La Dolce Vita At The Italian Artusi Ristorante E Bar

Named after Pellegrino Artusi, this restaurant brings with it the authentic flavours of the Emilia Romagna region in Italy {known for its artisanal pasta, balsamic vinegar, and parmesan cheese, among others}.

Owned by an Indian-Italian, and with an Italian native heading the kitchen, Artusi takes the city’s gastronomical scene up by a fair few notches.

For the uninitiated and experienced eaters alike, the five-course tasting menu is a fine glimpse into a traditional meal. For antipasti, we chose Piadina e Crescione {spinach stuffed flatbread, served with slivers of meat, cheese and pickled vegetables} and Tomino {grilled Camembert with mushroom bruschetta in truffle oil}. The latter, with all restraint, totally knocked our socks off.

Next up were the Capelleti in Brodo {ricotta filled pasta pockets in a clear broth} and the Passatelli in Brodo {pasta made with bread and parmesan cheese, in a clear broth}; both winners. The bread basket, with an excellent sun-dried tomato relish, was the perfect accompaniment. By this stage, we were quite full with the flour-and-cheese-heavy two courses but were still happy to try the chef’s special Pappardelle alla Faraona in ragu sauce with guinea hen.

For dessert, a simple crème caramel was given an exotic spin with a fig base, and crunchy roast almonds and caramel bits on top. The other dessert was a warm pistachio custard with coffee gelatin and sticky caramelised nutty cracker bits, all of which worked together in magical ways.

The only thing we didn’t particularly enjoy {apart from the XL cutlery and disproportionate crockery} was the fourth course; the Tagliatina e Insalata {thinly sliced grilled meat with an arugula and artichoke salad}.

A meal here will burn a tiny hole in your pocket, but our meal started and ended on a high, so it was totally worth it.