32 yolk tagliolini 🍝 was cooked to perfection - smoked ikura, uni, king crab meat - Italian restaurant must serve and showcase their mastery of pasta and oof that rich unami cream was delicious! 🦀 💯
my top favorite savory dish of the whole course: the grilled milk-fed young lamb 🐑 was like nothing I have tasted - exceptional! It’s not just tender but has a hint of creamy served with burnt tomato purée 🍅 that adds a subtle sweet tanginess to the whole orchestra happening on the plate🤤
1️⃣[ white peach milk honey bubble ]
This is so pretty and cute 🌸 how is this even made!? The soft squishy elderflower jelly pops ans releases a sweet peach juice💗🍑
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2️⃣[ @valrhona_asia 70% guanaja chocolate infused with sundry tomatoes and sage 🍫 ]
It came in a matryoshka doll 🪆💯- this is just a visual winner 🎖
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3️⃣[pea sorbet with yuzu and honey] - freezed into a pop using liquid nitrogen which truly explodes in your mouth into a refreshing citrus sweet liquid party - I was caught by surprise from the bite!🎉
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4️⃣[Torta Della Nonna]
- traditional Italian grandma cake 👵🏻 two sheets of slightly leavened sugar pastry with creamy custard with hint of lemon 🍋
An adorable one-bite Saffron Puff! Filled with a creamy blend of DOP Fortina cheese and white Hokkaido corn, the puff was bursting in flavour and took a different dimension from a dollop of smoked egg yolk-and-saffron jam that was crowned atop; beautifully savoury-sweet.
Dressed with a good amount of sweet crab meat, the slurpy pasta was an umami bomb… though the flavour profile was pretty classic on a whole. The deceptively simple plate of tagliolini held great flavours with the sauce capturing all the sweetness of the crustacean. Light yet flavourful, the briny burst from the smoked ikura was also the cherry on top.
Moving on, we were presented with an exceptional lamb dish. Served with burnt tomato puree (to echo the flavours of the exterior of focaccia), the milk-fed lamb was a tender delight. The delicate jus and tanginess of the puree not taking away the natural, mild, clean flavour of the charred meat.
The start of the actual course, came a beautiful plated Hand-Dived Scallop Tartare. A refreshing number, the Hokkaido scallops were succulent, plump, and fresh. Nicely seasoned, the seductively sweet mollusk also went swimmingly with the gentle herbaceous and citrusy notes of the accompanying oil pooled at the bottom. The caviar on top adding to the whole indulgent experience.
It is never too excessive to celebrate your birthday all👏🏻month👏🏻long👏🏻! Hence, I kicked off the celebrations with @braci.sg Five-course Degustation menu ($188) over the weekend.
Starting real strong with the snacks, the Smoked Bonito Besciamella and Spring Vegetables Monaka was amazing. The vibrant seasonal vegetables (zucchini, fava beans, and tomatoes) adorned on the crisp wafer went superbly with the savoury bonito-infused soy milk “bechamel”. The gentle smoky flavour going hand in hand with the sweetness of the produce.
As we finished the plated dessert, the meal wind down to a well-crafted range of Petit Fours. The grassy sweet Pea sorbet, with yuzu and honey that simply burst in the mouth. A floral-fruity bubble of white peach, milk, and honey that delivered a more gelatinous bite. Layers of sweet shortcrust pastry and aromatic vanilla custard with Toritto almonds - Torta della Nonna. And lastly, a bittersweet nama chocolate, coated in sundry tomato powder and studded with a sage leaf.
Nonetheless, truly blessed with the people around me for their well wishes and messages. Thanks to @where.is.karl for sending Braci’s PDO Altamura bread, Cima di Butinto Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the Torta della Nonna before the restaurant pauses all deliveries and takeaways.
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✨ Braci
📍 52 Boat Quay, Unit 05-01/06-01, Singapore 049841
🍴 [Gifted]
These are only the snacks, including a potato and hazelnut mousse in an impossibly thin shell, topped with shaved tuna heart, cheese with beautiful aroma of white peppers, and pane di altamura bread served with olive oil from Beppe De Vito's family abode in Puglia.
🔸
I'll talk about some of the actual courses in due course. To sum up, all of us enjoyed the meal, very much.
M E D I A D R O P
Dining in at @beppedevito’s One MICHELIN Starred @braci.sg restaurant last year had exposed me to the exacting exquisiteness of Head Chef @iammirkofebbrile’s style of progressive Italian cuisine which I love. So when @lylatheeatgirl contacted me about sending over the “Set Menu for 2” ($208) from their newly-launched Takeaway Menu, I was elated and a little curious at the same time as I was keen to see how their casual-luxe brand and cuisine would translate.
Clearly, the Braci team has thought of everything because there’s a ready-to-eat and a D.I.Y. option for most of their dishes. While the former spells convenience, the latter allows for the finishing of the food to be done in your own home so it is perfect if you prefer your food as freshly-cooked as possible.
I received the latter which I must admit, felt a little daunting initially for your truly who’s quite useless in the kitchen. But once I read through the instruction cards (they come with beautiful photos for visual cue and to inspire), I felt calm and am proud to announce that the heating up and plating process went very smoothly. And the effort I invested was MORE THAN WORTH IT.
I started with the easiest, and coincidentally, it was the appetiser I had selected - “Stracciatella with Root Vegetables, Tomato Vinaigrette and Toasted Nuts”. It was extremely delicious and I think my presentation looked pretty acceptable too (*she says it with some smugness* 😁😂).
Instead of beginning my meal with the “Altamura Bread” (it’s Italy’s oldest bread from Puglia) with the EVOO and garlic herb oil (these came in a gift box of mini glass bottles) which is the proper service flow in the restaurant, I decided to enjoy it with the Stracciatella, and discovered they were wonderful together too.
The two pasta courses of “Tagliolini with Grilled Mozambique Scampi” in an astoundingly umami uni sauce and the “Pappardelle with White Asparagus and Summer Truffle” were equally amazing in different ways. You can colour me highly impressed.
For the mains, I chose a seafood and a meat.
The “Cioppino” which starred a big piece of cod fish, and arrived with an entourage of young radish, peppers and a tube of fennel oil to be drizzled on, was superbly fresh and tasty.
As much as I loved every item from that menu, it was the “Wagyu Beef Short Rib” that shone brightest for me. Its texture was UNREAL and I say that with heartfelt awe. The accompaniments of romanesco, mushrooms and a swoon-worthy truffle potato mash cemented the dish’s status in my mind as truly outstanding. If you are fond of red meat, I highly recommend ordering this to try.
The signature Tiramisu (not shown) was my dessert that evening. Do note Braci’s style is firmer rather than “wet” and has a lot of dark chocolate to complement the coffee and alcohol elements.
All of the dishes I’ve mentioned above are available a la carte as well. Please tap on @braci.sg’s link-in-bio on Instagram to check out the entire menu and to place an order.
| Ricotta ice cream, pistachio marzipan, almonds, maraschino, mandarin orange pudding, bitter orange caramel |
Really interesting dessert as it’s my first time tasting this flavours together in a dish. The ricotta ice cream gets a little heavy towards the end but luckily there were other flavours to lighten it up a little!
If you love sea urchin you’ll love this dish!!! Wish they gave more of the sauce tho hahaha
The 5-course Epicurean Menu is priced at $158++ per pax while the 7-course Gourmand Menu stands at $208++. The one dish that left a lasting impression has got to be their Tagliolini that’s coated in a sea urchin sauce, comes with strips of Alaskan king crab and topped with a scoop of delightful ikura. Every mouthful is a burst of seafood umami-ness with several layers of flavours; from the creaminess of the uni to the freshness of the crab and brininess of the popping roes. This totally stole the show for me and how I wish I have a bigger serving of this.
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📍Braci
52 Boat Quay, Unit 05-01/06-01, Singapore 049841
Here’s a brand new creation by Chef de Cuisine Mirko, and it is an absolute winner in my book. Named “Autumn Harvest”, it showcases the vegetables of the season depending on what’s available on the day. The aromatic, luscious cream, composed of almond, quince and essentials oils, pairs very well with the inherent sweetness of the uber fresh produce.
For my belated birthday treat from a friend, I chose One MICHELIN Starred Braci because the contemporary Italian restaurant has been on my list for ages.
We loved the housemade bread that was the first thing to arrive on our table. Named “Pane di Altamura”, it’s made using remilled durum wheat from Altamura in Italy’s Alpura region. It even has to pass the strict criteria of having a 3mm crust.
Following that, every one of the courses in the lunch set we had, was impeccable in presentation, freshness and flavours.
Both our appetisers, the raw Scallops dressed in rhubarb and fermented cherries, and the Baby Gem with white sesame and apple chutney, were superb. So too the mains of Veal Cappelletti (handmade pasta stuffed with truffle taleggio cooked in a sauce of 5 peppers jus) and the crisp-of-skin Italian Seabass (plated with pumpkin, radish and chard). Enormously gratifying in their own way they were.
Although the lunch set had only one dessert, it triggered wide-eyed wonder with its masterful combination of white chocolate, blood orange, pineapple and Yamazaki whisky.
Our wonderful meal came to a close with petit fours that were the embodiment of refinement and delectability.
Gianduiotto frangelico cream and hazelnuts
Can’t go wrong with this dessert!
Paired with Pomino Vinsanto Frescobaldi - Its intriguing bouquet ranges from ripe fruity scents to toasted notes
Ravioli with Alaskan king crab & fermented cabbage filling, bisque made from crab legs and body.
Thé bisque was surprisingly flavorful despite being in the form of a foam! However, found the filling too little for the amount of dough from the ravioli.
Paired with Jermann Sauvignon 2017
Scampi with caramelised white miso made with Amalfi lemon, coconut, lime, then topped with
Vietnamese rice cooked with hazelnut oil.
Explosive flavors from the well balanced miso paste, creamy with an acidity that permeates the dish. This went along with the most tender and juicy scampi. The crunch from the Vietnamese rice puffs added nice textures with a nutty aroma!
Paired with Castello di Pomino Benefizio Riserva Pomino Bianco 2017
