With its slickly professional service, piano-laden atmosphere and carefully crafted menu of Italian classics, it’s clear that the restaurant game is a tarantella the team behind Il Baretto have danced before.
The welcome is seamless, with a glamorous maitre d’ followed swiftly by a waiter bringing the water, then another with the bread (charged extra at SAR25 per basket).
Even the small talk has been perfected. Not too impersonal but not too intrusive, and delivered with a smile, we know we’re dealing with pros here.
The beetroot e caprino salad (marinated with caramelised pecan nuts) is stellar, presented thinly sliced carpaccio-style with a scattering of goat cheese completing the plate.
The dining room itself is well put together, with a muted colour scheme, rich wooden flooring and dim lighting from the high ceilings adding to the ambient jazz piano soundtrack.
The atmosphere, too, is faultless. During our visit, the levels of chatter rise consistently to a crescendo around 9pm, when the restaurant is in full swing with local couples, business visitors and large multinational groups ordering everything for the middle.
And crucially, service doesn’t lay up at any point.
It’s a relative newcomer, but Il Baretto is set to become a go-to for the workers of King Abdullah Financial District and beyond.
