We were lucky to be given a sneak preview of dishes Chef Marco Livoti prepared for his upcoming popup at Test Kitchen at his lovely home/studio in Island South. The venue was perfect to run a cozy speakeasy/supper club, with the spacious show kitchen as the centerpiece with a long table which can seat 6 comfortably – location is meant to be a secret, so no address for you, but I love the view from the window overlooking the ocean.
Chef Marco must be a Jack of all trades and one with multiple talents, running a small online business specializing in cannoli desserts and helping out at the pastry kitchen of some of the fine restaurants in town. But no, we had a long, proper menu other than desserts in case you were wondering, all of them were very much enjoyable, showing off some of the chef’s skills and creativity.
After the bite-sized cheesy gougeres with black truffles and tuna tartlet that we enjoyed while hanging out by the kitchen counter, we retreated to our table and was served the first course of beetroot, , pumpkin, lardo and lychee, with the former 3 rolled like a flower petal and topped with diced lychee jelly and a light beetroot espuma on top. Love that unusual combination of ingredients with complex, contrasting flavors. Chinese cabbage is such a common ingredients found at every local market all year long, but this time Chef Marco decided to poached then charred and served with slices of smoked sturgeon sandwiched in between with a rich goat butter sauce on the side. The slightly sweet cabbage worked well with the smoky, rustic flavor of the sturgeon, and then it’s the pungent, punchy flavor of the sauce binding everything together. What a treat.
“A gwailo's interpretation of abalone dish” was how chef described his next course. The piece of Japanese kuro-awabi (black abalone) was slow poached sous vide for that perfect bouncy texture, and then it’s served with pickled woodear mushroom and coconut ginger miso and a dash of chili oil. A very different flavor profile to the traditional Asian way of preparation, but I admire the effort to do something that challenged the norm. The risotto was beautifully done, made with the top grade Carnaroli Riserva rice, and served with talleggio cheese, beetroot and mosto cotto sauce.
The seafood main course was mind-blowingly good. The piece of poached seabass fillet was rolled with scallop mousse, cooked and served in thick slice with “seafood jus” and charred artichokes and pumpkin puree on the side for a touch of summer vegetable flavor. The fish was as good as you could imagine – firm and fatty texture, rich flavor, but what’s surprising was how well the scallop mousse integrated with the fish with excellent bouncy texture and a delicate umami flavor. This is a playful but perfectly executed creation he got there.
More lychee came our way in terms of a cute icepop as palate cleanser before we moved onto the dessert of chocolate and pear tart served with a scoop of yogurt ice cream. Had high expectation of the sweet stuff and he delivered just that – chocolate was smooth and rich, and I like that kick of acidity from the ice cream rounding up everything nicely. What a treat and lovely evening spent with friends new and old while enjoying the hospitality extended by our host Marco and his partner Anna (and their adorable dog Bravo). Can’t wait to see everyone got blown away by this menu at his Test Kitchen gig soon.
When? August 6 2022
Where? Workshop 2015, Somewhere in Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Boudin de Loup De Mer - Poach Seabass, Scallop Mousse & Seafood Jus
Drinks?
2018 Tenuta Bellafonte 'Sperella' Montefalco Bianco, Umbria Italy
2019 Tenuta Capofaro Didyme Malvasia di Salina IGT, Sicily Italy
2018 Jean-Francois Ganevat Poulprix
2019 Gitana Saperavi, Modolva
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