A romantic red ambiance greeted me as I walked into Rosso, an Italian restaurant and lounge located in Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta. Rosso, which means “red” in Italian, is commonly associated with passion, boldness, warmth and elegance.
It is unsurprising to see the color traits reflected through the restaurant's décor and interior. The prominent feature of the lounge is the dazzling lights behind the bar counter, which radiates different colors and hues to set the room's mood.
The main dining room oozes vibrant yet sophisticated ambience. It also has two semi-private rooms, one of which is attached to the finishing kitchen. This uniquely built room easily enables guests to view the final touches of preparation before the dishes reach their table.
As of last March, Rosso has featured a new head chef—Paolo Gionfriddo—a native Sicilian who infuses his homeland’s natural charm and richness into all his culinary creations. He is no stranger to the world of fine dining because of his vast experience working for Michelin-star restaurants as well as working alongside the famed Chef Marco Pierre White (Widely known as the world’s first celebrity chef. He worked in the United Arab Emirates before to moving to Indonesia, bringing along his Italian gastronomical creations to Rosso.
Staying true to his Mediterranean roots, Chef Paolo only uses fresh ingredients and endeavors to maintain the ingredients' original taste as much as possible. Being a head chef, he still takes part in the process of making all the dishes on the menu, believing his involvement behind the creation of every dish will maintain quality while ensuring his signature touch is on every plate served.
Introducing the taste of Sicily over a lunch at Rosso, Chef Paolo starts the dining experience by serving Pastetti ri Baccala as the antipasti. The crispy fried cod was aesthetically served on top of shredded fennel at the center of the plate. It was then artistically garnished with blood orange, saffron sabayon and anise hyssop.
The fried cod's meat was tasty and soft with a pleasant crunchy exterior. I love how the cod melted and blended perfectly with the blood orange and the saffron sabayon inside my mouth. It was simply irresistible.
Moving on to the next dish, Chef Paolo pampered guests’ palates with his creation of Spaghetti che cozze e muddica, which consists of spaghetti with mussels and parsley cream sprinkled with aromatic breadcrumbs. The dish was so well presented and the aromas were so delightful that one could already taste it even before tucking in. The black olives, parsley and bread crumbs giving it a beautiful texture and added a nice color to it.
The swirling spaghetti surprisingly turned green as I stirred and mixed it with the parsley cream at the bottom of the plate. The mussels were savory and I really loved the taste of the parsley cream on the spaghetti. The black olives added a sour balance and the breadcrumbs added a pleasant crunch to every mouthful.
A glass of Planeta Chardonnay 2010 was poured and paired with the spaghetti. This Sicilian wine is bright gold and has fruity citrus taste and aroma that complements the flavor of the mussels.
For Pesci, Chef Paolo served his other masterpiece, Agghiutta ri Tunnu. It consists of yellow fin tuna, which was nicely covered with pistachio crumbs finished with a sweet and sour braised onion on top of a balsamic reduction.
The yellow fin tuna meat simply melted in my mouth. Similar to what the breadcrumbs did with the spaghetti, the green pistachio's crumbles created a nice texture and fresh taste.
The sour braised onion as well as the balsamic reduction not only complemented the tuna, but also balanced its flavor. There was not even a hint of a fishy aftertaste and the dish was perfectly paired with Planeta La Segreta 2011 red wine.
The dining ended sweetly with a roll of Cannolo ca' ricotta, a Sicilian pastry dessert filled with creamy ricotta filling. The cannolo roll was sprinkled with powdery sugar and topped with slices of sweet dried tangerine. One doesn't need any eating utensils to savor this blissful dessert. Just use your hands and take a sweet bite.
The crunchy texture of the fried Cannolo mixed harmoniously with the creaminess of its sweet filling on my palate. It has a sugary taste that is not too sweet, a perfect indulgence to end the Sicilian dining experience.
To experience your own authentic Italian dining at Rosso, the restaurant is strategically located on the ground floor of Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta with an establishment that can seat up to 40 people. Rosso opens for lunch starting from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm then opens again for dinner from 6.30 pm until 10.30 pm daily. The lounge operates from 11.00 am to 2.30 pm and from 5.30 pm until late 1.00 am.
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