Bombana SH, 12 years old, is as a seal on the change of the times in the fine dining landscape here: a fast-moving age peppered with twists and turns. Likewise, it has lived through a history of glory and twilight.
Now it’s brimming over with a fresh ENERGY, of which the buzzy dining room alongside rising praise adds a momentum. This latest move came after the newly appointed Executive Chef Rotella, 28 years old, took the lead.
You see, one making this radical change is not a newcomer. Rarely seen?! Here’s the answer to the puzzle I’ve found out:
Being endowed with significant freewill is a magic weapon for Chef Rotella, offering him an opportunity to show finesse and cater to the local market, instead of sticking to the cuisine style of Chef Umberto Bombana. With an open mind, a golden rule that Chef Bombana gives a nod stays at bringing out the best taste with the finest food ingredients.
A real knack for Italian cooking – skills honed at top kitchens both in Italy and China – guarantees him a confidence to turn the table, a shift from classic to modern. His ingenuity attaches importance to the plating – or aesthetics – as much as the taste.
In this age, the flavors with a delightful surprise involved, is more an essential sign dominating our views on good food. In a perspective that doesn‘t end with it, what he aspires to achieve is sensation – texture, temp, color, etc, in addition to a core that underneath the simple look stuffed with relish – and structure.
One course on the menu being much in demand is the scallop: make the confit scallops into carpaccio, serve with green fig pickles, and season with dashi, honey, and fig leaf oil. A wisp of lithe and graceful sense comes out of a mingling of sweet, acid, umami and clear taste!
The scampi dish do give a full play to his flair – and a resonance with Chinese food culture, owing to a fact that the Chinese sand chives – commonly used but often overlooked – takes a leading role when enveloping the steamed scampi complemented by scampi bisque and Thai basil.