Dinner at Opera Bombana
As always, beautiful things find a special place in the heart.
As always, beautiful things find a special place in the heart.
Chef Andrea is able to convey full array of emotions with his dishes with a strong taste and a steady hand that denotes professionalism and respect for the product. Honestly, I am biased because I have known Andrea since few years now, and I have personally experienced his culinary evolution which is based on the traditional character of the recipes and the respect for the products.
The summer tasting menu consists of 6 dishes where the lightness of the ingredients stands out, starting from the Shima Aji fish up to the tasting of seasonal melons (special dish off the menu).
But let’s dive in!
It all started with a delicately flavoured canapé of Burrata and Culatello with the classic crunchy Lavosh and breadsticks; right after it came the Shima Aji fish marinated with caviar and apricot and orange sauce. The taste of the caviar is strong but at the same time not too strong to cover the marinade of the fish, and it gives to the dish a very delicate visual impact.
The second course was an explosion of aromas, led by the crab as first, up to the caviar, passing by the Sardinian Fregola. The exciting thing was the crispy romaine lettuce which balanced all the different textures of the dish very well.
Leaving the crab behind, I arrived to the Cavatelli pasta which, in my opinion, was the best course of the whole meal.
The feeling created by tasting the fresh pasta with sea urchins and fish sauce is rarely reproduced by other chefs. It is a simple dish although it shows with its direct taste without compromises, the undoubted skills of the Chef in processing the ingredients.
The second pasta dish were the sublime ravioli stuffed with beef with a vegetable demi-glace, which gave a pronounced touch of the forest. (Unfortunately they were too few)
The mixed mushroom matched perfectly with the vegetable reduction which, in my opinion, was the secret ingredient of the dish.
The pasta courses finished, and so a Wagyu sirloin arrived, with braised vegetables and whipped potatoes.
A very good entree with crunchy and fluffy side dishes that gave a very interesting note to it, especially during the most essential part of eating, what in Italy we call “ FARE LA SCARPERTTA” which is basically clearing the plate with a piece of bread, and in this case it was corn bread.
Honestly, this dish was spectacular, but still cannot surpass the Cavatelli…. (I hope Andrea doesn’t want me bad!)
After the meat, a tasting of seasonal Chinese melons was served and this alone was worth the dinner. Different types of melons with delicate and fresh tastes allowed me to clean my palate from the meat course and to get ready for the dessert.
As a last dish, the revisited Tiramisu could not be missed. It has a truly enviable taste and creaminess.
But actually the tiramisu wasn’t the last course we had… I also had the opportunity to taste some local processed cheeses produced with the Italian / French method. Simply terrific was the goat cheese with a light and very aromatic taste that went very well with seasonal jams.
And finally as very last last taste, as “Piccola Pasticceria” (petit four) we had the classic short crust pastry and the Cannoli which, for a moment, brought me back to Italy.
I have to say thanks to Andrea and Amedeo for keeping me company during this remarkable experience.
As well a big thanks to the whole team, in particular to the manager Vincenzo who guided us in this culinary journey made of extraordinary emotions.

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