Page 108 - Cuisine & Wine Asia 2020 - Mar/Apr 2020 Issue

New kid-on-the-block of South Beach Tower
新 Caffe Cicheti has been making waves since its
opening in November 2019. The third and newest
馆 concept of The Cicheti Group is introducing
Mediterranean coastal modern Italian dishes
together with interesting and unique wines.
上 The dishes are prepared by Chef Co-owner Lim Yew
Aun and feature local fresh seafood prepared with
Italian-style cooking. However, Chef Lim will also
市 use the opportunity to feature local flavours like
chilli padi. The dishes are all bold in flavour, and will
suit the palates of diners from all over the world.
The wines, interestingly enough, are not all from
Italy. Mr Ronald Kamiyama, the sommelier-partner
introduces wines from other countries like New
Zealand and Spain. Why pair non-Italian wines
with Italian dishes in an Italian café? Mr Kamiyama
answers, “Wine is so vast: I can pair Italian wine with
French cuisine or pair Japanese wine with Italian
cuisine. When you find flavours that will go very well
together, it doesn’t matter where they’re from.”

The bavette – pasta with lump crab meat and thinly-
sliced strips of courgette is a flavourful and hearty
dish. The pasta is doused in shellfish broth, with
pieces of lump crab meat adding to the already
salty and robust flavour of the ocean. Inspired
by local flavours, Chef Lim adds sliced chilli padi,
instead of Italian chillies to add spiciness to the
overall dish. For a local diner, the bavette will be
enjoyable due to its richness and spiciness, while
other diners will like the myriad of flavours in
the dish. The carbohydrate is also paired with El
Mago White 2016 DO Terra Alta, a light wine that
is refreshing on the palate. The fresh acidity is
pleasant, and balances the heaviness of the dish.

When asked what Caffe Cicheti hopes to give its
diners, Mr Kamiyama answers, “I hope that our
diners who leave here will enjoy and remember
the wines that they have here, because what
we want for them at the end of the day, is
to have a memorable dining experience.” GL
让你带着满满的回忆 最近在桥南路的大厦里
开了间馆子 Caffe Cicheti，走着目前较流行
的餐饮概念，就是休闲生活的饮食路线。以意
大利的料理为主，却也融入了些本地食材的
元素。主厨林友安就分享到在烹煮料理的过
程中，他会考虑到本地人的口味，虽然保留意
大利乡村口味非常重要，但也不能忽略本地食
客的需求。好比烹煮海鲜蛤蜊，就别固执的一
定要订购从意大利空运过来的。因为食材的新
鲜程度永远在他的食谱里排名第一。在做葡萄
酒的搭配时，来自日本的侍酒师神山就打破了
意大利料理必须搭配意大利酒的传统观念，
改而选用来自西班牙或新西兰的葡萄酒。对日
本清酒也有研究的他也说，其实一些日本清
酒也很适合拿来搭配意大利料理，最重要的
是你必须了解你所选择酒类的格性。餐厅的概
念是希望客人都会有个美好的用餐体验，并 I want our diners to have a great time
且让食客把在这里的美好回忆带回去。志伟
cleaning out their plates with great
top image 20 & 21. interior & exterior of Caffe Cicheti
bottom image 22. Sommelier Ronald Kamiyama & chef friends and family. Chef Lim Yew Aun
Lim Yew Aun