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2011-11-22
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After a one month wait, the highly anticipated dinner reservation I made for Tosca finally came around. Situated on the 102rd floor of the Ritz Carlton, the floor to ceiling windows presents a spectacular night view overlooking the harbour, giving diners the sense that they are dining on top of the world. Service was attentive, but not obtrusive from start to finish which most definitely ehanced the overall experience.Amuse boucheAnchovies with onion. The anchovy was smooth with a melt-in-your-
Amuse bouche
Anchovies with onion. The anchovy was smooth with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and although it did have a noticeable fishy flavour (which I normally avoid) the tartness of the marinated onion helped mask most of it, making it more pleasant.
Appetisers
Beef Carpaccio. This dish was presented quite differently with the beef plated as one large, circular silce, rather than several small thin slices. The accompaniments atop the carpaccio was a quenelle of olive oil gelato and goats cheese. There was just enough fat present in the beef to make it tender and although the flavour of the gelato and cheese was quite mild, it allowed the flavour of the beef to shine through.
Purple Shrimp Tartare. The name was quite intriguing and upon being served the dish did we realise the colour was from beetroot juice. To be honest the dish was nothing surprising, but you could taste the freshness of the shrimp.
Main courseVeal Ragout with Parpadelle. When this dish arrived, I could smell the most enticing aroma from the ragout making me eager to twirl my fork through the ribbons of pasta. However, it did not taste as good as it smelled. The parpadelle was not as al dente as I would have liked and the sauce became quite overwhelming after a few bites.
Lamb chops. It seemed to be a trend with Tosca that the quality of ingredients is top-notch, but the end result is pretty normal. This was again evident in this dish, where the lamb was cooked to a perfect blushing pink resulting in the most tender texture, but the accompaniments did stand out.
DolciTosca Tiramisu. This was the dessert that gained the most attention in reviews and therefore, logically seemed to be one of the must orders of the evening. It came as a deconstructed version in a glass bowl where the liquor/espresso soaked sponge cake was layered between fluffy cream, sprinkled with ground coffee and topped with thin slices of dark, dark chocolate. For a coffee lover this would be heaven as with each spoonful the heady aroma of coffee enveloped the senses giving the indulger a slight caffienated high while the cream added that extra touch of decadence. But for me, I would have enjoyed it more if it was just a little sweeter.
Cream filled Canoli with fig jam and burnt caramel ice-cream. In terms of every dish of the evening, I would say this was definitely the best. Silky, thick cream piped into crisp shells and dipped into crushed pistachios. The canoli gave way with a brittle crack and coupled with the luscious cream it was definitely a sinful moment. The caramel ice-cream was intense in flavour, but was quite refreshing to the palate after all the creaminess.
Petite Fours and Coffee. The coffee here was definitely spectacular, smooth with a bold flavour and the right temperature for me (extra hot please) . My decaf latte came as two separate components to the table a tall glass of extra hot frothed milk and a small cup of espresso. This was mixed together in front of me. The waitress explained that the manager as an Italian sees that the latte should be more milky hence the higher ratio of milk and the reason why it was served in a tall glass was due to him liking things all sleek and slim which is definitely true if you happen to see his figure.
The petite fours from L-R, Lemon cream filled chocolate with chocolate cookie crumbs underneath, a jam meringue biscuit, dark chocolate truffle, caramel macaron and dark chocolate sticks studded with dried strawberries. The macaron was the highlight, light and chewy without being overly sweet.
Would I say it was worth the one month wait? Maybe for a special occasion or wanting to impress your date with the thoughtfulness of making reservations so far in advance. For me the canoli and coffee was definitely memorable though and hopefully the lounge at the Ritz Carlton serves the same coffee!Post
