Il Ristorante Trussardi alla Scala ..... Michelin Star Experience in Milan, 17 Sep 2010 - Milano, Italia

Executive Chef Andrea Berton takes the helm at Il Ristorante Trussardi alla Scala since 2006. His talent and dedication of his art to tease the palate has won the 2 star Michelin award for the past 2 years. the clean uncluttered spacious interior of the restaurant was inviting and unobtrusive. As we came out of the lift to the restaurant, on the second floor of the building, the immediate right allows full views of Chef Andrea and his team busy with the orders.

It was our last night in Milan before we flew back to Singapore and we decide to splurge at Trussardi alla Scala. HY and I have been planning this dress-up dinner for sometime and tonight's the night. The restaurant was chi-chi enough for a dress-up dinner. The maitre d' whisk us to our window view table and got us comfortable. 

The sommelier was quick to his feet and introduced us to the wines when we decided on our dinner dishes. We chose a chardonnay to go with the risotto and a barolo with our red mains.

Before we even begin with our starters we were pampered with a chain of complimentary appetizers. These 3 appetizers provided a mix of different taste and texture to warm up the palate. Before our own orders came, our stomachs were more han warmed up.

Beetroot, Seaweed, Saffron, Squid ink Crackers

Staccato Cheese on biscotti

Salmon with pineapple

For starters we had the "Porcini" mushroom with beef stock and olive oil. Porcini was in season and this juicy savory mushroom blended well with the beef stock and olive oil. This dish was tasty but I can't help noticing the petite portion.

“Risotto Milanese” with golden calf sweetbreads (Primi)

This Milanese risotto was too heavy for HY. I thought it was a tard too heavy compared to the many we had in Italy. However, this heavy saffron and cheesy version seemed to be what's typically available in Singapore. I thought it was good and HY is not a fan of cheese. That's Parmigiano-Reggiano for you, me love, too bad it's not your cup of tea. I have it all ..... slurp!

Duck Nantaise, steamed breast, fried legs and grilled spring onions. (Secondi)

Nantaise duck was absolutely tender. The grilled spring onions added the extra fragrance to this dish. HY liked this as it was light but I thought it was too light after I had the risotto.

Spring lamb shoulder with fried potatoes, cream of onion and ricotta cheese (Secondi)

The spring lamb had the roasted charred bits on the outside that taste very savory and the thick chunk of meat remains pinkish and tender. It already taste delicious on its own.

White meringue with hazelnut chocolate, crispy vanilla bread and rhubarb ice cream (dessert)

This is a mix of sweet and and sour dessert bites created by the dessert chef. The vanilla bread coated with burnt sugar and the meringue with hazelnut chocolate provided that burst of indulging sweetness. Having mouthful of the sour rhubarb ice cream in between the sweet bites brought alternating waves of intense sweetness and sourness. They looked really simple but HY and I love this.

We thought that we were done with dessert and asked for our bill but only to be served with another wave of complimentary dessert that was more than the dessert that we ordered. What you see here's some Canolo, white chocolate macaron, chocolate ganache, a pair of lemon gummy coated with sugar and some kind of orange jelly tart.

The complimentary dessert came with 2 chocolate lollipops ..........

and finally a bowl of chocolate truffles .......

The service here was immaculate. Food was well presented, delicious and the ambience was classy. The experience ....... top notched! So far our most expensive dinner but we enjoyed this indulgence.

Piazza della Scala, 5
20121, Milano, Italia
Tel : +39 02 80688201
Il Ristorante Trussardi alla Scala Website

Bistrot Giacomo ....... an enjoyable casual dinner in Milan, 16 Sep 2010 Milano, Italia

Giacomo Bistrot is a cosy yet swanky restaurant patronized by hip Italians that are dressed up to the nigh. At 7pm most of the folks at the bistrot were drinking around the bar counter nearest to the entrance and at 7pm, we were the earliest customers to arrive for dinner. That ties in well as there's no later time slots to accomodate us. The house was full. Ristorante Giacomo was the swankier sister restaurant just right beside this bistrot. The price point at Ristorante Giacomo wasn't right for us today as we still wanted more budget for shopping. Maybe we'll do a dress up dinner for our last night in Milan.

Inside, the ambience wasn't that fitting of a bistrot. I thought a bistrot should be more casual than what's presented before me. The interior was dim and had heavy furnitures, making it a bit stark. What's really casual about the bistrot was the attitude of the waiter who served us. He was jovial, chatty, attentive and was willing to share his personal recommendations on the dishes in the menu. Hip looking folks aside, Giacomo Bistrot was all about good food and attentive service that made it an enjoyable experience.

Deep fried vegetables and fried mozzarella dough (Complimentary appetizers). This looked like the 'acah' (spicy preserved vegetables) and fried fish balls that we see in Singapore. The vegetables were crunchy, not unlike tempura vegetable. I liked those mozzarella dough balls. The chewiness coupled with the fragrance of the mozzarella made this kind of a fun dish for appetizers..

This was our bread bowl with so many different shapes, form and taste to choose from. These biscuit liked ones was especially good.

Squid Ink Risotto with Shrimps. In this dish, the risotto was infused with squid ink but no excess squid ink sauce was used for plating. A thoroughly black looking dish can be visually unappetizing even though it may taste delightful. The typical saffron fragrance was evident but not overpowering.

Fillet Mignon with dijon mustard based sauce. I was told that in Italy everyone's particular about their food and in Milan everyone eat good. This medium rare fillet mignon that was sitting right in front of us bear witness to this statement.

Although a rather thick chunk, it was relative easy to cut thin slices for the slow enjoyment. The dijon mustard based sauce was a good touch to accentuate the taste of the meat. Nice balanced sauce done just right to tickle and not to overwhelm the palate.

Milanese Veal Chop with grilled potatoes. I must confess that my photo didn't do justice do justice to the veal chop. It didn't look interesting enough in my photo but trust me that it taste real good.

The frying didn't dry up the veal meat inside the coat of golden brown at all. It was still glistening with veal juice as I sliced it apart.

HY chose this cake that was a very light mix of muscapone and chantilly interspersed with berries. We love this cake.

Via Pasquale Sottocorno, 6

20129 Milano, Italia

Tel : +39 02 76022653

Bistrot Giacomo Website