Review: Billionaire Riyadh, the city’s glamorous dining destination
The swanky new restaurant we’ve all been waiting for…
Upon entering through the double doors of Billionaire Riyadh, we’re immediately struck by its beautiful grandeur. Instantly, our eyes are drawn everywhere. The reception, the lavish bar, into the grand main area, ascending the stairs to the restaurant’s various nooks, and the open fire grill that provides dining-room drama.
It’s the innumerable details, meticulously curated by London-based firm Sagrada that have us agog. The team has brought a melange of bespoke elements into play.
Luxurious fabrics and textures are skilfully mixed in bold combinations of rich hues of red, deep blue and golden brown. The clever use of natural granite, ribbed timber and brass metal work well with intricate details. Sputnik chandeliers give its interiors a warm, celestial glow.
Billionaire Riyadh is unreservedly grand and unapologetically glitzy. There really is nowhere quite like it.
A culinary journey – new Asian modernity and Italian authenticity
Thankfully, the food lives up to the hype.
If you have to order only one appetiser (you won’t want to, nor should you), it has to be the salmon tartare served with avocado and drizzled with wasabi sauce. A touch of caviar finishes the plate. Luxuriously creamy and delicious.
The wagyu beef carpaccio is yet another eyebrow-raiser. Tender slices of rare beef fillet, combined with a crispy paper-thin sheet of phyllo pastry, gives a remarkable sensation in the mouth.
Feeling extra bougie? Billionaire Riyadh serves Beluga caviar – perfect for those who consider yourself a connoisseur of this high-end accoutrement. Talk about dining like a billionaire.
From the selection of entrées, Billionaire’s homemade pasta is the sort of stuff that dreams are made of. That is if dreams were made of perfectly al dente strips of maltagliati coddled with an ever-so-slightly creamy veal mince ragout.
The next highlight is a simple but beautiful grilled wagyu ribeye steak. It has a melt-in-the-mouth texture with a clean aftertaste that lingered elegantly on the palate. Simply divine.
For dessert, plump for the millefoglie salted caramel with berries. Its delicate flavour is truly the perfect ending to an excellent meal.
To sum up our Billionaire experience: outstanding service in a swanky setting, truth on the palate, beauty on the plate. Billionaire Riyadh holds court with pomp and ceremony. Everyone, bow down.
Just a heads-up, though. Due to the pandemic, don’t expect live entertainment like at Dubai’s outpost as of yet.
Billionaire Riyadh, Dabab St, Sulaimaniya, PP34+GG, daily 6pm to 1am. Tel: 920 011 916. @billionaireriyadh
Images: Instagram