I've been wondering if the Italian restaurants in town have some sort of vendetta against this blog. It seems that every time I eat at one of them they immediately change their menu.
Most recently, Bar Centrale completely revamped their food the day after I reviewed them, and took off the menu literally every single thing I wrote about. And Volare did the same thing. We only went in for a couple of pasta dishes, both of which were excellent. In the review I mentioned it was a shame they had dropped the "Tapas" they once offered in the downstairs bar. Of the pasta dishes, one immediately disappeared altogether and the other is now only on the lunch menu. But on the VERY bright side, the "Tapas" have returned!
I realise that Tapas are small Spanish snacks but some Italian restaurants have been appropriating the description, and why not? Bottom line is that they're small plates of yummy things, good for sharing.
The darker one of these two in the pic is the Amaretto, the other the Frangelico. I know. Like that helps. Sorry. Just getting my Amaretto Sour vibe on - damn I really have fallen for those things...
After that shot of instant gratification we couldn't resist some small plates. From the (new) menu we had:
- ARANCINI (V) $13.5 Fried saffron risotto cakes, Mozzarella, Panko crumbs
- CRUDO $16 Fresh fish, basil oil, green chili, saffron aioli, crostini
- CARPACCIO DI MANZO $16 Shaved beef, Tonnato sauce, fennel, rocket, crostini
And once again we were knocked out with all three dishes. The arancini oozed with melted mozzarella, and the crudo was simply sensational, the accompaniments perfectly setting off the fish. As well as those listed, there was also a bit of lime/lemon flesh which popped in the mouth with little citrus hits. Great stuff.
The carpaccio was also good, cut as thinly as it should be and delicious. The fennel and crunchy deep-fried capers worked really well. My one reservation is that there was possibly too much sauce, something of a mayo overload that masked the meat a bit, though some would possibly enjoy the extreme creaminess.
By this time I needed another drink so had a glass of Jules Taylor Pinot Gris 2020 ($11.50) which was as well-balanced and nuanced as all Jules' wines seem to be, with enough acid to cut through the aioli and sauce. Yum. That's a wine term BTW - yum.
And as we were sitting on the deck in the fading sun it struck us that Volare does one of those rarest of things for a restaurant: it doesn't just sell you food and drink, it sells you a lifestyle. The food here looks a little more rustic than that at Bar Centrale or Sugo but has an indefinable timeless confidence - the crudo, along with an Italian drink, transports you, from the Strand to some little continental street where you sip Prosecco and nibble on something Italian and all becomes right in the world. Well that's how it seemed on Sunday.
And here's a classy touch: as we paid, Luigi said that he was deducting the price of the glass of wine since the Frangelico Sour experiment - good idea though it may have been - hadn't been entirely successful. And he was absolutely right: hazelnut just doesn't work the same way as almond in a sour. But we were happy to give it a crack, good or bad, so the free glass of wine was both unexpected and generous. Go Volare!
NOTE: It may seem like I know the people in the restaurants I write about, but I don't. If I do I'll say so. And I've never received anything free for writing about them, though I'd absolutely accept pretty much anything offered. I'm not proud. Or crazy. But if I should get anything complimentary I'll certainly flag it: sunlight is the best aperitif...
No comments:
Post a Comment