We struck dessert gold at the Ritz-Carlton’s Barolo restaurant at their "Sunday Bubbly Brunch" with their creamy flavorful tiramisu name after the restaurants head chef. The Chef Ivan’s Tiramisu is a guilty pleasure that makes the trip to the tucked away hotel all the more worthwhile. The new brunch menu was unveiled in December 2014 and offers two, three, and four course dishes at RMB 198, RMB 278, and RMB 338 respectively.
The bubbly part of the brunch is in the form of a complimentary Italian sparkling wine, for those who want a non-alcoholic drink then there’s the option a virgin grapefruit inspired mocktail, that was a little on the sweet side. we had mixed reviews for the different foods, firstly was the appetizers, we ordered a duck breast with duck liver pate and roasted eggplant that was rather dry. The French mussels were fine and finally a cream of mushroom soup that was a bit oily due to olive oil sprinkled.
As for the mains, we ordered the amberjack that came with a cauliflower puree, florets, and a red wine syrup that was flat and did not leave much of an impression. The other was a Barolo red wine braised short rib with garlic cream and truffle polenta that was very good. Lastly, we order the saffron tagliatelle (type of pasta) with wagyu beef bolognese that was spicy to give the dish a new dimension but not overpowering.
There isn’t a special kids menu but families can choose the less fancy dishes on the menu for their children like the carbonara and soups.
As for the other dessert we ordered, the panna cotta and marsala creme brulee were good but still did not measure up to the tiramisu.
Photo: Nimo Wanjau
