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A sign bearing the restaurants name welcomes diners that enter an elevator leading to a befittingly striking eatery on the sixth floor of the Mini building. The elevator doors open to a unique outdoor wine terrace with a casual lounge-type atmosphere that allows diners to sit and unwind after a hectic day enjoying a glass of wine before, or if they like, after their dining experience in the restaurant.
Just steps away guests enter the restaurant to be greeted by staff and the restaurants hefty selection of more than a hundred wines.
Darkened ceilings are dominated by low-key lighting with sleek accents that include an entry of wooden planked flooring. The dining room has imported marble flooring with sophisticated furnishings and a modern apppeal to the tables spacious layout. Covered with dual starched linen and reidel stemware, tables are complimented by wood frame chairs with imported leather laps that help soften the ambience of the dining area. A large exhibition kitchen offers a visual performance by chef Paulo Petris and his capable staff of professional cooks. Chef Paulo hails from Northern Italy and has fine-tuned his culinary experience in numerous quality restaurants in Singapore, Dubai, Tokyo, New Delhi, Bangkok, and of course, Italy.
My three dining partners and I walked across the dining room, led by our host, who selected a table by the window with views of the city. As we sat and prepared for our evening, a couple of orders of assorted breads and grassini (breadsticks if you must ...a pencil-shaped dry bread originating in Turin, Italy) soon arrived. The breads were complemented by herb butter, olive, pesto, and a spicy pimento sauce which all may change from time to time. We pondered over the menu to find a culinary tour of Italian flavor in an International ingredient driven menu based on the rich culinary history and creativity of the restaurants executive chef.
The menu more than makes up for the lack of traditional classics with gleaming jewels scattered among the fare. Starting with antipasti, it was quickly obvious to all in our party that selecting a single dish would not be so easy. As a result, we decided to share dishes in some of the categories on the menu. We started with the "Pan-seared French farm raised goose liver in wild berry reduction with fig compote". Although I am not a big fan of goose liver, I will admit, it was delicious. We chose to share some wine to go with our other appetizer and the in-house sommelier pleasantly recommended a Friuli 2005 Pinot Grigio to go with our "Lukewarm octopus and potato salad with creamed celery". What a perfect match, pure Pino Gri, a grape particularly at home in northeastern Italy. It's character, flavors and aroma appear to shine thru. This well-balanced wine had a pleasant acidity and a lively finish to pair perfectly with our octopus, or any fish, for that matter. The menu continues with insalate. Among the choice of 4 or 5 salads, there is "Caesar salad with romaine, asiago cheese croutons and crispy ham" and a "Poached seafood salad with julienne of vegetables" but we opted to pass on salad and enjoy a bowl of soup as each selection was mouth-watering to the imagination. My friend and I chose the "Maine Lobster bisque cappuccino" while my wife chose the "White trufle cream soup with a puff pastry stick" and his wife chose the "Spicy Livornese-style seafood soup with garlic crouton. No regrets on our choices as each of the soups were a hit.
Pastas are a fantastic choice, boasting morsels of meat, seafood, fish, vegetables, and herbs in savory dressings. The selection starts with "Linguini with white wine saute of clams", "Potato dumplings in a gorgonzola cream sauce", "Rigatoni with Australian Lamb", and includes a "Black Ink spaghetti with giant Japanese sea scallops". We chose to share the "Crunchy open-face ravioli filled with seafood ragout". The four of us then selected on our main dish of the evening and my friend and I each chose the "Duck breast with lime and thyme sauce". To perfectly compliment the dish, we enjoyed a bottle of shiraz, a Sacilia 2005 Cusumano Benuara Nero D' Avola. The combination of the indigenous Nero grape with the Shiraz gave a rich and spicy style of wine with black fruits and a long finish. We were both perfectly content with the exceptional duck with it's honey-glazed crispy skin and a perfect wine to pair with. For the ladies, "Fennel seed crusted tuna loin" with a bottle of Bolla Di Gabbia Pinot Nero 2000. With it's long and velvety finish, it had just the right amount of acid making it charmingly harmonious.
Although it was enough food, we still chose to share a couple orders of the "Molten chocolate cake with ice cream". Simple, delicately made and delectable. A wealth of delicious dishes with good food being the main focus, the quality is reflected in both ambience and price.
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8/10
