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A sign bearing the restaurants name welcomes diners that enter an elevator leading to 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 wines.
Darkened ceilings are dominated by low-key lighting with sleek accents while the dining room has marble-style flooring with sophisticated furnishings and a modern apppeal to the tables spacious layout. Covered with 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 while the large exhibition kitchen offers a visual performance by Thai chefs.
My two dining partners and I walked across the dining room, led by our host, who selected a table by the window that had partial views of the city. As we sat and prepared for our evening, a couple of orders of assorted breads & 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 cocept of rich culinary history and creativity.
The menu offers an assortment of dishes unlike traditional classics usually found on an Italian list of fare. Starting with antipasti, we decided to each select a favorite and then 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 pretty good. We chose to share some wine to go with our other appetizer and the in-house sommelier pleasantly recommended a Friuli 2005 Pinot Grigio. 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 any fish. 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" but we opted to pass on salad and enjoy a bowl of soup as each selection was mouth-watering to the imagination. My wife and I chose the "Maine Lobster bisque cappuccino" while our friend chose the "White Truffle Cream Soup with Puff Pastry Sticks. No regrets, the soups were very good.
Pastas offer boasting morsels of meat, seafood, fish, vegetables, and herbs in savory dressings with a selection that 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 later. The three of us then selected our main dish of the evening and my wife 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.
Sorry, not a member of our VIP Club
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7/10
