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Quite Possibly the Best Risotto in the World!
2017-04-04 174 views
Quite a few months ago, one of the tea cafes in Happy Valley closed down.  The tea cafe was literally around the corner from where I live, so I was hoping that there would be another restaurant replacing the space.  So, I was a bit excited when a couple months later, the space was boarded up with signs saying a new restaurant was opening up soon!Come the end of last year, Locanda dell' Angelo opened!  The menu is quite a bit more expensive than the previous tea cafe, so I decided that I would co
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Quite a few months ago, one of the tea cafes in Happy Valley closed down.  The tea cafe was literally around the corner from where I live, so I was hoping that there would be another restaurant replacing the space.  So, I was a bit excited when a couple months later, the space was boarded up with signs saying a new restaurant was opening up soon!
Come the end of last year, Locanda dell' Angelo opened!  The menu is quite a bit more expensive than the previous tea cafe, so I decided that I would consider checking out the restaurant when a special occasion comes along!  Since I am traveling during godbro XO's birthday month, I will not be able to join his extravagant celebration.  Well, this is a special occasion, and godbro XO loves checking out new restaurants, so I booked Locanda dell' Angelo to celebrate XO's birthday over a month early in March!
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 If you know the Happy Valley area, it's not too hard to find Locanda dell' Angelo, even though it is tucked away from the main roads.  Happy Valley is like a grid, so you just have to make sure you are at the right side street to find the restaurant!  Also, the big red ham carving station is hard to miss!
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 Inside the restaurants, it feels very cozy, but it's not so crammed that you feel like you are dining with your neighbors!  There are not that many tables in the restaurant, and we were told that the restaurant is intended to be small so that the chef can personally make every single pasta dish!  And, as we could see from the open kitchen, Chef Angelo Agliano was making all the pasta and risotto dishes, and it was delightful to watch!  
Giavi Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco Superiore Brut
$398
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 Since it's XO's birthday, of course, we needed some bubbly!  As we are in an Italian restaurant, we ordered a bottle of Prosecco for the occasion!
Bread Basket
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 After we placed our order, the server presented us with this bread basket filled with three different types of bread--tomato, olive, and wheat bread!
Tomato and Wheat Bread
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 The bread carried a delightful flour aroma that only comes from bread that's made with good quality flour!  The wheat bread had a light nutty flavor while the tomato bread had a robust tomato flavor and the olive bread had a pungent flavor!  I especially liked the tomato bread!
Amuse Bouche
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 Next, we were served an amuse bouche, which was a lentil soup with salmon puree!
Amuse Bouche
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 So, this amuse bouche is definitely more than a bite, and we were grateful that we got more than a bite of this silky lentil soup!  I thought lentil soup is supposed to be chalky, but this was nothing like that!  The soup was very delicious, and the salmon puree added another dimension to it with the salmon's natural oiliness and salinity!
Carpaccio di Manzo classico con Rucola e Parmigiano, salsa leggera alla mostarda
$178
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 Carpaccio di Manzo classico con Rucola e Parmigiano, salsa leggera alla mostarda:  The beef carpaccio was sliced very thinly, and the mustard sauce balanced out the peppery flavor of the arugula, so each bite of beef, parmesan cheese, arugula, and mustard sauce had a perfect balance!  I usually don't like arugula, but in this case, I didn't find the arugula to be bitter!
La Ricotta speziata al forno con verdurine e Balsamico invecchiato
$188
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 La Ricotta speziata al forno con verdurine e Balsamico invecchiato: Chef Angelo completely altered my dislike of ricotta!  I would have never ordered anything with ricotta cheese, but since this is a signature dish, I told godbro XO that if I don't like the ricotta, he can have it while I would take his unwanted veggies, but neither one of us gave up anything to each other!  I had issues with the powdery texture of ricotta, but this baked ricotta was nothing like that!  It had a soft yet toothsome texture and had a distinctive cheese flavor that I've never experienced before!   The tomatoes definitely came from Italy; I like to cook with canned San Marzano tomatoes because of their rich flavor, and the tomatoes in this dish not only had the rich flavor, but they were equally fresh as well!  (I'm slightly obsessed with tomatoes if you can't tell already!)
Spaghetti “Mancini” all Aglio, Olio, Peperoni Secchi e Bottarga di Branzino di Lenza
$248
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 Spaghetti “Mancini” all Aglio, Olio, Peperoni Secchi e Bottarga di Branzino di Lenza:  Even though I'm not a big fan of bottarga, the bottarga flavor in this pasta was profound but not offensive, and I couldn't stop eating this spaghetti because of its perfect al dente doneness! 
Risotto mantecato con i Ricci di Hokkaido, Wasabi fresco e Erba Cipollina
$328
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 Risotto mantecato con i Ricci di Hokkaido, Wasabi fresco e Erba Cipollina: For over 15 years, I've been telling people that the best risotto I've ever had was from this small restaurant in Rome that our tour guide/driver took us, but now, I can tell you the best risotto I've ever had is from Chef Angelo Agliano!   For the lack of a better description, this risotto was a flavor bomb with its luxurious cream flavor intertwined with the pungent flavor of the Hokkaido uni and occasional bursts of fresh wasabi!  And, the texture, oh the texture!  This risotto was perfectly al dente, not a single bit of mush to be found; it was perfectly plump with a toothsome center!  This risotto has stamped a permanent flavor memory in my mind!
Vovo Barzotto con Funghi Misti, Scalogno e Tartufo nero
$348
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Vovo Barzotto con Funghi Misti, Scalogno e Tartufo nero
$348
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 Vovo Barzotto con Funghi Misti, Scalogno e Tartufo nero: Just about anyone knows XO love, love, loves black truffle!  At first sight, the amount of black truffle seems a bit extravagant, but this turned out to have just the right balance as this soft egg had an extremely flavorful yolk!  Each bite felt very indulgent with the aromatic black truffle, fragrant mushrooms, gooey egg yolk, runny egg white, and soft silky baby spinach!
Carre d’Agnello cotta all aglio e timo con Spinacini saltati e Polenta al Taleggio
$388
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Carre d’Agnello cotta all aglio e timo con Spinacini saltati e Polenta al Taleggio
$388
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 Carre d’Agnello cotta all aglio e timo con Spinacini saltati e Polenta al Taleggio: After going to New Zealand last year, I discovered that their lamb is not gamey and very tasty!  This lamb chop was a perfect medium rare, and the cheesy polenta was delightfully fluffy!  
Macedonia di Frutti freschi con sorbetto ai Lamponi
$88
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 Macedonia di Frutti freschi con sorbetto ai Lamponi: After all the indulgent dishes, I had to order a fresh fruity dessert!  I don't know Italian, but this dessert caught my eyes with Macedonia in its name as my best friend is Macedonian!  With google translate, I found out Macedonia in Italian actually means fruit salad!  The cubes of fruit were all sweet by nature, and the passion fruit sauce and raspberry sorbet complemented the fresh fruit with a slightly acidic tart flavor!  
Tiramisu servito nel bicchiere al Caffe ghiacciato
$118
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 Godbro XO ordered a  little "pick me up" for his dessert!  Of course, it's a tiramisu, which literally means pick me up!  I love tiramisu, so XO was nice enough to share his dessert with my sweet tooth!
Tiramisu servito nel bicchiere al Caffe ghiacciato
$118
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Tiramisu servito nel bicchiere al Caffe ghiacciato
$118
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 Tiramisu servito nel bicchiere al Caffe ghiacciato: Just about every time I have tiramisu, I'd choke on the cocoa powder because I would accidentally inhale the cocoa powder!  Not the case with this tiramisu as it is topped with shaved cocoa.  The tumbler was filled with a silky smooth mascarpone cream with spongy ladyfinger pieces hidden in the bottom!  The other glass with filled with coffee ice, a perfect pick me up!  When I combined the coffee ice with the tiramisu in the tumbler, it added a fun crunchiness to the creamy tiramisu!    
Caffe Latte
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 To conclude our delectable dinner, I had a caffe latte while XO had his espresso!
Pistachio Cookie and Macaroon
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 Our coffees came with these complimentary cookies, XO let me have all of them since he has nut allergies!  The pistachio shortbread cookie had a strong butter flavor and softly crumbled as I bit into it.  The macaroon had a strong but not overwhelming coconut flavor and a nice crisp texture!

I'm so glad that Locanda dell' Angelo turned out to be a perfect pick to celebrate godbro XO's birthday!  The dinner was absolutely delicious, and each course was memorable in its own way!  I can't believe the best risotto in the world has landed around the corner from where I live!  XO and I have been talking non-stop about this risotto!  We just can't help it!  I think I've already made XO's birthday this year very memorable before he official kicks off his month-long celebration!
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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    DETAILED RATING
    Taste
    Decor
    Service
    Hygiene
    Value
    Date of Visit
    2017-03-15
    Dining Method
    Dine In
    Spending Per Head
    $1300 (Dinner)
    Celebration
    Birthday
    Recommended Dishes
    Giavi Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco Superiore Brut
    $ 398
    Bread Basket
    Tomato and Wheat Bread
    Amuse Bouche
    Carpaccio di Manzo classico con Rucola e Parmigiano, salsa leggera alla mostarda
    $ 178
    La Ricotta speziata al forno con verdurine e Balsamico invecchiato
    $ 188
    Spaghetti “Mancini” all Aglio, Olio, Peperoni Secchi e Bottarga di Branzino di Lenza
    $ 248
    Risotto mantecato con i Ricci di Hokkaido, Wasabi fresco e Erba Cipollina
    $ 328
    Vovo Barzotto con Funghi Misti, Scalogno e Tartufo nero
    $ 348
    Carre d’Agnello cotta all aglio e timo con Spinacini saltati e Polenta al Taleggio
    $ 388
    Macedonia di Frutti freschi con sorbetto ai Lamponi
    $ 88
    Tiramisu servito nel bicchiere al Caffe ghiacciato
    $ 118
    Tiramisu servito nel bicchiere al Caffe ghiacciato
    $ 118
    Caffe Latte
    Pistachio Cookie and Macaroon
    • Spaghetti “Mancini” all Aglio
    • Peperoni Secchi e Bottarga di Branzino di Lenza
    • Carpaccio di Manzo classico con Rucola e Parmigiano
    • salsa leggera alla mostarda
    • Risotto mantecato con i Ricci di Hokkaido
    • Wasabi fresco e Erba Cipollina
    • Vovo Barzotto con Funghi Misti
    • Scalogno e Tartufo nero