After an afternoon of fun pizza-making, we returned to Casa Don Alfonso evening for a proper sit-down dinner at their private room at the back of the restaurant. We ate here once late last year after their renovation and re-launch, but this time we had the opportunity to try out some new dishes by the new chef Maurizio Ferrini, which showed further refinement from our first visit since they moved from fine-dining style towards a casual trattoria while sticking true to the traditional family-style Italian cuisine.
We had our fair share of pizza and calzone in the afternoon session with Chef Maurizio and Chef Alfonso who happened to be in town to oversee his namesake restaurant, so in the evening we got to try the other dishes in their repertoire. We began with duck done two ways, with breast pan-seared and sliced and minced meat formed into a croquette and deep-fried, and on the side, it’s apple puree, cherry sauce and sautéed sweet lard. Rustic, straight-forward preparation loaded with flavors.
The pasta course was perhaps my favorite dish of the evening. Again, nothing particularly fancy, with house-made black-ink tagliolini dressed with a light butter sauce with chopped green asparagus and tomatoes, and served with pan-seared giant scallop. Everything was done perfectly in this dish, especially the piece of scallops with the slightly charred crust and the juicy, just-cooked center.
The traditional seafood casserole which came next was presented to us in a giant cooper pot before it’s served in individual portion on a deep dish. It reminded me of those Cioppino stew except this has less tomato but more seafood flavor, with scores of different fresh seafood loaded in. Or like a bouillabaisse just without the aioli. There’s different kinds of shellfish – langoustine, giant prawns and squids – and small chunks of rockfish, clams and scallops in a tomato based stew and a touch of wine, served with a small slice of toast on the side. One could imagine having this sumptuous dish while enjoying the sea breeze on a southern coastal town in Italy.
From the sea (in the previous two courses) we moved inland with our main course of roasted guinea fowl with sautéed wild mushrooms and vegetables sides. And we ended with a small dessert course of mango soufflé and yoghurt sorbet on the side. Both were well-executed, and well suited for the new menu geared towards simple fare making good use of the best ingredients they could source. They were definitely moving towards the right direction and we all had a good time sharing such good food at the long table with friends new and old. And course, being graced with the presence of chef-patron Alfonso Iaccarino and with him sharing with us his passion for cooking made this evening an even more special one.
When? September 1 2018
Where? Casa Don Alfonso, 3/F, Grand Lisboa Macau, Avenida De Lisboa, Macau
Menu Highlights? Home-made Blank Ink Tagliolini with Scallops and Green Asparagus
Drinks?
2016 il Palagio "Message In A Bottle" Bianca Toscana IGT
2009 Tenuta San Guido "Guidalberto" Toscana IGT
Web:
www.grandlisboahotels.com/en/grandlisboa/dining/casa-don-alfonso
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