Several people have mentioned Tuscany as the best Italian restaurant in Muscat, so we decided to check the place out for ourselves on a recent “date night”.
Grand Hyatt Muscat is a gorgeous building and a lovely place to visit if you happen to be in Muscat.
Tuscany is on the same floor as the main lobby. Walk through the front door, through their gorgeous Arabian-decorated lobby and you’ll find Tuscany in the far right corner. There are plenty of tables, both inside and out, so making a reservation might not be necessary even though it is always a good idea!
We love the look and feel of Tuscany. It is a very romantic setting and the Italian design will make you feel like you’ve really stepped out of Oman and into Italy for a short period. The room is spacious enough and the tables far enough apart that you can really enjoy an intimate evening out even if they are quite busy.
Tuscany is the perfect place for both wine lovers and food connoisseurs. The wine list is a huge book (at least 3 times the size of the main menu!) with all types of fantastic wines, some at very reasonable rates (4-5 rials per glass) and some that would make even those with the deepest pockets blush. As with most licensed restaurants, you can choose your wine per glass, 1/2 bottle or bottle. If there is any doubt about the quality of the food, just check out all the awards on the wall in the pic above! 🙂
Gentlemen, if you are in Muscat and have someone extremely important in your life who means the world to you (as I have), this is a lovely place to take her out and enjoy her company. Even more so on her birthday or anniversary! She’s worth it, isn’t she?! 🙂
Even better than the inside seating in these fall/winter months of Muscat, is the outdoor terrace. (Not pictured here) It was packed on the evening we went so we chose to sit inside for the sake of intimacy.
Tuscany’s brigade of chefs hard at work. Check out the wood-fired pizza oven.
As in most Italian restaurants (the good ones anyway), complimentary bread is served once you are seated. It was so wonderful with olive oil and balsamic vinegar! A great way to start the meal.
The seafood soup with garlic croutons (RO 4.514) was simply fabulous! (zuppa de golfo con fettunta alle erbe)
The traditional minestrone with pesto (minestrone tradizionale) (RO 3.578) was not quite as good as the seafood soup but was still the best vegetable soup I’ve had in quite some time.
Not only was the presentation of our Prawn Salad quite impressive – the taste was even better! (RO 7.07) (consisting of prawns, shaved champignon mushroom and crispy baby artichokes)
I managed to get a quick pic of Tuscany’s Chef de Cuisine, Fabrizio Valdetara, whipping up one of his master creations! Chef Valdetara hails from the Piedmont region of Italy, and therefore so do many of his menu selections.
From the 8 choices on the Pasta & Risotto page of the menu, my honey selected the Rigatoni Pasta (RO 7.581). Nothing to complain about with this dish! (Rigatoni pasta with red onion, pork bacon and wild mushrooms) It should be noted that there are several dishes containing pork bacon at Tuscany. This is one such dish. For those who do not like pork (for personal or religious reasons), the menu clearly states which dishes contain pork (labeled “(p)”) as well as those that are strictly vegetarian “(v)”.
The Mixed Grill Seafood was a magnificent dish! (RO 14.48) Well worth the price!
Tuscany proved itself to be a fantastic dining establishment and one of the best Italian restaurants we’ve been to in Muscat. The service was very good and we were especially impressed with Alex, from Spain, who has only been working at the restaurant for 2 weeks. This restaurant is a bit pricier than many other dining options out there, but sure to an unforgettable experience if you do come. We loved it! (Tel: +968-2464-1234/1031) Open Saturday to Thursday, noon-3:30pm and 7-11pm. Fridays only open for dinner 7-11pm.
Andy in Oman 