Tavola's New Menu Is a Must-Try for Fans of Both Seafood and Italian Fare
Tavola is an old favorite for many reasons – upscale wood-fired pizza and authentic Italian pasta; an understated yet classy atmosphere; skilled, diligent wait staff, and more. And now this esteemed vet has revamped their menu courtesy of their young new chef.
Yes, at age 27, Chef Marco Santagata is the youngest to step-in at Tavola's kitchen. And he is already taking a prodigious approach, using quality imported Italian ingredients without being a snooty purist, thanks to his open-minded incorporation of local ingredients like purple sweet potato, red beans, and tofu in many of the dishes that he has devised for the new menu. None of that should come as a surprise, however, seeing as Santagata became the sous chef of Michelin-starred Ristorante Mamma on the island of Capri after a mere seven years in the F&B biz. From there, he was offered a job at Shanghai's lavish Hong Hotel, and now this burgeoning kitchen star is gracing Beijing with his talents.
Many of the new menu's highlights will delight seafood lovers, especially the RMB 228 grilled seafood skewer (featuring king prawns, salmon, snapper, and sea bass along with assorted seasonal vegetables), the RMB 138 spaghetti tossed with clam, crab meat and cherry tomato, and the RMB 168 squid ink spaghetti with crustacean sauce, king prawn, fresh broccoli and cherry tomato. Other new options are quite eclectic, ranging from a RMB 178 burrata on eggplant purée with aged Modena balsamic sauce to an RMB 288 Australian lamb chop with meat roll-stuffed mushrooms, seasonal vegetable and green pepper sauce on the side.
When we were invited to come try Santagata's new dishes, we also very much enjoyed antipasti platters laid out on slabs long enough to resemble a pirate ship's plank. This was quite suitable for the restaurant's sprawling central dining table which, the owners claim, is the longest in Beijing. We were also treated to several mains, the best being a slow-cooked halibut that was fluffy and succulent, along with a white chocolate mousse with crumble and fresh fruit that wasn't overly sugary and heavy (a refreshing change from the norm at many restaurants we've visited as of late).
While all that showed Santagata's impressive range and the considerable potential he has to make a lasting impact at Tavola, one of the biggest successes of all remained a tried and true favorite: the pizzas. Both were hearty and generously meaty, like the quadrate (topped with mozzarella, salami, mushroom, olive, artichoke, and bacon) and the capricciosa (featuring ham and artichoke, along with black olives and mushroom). Their delicately textured crusts were a testament to Tavola's famous wood-fired oven, which really is a notch or two above the competition.
We were thoroughly impressed during our visit, while also feeling heartened that an old favorite can learn such new tricks without sacrificing the essentials that have made it such a mainstay.
Photos: Tavola
