Orto Vino Ristorante

About a week ago, I had the privilege to visit a new restaurant Orto Vino Ristorante which is situated at the heart of our city--Central, on Stanley Street right across Holly Brown . Although the interior is not very spacious but the intimacy adds to the ambience. The patio is still waiting for its license which will come end of this month but with an exclusive sneak peak into it, it immediately stimulates you to imagine a nice alfresco brunch or happy hour after work. =)

First things first, some Bera Austi Spumante 2011:

Nice and fruity, not too strong, very appropriate for girls like me who just want take it easy before a crazy night at the very close by LKF. XP I had two of these babies and only started flushing by the time we left, not bad for a wimp drinker like me! 

Our Terra Antipasti: the ham platter: 

There were 5 kinds, from left to right: a salami-ish ham, and then the one next to it was our favorite with rich tastes, the third was a bit spicy, the forth tasted like turkey and the last was Parma. The portions were very generous as well. 

Crispy fried risotto and cheese balls with green salad:

The aroma of it will lure you instantly. Unique, crispy and cheesy but not too heavy. And you know how those interior cheesy things usually turns out like a volcano and all the cheese just blasts out and turns messy? Well you ain't gonna get that here, which add's to it's charisma =)

My friend and I seated at the bar:

Best recommendation of all night, our Mare antipasti: the Tuna tartar:

Done absolutely perfect, marinated with citrus dressing and thyme, it's light and tangy with a perfect balance of a marine taste. And the presentation was dainty and alluring. Although I do prefer tuna tartars with avocado and spicy radish, this still won me over, and I will definitely come back for more!=)

 Our mare secondi piatti: Grilled mixed seafood (Calamari, Lobster, Salmon and Squid):

This was our safe bet, knowing we can't go wrong with some grilled seafood, but by the time this course came we were way too full to really appreciate it. That being said, we had no problems with it. Side note: everything was nicely cut up so you don't have to worry about your table manners when chewing calamari or squid or cracking that lobster claw which added five points for me!=)

Tirimisu with Amaro:

I think we made the right decision of ordering the tirimsu for dessert despite being food pregnant full because you could really taste the difference of the Amaro as opposed to rum or whisky--the pungent smell is simply divine and sublime.

The overall experience was great, the staff were very friendly, the atmosphere was nice and the food to die for. I do recommend it!