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2009-07-08
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Came here one night during right after the soft-opening stage to try out the Happy Hour as well as Dinner, one of my favourite activities. Perhaps not as apparent during the brightly lit day time - when it gradually turns darker by the hour, I noticed the inner atmosphere becomes a bit cold with the plasticky KARTELL furnitures and the mirror-shiny white surroundings. There are around 4 of each category of Italian wines available by the glass comprising of Sparkling, White and Red, also some non
There are around 4 of each category of Italian wines available by the glass comprising of Sparkling, White and Red, also some non-wine selections - most of these are specially imported by GVSTO and there are more options available by the bottle. They are not sourced from the 2-3 atypically imported ones of better known wine production regions. To me personally - Italian wines are so diverse and like French cheese run into the hundreds of types, in fact beyond 1000 altogether in total. Its always a good sign to see Italian restaurants trying out something a bit more exploratory!
WINE:
Ordered a glass of White which I seem to recall is a Fiano but its hard to recall from a while back without taking notes. Also a Red from Emilia Romania of Parma and Reggiano's fame, to go with the free Happy Hour savoury dishes.
The savoury stuff I did not touch much but I recall having a Duck breast slice possibly on top of some Eggplant, also a slightly smoky mozzarella like cheese which is infact the lovely smoked Scarmoza wrapped around a tomato slice. The latter is sometimes formed in a snowman's shape with a knob, much like a wrapped and tied Burrata for hanging... all of these are mozzarellas I guess!
BREAD BASKET:
A very generous bread basket was given, slightly warmed up together with Olive Oil which was above-average in taste. Did not try the Balsamic to comment. A lot of the bread were slightly crusty however, a bit hard - this especially applied to the Squid Ink Grissini which cracks brittly, reminding me of a fema somewhat. There were some plain bread slices and also bread rolls, one with olives and one with choppoed walnut. They smell and taste really authentically Italian, the yeast and bread kind of herbal/spicy somewhat.
AMUSE BOUCHE:
Not sure how they would call this in Italian but this hotted up piece of grilled Polenta with olive oil drizzled diced tomatoes and a frisee leaf signalled that the meal is about to begin.
PASTA:
Although the menu seems to carry interesting salads, Parma Ham Pizza's and other Entree or Main Course options with a few grilled seafood options as well, I knew I couldn't finish a Pasta dish and then follow it up with a 2nd Main Plate afterwards that night. So I opted for one of Pasticceria Garden's 'famous' home made pastas only.
It might seem to be an easy choice knowing that their Squid Ink pasta with Lemon Zest is the signature dish - however what made me drool all over was reading about a dish called Taglietella con Ragu alla Napoletana or something to that effect, hopefully not too far off! My vague memory told me Taglietella mixed with Ragu (couldn't register with the rest of jargons) was meant to be one of the most traditional pasta dishes in Italy and preceeds the Westernised Spag Bol, which was somehow derived from it and the Italian Bolognese cousin. The use of house made, thickish Taglietella and slow-cooked Ragu in a thick, gooey tomato and herbal based sauce, to be COOKED by Authentic Italians in Hong Kong..... how attractive is that as a concept?
I must say when the dish arrived in the end, I was slightly frustrated because the squarish diced meat wasn't the fork tender and slightly shredded ragu I was desiring for.... Not only do I think that this WASN'T slow cooked as by the Ragu definition but only prepared in the last minute, but I couldn't even work out if this whitish meat was veal, pork, beef or a dolphin. It was bland and borderline tough. It did not have the right texture nor the right penetration of the tomato sweetness and herbal influences cooked beyond the meat's outer surface. This ain't a ragu in my book - its more resembles the kind of meat that adorns the pizza topping. Even Domino's wouldn't risk advertising and passing it off as a 'Ragu's Special Pizza' in my opinion.
The home made Tagliatella wasn't eggy enough in taste and not 'springily bitey' in texture either, the no.1 prerequisites of house made egg pasta in my opinion. I normally wouldn't mind it, if fresh pasta isn't cooked as Al Dente as dry pasta but this was definitely too soft, the Sauce and Ragu also barely coated onto the tagliatelle strands. This was topped with shredded Parmesan, a Parmesan crisp and a sprig or two of fried Tarragon.
I think for the very mid-hundred odd dollars I would be paying for this simple pasta rendition - I wouldn't mind if it was cooked with a bit more carefulness and a little bit more sophisticatication, it doesn't make sense either seeing how dainty the dish was sized.
Apple Terrine with Sweetbread, Cream and Calvados Wine (No Photo)
Its a shame that my photo has gone missing again as this was the highlight of the meal. It consists of some diced, cooked apples in the middle, enclosed by a Bread Pudding like softened bread. Topped with a bit of cream and a single roasted Apple Slice (I had a roasted Apple Slice on the dessert on the same day at Sodeyama. The Sodeyama one slightly better).
This was surrounded by a pool of thick butterscotch infused with the aromatic Calvado's wine from France, a lovely, slightly spicy sauce that wasn't too sweet at all! In fact this combination reminds me of Butterscotch Schnapps more than Calvado's itself.
This small dessert costs $120 +10%. Its worth a try though!
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As much as I like the desserts and pastries here, I guess I was slightly disappointed with my pasta and starters that night, also I was a bit disappointed with the savouries during a previous afternoon visit. Seems like the forte of GVSTO remains with its Pasticceria 'Pastry' options.
Ordering a 'Pasta' without ordering a Main Course might not entitle me to judge the place correctly but my interpretation is, this is meant to be cooking hardcore authentic Pasta that'll swoon anyone over and be converted to their Italian food style.
Also as last time, I find the Dessert prices here to be set at crazy levels. Who would really want to pay for simple, pre-set in the fridge desserts of an ultra minuit serving size, namely the Zuppa Inglese or a Segafreddo or Panna Rappresa served in a glass, for $90-100 + 10%? What really makes my Apple Terrine dessert worth $120 or a simple sandwich a whopping $100? Its not out of my reach and I might just try them once or twice as a novelty but even when designed for billionaires or the queen, its still not very realistically priced in any country, given the food's simple nature. Virtually puts it on par with Da Domenico and Olala 一碗麵's - absurdity level wise. *As a side note, one could buy 1 portion of the dried Hand Made Pastas for $50/portion.
Apple Dessert around mid-high '4'
Pasta that night around low '3'
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