@benfatto_95 was the first non-Asian cuisine private dining kitchen I ever visited. Having been there a number of times since, I can tell Yum Hwa (Mr. BenFatto95) has evolved and become very clear and self-assured in how he defines himself as - a maker of pastas. No better way to reinforce this than with a fresh menu featuring four completely new pastas.
There’s an ear-shaped (or as T.H. noted, N95 mask lookalike) Orecchiette from Puglia served in a vegetable-forward sauce, as well as an XL beauty from Italy’s Ferrara Province, the Capellacci di Zucca filled with pumpkin and butternut squash that arrives wallowing in liquid butter. The third is hand-cut Tajarin from the Piedmont region which looks simple but is tossed in the richest sauce of all, a chicken liver and marsala wine concoction. Interestingly, the fourth new pasta is not made by hand. A machine is employed instead, and because of that, the dough is forced through the bronze extruder with great force, resulting in a firmer and bouncier bite for the Canestri (also known as Lumache or “little snail”). The short curved tubes are cooked in a spicy Amatriciana sauce with pieces of unabashedly fatty Guanciale (pork jowl bacon) to such mouthwatering deliciousness, I rank it a close second to my favourite, the Tortellini. Which happens to be the sole pasta retained from the previous menu because there is a special place in Yum Hwa’s heart for those exquisite parcels stuffed with Italian meats and cheese. He still presents them in the same clear beef broth too.
Naturally, a meal here always kicks off with appetisers. That night, we had housemade pickles and a burrata cheese from Puglia.
For the ending, Yum Hwa serves a pre-dessert and dessert. The former is a strawberry granita which doubles as a palate-cleanser while the latter is a complex little number of a chocolate pudding. I would say for sure, dinner here ends on a high note.
The price at @benfatto_95 is now $120 per pax and it seems bookings can only be made on a month-to-month basis. So I suggest sending a DM on Instagram for the details if you are keen to visit.
