah, I sometimes ask myself that too. :p

So when the news broke about the restaurant's opening in Dubai Festival City and City Walk, I guess I'm the only one who wasn't thrilled. Not until my social media feeds got swamped with photos of whimsical pink interiors and fancy looking food and desserts!

So imagine how my eyes sparkled when I got an invite for a review at their City Walk branch! I was in total awe when I entered the restaurant. We ushered to a couch at the far end of the restaurant, which gave us an ample view of the Alice-in-Wonderland-like atmosphere—warm tones, antique wall clocks, fancy cushioned chairs, marble tables, chic wall pieces.

For someone who is obsessed with all things pink, it wasn't hard for me to fall in love with the place, especially the pink pillar which boards a round table with matching pink chairs and dainty Tiffany pendant lamps! I heard the DFC branch is a bit bigger and with fancier decors, and I can't wait to visit it too!

The massive menu, both in size and in options, has heaps of choices from appetizers, salads, and soups; sandwiches, pizza, and pasta; to mains, drinks, and desserts, which are served all throughout the day. They also serve an array of interesting breakfast choices until 12 noon.

We were there in time for lunch, but the staff insisted that we have some coffee first while choosing our orders. There's nothing spectacular with the coffee but the ambience seemed to have made every sip of the coffee magical, well at least for me. :D

Cappuccino and Cafe Latte - AED 22 each

We only initially ordered for mains, since the coffee was already a good jumpstart, but the staff was keen in having us try their All In Nachos. We were taken aback when a huge wooden chopping board with loaded nachos arrived at our table. It can actually be shared by 3-4 people! And it's just the "coward's portion"!

All In Nachos (Coward's Portion) - AED 55

Mark and I both enjoyed digging into the pile of ancho chili tortilla chips with toppings of half Nach-Yo beef and sharp cheddar, half chicken and white cheddar, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, and black beans. Have you ever had an appetizer that's so good and loaded, it almost left you with no room for the mains? Yup, the nachos were so good we forgot that we still have mains! I personally liked the beef topping, guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream! If there's one downer tough, it's the cheddar cheese which got a bit plasticky after a while.

Aside from sushi, Mark has this thing for steaks, so he got the Rib Eye Steak. Mark had his steak cooked medium well, as how he always likes it, and I'm just not sure if it was because it took me a little while before finally being able to finish taking photos, but Serendipity 3's turned out to be a little dry and chewy. The mushroom sauce and mixed salad were mediocre. What we both loved in this dish are the french fries. If my palates served me right, it tasted very much like the masala fries that I've tried. Yum!

Rib Eye Steak - AED 139

Rib Eye Steak - AED 139

I was torn between hotdogs and pasta, as I've also seen a fair share of good reviews for both, but I settled for the latter and then just paired it with pizza. :p I had the Meat Madness Pizza and Fisherman's Seafood Pasta.

Except for it's shape and how it was served, the pizza was just ordinary. I was expecting a pizza loaded with beef pepperoni, spicy Italian chorizo, and beef chorizo; as that's what I thought of what 'meat madness' should be, but the pizza was more saucy and cheesy than meaty. I also didn't like the texture of the dough, it was more like a fluffy bread than a pizza dough.

Meat Madness Pizza - AED 80

The Fisherman's Seafood Pasta, however, was good. It came in a generous serving of al dente fettuccine pasta drowned in a rich creamy sauce with baby spinach and parmesan cheese that's teeming with mussels, scallops, salmon, and shrimps!

Fisherman's Seafood Pasta - AED 89

We were already full with the nachos that we just had a little of bite each of our mains and had the rest for take away. This, however, didn't stop us from having their world famous chocolate treat—Frrrozen Hot Chocolate!

Imagine this: melt 14 different kinds of chocolate, mix it with some "secret fabulousness", freeze it, and top with thick whipped cream and chocolate shavings!

Frrrozen Hot Chocolate - AED 50 (For Two)

This Frrrozen Hot Chocolate is indeed one fortunate stroke of serendipity! We got the classic variety and it's enticingly delicious! Mark gobbled it up to the last drip!

I'd go back to Serendipity 3 just for this! It might be fun channeling our inner Jonathan and Sara on their first date at Serendipity 3, just like what almost all couples who tried it did. I guess I really have to catch up with watching the movie soon! A Friday movie date at home sounds good! Mark, what do you think? :p

Overall dining experience was good. Service was generally fast and staff was friendly and interactive. They might need to brush up a little more on their food though, but the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, ambience, and service are enough good reasons for me to come back. ;)

SERENDIPITY 3, City Walk
City Walk 2, Al Safa & Al Wasl Road Intersection
Al Safa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
+971 (0)4 275 9053

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We were invited by Serendipity 3 and our meal was complimentary, but as always, this post is sincerely written and all opinions are my own.

All photos were taken with an iPhone 6S Plus.

         

Shared at: Foodie Friday