Is chef Akmal Anuar's new restaurant more osteria or 'funkcoolio'?

New opening Osteria FunkCoolio reviewed. Expect Italian cuisine with a nod to Japanese à la Akmal.

If you don’t know chef Akmal Anuar, then you should. He’s the ex-chef patron of 3Fils, a game-changing concept that, arguably, kickstarted the Dubai trend for independent, chef-led unlicensed restaurants. He moved on to open Goldfish and 11 Woodfire, each with different business partners - and now Osteria FunkCoolio in the riviera-style complex of Dubai’s Port De La Mer.

The dictionary definition of osteria is a ‘simple, in-expensive Italian restaurant’ - and often a wine bar. Well none of these apply to chef Akmal’s latest baby. But I reckon FunkCoolio is a more apt descriptor. For a giggle, try saying the name quickly, and you have an Italian swear word. I knew my private Italian school lessons would eventually pay off. Intentional or not, you gotta love the mystique, wit and irreverence.

The food promises ‘itameshi’ - a fusion cuisine, originally from Japan, that combines traditional elements of Japanese with Italian food. The cooking veers towards Italian dishes with Akmal’s trademark Japanese culinary style using premium, pricey ingredients. Oh…and there’s no wine in this unlicensed district.

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