VELLUTO is a traditional Italian restaurant in Ligongdi, where Bruno Ferrari co-owner and Executive Chef Bruno Ferrari was previously the head chef of Calypso at Jing An Shangri-La, Shanghai. VELLUTO once had a store on the Bund in Shanghai, which was opened in the podium of the Peace Hotel, and won the favor of many diners with its high cost performance during his stay in Shanghai.
Executive Chef Bruno Ferrari has been involved in the development of VELLUTO's menus, but VELLUTO is rarely directly directed by the chef today. The restaurant's permanent tasting menu, classic set menu and selected set menu basically cover the signature features of the restaurant, and there are three-course or four-course affordable set menus for lunch, which are more cost-effective.
VELLUTO'S APPETIZERS INCLUDE HAM, MEAT, CHEESE, SALAD AND OTHER HOT APPETIZERS. In addition to the world-famous Parma ham, the air-dried ham culatello di Zibello is also worth trying, which is made from the tip of the rump and has a fatty texture and is rarely exported in Western restaurants in China. Acorn ham Bellota from Spain is also available. Carpaccio beef slices are worth trying, M5 grade mixed race Wagyu beef is repeatedly beaten into thin slices, the meat is fresh and oily, and the Parmesan cheese and arugula salad are paired to further enhance the taste and aroma, and the taste is warm and cool. The pan-fried foie gras in the appetizer is more raw and has a heavier fishy feeling, while the pan-fried scallops have loose meat and lack umami. The two soups, vegetable soup and seafood soup, are not satisfactory.
The restaurant has a wide selection of staple dishes, including pasta, risotto and Italian pizza. VELLUTO'S STAPLE FOOD IS MOSTLY TRADITIONAL AND HAS A HEAVY TASTE, SUCH AS BASIL PINE NUT LASAGNA WITH A STRONG BASIL SAUCE FLAVOR, PORCINI MUSHROOM RICE SEASONED WITH HERB BEANS, AND THE STRONG EXOTIC FLAVOR IS DIFFICULT FOR CHINESE PEOPLE TO ADAPT. Traditional pasta and pasta have a firm texture, so if you are looking forward to tasting soft pasta or pasta, it is recommended to communicate with the waiter before eating. There are also more than 10 options for pizza, all of which are self-kneaded dough and baked in a pizza oven on-site kiln. The famous Margaret's Pizza is prepared only with tomato sauce, cheese and basil, and its tomato sauce only stands out for its sourness and lacks layering; Velluto's signature pizza is made with porcini mushrooms and black truffle, the porcini mushrooms have a slightly bitter taste and the black truffle powder has a strong flavor that overpowers the rest of the ingredients. VELLUTO'S PIZZAS ARE ALL BRULI, BUT THE HEAT IS NOT STABLE, AND OCCASIONALLY THE CRUST IS WET AND THICK.
The main course is charcoal-grilled seafood and charcoal-grilled meat. Charcoal-grilled lobster, Boston lobster, etc. are generally fresh and slightly fishy; Grilled fish such as black cod, salmon, flounder and other raw materials are of mediocre quality and have a bland taste. The main meat course is recommended to choose from the charcoal roast beef, including Angus sirloin, Angus rib eye, Rossini steak and M6 Australian Wagyu sirloin, except for Rossini steak which is 200 grams of naked eye and 200 grams of side dishes, the other three steaks are 300 grams. Rossini's steak is beef tenderloin with foie gras, which is much more prepared with foie gras than pan-fried foie gras from the appetizer; The meat quality of the beef tenderloin is average, but the fibrous feeling is not obvious in the mouth, and the taste is quite soft. The sirloin and the naked eye are of good quality, and the side dishes have excellent taste, but the meat aroma is weak, and the steak occasionally has problems with the heat. The desserts are of good quality, with tiramisu being the most popular, as are the lava chocolate cake and vanilla panna cotta.
The restaurant is located in the fourth phase of the Ligongdi business district, which is located on the periphery of the lakeshore and does not face the lake, so the view is not as good as several lake-view restaurants in the first phase of the Ligongdi. The area of the restaurant is not large, only the hall has no private rooms, the decoration is light and concise, the table distance is moderate, and the air conditioning is obviously insufficient, which affects the dining experience. The restaurant service is decent, the professional quality is average, the response to pour water and urge the dish is slow, but the attitude is quite respectful and polite, it is better than nothing, and it is better not to charge another service fee, only bring your own wine and add a corkage fee of 100 yuan.
