On Going Out Solo and On Eataly's Piadina To-go

If you have stumbled upon this post while searching for a good review of Eataly at The Dubai Mall, I'm sorry you're not on the right page! But, I do promise that I'd be back with a better blog post solely for the new Italian market place soon. For now, here's more of a personal post with a bit of Eataly on the side.

Last Monday, I gladly gave in to Cosmopolitan Philippines' dare for all the Cosmo Chicks to "hoof it solo once in awhile". It's such a shame, but I have to admit that I somehow became clingy and not as independent as before. Though I do have my me-time, it's usually within my zone and around friends. I haven't really been alone for the longest time in this big tough world. So, I challenged myself and went to the mall just across our home for a quick solo lunch. It wasn't as excruciating as I thought it would be, in fact I was loving the state of solitude I was in.

I took the liberating feeling a notch higher and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at one of the largest shopping malls in the world, all by myself for the very first time! At The Dubai Mall, I went to the shops that I love without being worried that someone might get bored waiting for me. It was finally a day for me, myself and I. Then I noticed Eataly, a new Italian store at the lower ground level and immediately remembered my husband who greatly loves authentic Italian cuisine.

I went in, hoping I'd find some good stuff to bring home for Ed. There's a cafe near the entrance, a restaurant at the far end and a mini-supermarket in between. I browsed every grocery lane and found different pastas, sauces, cheeses and all the basic ingredients I needed to whip up a good Italian dinner. I thought it would be easy, but I was lost in translation. Things could have been easier if Ed (my Italian-English/Italian-Filipino translator) was with me. I backed off at the idea of cooking dinner and settled on bringing home an item from the restaurant. :)

For some good reason, the pasta dishes at the restaurant are not available for take-away. As the wait staff said, 'to ensure the quality of the dish, it should be eaten immediately'. So, I looked for other food to-go options. There are freshly-baked focaccia and flatbread pizza at the cafe, and a live-cooking station for piadina near the grocery.

As I am very much fascinated with food prepared before my very eyes, I opted to order a Tacchino E Parmigiano Reggiano at La Piadina Romagnola's booth. I watched closely as the staff gave some magic touches to a plain flatbread; lots of parmesan cheese, a layer of olive paste and mayo, some lettuce and slices of smoked turkey... voila! Dinner is ready!  

I went home with Eataly's Piadina and a good story to tell over dinner. And as Ed and I gushed over how the simple-looking piadina tastes so so good, I filled him in with my adventures and misadventures during my once in a blue moon mid-week off. It was rejuvenating to have something new to talk about other than his stressful day at work or me being domesticated on my rest day. Solo-time is indeed refreshing and that moment, I realized how vital it is in a relationship, just like our constant date nights. Forgive the cheesiness, but I have to say that it made me appreciate my husband's presence and all the little things he does even more, including the annoying ones like blurting out Italian phrases I barely understand whenever we are in an Italian restaurant! :)

So, for all the ladies out there, I urge you to take the dare as well. It would be like clicking the refresh button in your life! If you have done it already, don't hesitate to share what you love (or hate) about solo-time at the comment section down below!  

Piadinas & Prices:

Location:

Eataly

Lower Ground Floor

The Dubai Mall

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