Saturday 17 May 2014

Spices: Galileo Enoteca (revisited)

I didn't have any doubts of going back to Galileo Enoteca, I pretty much enjoyed my last experience here. To find out more about my first visit, click here. (www.sightsandspices.com/2013/01/spices-galileo-enoteca-deli.html)


Galileo Enoteca Deli

This time around, Galileo Enoteca has come up with a degustation menu with wine pairings. I had nothing but high expectations for the meal.

Degustation Menu


To start off the meal, a refreshing cool glass of Sangria was served. I was impressed to see numerous slices of fresh strawberries and peaches in the drink.


Italian Peach and Strawberry Sangria

A basket of sourdough bread with different dips and toppings was served. I was so excited to try out the chicken liver pate again and it tasted like how I remembered, simply superb!


Complimentary Bread, Toppings and Dips

Chicken Liver Pate


For starters, the server placed a huge wooden block on the table filled with excellent cold cuts and a variety of premium cheese. The cold cuts were the following: Prosciutto Crudo, Salame Sicilliano con Pistachio, Salame Piccante and Coppa Ham. My favorite among the cold cuts would be the Prosciuto and the Coppa Ham. There were four varieties of cheese namely the Ragusano, Pecorino Saffron, Pecorino Tartufo and Caprina. My top picks would be the award winning Sicilian Ragusano cheese and the Caprina brand goat cheese.


Cold Cuts and Cheese Platter

The last wine that we had before wasn't to our liking. This time around, we had a bottle of Pinot Noir from Natele Verga's winery in Italy. The medium bodied red was really good, soft to moderate tannins, on the fruity side, smooth and really well balanced. The length of the wine is also worth mentioning. I enjoyed the wine so much that I even bought a bottle to enjoy at home.


Natale Verga's Nuare Pinot Noir


The frist main consists of Sauteed Shrimps with Garlic and Olives, Sauteed Sausages and a Saffron Arancini with Parmagiano Reggiano.


Arancini, Shrimps and Sausages

The Sauteed shrimps with garlic and olives was full of flavors, I liked that they included the shrimp heads in the dish. I would have enjoyed it more if they didn't overcooked the shrimps.


Sauteed Shrimps with Garlic and Olives


Just like the cold cuts, the Sauteed Sausages just paired with the Pinot Noir perfectly. The saltiness of the sausages brought out the fruity sweetness of the wine.

Sauteed Sausages

It was my first time to try the Arancini, it's basically a fried rice ball coated with breadcrumbs and is usually filled with a type of cheese. The rice had a tinge of Saffron and mixed with parmagiano thus making it gleam in yellow. It was love at first bite, I love how it had that light crispy crust, the Arborio rice inside was al dente and the delicious cheesy goodness of the parmigianno regianno was evident in every bite. Delicious!!!

Arancini

I was sort of expecting something like a panizza when I saw pizza roll written on the menu. The Pizza Al Giro was more like a bread than a pizza. The baked goodie was dense and it had a really thick outer crust. I did enjoy the all meat stuffing inside the roll but I felt that we could have enjoy this more if served as a starter and not as a main.



Pizza Roll


The last plate of main consists of a Risotto Porcini Mushroom with Truffle Oil and Parmesan, Risotto Pescatora and a Spinach Ravioli Con Quattro Formaggi in Arrabiata Sauce. The ingredients used in making the risotto is no doubt of excellent quality but I found both too dry to my liking, I wanted it to be creamier. Between the two risottos, I enjoyed the pescatore more, the seafood flavor was prominent and it paired with the white wine well.

Risotto Porcini Muhsroom with Truffle Oil and Parmesan, Risotto Pescatora and Spinach Ravioli


Not only was the spinach ravioli presented nicely, it tasted divine as well. Everything about the pasta dish was spot on, pasta dough was al dente, the four cheese filling had the right amount of saltiness to compliment the sweet and slightly sour arrabiatta sauce on top. I could have easily wolfed down more of this.


Spinach Ravioli con quattro formaggi in Arrabitta Sauce


The white wine that was paired with the risotto pescatore was a Garganega. It was my first time to try out this type of wine and it reminded me of a Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, light, fruity and really dry. For me, it's the type of wine that's best drank when paired with something to eat.


Torre del Falasco Garganega

I was already really full when dessert was served and I was just planning to give it a little taste. But as soon as I tasted the Dark Truffle Chocolate Ice Cream Cake, I had to have more. The deliciously presented sweet cold treat wasn't cloyingly sweet and it was really chocolatey. One more scoop please!


Dark Truffle Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

The second dessert was also an ice cream cake, the Mint Chocolate. I'm really not a big fan of the mint and chocolate combination, its actually my least favorite. But surprisingly I enjoyed this, the mint ice cream wasn't too minty, it was subtle enough and not too overpowering.


Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

A bottle of Gran Dessert Champagne was served together with the two ice cream cakes. Sparkling and sweet, something everybody would love.


Capetta Gran Dessert


For our digestives, we had a shot of Sambuca, a sweet thick anise flavored liquer. The taste was very similar to Absinthe but this has a lower alcohol content.

Sambuca

We also had shots of Limoncello, zesty and slightly sweet. I'm a big fan of the Limoncello and it was just the perfect way to end a great meal.

Limoncello

Time flies when one is having fun and this is exactly what we felt, dinner started before 7pm and we left past 10pm. It was a fun night filled with good food and good wine, the wines perfectly complimented each dish and vise versa.  Moreover, one bite and you'll know that the ingredients used are of the highest quality. All the dishes we had is  part of the regular menu but if you are interested in having a degustation meal, they'll accommodate special requests. Just inform them ahead of time.





Galileo Enoteca
Address: 80 Calbayog St. cor. Malinao, Madaluyong City
Tel Nos: 532 0482 / 534 4633
Webpage: www.galileoenoteca.ph

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