Dal Pescatore offers two tasting menus: Seasonal and Traditional. Obviously, we ordered one of each to get a comprehensive view of this highly reputable female chef. The sommelier suggested us Planeta Cometa 2005 as it should go well with both menus. The wine has quite an intense floral aroma and it partnered particularly well with our pasta and rich seafood courses.
We were given three amuse-bouches to start off the evening. Two of them were amazing: crispy cheese potato chips and creamy pumpkin puree. The strong pumpkin flavour made us appreciate the underlying ingredients.
The first course of the seasonal menu was their signature dish - a stunning piece of artw composed of lobster and salmon terrine topped with luxurious osetra caviar, accompanied by a delicately arranged eel in carpione with citrus perfume. Carpione is a traditional Italian preparation where the eel is first fried and then marinated over night.
 |
|
Terrine of lobster and salmon |
Porcini of autumn with calf liver |
The first course of the traditional tasting menu was porcini of autumn and liver of a year-old calf with butter and rosemary. The texture and the earthy flavour of the porcini once again confirmed the freshness and quality of their ingredients.
The second course from both tasting menus was tortellini: one stuffed with goat cheese and the other stuffed with pumpkin, butter and parmesan cheese. That was the first time I tasted pasta in Italy. I was never a big fan of pasta, but pasta in Italy was so different from any other pasta I ever had in my life. We absolutely loved it! The restaurant made their fresh pasta on a daily basis. The pasta is cooked “al dente”, an Italian phrase meaning “to the tooth”. It has a slight resistance when bitten into. For dry pasta, Italians use only semolina, which doesn’t absorb too much water and is pleasantly firm when cooked.
 |
|
Tortellini with goat cheese |
Tortellini with pumpkin, butter and parmesan |