It was perhaps serendipity that our last visit to Monte Risaia was in January 2020, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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This return visit in July 2022 marks a nice milestone; though the last 2 and a half years seems like a fleeting dream.
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Appetizer of Wagyu Ham With Burrata Cheese was divine. The rich fatty marbling of the wagyu beef ham is luscious, melting away with a light chew to release its meaty fatty salty savoury notes.
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Paired with the creamy soft burrata cheese with its mild milky sweet flavours, this was delightful.
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The Roasted Beef Tenderloin has a medium rare doneness, with a succulent chewy juicy tender texture and bold meaty savoury salty flavour.
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Layered with horseradish, chicken cartilage, parmesan, balsamic vinegar, and tomato sauce, the garnishes lend a burst of sour sweet spice earthy vegetal flavours, with a contrasting juicy crunchy texture. Lively and refreshing.
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The Shiso & Omaru Dashi Pasta remains as good as I remember, with unique flavours that are pleasant yet intriguing. The spaghetti pasta noodles are al-dente, served with lobster broth, tomato, deshelled crab meat, and shiso / perilla leaf.
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The triple dashi of hamaguri, kani, and konbu, blend seamlessly together, creating distinct yet complementary layers of flavour.
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You get bright juicy sweet savoury flavours at the start, followed by deep earthy herbal flavours at the end. Filling and satisfying, so delicious.
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The Genmaicha Gelato is made with green tea blended with roasted popped brown rice, set with milk.
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The pleasant toasty grainy earthy sweet flavour is enticing, and the juicy fruity sweet flavours from the seasonal berries (blueberries, strawberries) lend a complementary note.
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The meal also included another 2 appetizers for a total of 6 plates. Invited tasting.
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Monte Risaia
More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2022/07/monte-risaia-tasting-session-2022.html