From Ozone on the 118th floor, I pressed the elevator button to the 102nd floor and felt the tingling in my ears from the change in pressure. It was like a Taipei 101 moment all over again.
And I was thinking: for all the excellent food now surrounding Manila, skyscraper (not just high-rise) dining is what’s missing in our city. But it should definitely come true in the future.
Tosca on the 102nd floor of The Ritz-Carlton is named after the well-known opera by Giacomo Puccini. The resto’s decor theme is Romanesque with its high ceilings, stately chandeliers, plush seats and fountains in the middle of the dining area.
Unfortunately, I thought being on full blogger mode with camera on in such civilized surroundings would be a bit tacky so the below photos are my quick, stolen attempts at picture-taking (blehh).
The open kitchen where the chefs worked glistened in chrome and ambient lighting. The resto is helmed by two-star Michelin chef Pino Lavarra but didn’t see him.
On the way to Tosca, the sight of this teddy bear warmed me up.
The attentive bread server’s name was Honey, and I must say she really served good breads 🙂
Bread accompaniment was not just butter but tomato butter served with a mix of olive oil and 12 year old balsamic vinegar. I revered the vinegar like fine wine because boy, it tasted so good! Too bad I could not ask for seconds and thirds like I do at Italianni’s 🙂
Amuse bouche: smoked salmon with salmon roe and yoghurt cream
For the starter, ordered the Raviolo soufflé filled with crab and spring onion broad beans, essence of crab, potato and anchovies sauce. And out came an oversized single piece of pasta (for HKD$300 or so). Hmm, i think I misread Raviolo for Ravioli, LOL.
This dish looked Japanese to me. Turbot coated with black bread, Mediterranean seafood, lemon and crispy tomato (HKD$480)
Roasted rack of baby lamb, rose and Rosolio crust, potato and cherry tomato (HKD$500)
Accent on “baby lamb.” I kinda missed this awesome Australian rack of lamb at URBN the Fort
Dessert board that came with the meal: pralines, petit four and other nibbles.
Verdict: if you ever thought about jumpstarting your diet by eating on small plates with minute servings, this is it! 🙂 But it comes with a steep price. Don’t come here if you’re hungry. Come here for the experience, the company, the view, the wine, the attentive service and that overall feeling of being on top of the world.
Thank you to my capitalist friends for this treat 🙂
Tosca
102F, International Commerce Centre
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Phone: +852 2263 2263 for reservations
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