Sourdough bread topped with buffalo mozzarella and arugula leaves, drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
A WHITE tomato soup with a rich, buttery flavour has taken the spotlight in the newly launched menu of an Italian restaurant in Shah Alam, Selangor.
Created as an addition for a new menu to commemorate the second anniversary of Tosca Trattoria Italiana at DoubleTree by Hilton Shah Alam i-City, executive chef Azhar Sarif said this dish required 4kg of tomatoes for every 200ml of soup.
“The soup is derived from tomato essence and takes two days to make.
“The tomatoes, which must be very ripe, have to be soaked for 48 hours in cider vinegar, water, Himalayan salt, coriander and black pepper.
The white tomato soup uses 4kg of ripe tomatoes for every 200ml of soup. — Photos: KAMARUL ARIFFIN/The Star
“It is then blended, poured into a cloth to obtain the essence and then emulsified with butter,” said Azhar.
So far, the white tomato soup is exclusive to Tosca.
“Many people are taken aback that a tomato soup can be white,” said Azhar of his diners’ reaction.
To go with the soup, the kitchen recommends a choice of three starters.
One is sourdough bread topped with buffalo mozzarella and arugula leaves, drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
Squid ink pasta coated in a light bisque with grilled Sabah lobster
Another is smoked burrata served with heirloom tomatoes in a pine kernel pesto.
Served with a glass dome, diners will see the cheese being smoked with apple wood chips for 20 seconds before the dome is removed.
For a real treat, there is tiger prawn cooked in tomato and saffron on ciabatta bread with bocconcini, which is similar to mozzarella, but aged for a few days.
In addition to the recent promotion of Bill Quah as chef de cuisine, the outlet has also enhanced the recipe for their pizza dough.
At the restaurant’s first anniversary last year, it was revealed that the secret to achieving that “crispy on the outside, soft on the inside” crust, lies in the use of low-protein wheat flour and a proofing process which has to be done at 23°C – any hotter and the dough loses its chewiness.
Roasted chicken enriched with the flavours of truffle, black pepper and rosemary.
The latest formula sees a softer, chewier dough which sees a 10% increase in water content.
The research and development for the pizza dough took a year to perfect and was undertaken by Quah and commis Azam Hairi.
Diners can sample the results in the seafood pizza featuring tiger prawns, seabass, squid and octopus with fresh basil on a tomato sauce base.
Catering to the local dining styles where sharing is a common practice, the new menu offers two types of mixed grill platters featuring meat and seafood.
The former offers lamb racks, lamb sausages, Black Angus minute steak and half a roasted spring chicken.
The latter features fish of the day, air flown Hokkaido scallops, tiger prawns, Sabah lobster, and breaded deep-fried lobster balls.
Both are ideal for two and come with truffle mashed potatoes, grilled Cameron vegetables and onion rings.
For solo main courses, there are beef veal cutlets, roasted chicken, a mixed seafood fry and squid ink spaghetti with baked Sabah lobster.
The veal cutlets, thinly cut, are breaded and deep-fried in an egg batter.
On the side are thick-cut potato fries cooked with duck fat and very crispy as a result. The floral and fruity notes of a pink peppercorn sauce complemented this dish.
The roasted chicken was enriched with flavours of truffle, black pepper and rosemary.
The mixed seafood fry featured squid, octopus, tiger prawns and seabass encased in a golden batter of rice and potato flour.
Double dipped to achieve that crispy effect, the secret to preserving the sweet, juicy texture is to stick to the general rule of two to three minutes of cooking time at 180˚C for every 45g of seafood.
The squid ink pasta was coated in a light bisque with grilled Sabah lobster, topped with crab and pesto sauce.
For dessert, the restaurant has maintained its signature tiramisu which uses mascarpone cheese imported from Italy.
This wonderfully, light and creamy sweet is served with vanilla gelato.
TOSCA TRATTORIA ITALIANA
DoubleTree by Hilton Shah Alam iCity, Level 5, i-City Finance Avenue, Shah Alam, Selangor.
(Tel: 012-223 8753) Business hours: Noon to 2.30pm, 6.30pm to 10.30pm.
This is the writer’s personal observation and is not an endorsement by StarMetro.
