Arriving early evening we were seated at the nice alcove-style booth, with amazing ambience, dim lighting supplemented with candlelight, comfortable leather booth seats and smooth relaxing music. Everything was organized neat and cozy, and on the atmosphere alone it already won us over.
We decided to go for the Giando Menu ($898 each) as that included the signatures of the restaurant. The first course was Tartare di Gamberi, Burrata e Caviale Oscietra di Amur. The Mediterranean prawn tartare was finely diced, with a nice, sweet taste, enhanced further by the umami from the ‘Amur Oscietra’ caviar on top. The Burrata underneath provided a rich milky note and with the soft texture mixing in, together with the basil extracts drizzled, was a fantastic starter.
The second course was Capesante al Guanciale, Crema di Mais e Tartufo Nero. The lightly seared scallop was wrapped with pork cheek, imparting the soft and tender scallop with the savory flavors, a perfect match between the two. The corn puree underneath was rich and sweet, giving an extra dimension to the overall sensory enjoyment. There were finely shredded shallot and some shaved black truffle on top to give additional aromas to the dish. Another feast of delights.
The third course was Cavatelli ai Ricci di Mare. Cavatelli is a type of pasta that looks like tiny shell, and the restaurant made them in-house, offering a great bite and was one of the best pastas I had tasted in terms of texture. Prepared using the ‘Aglio Olio’ style, there was an intense umami taste from the shaved bottarga, the fish roe that had been salted and cured like Japanese karasumi. The sea urchin on top was bright orange in color, giving extra visual appeal and flavors to the pasta. A must-try.
The fourth course was Gnocchi su Fonduta, Prosciutto e Tartufo Nero. We could already smell the rich and nice cheese aromas before starting, and the potato gnocchi were very good, soft and with the delicate flavors matching well with the creamy cheese fondue, plus additional savory and earthy notes coming from the ham and shaved black truffle. The fava beans were also great, providing a contrasting bite with the gnocchi. The overall seasoning was spot on and another great dish to sample.
For the fifth course there was a choice of fish or beef, with both of us taking Filetto di Branzino in Crosta di Carasau. The Mediterranean seabass fillet was beautifully pan-fried, with a unique ‘Carasau’ bread crust which were crunchy and reminded me of a Japanese dish in which the chef deep-fried the scales. There was some Romanesco broccoli on the side, and paired with Salmoriglio herb sauce, a signature southern Italian sauce made with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and herbs to accompany with fish. Very good in taste with the flavors all harmonized.
Coming to dessert, we were served Giandoiotto, named after a chocolate from Piedmont, which was shaped like as ingots with layers. The top was rich and very tasty vanilla chocolate, followed by a sponge cake and another layer of chocolate cake and a crunchy chocolate crust at the bottom. On the side it was served with hazelnut ice-cream and crushed hazelnuts. It was a nice conclusion to a great and wonderful meal for us.
The service was good, though I hope they could spend more time to explain each course upon serving. Browsing through the wine menu there was a wide collection of Italian wines which unfortunately I could not enjoy on the night. It probably justified another visit for that reason alone. The bill was $2,125 and considering the overall experience, quality of the food and ambience, I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who like Italian cuisine.
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