La Rucola is an odd establishment. On one hand, they use good quality ingredients. On the other hand, their seasonings are all off.
The rucola, the namesake of the restaurant, is strong and peppery, but not so strong that it becomes unpalatable to those unaccustomed to the flavors. I enjoyed the rucola salad with pear, romano, and honey. Normally I don't like pear but the pear here is sweet and juicy. Pear, honey, and cheese is a classic flavor combination that will sit well with anyone!
The other appetizer I ordered was not so good--actually, it was horrible. The veal was nice and tender but the sauce murdered it completely. Tuna and anchovy sauce? More like Thousand Island dressing with bits of tuna. 1:1 ratio of meat to salad dressing. Yuck.
I like their pasta, as in the noodles themselves. They are cooked al dente and have the springiness that makes good pasta. The sauces, not so much. I've tried several types of pasta and they all felt off. The mushroom pasta tastes delicious but is overly greasy. The ragu Bolognese is not actually Bolognese--it tastes very one-dimensional with only beef and tomatoes and no mirepoix. The porcini pasta is rather bland, but it is fun to watch the chefs make it with the flambe!
The pizza suffers from the oven not being hot enough. It's kinda soggy but the toppings are delicious! I ordered the Carnivore and the meats are much better than I expected.
The gelato is delicious: smooth, luscious, cold, and sweet. Not much I can say about that.
Overall, La Rucola uses great ingredients but doesn't know how to use them to their fullest potential. It's a shame, too, because I'm sure they can be so much more (even with their already great reputation right now).
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Portofino -- Excellent
Two words: brick oven. Not all Italian restaurants have one and it is definitely a selling point for Portofino.
After you've been seated and ordered your meal, your server will bring you complimentary bread that has most likely been baked in the brick oven: crusty, light, and fluffy. I got half-full on the bread before the first dish was served. It's hard to not eat so much with several different spreads (tomato salad, salsa verde, and... romesco, I think?) and some balsamic and olive oil.
The Caprese salad is not as flavorful as I had hoped. Since the salad only contains four ingredients, the quality of each ingredient will show. The cherry tomatoes are delicious, different from the typical Indonesian tomatoes that I find grainy. The mozzarella is almost tasteless but has a wonderful soft, pillowy texture. The dish could've used more than two basil leaves.
When there's a brick oven, you have to order the pizza! Their pizza is light with crunchy edges, sure to appeal to the Indonesian palate. They have plenty of different toppings including Parma ham. I am normally apprehensive of charcuterie as I normally get diarrhea (and even food poisoning from one shitty "Italian" hellhole that I will not name), perhaps due to improper storage, but this one was fine. I was not afraid of ordering it from such a fine establishment.
Portofino's signature pasta is the freshly made porcini ravioli with sage brown butter sauce and shaved parmesan. Perhaps customers order the pasta so often that the porcini stays fresh (as far as dried goods go), unlike in other Italian restaurants where customers opt for cheaper options. The porcini retains its strong earthy flavor and aroma.
The osso bucco was so tender the meat fell off the bone. I wish more marrow remained in the bone, though. They must've melted off through the long cooking time. The risotto leaves something to be desired as it was tasteless and bland--probably the broth/stock. It could use more parmesan too. According to the menu, the risotto alla Milanese is made with saffron, but I didn't detect the smell at all. Overall a good dish but they need to work on the risotto.
The chocolate lava cake is delicious. The shell is very thin and the cake is almost entirely liquid. It comes with a scoop of Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream, raspberry coulis, and ganache.
Do know that the portions are huge so a single pizza or appetizer to share with the table and one piatto for each diner should be enough. Don't be a showoff and order a full-course meal--you won't finish it. I do wish Portofino would offer a tasting menu, though, or perhaps alternatives with smaller portions for those who want to order several dishes.
The price is steep since it's in a five-star Shangri-La. Expect to spend Rp. 200-300k per person. If you know someone with a membership card, you can get between 30-50% discount, which will make going to Portofino completely worth it! I knew it was expensive but I left feeling satisfied, not ripped off at all.
After you've been seated and ordered your meal, your server will bring you complimentary bread that has most likely been baked in the brick oven: crusty, light, and fluffy. I got half-full on the bread before the first dish was served. It's hard to not eat so much with several different spreads (tomato salad, salsa verde, and... romesco, I think?) and some balsamic and olive oil.
The Caprese salad is not as flavorful as I had hoped. Since the salad only contains four ingredients, the quality of each ingredient will show. The cherry tomatoes are delicious, different from the typical Indonesian tomatoes that I find grainy. The mozzarella is almost tasteless but has a wonderful soft, pillowy texture. The dish could've used more than two basil leaves.
When there's a brick oven, you have to order the pizza! Their pizza is light with crunchy edges, sure to appeal to the Indonesian palate. They have plenty of different toppings including Parma ham. I am normally apprehensive of charcuterie as I normally get diarrhea (and even food poisoning from one shitty "Italian" hellhole that I will not name), perhaps due to improper storage, but this one was fine. I was not afraid of ordering it from such a fine establishment.
Portofino's signature pasta is the freshly made porcini ravioli with sage brown butter sauce and shaved parmesan. Perhaps customers order the pasta so often that the porcini stays fresh (as far as dried goods go), unlike in other Italian restaurants where customers opt for cheaper options. The porcini retains its strong earthy flavor and aroma.
The osso bucco was so tender the meat fell off the bone. I wish more marrow remained in the bone, though. They must've melted off through the long cooking time. The risotto leaves something to be desired as it was tasteless and bland--probably the broth/stock. It could use more parmesan too. According to the menu, the risotto alla Milanese is made with saffron, but I didn't detect the smell at all. Overall a good dish but they need to work on the risotto.
The chocolate lava cake is delicious. The shell is very thin and the cake is almost entirely liquid. It comes with a scoop of Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream, raspberry coulis, and ganache.
Do know that the portions are huge so a single pizza or appetizer to share with the table and one piatto for each diner should be enough. Don't be a showoff and order a full-course meal--you won't finish it. I do wish Portofino would offer a tasting menu, though, or perhaps alternatives with smaller portions for those who want to order several dishes.
The price is steep since it's in a five-star Shangri-La. Expect to spend Rp. 200-300k per person. If you know someone with a membership card, you can get between 30-50% discount, which will make going to Portofino completely worth it! I knew it was expensive but I left feeling satisfied, not ripped off at all.
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