Recently, DanielFoodDiary and I went to indulge ourselves in contemporary fine Italian dining at Caffé B located at Marina Bay Sands. Caffé B is the nouveau Italian fine dining restaurant and bar concept that marries the best of Italian traditions, style and cuisine with the soul and sensibilities of the Japanese culture.
The interior decor of Caffé B is very elegant and sophisticated, very apt for a nice evening out. The service is impeccable and the menu is grand, comprising of premium quality, contemporary Italian cuisine with beautiful presentation that definitely hints at Japanese aesthetics.
We started our meal with Warm Focaccia with Olive Dip.
Eggplant Slices, Layered with Crab Meat Chunks and Avocado Cream, Served with Orange and Basil Flavoured Piccadilly Sicilian Tomatoes.
Pappardelle with Wagyu Beef Bolognese, Topped with Shaved Parmesan.
Classic Risotto with Porcini Mushroom “Mantecato” with Butter and 24-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese.
Linguine in a Zucchine Cream Sauce Topped with Sautéed Scallops.
Pan Seared Cod Fillet Wrapped in Lard with White and Green Asparagus in a Saffron and Porcini Mushroom Sauce
Piedmont Hazelnut Tart with Custard Cream Flavoured in Tahiti Vanilla and Japanese Sake Topped with Berries and Peaches.
Yuzu Pudding Panna Cotta with Berries and Ginger Chocolate Sauce.
Classic Tiramisu made ala Minute.
Private dining room inside Caffé B that seats ten.
I ought to point out that there was so much food and I ate so much that I pretty much busted a button on my new dress — evident in this photo (but please, there’s no need to look at it so closely). ;p Thank you, Jaime, for hosting this fabulous lunch.
The two dishes which I loved are:
1. Pappardelle with Wagyu Beef Bolognese, Topped with Shaved Parmesan
I would totally go back to this restaurant to have this dish again. The pappardelle is perfectly al dente and the wagyu bolognese is extremely flavorful, coating the surface of the pasta beautifully making this an overall feel-good, taste-good dish.
2. Classic Risotto with Porcini Mushroom “Mantecato” with Butter and 24-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
I generally find that risotto is always a tad too heavy for me because it’s so rich. But this one has good flavor and even though the aged cheese may be an acquired taste for some, I happen to like it. The porcini mushroom is so succulent, the flavors and textures worked out great together in this dish.
You know I’m from New York and we eat a lot of Italian food there; so the flavours in these dishes aren’t a stranger to me and I truly enjoyed the creative pairings. Actually Caffé B has several other pasta dishes which I’d like to try out next time, for example there are two other risotto versions – one with foie gras and another with black squid ink. There’s also a tomato, olive, basil, Parmigiano Reggiano spaghetti and the Ai Frutti di Mare (seafood spaghetti) which are basic Italian fares, but I’m eager to try those too.
The next time you’re looking for a lovely Italian dinner, do check out Caffé B and please, please, please order the pappardelle. :) It will knock your socks off.
More photos of the food (and possibly, my busted dress) can be found at my Facebook page.