CITY GUIDE >Food Reviews
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CITY GUIDE >Food Reviews
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Igosso
By Rob de Picciotto (bestfoodinchina.net)
Updated: 2009-01-14 13:55
 With his vision firmly secure, he has come to Beijing with a drive to establish quality Italian eatiers. Morihisa Fujisaki has two additional Igosso branches (at 798 and just east of JianWai Soho), and a New York Italian delicatessen near the Kerry center, where all the bread for Igosso is freshly baked. Fujisaki also studied jazz in New York (he plays standup bass) and performs a live show with a local trio (two guitars and an accordion) every Friday evening. Terrine of Foie Gras served with Green Apple A brick of foie gras, prepared with all the care of a piece of sashimi, sat delicately in the center of a large plate, surrounded by a range of options for combination: a drizzle of an almost prune-like balsamic reduction, a crisp salad of greens and purples highlighted with thin-sliced green apple, which was echoed in an apple cream like applesauce, but with a pastier, creamier consistency. Two perfectly grilled corners of toast, the traditional way to cut the richness, sat beside. The foie gras, pressed and chilled, was perfect. Julia Child has called this preparation "a luxurious cold meatloaf”. It was s quite rich, but chilled, giving it a lightness and freshness. Taglioni mixed with a squid ink in a seafood ragu sauce Another large, wide-brimmed dish arrived promptly after the removal of the previous dish, thanks to the vigilant wait staff. Looking like a pile of licorice whips beneath a chunky red sauce, it gave off wafts of an ocean breeze. There was a beautiful bite to the al dente pasta, and the flavors flavor of the pasta was not lost in the mix. Scallop, mussel, and squid, coarsely chopped, dotted the fresh tomato base. The flavors and textures were allowed to play off one another; in such small pieces, there was a variety of seafood in each bite, as opposed to larger chunks that only allow for one at a time. Sea Bass Baked in Parchment The last course was at first, admittedly, a little disappointing. After such a parade of carefully presented compositions, a paper bag on a dish with a lemon beside it was hardly expected. When cut open, however, all doubts were quickly laid to rest. Out of the bag floated a fragrance that was an entrée in itself: robust scents of clam, mussel, prawn, squid, and scallop. Roasting the crustacean in the shell, like roasting or baking meat on the bone, results in a deeper, bolder flavor. Black olives, tomato, capers, and chunks of artichoke were nice, fresh highlights to the heavy sea smells. At the center was the main attraction, a hearty filet of sea bass, its white meat sturdy like a steak. Each element retained its own essence, but all were resting in a broth of collected juices, seawater, butter, and spices that brought all the flavors and scents into a cohesive whole. By the end, though I had more than eaten my fill, I was still searching for one last treasure amid the shells. So this is what happens when a Japanese restauranteur pursues his love of Italian cuisine in Beijing: a pristine, chill atmosphere that allows the food to take center stage and be appreciated for all the delicate nuances of its preparation. The name Igosso means to head straight on, to continue without stopping, to forge ahead. It seems that Morihisa Fujisaki has a vision and will do just that to see it realized. To know more food lovers, please visit Bestfoodinchina community on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/BestFoodinChina/25524727150 Location(s) 1st Floor in Hotel A, Enter from the Worker's Stadium East Gate Tel:010-65515655 Beijing,
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