italian: i strongly recommend TUTTO BELLO

TUTTO BELLO
No. 15, Lane 25, Shuang Cheng St. 台北市中山區雙城街25巷15號
(02) 2592-3355

MRT: ZhongShan Elementary School

website: tuttobello.com.tw Flash only

hours: 12PM- 2:30PM; 6PM- 10:30PM

$$$$ (NT$2500+/person)

kid friendliness: for gourmet kids

visit reviewed: 11/22/2011

When my friend declared that Tutto Bello was her favorite restaurant in Taipei and that I must try it, I knew that I would be in for a treat. After all, it was the winner as "Best Italian" in the Best of Taipei 2008 HungryInTaipei.com Readers' Choice Poll. I also loved Abu, and knew that Chef Abu had worked at Tutto Bello for many years before starting his own restaurant. With Stephanie and Erin's company, we had a lovely lunch with the menu chosen by the owner Samson.

Tutto Bello should definitely be an option for a luxe meal to wine and dine in Taipei. For all the dishes that we had, the elements seemed simple, but they were composed and layered together in such a way that had me devouring the dish and the sauces. And the service matched the atmosphere- it was attentive with personal touches. An extensive wine list of wines from Napa, France and Italy is available too.

The scrambled egg with chicken jus and truffles or the uova strapazzate was creamy and silky, with truffles shaved for each person tableside.

The flavors melded together and the scrambled egg seemed to melt in my mouth. The colorful beet polka dots on the plate were edible, but mostly decorative.

I'm always happy to see foie gras being served especially when it's a sizeable piece. Loved the contrasting textures of the creaminess and crunch of the Pan-Fried Duck Liver Escalope with Crispy Risotto Cake and Mushroom Cream Sauce. My only complaint about this dish was that it was warm instead of hot when I was eating it, but it's possible it's because I was taking photos and waiting for my friend's dishes to come before I dug in. The sauces again were divine.

This pasta dish is the must order of my friend- Hand-Made Linguine Pasta with Pancetta∕Porcini Mushrooms∕Pine Nuts∕“Les Blanc” Almond Oil∕Jabugo Ham Jus (NT$850). The texture and flavors are tumbled together and worked perfectly. Even though the elements appeared to be simple, the taste was memorable.

And then dessert! The chocolate sphere was brought to our table... 

then slathered in warm chocolate sauce...

Molten on the outside and DELICIOUS.  I think I heard truffle ice cream was on the inside, but I was too busy devouring.

Often times, I've been to "nice" restaurants that had expensive menus, but with passable food and even less impressive service. Tutto Bello stands out with its exceptional food and experience, that makes it worth splurging on, maybe even for a post-Valentine's day night out.