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2017-09-12
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This Italian restaurant is located inside The Royal Garden Hotel in TST, and in my opinion it is one of the top Italian restaurants in town. Being here a few times, I always had a good time and this occasion is no exception. The setting is of European-style, reminiscent of a nice restaurant in Italy, with beautiful floor tiles, nice pottery and furniture, and there is also the oven and dessert cart in the background.We ordered two appetizers to share, one being the Grilled Octopus and Scallops S
This Italian restaurant is located inside The Royal Garden Hotel in TST, and in my opinion it is one of the top Italian restaurants in town. Being here a few times, I always had a good time and this occasion is no exception. The setting is of European-style, reminiscent of a nice restaurant in Italy, with beautiful floor tiles, nice pottery and furniture, and there is also the oven and dessert cart in the background.
We ordered two appetizers to share, one being the Grilled Octopus and Scallops Salad and the other is the Parma Ham with Melon. The staff has arranged our portions to be served on the same plate, so we don't need to do that on our own and creating unnecessary messiness. The octopus got the good chewy bite but not rubbery, and the scallops are fresh, full of flavors and seasoned beautifully, with the salad having a blend of basil, olive oil, tomato and greens. The Parma ham with melon is another signature, with the ham permeating the savory aromas and the saltiness is balanced perfectly with the sweetness of the melon, which is juicy, and the two appetizers certainly started off the dinner with a high expectation for us.
Then we have the signature pasta of the restaurant, the Linguine Sabatini, which essentially is a seafood linguine. The pasta is freshly made in-house, with clams, mussels, scallops and prawn prepared in a tomato sauce. Nothing can compare with freshly made pasta in my opinion, and the texture is something you won't be able to find otherwise. The seafood are fresh and having the great flavors of the sea, complemented by the acidity of the tomato to enhance the freshness. Another great dish.
For the main course I ordered the Dove Sole with Porcini and Beans, while my wife went for the Grilled Lamb Chops. The fish is very tasty, pan-fried nicely with butter, showing a golden sheen, great texture and seasoning. But I am most impressed by the porcini, which is a profound flavor intensity and I guess it is cooked in a sauce to have such concentration.
The lamb chops are equally good with the flesh tender and juicy, grilled perfectly to medium level as requested. There are some aged balsamic vinegar on the side to provide the sweetness to supplement the sauce.
For dessert I ordered the Chocolate Molten Cake with Vanilla Ice-cream, while my wife went for Tiramisu. The molten cake is good, with the rich chocolate oozing out upon cutting the cake, and there is a citrus sauce on the side to provide a tartness to balance the rich sweetness, and the vanilla ice-cream has a good vanilla note and right sugar level.
Although I didn't try the tiramisu, just from the look of it already won over the heart of us. The chocolate powder sprinkled on top has the nice spoon and fork shape, and the rich mascarpone cheese is creamy and indulgent.
Wrapping up I ordered a double espresso and the experience in total was one of satisfaction and enjoyment. The service is nice and friendly, without too much intrusion to us during the meal, though I hope they can spend more time explaining the dishes to us before serving. There is also a live band with musicians playing the instruments and singing to provide a romantic atmosphere for all.
With two bottles of still water as well, the bill on the night was $2,868 after a 10% discount from the Citibank credit card promotion. Considering the quality of the food, the environment, services and overall satisfaction it is of good value in my opinion.
My overall rating is 73/100.
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