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2015-11-21
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It was a Thursday night at 8. My friend brought me to a small but perfectly formed restaurant on Peel Street in Central to have a taste of Italian dishes. We started off with a few starters. he first served was the tomato panzanella. The fresh and juicy tomatoes could really help whet our appetite, yet the cheese on top was too salty and as the bread inside was completely soaked with the tomato juice, it was far too soft to eat.What came next was the Vitello Tonnato, one of the well-known Piemo
he first served was the tomato panzanella. The fresh and juicy tomatoes could really help whet our appetite, yet the cheese on top was too salty and as the bread inside was completely soaked with the tomato juice, it was far too soft to eat.What came next was the Vitello Tonnato, one of the well-known Piemonte dishes of cold, sliced veal covered with a creamy tuna sauce. I personally thought that the restaurant should have provided more bread for us as the veal with tuna sauce tasted better when it was with the bread rather than having it alone.
We also had the buckwheat polenta fritters with mustard cream and a salad with zucchini, mint, pine nuts and ricotta cheese. The former one was the most unexpected dish of tonight. By looking at it, I expected that the dish should be crispy, but after tasting, its saltiness and softness made me not to order this next time. The latter one didn’t taste better neither. The whole dish was again overshadowed by the saltiness of the ricotta cheese and the bitterness of the zucchini.
Figure 4 The most-ordered dish of 121BC - the Caramelized Lamb Ribs with Orange and Caraway
After trying these starters, we were served with the most-ordered dish of this restaurant, the Caramelized Lamb Ribs with Orange and Caraway. The burnt edges of the ribs have caramelized to a sweet crunch, yet they were not as tender as expected and the strong smell of lamb was all pervading.
Two Piemonte dishes then followed. First came was the octopus with tomatoes, squid ink and green chili. The grilled octopuses were tender and tossed up with the green chili. After having those salty starters, the spice of this dish is a good stimulation for you to keep on trying the other mains. Next was the Pork Ragu, pasta made with rich, flavorful pork-and-tomato sauce. The pasta here was chewier than those I had before and the sauce topped tastes excellent, making me not to add further seasoning onto it.
Then here came to my favourite main of tonight, the hanger steak topped with bone marrow and friggitelli peppers as the sides. The steak is medium cooked, leaving the texture buttery within and charred on the outside. The bone marrow toppings successfully enriched the taste of the steak but for the peppers, they would taste better if they were not over-charred.
What gives my day a perfect ending should be the ricotta panna cotta with coffee caramel and almonds. Compared with the hazelnut and chocolate cremoso and the olive oil cake with vanilla cream, the ricotta panna cotta is more silk-smoothly and creamy with a melt-in-mouth texture. The coffee caramel and almonds on top was a delicate touch of the dessert. But if you have a sweet tooth, you will definitely fall in love with the chocolate cremoso.
Overall:
Setting:
I pretty appreciate the idea this restaurant suggested – sharing is the most fundamental to one’s dining experience. No matter you were sitting at the bar or at the banquet table that runs the length of the room, when you were in this restaurant, you had a feeling like you were home. It was not just only a place for you to eat, but also a place for you to be relaxed.
Food:
It is true that the ingredients used here are fresh; however, most of the dishes served tonight were either too salty or over-charred. If more attention is paid on that, I am sure more OLs like me are attracted to enjoy their night here. One more thing that I would really like to credit was that the menu of 121BC changed weekly. It would definitely be one of the reasons for me to come for other Italian dishes.
Service:
The service here was very impressive as well. All staff is knowledgeable about the menu and the wine and some even provide lengthy lessons on the wine we tasted. The staff patiently introduced the dishes we had and kept showing her care on whether the dishes favor us or not, which could make us feel really warm in this two-hour dining experience.
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