La Dolce Vita At The Italian Artusi Ristorante E Bar

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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}.

What We Loved

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.

What Didn't Impress Us

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}.

So, We're Saying...

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.