Rosso Shangri-La Hotel Sudirman Jakarta

April 12th, 2014. Rosso introduced its new Italian chef, Paolo Gionfriddo. Oh wait, I never mentioned Rosso before right? Yup, it's my first time there. What is Rosso? Rosso is an elegant, contemporary fine dining Italian restaurant and a lounge located within the luxurious Shangri-La Jakarta. The entrance to Rosso is located at the lobby level of the Shangri-La. It's not difficult to find the place. The main dining room exudes a colourful, vibrant yet sophisticated ambience. Two semi-private rooms are available, with one private room attached to a finishing kitchen where guests are able to preview the final touches placed to the preparation of their meal.

Rosso means "Red" in Italian, represents courage, passion, warmth and elegance. I was stunned when I came in. Wow.. what a lovely place. And the name is really suitable with the environment. Mostly red. You can tell from my pictures below. I came earlier so I could take pictures as many as possible. I was very happy because nobody's there hahahaha.. So no one will disturb me *devil face*

Fyi, I was in love with Rosso. The place was cozy and comfortable. I like the room with the bar. It's so private and really nice to hang out with your best pals. Btw, the first thing that caught my eyes when I came in were wine bottles. Hahahaha.. come on, I'm not an alcoholic. I just drink during certain events. And actually, I did have allergy to alcohol, but good thing nowadays I think I don't have it anymore. Yaaaay..

You could see different cushions in Rosso. Love the stripes one. Simple and so pretty I wanna take it home. Too bad, Joris was staring at me all the time hahahaha.. Oh yeah, they had different lighting too. I like the lamp hanging inside the private room, very unique and cute. But the table lamp was lovely too, I couldn't resist to capture it with my canon.

Before I got introduced to the chef, I had my welcome drinks and canapés. They served the drinks in a unique bottles.

Virgin Mojito

lime wedges, lemon juice, brown sugar, mint leave and soda water. This Virgin Mojito was served in a champagne flûte. So elegant. The combination of brown sugar, fragrant mint leave, and the tangy lime is not only refreshing, it was indeed a simple look. But that's why I like it. So simple but sweet and refreshing. The taste of the brown sugar was strong, and it just added a lovely sweetness in my Virgin Mojito. It was also a delightful drink for a party. Without doubt, this drink has to be enjoyed when chilled. Yaaaaay..

Italian Lemonade

lemon wedges, mint leave, lemon juice, simple syrup sprite. This Italian Lemonade had a sweet, sour and a little bit bitter taste at the same time. Actually, I prefer this one than the Virgin Mojito. It was more refreshing and absolutely will beat the heat. Lemon and sprite always go well together in drinks, so it makes sense that they would compliment each other. Wow, I miss this drink. I wanna go back to Rosso and order this one. Pleaseeeeee.. ask me to join you when you are at Rosso. hihihi..

Saffron Arancini

Rissoto Carnaroli (Italian rice), Saffron Powder, virgin oil, sea salt, parmesan cheese, onion, mozarella cheese, bread crumb, flour and organic egg.

Arancini is a delizioso and fun appetizer. Arancini means "little orange." It derives from the shape and colour of the food. But for me, it looked like a mini croquette. The texture was crisp and crunchy outside, soft and mushy inside. A little bit chewy and sticky. But that's fine for me. I love chewy sticky food hihihi.. And it's incredibly tasty :) Love it.

Arancini or arancine are fried rice balls coated with breadcrumbs, said to have originated in Sicily in the 10th century. Saffron is a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, commonly known as the saffron crocus. Together with the styles, or stalks that connect the stigmas to their host plant, the dried stigmas are used mainly in various cuisines as a seasoning and colouring agent. Known as Kunyit in Indonesia.

Eggplant Parmigiana

Outside Wrap: Eggplants, flour, and salt. Filling: Buffalo ricotta cheese, basil leaf, buffalo mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and salt.

Delicious layers of eggplants, tomato and cheese that melts in your mouth. Eggplants and cheese were my favourites. And it was my first time to try the awesome combination. It's a dish you can't resist. The delicate texture met the savoury taste, so impeccable!

Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is a species of nightshade commonly known in British English as aubergine and also known as melongene, garden egg, or guinea squash. Known as Terong in Indonesia. Parmigiana, parmigiana di melanzane, or melanzane alla parmigiana is an Italian dish made with a shallow or deep-fried sliced filling, layered with cheese and tomato sauce, then baked.

Ok, now I wanna tell you about Chef Paolo Gionfriddo.

Chef Paolo was born and raised in Sicily, Italy, where the beautiful landscape and natural beauty inspires the flavours and richness of all his culinary works. He is no stranger to the world of fine dining because he has been a chef at a handful of Michelin-star restaurants in his native Italy. He left the United Arab Emirates before moving to Indonesia, where he is sure to leave a long-lasting mark with his Italian gastronomical masterpiece in the culinary world.

Chef Paolo has a unique philosophy on what it means to be a chef because he understands that being a chef is much more than the managerial aspect of a kitchen. He believes in taking part in the process of making the dishes, allowing an ordinary dish to transform into an innovative culinary wonder. His outlook on being a chef has given him the space to express his personality in creating quality dishes that keep guests returning for more.

Chef Paolo brings an intense passion, high-quality standard and individualistic flare to Rosso with his Italian cuisine. Guests can find simple appreciation in Chef Paolo’s artistic and distinctive dishes representative of a true Italian with every creation. Chef Paolo’s authentic cuisine may be complimented and thoroughly enjoyed with an extensive selection wines or with cocktails, mocktails and various alcoholic beverages available at Rosso.

Chef Paolo is a nice person. He is so humble. I went to the kitchen, to meet him in person. And he was very welcome. He showed how to create the dish, and he allowed me to take his pictures while doing the dish. And it was the first time I went to a fine dining's kitchen hihihi..

Complimentary Bread

Rosso gave us complimentary bread while waiting for the Chef Lunch Set Menu. I tried almost all of them because they all looked delicious. I love the one with cherry tomatoes. The texture of the bread was soft. You can use some butter too for making the bread more tasty.

And now, it's time for me to show you the Chef's creations.

Pastetti ri Baccala

Fried cod, fennel, blood orange segment and saffron sabayon. Chef Paulo started our lunch with Pastetti ri Baccala as an antipasti. Antipasti means starter. So, Chef Paulo thought that fried cod would be a very good start before main course. Who can resist the crispy fried cod bites? The appearance of this dish was stunning too. Combination of the colours were dazzling and adorable. The fennel is crunchy and slightly sweet, and it has a lightly herbaceous flavour. The saffron sabayon sauce made it more tasty. Sabayon itself was a sweet sauce made with egg yolks, sugar, and wine beaten together over heat till thick. Overall, this dish won my heart.

Spaghetti che cozze e muddica

Spaghetti with mussels, parsley cream and aromatic bread crumb. Before main course, Chef Paulo served us pasta. It was called Spaghetti che cozze e muddica. At first, I didn't realize about the parsley cream. I thought it would be a spaghetti with bolognese sauce. But after I stirred the spaghetti, it became green. "Whoaaaa, pesto!!!" I was wrong. It was parsley cream. Chef Paulo had the courage to fool me. OMG! Hihihi.. The parsley cream was put at the bottom, covered with spaghetti, mussels and aromatic bread crumb on top. The sensuous delight of this pasta lies in the mussels. Tempting!!

Agghiutta ri Tunnu

Yellow fin Tuna, sweet and sour braised onion and reduction of balsamic. Finally. Main course. Chef Paolo served pesci for us, Agghiutta ri Tunnu. Pesci means fish. The appearance was very humble. Greenish look from the pistachio made this dish looked pretty. The Yellow fin Tuna had mild flavor and firm texture. The garnish was simply beautiful. Balsamic is a vinegar originating from Italy, increasingly popular throughout the world. It tasted like a hearty red wine but with a smokey follow. This main course was the winner!! Yaaay..

Cannolo ca' ricotta

Cannolo filled with buffalo ricotta cheese and pistachio. Chef Paolo made us a dolce. Dolce means sweet. So, it's a dessert. Cannoli are Sicilian pastry desserts. The singular is cannolo (or in the Sicilian language cannolu), meaning "little tube." Cannoli consist of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta.

I had a chance to see Chef Paolo gave his final touch for this dessert. Btw, do you know how to eat this cannolo? Just grab and bite it. No utensils are necessary. And actually, the best part of this dolce is the luscious, velvety filling. A mild and creamy ricotta. It was a perfect combination with the crispy cannolo.

They served us wine too for pairing with the menu. I liked both, white wine and red wine. They were Sicilian wines. Wine is deeply rooted in Sicilian culture, with local vineyards producing excellent wines. Planeta Chardonnay 2010 was pairing with the pasta, and Planeta La Segreta 2011 was pairing with the pesci.

Ok, that's a wrap. It was an honour for me to be in this event. Thanks to Shangri-La Jakarta for giving me this wonderful experience with Chef Paolo.

Rosso Italian Restaurant
Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta
Lobby Level
Kota BNI JL. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 1
Jakarta, 10220
Phone: 021-29399562
IG: @shangrilajkt