And Arh-Gua!

Only means wanton lavishness foolishness.

I seem to have short term memory about homemade pastas. But that fiendish bit of that foie gras implied in the Homemade Tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms, Spinach and pan fried Goose Liver ($32) was just so beguiling. Alas! My pasta was totally flawed; it didn’t taste at all what it alleged to be. ermm...I think it's really just mee pok tah with arh-gua :(

If their capellini is to mee kia then this tagliatelle is really mee pok TAH. First impression I thought it looked defective, and truly, the “homemade”? pasta *hur* didn’t even have the texture like how Italian pasta should feel to the bite. Cooked till weakly limp, they taste so familiarly like mee pok tah. Oh boy! And what a costly bowl of MPT it was! The porcini mushrooms interspersed within the flaccid strands didn’t possess that heady mushroom aroma these prevalent fungi is normally associated with. What really muted my taste buds was the piece of defective goose liver appended to the pasta. There was no earthy flavor to this tricky piece, tasting rather insipid. So poorly executed, I felt so perturbed that any Italian restaurant could actually make a parody of this delicacy by pan frying it to death. Maybe it wasn’t even a good piece of liver to start with. If you would be a little more imaginative, it just tasted somewhat like the arh/ kuei liver that comes with your favorite duck/ chicken rice. Tasted so abominable, this poor goose pretty much died an unwarranted death coz I left the whole plate almost untouched after a few obligatory bites. It will be a Vice if I ate any more. And this deplorable interpretation utterly murdered my yen for any more foie gras. :(

My starter of Zucchini Flower filled with Wild Mushrooms Ragout on Rocket Fondue ($22) was a sheer misnomer. In the first place, I didn’t expect these lovely florets to be coated in panko (japanese breadcrumbs) and deep fried, not to mention smelling when it came, as if the oil used hadn’t been changed from day one (eew!). Suffice to say, I only picked at the innards.

Now if there was anything droolworthy in this meal, it must be the complimentary bread coz this bread was really Sooooo…..So G-O-O-D they deserve a whole paragraph of deification. I know I shouldn’t be waxing lyrical about it coz this is just free bread *yeah free…*, but this was indisputably the most enjoyable item during the lunch. Baked and served in individual ramekins, this cutesy bread loaf had some walnuts, olive bits and the most delicious feta impregnated within the pockets of the bread cushions. Whilst the olive oil and olive tapenade dip was delish, the bread was savory enough to stand on its own with its crisp crust and nuances of olives amongst the soft innards. We liked it so much any decorum to dine like gracious ladies were marred by those flying breadcrumbs. :p Pity though, coz all good words must stop really here.

The Seared Tuna Carpaccio with Rocket, Capers and Black Olives starter (a set lunch option) were of a very disagreeable color and tasted queer. O_O There was also another starter of Assorted Grilled Vegetables with Melted Scarmoza and Marinated Tomato at our table on that lunch.

Oh! Finally! The redeeming primo of the lunch mains was the Homemade Gnocchi in Gorgonzola Sauce that was unfortunately not mine boo hoo hoo. These little potatoes thingys were mushy and nua, marrying so well with its savory cheese sauce I was secretly damn jealous they weren’t on my side of the table. :p

Another set lunch secondo of Grilled Seabass Fillet with Sicilian Dressing, Rosemary Potato and Green Beans was adequate. I know it coz albeit some protest about the fish being swabbed in oil, The Friend finished whatever there was on her lunch plate, fish, beans and all. :)

With so many nasty shockers earlier on during the meal, what came as a pleasant one (finally!) was the complimentary offer from the adjacent table of their Branzino "al sale"…mua haha coz Little Miss Ixus was so excited she wanted to be in action, and so the nice gentleman was so gracious to offer us some keke. This was an off menu special that somehow we weren’t informed of. In any case, the Branzino "al sale" was an splendid piece of oven baked whole sea bass in a crust of rock salt. The preparation was a spectacle by itself. Shower it with smidgen of lemon juice, and viola! we’ve got very tender and tasty sweet-flesh fish on our table. :) Still very much retaining the juices and natural flavors after all that scorching *hot!* in the oven, I love this!! Boo hoo hoo… :(

From soup to nuts, fear culminates. Thus I thought no desserts to end. :p But mua haha like magic again! we were soon bestowed with the restaurant’s signature dessert, compliments from Chef Lucas. As a goodwill gesture to make up for the rest that fell short in this meal, he offered 3 servings of a delightful Mango Gelato with Pistachio Crust and Strawberry Salad. Tangy and refreshing at the same time, this sweet ending did help placate those disenchanted palates. The other set lunch dessert of a Raspberry Mascarpone Cheese Tart paled in comparison for sure. The cakey almond tart was a tad too heavy to stomach after the lackluster mains.

The food offerings at this Italian restaurant were found to be very wanting on this first visit. Besides the notable walnut bread (ok lah I give 9/10 for this separately) and the Branzino which we didn’t even order (8/10), I can’t in my any sane state of mind, fathom bringing my arse down to this place anymore.

ps: Oh wahaha, my dad just came into the room and corrected my dialect. Goose in Teochew is actually “gor”...so it’s Gor-Gua, and not Arh-Gua!

Orh!