/ Reviews / Italian
Solid as a Brick
by Tom Lee
on Friday, December 24, 2010 12:00 AM
With bright-red design features throughout the interior, Briccocafé looks like it's ready for Christmas all year round - especially now, decked out in tinsel and decorations for the holiday. Since nabbing Chef de Cuisine Catia Busa out of the Expo site, they've turned away more from their roots as a fast-food Italian chain and moved towards building on a more traditionally Italian approach to café service.
Much of the core menu consists of homemade dishes, including the varieties of pasta, pizza, dessert and coffee. No matter whether it's the earthy yet sweet beetroot and ricotta ravioli (RMB78), or the potato gnocchi with tomato sauce (RMB78), diners can be assured that it's been made in-house almost entirely from scratch. That's not to say expect gourmet: its food cooked unpretentiously to be eaten unpretentiously.
Presentation is bare bones, with many items, like the four cheese pizza (RMB88), appearing on the table unadulterated by decoration and even looking slightly boring - though this is not necessarily a reflection on the taste. Then there are the options that have a little more flair; for instance, the veal tenderloin (RMB108), beaten into a thin, tender pancake and placed atop a heap of sautéed mushrooms, with a side of duchess potatoes lending an artistic air to the affair.
Perhaps the best way to take advantage of the venue, however, is to pop in for a mid-afternoon glass of wine and a snack. Exclusively stocking Italian vintages from a variety of regions, Briccocafé has chosen inexpensive bottles that won't scare away the casual diner, costing mainly between RMB148 and RMB288. These go down nicely with the near-raw chunks of salmon marinated in olive oil, lemon and orange juice (RMB58), or the liberally sauced meatballs (RMB38).
But, really, what could be better than a glass of sparkling and a dessert to keep out the winter chill? Favorites like tiramisu (RMB38) are certainly available but the chocolate flan (RMB38) is the true cocoa lover's choice, as it's 70 percent pure chocolate. Oozing out from inside the sponge cake, the warm sauce instills new life into cold bones - it may just mollify those grumbling about the freezing winds and the recent, unusual drifts of snow.
The Bottom Line: Simple stop-off point for those looking for shelter from the elements.
