My recent visit to Armani Aqua was on occasion of their special “Olio & Sale” (Oil & Salt) dinner, which was a degustation dinner in which the chefs paired finest olive oils and different types of sea salt. This dinner certainly was something for the advanced foodies, so not everyone will understand or even appreciate the fine difference in flavours between sea salts from different locations. It was my first “Olio & Sale” experience and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised at how much enjoyment one can get from these most basic ingredients we all take so very much for granted.
After having been met by the charming young Manager, I started my foodie adventure with a glass of Veuve Cliquot (an all-time favourite of mine) and was just about to attack the wonderful array of fresh breads that were put before me, when I remembered that this was going to be a meal with several courses… I was ravenous and found it hard to hold back, but from previous dining experiences in this elegant restaurant, I knew I would not be going home hungry…
The staff must have noticed my eagerness to dig in, so they surprised me with a free appetizer of fried French toast with mackerel butter and red onion marmalade. This simple yet wholesome treat was naughty and nice all at the same time. It was real comfort food and had this unique wholesome “home-made” character… This treat was very addictive – I am glad there was only one piece of it or I would have over-indulged before my actual dinner.
The first course arrived in the form of a fresh margarita cocktail and colourful crudités served with fine Italian olive oils and three different types of sea salt. The margarita was made with Japanese yuzu (a small citrus fruit not unlike the grapefruit, but believed to be rather related to the sour mandarin and the ichang papeda, which is a Korean type of lemon). The drink was well chilled and contained fresh juicy bits of the actual fruit, adding an exotic twist to this classic drink. As an alternative to the usually uninspired white salt rim served elsewhere, this drink was presented with a sparkling crust of attractive black salt. (The charming chef visited me at my table and explained to me that the salt was black due to its origin in the vicinity of a volcanic island's black beaches. The black salt quickly became my favourite and I wonder where I can buy this in Hong Kong…). The yuzu margarita was a great idea for this course as the drink cleared the palate for the salty adventure that lay before me. The crudités that went with the three different salts was a colourful bouquet of carrot, celery, bell pepper, radish, etc., and it made an interesting selection to mix and match with the different salts. Besides my charcoal-coloured favourite, there was also a white sea salt as well as a beautiful pink salt that was definitely the second runner-up in my hit list of favourites. (I was told that this salt was harvested at the shores of a Hawaiian island, where the soil is red.)
The next course was a stunning porcini mushroom carpaccio with pine nuts. It was served in a perfect circle that looked almost too pretty to eat. The dish was nice to look at as well as very delicious! The taste of the toasted pine nuts and fresh chive went well with the Roi Cru Gaaci extra virgin olive oil from Liguria that was served with this dish. The carpaccio was finished off with a delicate Sicilian crystal salt. I am no vegetarian, but I this dish can hold its own next to the usual carnivorous versions.
What followed then was something I could only refer to as “sex on a plate”… I had to contain myself not to moan with pleasure eating the plin ravioli, which were made mainly with fresh artichokes from Italy. (While Italian artichokes were used for this dish, the addition of Jerusalem artichokes pacified the typical bitterness of the Italian variety; a clever combination that perfectly suited this delicate dish.) The ravioli were cooked ‘al dente’, just as I like it: they were tender and soft yet retained their shape until in the mouth. The pasta was graced by a generous cascade of fresh white truffle shavings. The delicious hazelnut olive oil from Piedmont and the unusual smoked sea salt flakes rounded off this delightful starter. For me, this dish was the star of the evening and I would like to see it on the regular Armani Aqua menu!
The main course was a poached Italian cod that was served on brick of Cervia sea salt. Condiments were poached Italian spring vegetables and a generous helping of Sassicaia olive oil. The presentation on the brick of sea salt immediately made me think of an arctic ice low, and the cod – which was cooked to absolute perfection (tender but not raw, flaky but very juicy and moist) – looked so fresh as if it had jumped from the depth of the ocean straight onto this “ice floe”. The vegetables were almost perfect spheres and tumbled about the cod quite cheerfully. The Cervia sea salt has a very pronounced flavour but the rich cod with managed to stand up well to it. Thumbs up for the cod as well!
Dessert was an ultra-light lemon meringue with wild berries and Sicilian extra virgin olive oil ice cream. To the uninitiated, it was a very fancy variation of the Pavlova. To me it was sheer poetry in green, white, red - surely no accidental tribute to the 'tricolore', the Italian flag! There is nothing anyone can do wrong with fresh wild berries and cream, but the addition of olive oil ice cream with a garnish of fresh mint leaves truly was a surprisingly delicious match made in heaven.
The petit fours (delicate pastries, chocolates and fresh fruit) that were laid out before me at the end of this exciting dinner were really not really necessary and more than I could handle after the indulgence of the main meal. I certainly walked home a very content and happy diner.
Bravo!
Recommended Dish(es):
The plin ravioli with white truffle and hazelnut olive oil is a MUST TRY!
After having been met by the charming young Manager, I started my foodie adventure with a glass of Veuve Cliquot (an all-time favourite of mine) and was just about to attack the wonderful array of fresh breads that were put before me, when I remembered that this was going to be a meal with several courses… I was ravenous and found it hard to hold back, but from previous dining experiences in this elegant restaurant, I knew I would not be going home hungry…
The staff must have noticed my eagerness to dig in, so they surprised me with a free appetizer of fried French toast with mackerel butter and red onion marmalade. This simple yet wholesome treat was naughty and nice all at the same time. It was real comfort food and had this unique wholesome “home-made” character… This treat was very addictive – I am glad there was only one piece of it or I would have over-indulged before my actual dinner.
The first course arrived in the form of a fresh margarita cocktail and colourful crudités served with fine Italian olive oils and three different types of sea salt. The margarita was made with Japanese yuzu (a small citrus fruit not unlike the grapefruit, but believed to be rather related to the sour mandarin and the ichang papeda, which is a Korean type of lemon). The drink was well chilled and contained fresh juicy bits of the actual fruit, adding an exotic twist to this classic drink. As an alternative to the usually uninspired white salt rim served elsewhere, this drink was presented with a sparkling crust of attractive black salt. (The charming chef visited me at my table and explained to me that the salt was black due to its origin in the vicinity of a volcanic island's black beaches. The black salt quickly became my favourite and I wonder where I can buy this in Hong Kong…). The yuzu margarita was a great idea for this course as the drink cleared the palate for the salty adventure that lay before me. The crudités that went with the three different salts was a colourful bouquet of carrot, celery, bell pepper, radish, etc., and it made an interesting selection to mix and match with the different salts. Besides my charcoal-coloured favourite, there was also a white sea salt as well as a beautiful pink salt that was definitely the second runner-up in my hit list of favourites. (I was told that this salt was harvested at the shores of a Hawaiian island, where the soil is red.)
The next course was a stunning porcini mushroom carpaccio with pine nuts. It was served in a perfect circle that looked almost too pretty to eat. The dish was nice to look at as well as very delicious! The taste of the toasted pine nuts and fresh chive went well with the Roi Cru Gaaci extra virgin olive oil from Liguria that was served with this dish. The carpaccio was finished off with a delicate Sicilian crystal salt. I am no vegetarian, but I this dish can hold its own next to the usual carnivorous versions.
What followed then was something I could only refer to as “sex on a plate”… I had to contain myself not to moan with pleasure eating the plin ravioli, which were made mainly with fresh artichokes from Italy. (While Italian artichokes were used for this dish, the addition of Jerusalem artichokes pacified the typical bitterness of the Italian variety; a clever combination that perfectly suited this delicate dish.) The ravioli were cooked ‘al dente’, just as I like it: they were tender and soft yet retained their shape until in the mouth. The pasta was graced by a generous cascade of fresh white truffle shavings. The delicious hazelnut olive oil from Piedmont and the unusual smoked sea salt flakes rounded off this delightful starter. For me, this dish was the star of the evening and I would like to see it on the regular Armani Aqua menu!
The main course was a poached Italian cod that was served on brick of Cervia sea salt. Condiments were poached Italian spring vegetables and a generous helping of Sassicaia olive oil. The presentation on the brick of sea salt immediately made me think of an arctic ice low, and the cod – which was cooked to absolute perfection (tender but not raw, flaky but very juicy and moist) – looked so fresh as if it had jumped from the depth of the ocean straight onto this “ice floe”. The vegetables were almost perfect spheres and tumbled about the cod quite cheerfully. The Cervia sea salt has a very pronounced flavour but the rich cod with managed to stand up well to it. Thumbs up for the cod as well!
Dessert was an ultra-light lemon meringue with wild berries and Sicilian extra virgin olive oil ice cream. To the uninitiated, it was a very fancy variation of the Pavlova. To me it was sheer poetry in green, white, red - surely no accidental tribute to the 'tricolore', the Italian flag! There is nothing anyone can do wrong with fresh wild berries and cream, but the addition of olive oil ice cream with a garnish of fresh mint leaves truly was a surprisingly delicious match made in heaven.
The petit fours (delicate pastries, chocolates and fresh fruit) that were laid out before me at the end of this exciting dinner were really not really necessary and more than I could handle after the indulgence of the main meal. I certainly walked home a very content and happy diner.
Bravo!
Other Ratings:
Keep it up!
Interesting
Touched
Envy
Cool Photo