La Casa Twenty-Eight is a casual and relaxed dining experience with enticing Mediterranean flavours. FACT’s Craig Ferriman dines on the restaurant’s new menu, packed with delicious dishes to enjoy this summer…

La Casa Twenty-Eight looks like a little house from the outside – a house that sits on the edge of the main plaza in the entertainment hub of The Pearl, Medina Centrale. In cooler months, the outdoor seating area backing onto that main square emulates the al-fresco feel of eating in an Italian piazza. I went in midsummer so sat inside with much needed air-conditioning. The interiors are designed with an earthy and homely feel with simple lighting and warm wooden beams supporting the A-frame ceiling.

The kitchen is open allowing you to feel like a friend is cooking up some food for you. The staff are earnest and welcoming. There is occasionally live entertainment. A Moroccan violinist played popular American tunes while we were there giving a sense of liveliness about the place.

As for the menu itself, well it’s a little exhaustive but then the Mediterranean is a vast region so there should be something for everyone, be you a lover of seafood, meat or vegetarian food – they’ve got it all.

We started with a selection of Spanish inspired tapas from the taperia. We had the chargrilled calamari served in a rich lemon and garlic sauce. The grilled octopus was very tasty served in the Gallega style with tomato and herbs. The shrimps kunafa, hummus and braised oxtail all hinted at nods to different countries that have a coastline in the Med. So far, so good!

There are plenty of dishes for health conscious foodies. I tried their Chicken Caesar Salad which was generously portioned which would make an ideal lunch plate. The Burrata Cheese Salad is an Italian classic which pleases everyone at the table, and the traditional Greek Salad is a wink to southern neighbours, where ingredients are super fresh.

The concept continues through into the beverages list with Med-inspired cocktails like their refreshing mojito or my guilty pleasure; the strawberry and berries milkshake with Chantilly cream. Entrees are mostly but not exclusively Italian. There is a full page of traditional pizzas for a start. Then there is Italian lasagna, rib eye tagliata, oven-baked gnocchi and seafood spaghetti but there is also delicious homemade Spanish paella and in a slight break with the format, there are shrimps attika which are stewed Argentinian shrimps and shallot butter sauce served in a vegetable bulgur stew – tastes as delicious as it sounds, promise! That is more a feature of access to decent ingredients but it’s a sign that they care about the quality of what they buy to cook with. The desserts were made in house and were given plenty of care and attention in the kitchen too. The lemon tart was appropriately tangy with a caramelised lemon meringue tart drawing all the “mmmhs” at our table. The hot dark chocolate fondant accompanied by dark dulce de leche nougat was a chocoholic’s fantasy – SO delectable.

I left feeling that this a great spot for a bunch of friends who all like different things because the menu ensures that if a group of you pitch up at this place, there is likely to be something that all of you can truly enjoy. ✤

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