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| VIA ROMA |
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| Beijing - China |
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| Society - Extraordinary |
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6
Stars & 5 Stripes
Overall - 'Cuisine & Service' |
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The
Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars
Award™ |
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| Preparing for a visit to Beijing will conjure up all
kinds of images of the deep historical kind, of 850 years of existence, of Ming
and Mongol Emperors, of walls of incredible architectural feats and length, of
wars, law and order. But nothing will prepare you for the juxtaposition of the
ancient structures against the modernity of skyscrapers, bridges and stadiums.
It was within this context that we were invited to review the Via Roma
Restaurant at the Kempinski Hotel, Lufthansa Center in the heart of this
complex and diverse city. After a leisurely drive from the airport to the
hotel, Managing Director Gerhard E. Mitrovits met us at the entrance and
graciously laid the groundwork for our stay, welcoming us to his
domain. |
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| Arrival:
Thorsten J. Buehrmann & Gerhard E. Mitrovits |
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| Our minds were open but with only the highest culinary
expectations, since our pre-review homework alerted us to the multiple
accomplishments and recognitions Chef Francesco Sanna had received over the
years. It seems that Chef Francesco had recently won the “4th Barilla
Pasta World Championship” held in Parma Italy, which added a significant
feather in his cap. Under the guidance of Executive Chef Bela Rieck, and
Director of Food and Beverage Bernd Rudigier, Chef Francesco has come into his
own and continues to develop and improve his eclectic Italian style in the
heart of the Orient. |
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| Upon taking over the job
of Head Chef for Via Roma, Francesco ramped up the menu by making substantial
changes to the status quo, developing menu items, and testing new cuisine
ideas. After finally altering the degustation menu at least five times until he
made his mark with extensive and unique versions of iconic Italian staples,
Chef Francesco hit his stride. We couldn’t help but wonder how all the
creative energy flowed from the source and transformed itself into picture
perfect menu items with dynamic and complex taste profiles. As a result, he has
won several awards for the restaurant including, Best Italian Restaurant by
Voyage Magazine 2014, Best Italian Restaurant by That’s Beijing Magazine
2014 and Best Italian (Hotel) Editor’s Pick by City Weekend
2015. |
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‘So, where do we start’, we asked Chef
Francesco. His response by way of his facial expression was priceless and
classic Italian! with both hands apart, fingers together and shoulders
shrugged, we just got the feeling that all we had to do was to sit back and
leave everything to him. Kitchen staff alone cannot do what it takes to produce
a successful dining experience, so it involves dining staff including sommelier
Heng Gui, who guided us through each cuisine course with the appropriate wine
selections. Keep in mind, the dining atmosphere is casual, with relaxed service
but the attention to culinary detail and the wine pairings were exceptional.
Here is an example of what we experienced during our degustation menu: An
elegant
Amuse-Bouche
(CLICK HERE) of three items served together on a long rectangular ceramic
plate like tapas, consisted of Ricotta and Black Summer Truffles, Balsamic
Pineapple & Parma Ham, and Eggplants with Buffalo Mozzarella in Pacchero
Pasta. |
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| Francesco
Sanna Cuisine |
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| This introduction to our mentor’s cuisine made us
stop and think carefully about what it takes to produce seductive eye-appeal
together with concentrated flavors as a tantalizing lure to suggest a sneak
preview of things to come. Sommelier Heng Gui was busy organizing his pairings
so that we could start with the aperitif Carpene Malvolti Prosecco di
Conegliano NV (Veneto, Italy), offering fresh, crisp, light and refreshing
components to complement amuse bouche. Moving forward brought our starters to
the table, consisting of Duo of Goose Liver and Seared Scallop in
Orange Butter Sauce. |
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| Francesco Sanna Cuisine |
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The goose liver
fascinated me, because of the delightfully sublime mouthfeel, impressive with a
type of creaminess that seemed unparalleled. At one point after caressing a
small portion of Foie Gras in my mouth, I began to realize how far onwards and
upwards Chef Francesco has propelled himself towards the quality and
creativeness of world renowned chef
Heinz Winkler of the Seven Starred Restaurant RESIDENZ, in Bavaria. A soup of Porcini Mushroom with White Truffle Oil appeared decorated with wafer thin slices of fresh white truffle adding to the addictive aroma and taste. |
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| I must say that the next course arriving in two
distinct dishes, although intermediary, conjured up some of my fondest culinary
recollections from the evening. The first being
Risotto
with Strawberries and Prosecco (CLICK HERE), which looked so delicately
blush tinted and creamy and tasted so divine. And the second, Malloreddus
(Sardinian Gnocchetti) with Fennel Sausage, Cherry Tomatoes, Cream of Bell
Peppers and Pecorino Sardo Cheese, an original creation of Chef Francesco,
became the recipient of the prestigious Barilla Pasta Championship 2015
award. As we moved along through the courses, I became more and more enamored
and in awe, that I was in the presence of a true rising culinary star. A super
bottle of 100% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Lavatti Selezione,
displaying all the earthiness of its soil origins and remaining silky smooth,
thereby happily complementing and coexisting nicely side by side with the
gnocchetti. |
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| Continuing our journey,
Chef Francesco now introduced us to his main course of Braised Osso Bucco
with Gremolata Sauce, turning out to be a complete step out of the box from
the traditional recipe. It was hard to imagine a more unusual way to construct
this dish, which ordinarily would have arrived as a bone-in hunk of meat in the
middle of a pool of thick tomato sauce and either polenta or mashed potatoes.
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| Francesco Sanna Cuisine |
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| Francesco’s signature on this version was to
start with delightfully tender morsels of veal shank meat off the bone,
artfully organized into a small round shape and placed on top of a drizzling of
rich tomato sauce. On top of the meat comes more thick sauce to which a topping
of gremolata (finely chopped garlic, lemon zest and parsley) had been added and
spiked with a sprig of rosemary. A side of delicate saffron risotto is the only
accompaniment besides a deep royal ruby red glass of Nittardi Chianti
Classico Riserva 2008. |
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| Francesco Sanna Dessert |
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It turns out that a
kitchen of this quality and creativity must have a balanced team of experts,
and so we came to know Chef Francesco's own family recipe for Tiramisu. We were
impressed by the quadruple play of Tiramisu, Valrohna Chocolate Mousse, and
Cremino Cake “Torino Style” with a side of White Coffee Ice
Cream. |
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| This was a decidedly regional Piedmontese concoction
contrasting three types of chocolate with ‘white’ coffee ice cream to
much acclaim at our table, as our server had to listen to the sounds of one
‘wow’ after another followed by a satisfying ‘ummm’. Soon
the digestive trolley arrived prominently displaying an extra large bottle of
Nonino Riserva Grappa the thought of which warmed my soul, along with a
small plate of Italian Inspired Petit Fours, to warm the taste buds and
put them to sleep. We concluded that with the likes of Chef Francesco Sanna, we
were in the presence of a special talent on the rise to be heard from for a
long time to come. |
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| Via Roma
- 2015 - Seven Stars Award |
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by Thorsten Buehrmann
Editor: Ingrid
Lemme
Editor-in-Chief: John Lomitola |
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| © 2015 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes,
Inc. |
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