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Proudly displayed on the walls of Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill are mural drawings of world famous celebrities and historical figures from Italy. See how many of them you are able to distinguish.
Ricciotti has both indoors and outdoors dining concept.
Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill even has a comprehensive collection of fine wine at its outlet at The Star Vista.
Many thanks to Mr Lim Jia Wei, Marketing Manager from Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill for hosting and organising this Food Tasting Session, and to Executive Chef Gero DiMaria for taking time to cook for us, and being interviewed on STREET FOOD WARMS YOUR HEART.
For those readers who are patiently reading my blog post, here is a chance to win a mystery prize from STREET FOOD WARMS YOUR HEART. Simply email me at naomicpk@gmail.com your answer to this question below :
What are the core ingredients to making a good Supplì ?
There are four types of Pizza Bread available for diners to choose from at Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill. PANE CIPOLLA - Red onion, sage, olive oil, parmesan
HOMEMADE FOCACCIA BREAD - Flavoured with sundried tomato and rosemary. Served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar reduction
For the food tasting I tried the Pane Cipolla - the fresh sage, onion, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese are added as topping for this pizza bread. The hand made pizza dough is chewy to the bite yet maintain its crispiness on the top. The onion adds a sweetness to this pizza bread.
Bruschetta is an antipasta from Italy, made with grilled or toasted Italian bread or baguette slices coated with a layer of raw garlic, sea salt, pepper, olive oil, and topped with a variety of ingredients: red pepper, onions, tomatoes(Pomodoro), mushrooms(funghi), beans, cured meat (Parma ham), cheese (Parmesan, Mozzarella).
At Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill, Executive Chef Gero DiMaria serves 6 different types of Bruschetta :
Mista
Prosciutto
Salmone
Funghi
Pomodoro
Aglio
For this food tasting session, Executive Chef Gero presents the Mista : mixed bruschetta platter of pomodoro, funghi, salmone.
The grill patterns are visible on the thinly sliced Italian bread, seasoned with garlic, extra virgin olive oil, freshly grounded pepper, sea salt.
The funghi bruschetta (centre) has the shaved Parmesan layered on top of the sauteed mushrooms, with a drizzle of truffle - a delightfully crunchy bite.
The pomodoro bruschetta (left) has fresh tomato, fresh Italian parsley, basil and extra virgin olive oil layered on the bread.
The smoked salmon bruschetta (right) is beautifully curled on the bread on top of the rocket salad, and is chewy to the bite.
At Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill, Executive Chef Gero DiMaria serves up a great Caesar Salmon Salad. He uses fresh Romaine lettuce, smoked salmon, egg garlic croutons, grated Parmesan cheese, season with black pepper in this salad dish. The Parmesan cheese give this dish a cheesy layer, and the crisp Romaine lettuce with the freshly boiled egg, blends in well with the thinly sliced smoked salmon, these together with the Chef's special salad sauce, gives a winning appetizing bite to this dish.
Supplì = Italian for French language's Surprise, is an Italian snack native from Lazio, Italy, and consists of Risotto rice, with meat sauce (Ragu) and raw egg wrapped around a Mozzarella cheese cube, moulded into an oval or round shape, rolled in flour, raw egg, then breadcrumbs, and finally deep fried in oil. Before I go further to share my experience tasting the Supplì at Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill, let me share with you a video from Italian Food Net (http://www.italianfoodnet.com/eng/video/suppl-eng#social) that teaches you how to make the humble Supplì.
Now having seen how the Supplì is made: the next time you bite into the humble Supplì, be mindful of the many efforts and steps that going into making that chewy stuffed fried Italian rice ball. The humble Supplì may look ordinary, but there are many ingredients & steps that goes into making it.
The core basic ingredients are : Risotto rice, Mozzarella cheese cubes, Ragu sauce, eggs, Parmesan, butter, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt, Meat Stock, flour & bread crumbs ( to coat the Supplì)
Over at Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill, Executive Chef Gero DiMaria uses Risotto rice, Mozzarella cheese cubes, Ragu sauce, eggs, Parmesan, butter, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt, Meat Stock, flour & bread crumbs to make Ricciotti's Signature rounded Supplì. When you bite into the Supplì, the Mozzarella cheese oozes out of the rice ball, and its cheesy texture blends well into the savoury Ragu sauce. The Supplì is best eaten with your hands !
Pork Ribs A common method of cooking Pork Ribs was to put it in boiling water with garlic cloves, onions, herbs in a pot, bring to boil, then simmer for 45 mins. Drain the water from the ribs, add marinade to the ribs and keep it in the fridge for 2 hours. Finally grill over fire for 30 mins, and baste the ribs frequently with the marinade whilst grilling.
The pork ribs served at Ricciotti are first boiled with fresh herbs for 1 hour, cooked till tender, the ribs are basted in Executive Chef Gero DiMaria's special marinade, and grilled with fresh herbs : thyme, rosemary, till the meat is crisp. I love it that Executive Chef Gero DiMaria uses fresh herbs : rosemary and thyme in this recipe, the meat is tender and juicy on the inside and tears off from the ribs easily, yet retains crispiness on the outside. I give this dish five thumbs up !
Mashed Potatoes If you had tasted Executive Chef Gero DiMaria's mash potatoes, you'd realise that all other mashed potatoes you's tasted in your lifetime are nothing ! At Ricciotti, Executive Chef Gero DiMaria prepares the mash potatoes with the skin on, added rich aromatic herbs, butter, olive oil, black pepper, then mashed the mixture to give this dish its delicious buttery, aromatic fragrant flavour!
For the food tasting session at Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill, Executive Chef Gero presented the Pasta in three flavors :
Linguine Al Granchio - linguine with crabmeat in creamy tomato sauce. I love that the crabmeat and spaghettiis completely infused with the creamy sweet spicy taste of the sauce, and makes a delectable bite. The spaghetti is a little more done than the Linguetti Pesto. This is my top choice for Pasta flavor at Ricciotti.
Linguetti Pesto - Spaghetti with Basil pesto, sundried tomato and French beans. Executive Chef Gero DiMaria cooks it al dente giving it a much more chewable bite. It tastes nutty as the beans are grated and blended well into the spaghetti. My third choice flavor for pasta.
Fettuccine Alla Bolognese - Fettuccine with Beef Ragu sauce. The beef ragu sauce tastes savoury and is fully infused into the Fettuccine, leaving a flavorful aftertaste.
You can find the best Parma Ham, known as prosciutto in Italian, in Parma, Italy. Prosciutto is made from the thigh or leg of a pig or boar, by drying method, cured using sea salt, over lengthy period in cool well-ventilated environment. The leg is first heavily salted over several months, during which pressure is applied to the leg to extract moisture out of it. For the curing process to be complete it takes an average of two whole years. The best prosciutto are made from Landrace pigs, fed with whole grains, cereal, Parmigiano cheese.
At Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill, there are 10 different types of Salad - the diners are completely spoilt for choice !
Mixed Salad
Caprese
Romana Salad
Salmon Salad
Ricciotti Salad
Caesar Salad
Caesar Chicken Salad
Caesar Salmon Salad
Seafood Salad
Parma Ham Salad
For the Parma Ham Salad, Executive Chef Gero DiMaria uses good grade prosciutto, Mozzarella cheese cubes, black pepper, mixed greens, tomatoes - the creamy Mozzarella blends in perfect harmony with the salty taste of the prosciutto, and the refreshing taste of the greens, lending a savoury flavour to this salad dish. I love it that I can see the whole raw ingredients mixed well.
Ricciotti serves a comprehensive selection of grill meats, one of the signature grills being Pollo Alla Diavola which means Devilish chicken in Italian.
A common recipe for Pollo Alla Diavola uses ingredients olive oil, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper to marinate the butterflied fresh chicken breast overnight, then grilled at medium high heat for 20-25mins, brushing with dry white wine whilst periodically turning the butterflied chicken breast.
Over at Ricciotti, Executive Chef Gero DiMaria uses his signature marinade to marinate the chicken, grilled to perfection. I love it that the grilled fresh chicken has that rustic taste - with fresh herbs, black pepper, garlic, olive oil infused into the tender chicken meat. The freshly squeezed lemon juice lends a refreshing taste to the chicken.
Pizza Facts Pizza was not even invented until the 19th century, and it started out as a fast served food in the streets of Naples. The classic Pizza Napolatana consists of pizza dough, Pomodoro sauce, oregano, basil, garlic, salt, olive oil. The more famous classic Pizza Margherita was named after Queen Margherita who visited Naples in 1889, and was made by the pizza chef who uses bright red tomatoes, basil, and Mozzarella to signify the national flag of unified Italy. Those thick crust pizza traditionally from Naples are called Pizza Alta, whilst those from Rome are generally thin crust called Pizza Bassa. To make an authentic Italian pizza, you have to have authentic fresh ingredients, fresh herbs, freshly made sauces, and the pizza must be baked in a wood fire oven. You can decide to spread Pomodoro sauce on your pizza dough to make a red pizza called Pizza Rossa or you can leave out the Pomodoro sauce to make a Pizza Bianca. Pizza at Riccioti At Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill, Executive Chef Gero DiMaria uses authentic Italian style cooking techniques with fresh ingredients, herbs, sauces and pizza baked in wood fire oven to present the best tasting pizza you'd ever wish for. To cater to every different palate, there are a total of 17 types of Pizza flavours available on Ricciotti's Menu - Pizza Category:
Salmone
Quatto Formaggi
Frutti Di Mare
Al Crudo
Golgonzola
Carnivora
Asparagi
Gamberi E Funghi
Rustica
Capricciosa
Pizzotto
Calzone
Salame Piccante
Napoletana
Prosciutto Cotto E Funghi
Regina Margherita
Hawaiian
For my food tasting session at The Star Vista, Executive Chef Gero specially prepared a thin crust pizza rossa with various fresh ingredients, fresh herbs and fresh sauces made daily : artichokes, tomatoes, asparagus, basil, honey baked ham, spicy salami, pomodoro, white mozzarella. The pizza crust is freshly prepared daily at the outlet kitchen and made from scratch using key raw ingredients : salt, warm water, extra virgin olive oil, honey, yeast, flour (preferably 00, also known as doppio zero). The dough is allowed to rise till double in size.
The fresh raw whole ingredients used in this pizza gives a rustic fresh chewy bite to the pizza. You can taste the asparagus, artichoke, spicy salami, honey baked ham, tomato slices and all these ingredients give the pizza a sweet savory flavor. I prefer the thin crust Executive Chef Gero used as they are easier to bite and really chewable & crisp.
