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2009-05-24
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After reading the rave reviews on OR, and being an italianophile, I was eager to try the place out. And who better to do so with than a fellow foodie who appreciates italian food as much as I do. Due to the congested traffic that always accompanies the rain in this small city of ours, we arrived late on a hectic Saturday afternoon, at almost 1:30 pm. Our waiter took the time to be friendly and made us welcome, despite being busy running around the very full restaurant. His friendliness and effic
Due to the congested traffic that always accompanies the rain in this small city of ours, we arrived late on a hectic Saturday afternoon, at almost 1:30 pm. Our waiter took the time to be friendly and made us welcome, despite being busy running around the very full restaurant. His friendliness and efficiency made me forget that he didn't bring us the bread basket. But I have no qualms with that, as we knew after taking a look at the buffet that this was going to be a major carb fest, so we didn't need to add to the damage with some likely delectable but irresistible bread.
After deciding what mains to have, we made a beeline for the buffet table. But first, of course, we inspected the dessert station. We were like two schoolgirls "oohhing" and "aahhing" at the sweet offerings that were a feast for the eyes. The fact that the charming but timid pastry chef Rafaele was there too also contributed to the excitement factor (as well as the feast to the eyes, I might add). I really appreciate the way the dessert station was manned, so that at least the desserts were properly and lovingly served up, instead of being mutilated into swirls of unrecognizable lumps of mess, which is a real appetite-killer and often happens at other less well thought-out buffets.
I must get up to speed with my knowledge of italian food names, or bring my camera to meals and pluck up the courage with taking pics, or preferably both. The appetizer table had over a dozen delish choices to suit all tastes. There were some standard italian fare, plus other more unusual flavours on offer. Even though the buffet table was not very long, at the end of it my plate was already filled to capacity with samplings of most of the dishes. [We did raise the question of having food labels beside each dish, but our friendly waiter said that because they serve different things everyday, it would be difficult to produce labels. Well, it would help diners even if they show only the italian names, so that people who are aspiring gourmands like yours truly can turn dining into an edifying experience as well.]
Luckily the appetizers did precisely as their namesake, leaving us wanting more. Our mains arrived promptly, the squid ink spaghetti and the parma ham and arugula pizza. Our friendly waiter had warned us that the pizza is large, and from what we saw on the other tables it was indeed. He reminded us that their policy is no longer to allow diners to pack away unfinished food (no a very eco-friendly policy), but he did offer that he would finish any leftover slices for us in the kitchen (!)
Although I am a lover of cibo italiano, I am no great fan of pizza, except for perhaps the thick bready kind in Rome. The combination of fresh arugula and parma ham was enticing enough for me though, and I managed to polish off 3 slices. The crust of the pizza was just right: neither too doughy, nor too biscuit-like that you get with a lot of pizzas in Hong Kong. The cheese was not overwhelming either and presented itself as an underlying tone throughout, without conquering the main event that was the parma ham. The arugula added freshness and edginess to the overall taste.
The squid ink pasta was simply divine. Little rings of calamari and pieces of cherry tomatoes provided texture and extra range. But the secret ingredient here was the ever so thin lemon rinds and staccatoes of pepperoncini. These provided the third and fourth dimensions to the dish. The result was a dish that does not tire at all, and even though the portion was generous, when the plate was cleaned out I was a bit sad to know that it was all over.
Our culinary epic did not end there of course. The grand finale of dolci was next! We hit the dessert station, and was once again impressed with the huge variety on offer. Luckily a lot of them were but tiny packages or small dollops of sin, otherwise I swear I would have spent the rest of the day recovering from an exhausting but well-worth-the- trouble sugar high. I was impressed with all of the desserts, but the following were the highlights:
(1) the Vanessa - kudos to the Chef Raffaele for bringing me and my friend a dome of this piece of heaven each. He did this because he only had one last slice of cake on offer, and must have seen the twinkle in our eyes, so he probably felt sorry for us lol. This was a tartufo with a hazelnut mousse outer shell, and pistachio and mango ice cream in the centre. The hazelnut outer was so light and airy, and sweetened ever so daintily that the main focus became the actual taste of the hazelnut and texture of flavour of the ice cream inside. Very clever dessert indeed.
(2) Zabaglione sauce with caramel nut crunch - sorry about not knowing the proper name of this, but this was a "different" dessert. The nuttiness of the crunch and the zabaglione complimented each other extremely well. It was a simple dessert, almost too homey, but a very italian one by all acounts because of the zabaglione and the crunch, which I think consisted of a mixture of chopped almond and hazelnut.
(3) Tiramisu - this was a small bitesize cube packed with the intended lift-me-up flavours. It was not the moussy lame versions you find anywhere else in Hong Kong, but the serious affair with a good dose of liquor, coffee and cheese, with a strong hint of bitterness from the chocolate dusting on top. A truly satisfying mouthful of how I like my tiramisu, packing a good punch and proud of it too .
(4) Hazelnut pyramid - the only problem with this was, it was too small lol. It was hazelnut heaven. The natural creaminess of the hazelnut was bold and stood out above the sweetness. It was simple perfection.
(5) Panna cotta - flavoured with lemon and with just the right amount of milkiness, this was a well-balanced and refreshing rendition of the classic Italian favourite.
Remember the film "Like Water for Chocolate"? Food was the theme. But food also represented the bittersweet strife of the lovers in it. The inspiration from the dolci at Gvsto (or it is Gusto? ) is this: sweetness is best bitter. Sweetness alone would be too cloying, too sickly.
When the food, the company, and the atmosphere of a restaurant is good, the whole experience melds together and you just remember the exuberance of it all. This feeling I had the whole time I was at this restaurant. It is like the excitement you feel when meeting loved ones for the first time after a long spell of absence. You are excited and your senses are sharpened. Despite the gloomy greyness on the other side of the window and the loneliness of the restaurant on this deserted floor of a non-descript shopping mall, the place was abuzz. It must have been the pure passion and energy generated by the magic of the food.
I am not usually one to overdo the use of superlatives, but this dining experience definitely deserves a whole basketload of them as you have just seen. To sum it all up, my partner-in-crime was so impressed that she quickly made a booking for next week. As for myself, I am grateful that there is a little haven of Italy, in the middle of where of all places but the Central concrete jungle.
张贴