I visited Scarpetta recently to try out some of their new summer dishes. As I was just eating alone, I only managed to order two items, but that didn’t stop me from sharing them with you.

House Bread

The meal started with a nice basket of house bread, all baked in house.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

A sizable portion of various organic heirloom tomatoes. The dressing was quite acidic, but still balanced well with salt so it was not overly so. I especially liked the darker colored tomatoes, as I found them to be sweeter and together with the dressing, tasted more harmonious. The green ones were not as sour as I had thought, while the larger red tomatoes had clean and refreshing tomato flavours.

Crab Risotto

The star of the evening was the new crab risotto. I was told beforehand that this rendition of risotto was deliberately cooked softer than al dente. Ok sure, lets give it a try.

Again, portions are very decent. The risotto was served with a side dish of puffed rice crisps and crispy toasted garlic slices. They were meant to be scattered over the risotto if desired.

The risotto was well executed with a moist and creamy finish, the rice kernals slightly less than al dente, but by no means mushy. The crab sauce in the middle was strong but not overwhelming, packed full of umami from crab meat and some whole crab legs. I couldn’t detect a specific spice/seasoning, yet it felt like it had everything. That my friends, is the mark of an intricately crafted dish.

What was most remarkable was after I scattered the rice puffs and mixed them in my bites. I instantly understood why they had decided to cook the rice softer than usual, because there was now a contrast of textures between soft and creamy, and crunchiness from the rice puffs, which also started absorbing the lovely sauces in the dish. Lovely.

I will be back with a bigger group to try more dishes, and do a proper review soon. Meanwhile, give their new menu a try and let me know if you agree with what I thought of their new dishes!