This was an impromptu dinner but what a nice gathering (for our delighted tastebuds)
it turned out to be!
Little did I know that this was a restaurant with several accolades to it, with a speciality in truffles found in many of their dishes mmm. They are served according to different periods of the year, namely the Winter Black Truffle (Jan - Mar) , Summer Black Truffle (Apr - Aug) and White Truffle (Sep -Dec).
Casa means home and Tartufo means Truffles, hence "House of Truffles". Nice name. Located in the quiet Forum mall, Casa is filled with soft lights and a welcoming ambience, making it perfect for a romantic date ;)
Upon stepping in, I was put at ease immediately by the friendly (& good looking as well. Sorry baby :p) man who greeted me with a wide smile. I suspect it was Alex, the Italian owner of the restaurant. Read more about their story here.
There were six of us, so it was a perfect excuse to splurge. I mean, order many dishes to share.
We were served bread in thick squares, with a texture reminiscent of the chinese pancake aka mun chiang kueh. It was neither hot nor crispy but strangely enjoyable with the sour balsamic & olive oil dip on the side.
For starters, we shared the San Daniele - Proscuitto with cheese ($24):
My precious pieces of cold cuts:
Haha I'm not a huge fan of cold cuts, but this was some good aged ham with a nice marbling of fat all around. It was served with Ricotta cheese, providing a firm and tangy bite to the palette every now and then.. wonderfully paired!
Then arrived the Casa Risotto with Sea Urchin & Truffle ($36):
Merciful lords.. this was so richly infused with truffle that every bite left a lingering scent on my tongue. Who knew sea urchin tasted so good with truffle and risotto? Maybe Casa has the midas touch. Or maybe it was the ambience.. but it was amazing how the soft and slightly firm paste of sandy urchin melted perfectly with each rice grain.. sending oohs of gastronomic joy each time there was urchin discovered. What a worthy dish of decadence indeed!
Next was the Tarjarin Black - Home made egg noodles cooked in Sage and Butter, topped with Shaved Truffle ($34):
Upon tasting these strands of supple noodles, what suddenly striked me was how deceivingly simple every dish looked at first... THEN the pungent flavours explode on your tongue, startling one out of a hazy stupor and into a joy so unbridled that it was almost estatic.
No kidding guys; this pasta was done so well as it seemed to have soaked up the very essence of the truffle, leaving a light earthy aroma in the mouth after each swallow.
Did I also mention how the rich scent of truffle assailed our senses even before it reached the table?
This dish is truly a star on its own.
Just imagine my sadness after I finished my portion.. even I am lost for words. :'(
And finally, the crazy Fiorentina - 1 kg T bone steak ($170), served with a side of truffle fries ($12):
This was the picture that sealed the deal for us when L asked for dinner and sent this pic. How lovely to see it in the flesh, then sink our teeth into the meat for real. There was silence as some medium raw carnivorous delight took over for a few moments. I would say the meat was done nicely, and it was juicy with a robust flavour but the other two mains simply outshone this meaty contender.
After the last piece of steak was polished off, I suppose we all got high on good food and ordered 5 out of the 7 desserts available when the waitress asked us. No wonder my throat never got better.
Featured below is the Pistachio ice cream with Chocolate sauce ($12), where I asked the waitress to hold the pose for me and she gamely obliged to my Singaporean request haha!
Next to it is ze lemon tart ($12):
The tangy lemon tart came with a thin soft base that crumbled easily, making it very easy to swallow mouthful after mouthful.
Close up of the Pistachio ice cream brownie:
Despite being coated with a thick, dense darkness for a sauce, the nutty dessert was surprisingly light and was well complemented by the chocolate. Afterall, you can't go wrong with nuts and choc!
This, my friends, is the chocolate tart ($12):
Again, Casa serves its food unprententious looking and tried to fool me once more. But this tart packs a punch with each bite of the dense chocolate that is just a tad bitter, making you yearn more.
And of course, one's gotta save the best for the last. See that simple scoop of ice cream in the background? That's Truffle Gelato ($8) for you, and it is simply mindblowing:
I kid you not, there was a collective exclamation by everyone (I'm guessing with the exception of V who commented it tasted like garlic haha!) at the overpowering taste of truffle in the ice cream. It was almost like there was the real thing inside our mouths... and the treasured scoop was gone in a few minutes.
THIS ONE MUST TRY.
And I do feel kind of bad for the Tiramisu ($12) that came after, because it was much milder so it seemed bland in comparison despite it being a famed Italian dessert. However, after the initial excitement of the truffle gelato wore off, I found the tiramisu to be of good quality, with a consistent marscarpone cream and crisp fingers. Might stand a fight with the gelato if it was more infused with coffee or alcohol though!
Or... maybe not.
For truffle lover, I implore you to make a trip down to this place soon.
The simple yet rich dishes will leave you very happy.
Warning: Might get breathless occasionally as you get blown away though.
Casa Tartufo
Forum Shopping Mall
583 Orchard Road #01-17
Tel: 68364647
Opening hours:
Lunch: 1130am - 230pm
Dinner: 6pm - 10pm
Closed on Mondays
Hope you all get as high as we did.
WLF.
