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2011-08-24
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.....Parma ham, polenta cake, black truffle - the unique aroma of black truffle was overwhelming and you couldnt help but 'wow' at the beautiful presentation of the dish. Tricoloured it was - brown, yellow and white, resembling earth and nature maybe? The white foam and meringue were processed milk, and the yellowish part were polenta cake processed in different ways. It was so complex and interesting - digging in was like adventuring down a dark alley, you simply dont know what to expect and wh
Parma ham, polenta cake, black truffle - the unique aroma of black truffle was overwhelming and you couldnt help but 'wow' at the beautiful presentation of the dish. Tricoloured it was - brown, yellow and white, resembling earth and nature maybe? The white foam and meringue were processed milk, and the yellowish part were polenta cake processed in different ways. It was so complex and interesting - digging in was like adventuring down a dark alley, you simply dont know what to expect and what's ahead, but whatever you come by, they are AMAZING. Beneath the thinly sliced black truffle were parma ham, red cabbage and a mushy cake of - polenta, was it? I disremembered - all i know was that it was DELICIOUS, whatever it was made of.
So far our food came in relatively 'conventional' containers until these. I decided to call these the 'Seafood Trio' as they were all seafood, scallop and squid to be more precise.
First there was a silver spoon with scallop tartare, seasoned with chilli, and a letter 'c' made of - compressed broccoli? Damnit, it was SO refreshing. The letter C was extraordinary as you would have thought you were eating a stalk of broccoli, only that it had adapted a new rubbery texture.
Next was the scallop tempura served on a light metal container which looked like a bloom's end to me. The coating was thin and the warm scallop was smooth and fresh, while the green bit on top was relatively cold, but the contrast in temperature further enhanced the complexity of the tempura that no sauce nor dippings were necessary anymore - thoughtful.
Last was the squid ink risotto - at least that's what we were told it was. And it looked like it was with the grains of rice in it, and it was not until we all took a bite that Kenny told us it was all squid and no rice. Yes, they chopped the squid so finely until they resembled rice grains and cooked them in squid ink and lily bloom. I am not a big fan of lily bloom but together with the squid ink it tasted better than what I had thought it would be.
Intermezzo - for refreshing our taste buds we were given avocado with caviar, poked on a transparent red plastic stick. The avocado was creamy and the unique freshness of caviar rushed out as the coating burst in your mouth - whoa. Stunning.
Fish - we had steamed sole with crab bisque sauce, flowers, curry-flavoured pasta, and more flowers. Omgosh, the dish looked so floral and gardenly to me! What surprised me most as there was steamed white fungus in it and it was a very 'Chinese' ingredient - that's what 'globalization' means, i guess.The fungus was soft, and despite its pale colour it had picked up so much flavour from the broth and fish. The veggies and flowers were refreshing, and the steamed sole was light and soft. What surprised me the most was the brown jelly of crab bisque. Burst it with a fork, and the rich seafood flavor came rushing out. If only i had a spongy bread to soak up the bisque!
Roast - lamb belly with mustard, ricotta cheese and etc. The three pieces of lamb looked dry and tough on appearance but they turned out to be almost the BEST lamb I have ever had.The meat was soft and tender, nicely roasted,having just the right amount of fat, and the unique taste of lamb was pleasantly intense - lamb lovers(like me!) would fall for this for sure!
While the mustard sauce was light and succeeded in balancing the grease of the meat, the cubes of deep fried ricotta cheese was absolutely glamourous.
The outer crust was of the perfect golden brown color and the interior was runny yet cheesy, and it was a funny contrast to the (unprocessed?) lump of whitish ricotta cheese by its side. The thin sweet potato crisp and the thick cut of steamed sweet potato were equally delicious.
All in all - delicious and it is indeed something i'd crave for more!
Refreshment before dessert - yogurt with raspberry compote to calm the palate and refresh the taste buds, also to prepare us for the upcoming desserts, something we had all been so looking forward to. We were asked to dig deep into the bottom of the cup so as to savour the different ingredients and flavours. And there it was - raspberry compote, perfect to eat with the tarty and light yogurt - was it greek yogurt? Anyway - I was completely refreshed and ready for whatever sweet that's coming up next, and hell yea i LOVE that cute little wooden spoon!
Dessert - ah, so there we were at last! Chocolate, marshmallow, preserved cherry, crushed biscuit and etc. were what we had. The taste of it largely resembled the classic Black Forest but the texture was much, much more complex and interesting - first there was the creamy and rich scoop of chocolate ice cream sat on thin cocoa wafers, and beneath the crisps were nicely roasted mashmallows. You could never go wrong with chocolate and roasted mashmallows - remember the comforting smores we had whenever we go BBQ? now THIS tasted so much like the delicious snack beside the flames.
The long dark brown string was a crispy 'chocolate speghetti', and the green thing was - guess what? - CELERY. OMGOSH! The pickled cherries had a subtle hint of liquor and was slightly bitter on the preserved skin, and the jelly (which looked like black pudding to me) where everything were sat on was unexpectedly smooth in texture and yet intensely COCOA-ish. And i love the yellowish sand-like biscuit crumbs - not very buttery and greasy but SO aromatic. oh my god.
The Petit fours came on a heavy metal flat pan.At one corner there were thin light blue slices that looked more like glass than something edible. With several sprays of edible perfume they were magically transformed into - candies. YES, candies that melts on your tongue...wicked.
The letters were milk chocolates while the coins were dark chocolate with runny caramel(?) fillings.
The yellow citrus candies in edible transparent wraps was slightly chewy but oh-so-summerish and refreshing!
What surprised me were the small cubes of green apple candies poked at the tip of the fine metal antenna. I would have considered it a decoration rather than something edible on the metal pan!
And - guess what? The feast hadnt come to an end yet. We were brought a delicate jewel box and in there rested 6 pearls.We were asked not to bite nor chew but to let it melt on our tongue. 3 seconds and the crust burst open, and came rushing out was fresh and sweet mango juice. I went like 0,0 as i was completely SURPRISED. who'd expect to find mango sauce in a pearl?
And at last came a final anticlimax which i think should be left for you to savour....it was the best way to end the feast of the night. We certainly had way more than 6 courses, each having a strong and unique character on their own, and all soooo thoughtfully cooked and beautifully arranged. It was fun guessing what was in the dish, so adventurous and stimulating, yet the flavour had not been compromised - tomatoes tasted like tomatoes, fish tasted like fish and lamb tasted like lamb. The only thing that had been played with were the textures and temperatures of the ingredients, and it could only be done and mastered if only you have complete knowledge of their chemical properties.
My highest respect to Chef Bonelli - the alchemist, the magician, the mastermind behind the pleasant surprises and adventures I experienced throughout the night. You ROCK!
张贴
