When Torno Subito, Massimo Bottura’s celebrated restaurant temporarily closed its doors back last year, I instantly regretted never visiting despite it being on my wish list. Thankfully we can take the celebrity chef at his word and the restaurant, the name of which translates as, I’ll be right back, is indeed back with a bang. The highly stylised interior inspired by the Italian Riviera during la dolce vita is filled with playful ’60s touches but there’s nothing frivolous or retro about the menu. We were invited to sample a hand-picked tasting menu instead of ordering à la carte. To start, Paladini’s inventive take on “yesterday’s bread” which translated as rich, buttery breadcrumbs mixed with the tastiest tomato sauce that had me, quite literally, scraping the bowl, before we moved on to a prawn cocktail that looked and tasted nothing like the original, and baccalà – creamed cod, bread and onion sauce and crispy vegetables. Roasted octopus served with smoked potato cream, veal juice, hazelnuts and puffed vegetables, tagliatelle al ragu for my plus one, lemony linguine vongole for me, finished off the savoury section of the meal before we moved on to dessert – Tiramisubito. With Osteria Francescana, Bottura’s restaurant in Modena, being named the best restaurant in the world, we had high hopes for Torno Subito, and everything from the focaccia in the breadbasket to the deconstructed tiramisu to finish off our meal was incredible. I’ll definitely be back.

Find Torno Subito at W Dubai – The Palm, West Crescent, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE. Call +971 (0)4 245 5800 for reservations or visit tornosubitodubai.com