New Meaning @The Mistral

The Mistral Italian restaurant has officially reopened on the first floor of the InterContinental Grand Stanford Hotel, and of course, we had to immediately gather friends to support Chef Fabio's new venture. We chose a sunny and beautiful day for lunch, and now we can enjoy the Victoria Harbour view at the restaurant, which is super chill. The waiter first brought us warm and fragrant Grissini! Biting into it, the texture was chewy with a full aroma of flour, and the restaurant's own olive oil and balsamic vinegar were irresistible. Before lunch, we started with Italy's national spirits Grappa and the liqueur Amaro. It was my first time tasting them, and the surprising fragrance made it hard for someone like me, who's considering quitting alcohol. We were very fortunate to have the restaurant manager, Black, guide us into the realm of Italy's national spirits, providing a very detailed introduction that deepened my understanding of these two drinks. These three Grappa bottles, which look a lot like perfume bottles, are known as Italian brandy. The flavor of Grappa is somewhat like wine, with a mix of floral and fruity aromas. It's quite special, but with an alcohol content of 40%, everyone should try it in moderation. With fine wine, of course, comes exquisite dishes! The first to arrive was the Amuse Bouche, which looked very refreshing. Cheese paired with tomato and topped with black truffle instantly awakened our still-sleepy appetites. For the appetizer, we had the Boston lobster salad, Italian tomatoes, roasted potatoes, and lobster sauce for $388. The whole lobster claw was fresh and crisp, and tasted wonderfully fresh with the tangy salad. The main course was Alaskan crab meat tomato sauce with salmon sausage sauce and thin flat pasta for $368! The handmade thin flat pasta was tightly embraced by the rich and spicy sauce, and the chewy texture was full of rich flavor, very appealing to someone like me who loves Italian pasta. This is Chef Fabio Guaglione, whose charm remains unchanged after several months. He brought us today's smoked main course in a wooden box. My friends ordered the smoked Australian M4 Wagyu beef fillet for $598, while I enjoyed the fragrant roasted Iberian pork chop. The enticing smoky aroma filled the space as soon as the lid was lifted. The fragrant roasted Iberian pork chop for $428, weighing 250g, was just the right portion for me. The Chef plated it at the table and sprinkled it with meat juice before serving. The Iberian pork chop was chewy and the meat flavor was quite fragrant. Eating one piece was quite satisfying, and among the roasted side dishes, the asparagus was very much to my liking. After the meal, we also tasted three kinds of Amaro herbal liqueurs, which, unlike the bitter essence commonly used as a cocktail ingredient, are more suitable for drinking neat rather than for flavoring. The three Amaro that surprised me the most was definitely the one on the right, Peimonte, Festanavira, T+onlong and black tea Aearo. It had a rich and unique tea aroma with a fresh taste that was slightly astringent. Although it was 35% alcohol, it wasn't spicy at all when drunk, and it tasted like unsweetened lemon tea, which was super easy to drink. The dessert for the day was an Italian semifreddo with pistachio and hazelnut mousse, chocolate sauce, and caramelized almonds for $138. The Semifreddo had a texture like a mix of frozen mousse and ice cream, very smooth, with a rich hazelnut aroma and crunchy chocolate sauce caramelized almonds, perfectly presenting the unique flavor of Italian desserts. Finally, there were Petit Four lemon tarts and red mulberry cakes, but unfortunately, my stomach was too full to taste them, so I had to give up.