[Shanghai] 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana

8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana (2 Michelin stars)

Add: Associate Mission Building, 6/F, 169 Yuan Ming Yuan Road, Shanghai 圆明园路169号，协进大楼6楼
Tel: +86 (21) 6087 2890
Website: http://www.ottoemezzobombana.com/shanghai/
Hours: [brunch] Sun 11:30am-3:00pm; [dinner] Mon-Sun 6:00pm-11:00pm
Price: [white truffle tasting menu] RMB1,888; [à-la-carte] RMB1,000-2,000 (+10% service charge)
Visited: October 2016
Will return: Definitely

Otto e Mezzo Bombana is serving white truffles again. That’s all I want to say. Thank you for your time.

Want more details? Well, as October brought about the start of white truffle season, Chef Umberto Bombana, a.k.a. “The King of White Truffles”, has cooked up half a dozen white truffle creations at his restaurants, including the Shanghai branch, which received two Michelin stars just last month.

But before we succumb to white truffle coma, here’s a gorgeous bread basket to start the meal. The tomato-filled focaccia was our unanimous favorite.

Bread basket

A signature at Otto e Mezzo Bombana, the New Zealand Scampi Carpaccio (358) saw deliciously creamy scampi galvanized by a tart citrus emulsion, and finished with a scoop of caviar.

New Zealand Scampi Carpaccio, citrus emulsion, Italian “Calvisius-Tradition” caviar

Make way for the white truffles!

Otto e Mezzo Bombana certainly pulled out all the stops to showcase their wonderful white truffle from Alba, showering them over scrambled eggs, homemade pasta, risotto, veal rib eye, and even desserts. The creamy Scrambled Eggs (518) were the perfect vessel for the delicate fragrance of white truffles, while Fresh Tagliolini (588) and white truffle are a classic match.

Scrambled Organic Eggs, fresh white truffle from Alba

Homemade Tagliolini, butter, parmigiano, fresh white truffle from Alba

Chef Riccardo was kind enough to accommodate my craving for stuffed pasta with a special off-the-menu dish: plump Homemade Ravioli (588) bursting with burrata, served in a simple mushroom and brown butter sauce. The creamy burrata melting against the white truffle was exquisite beyond measure.

Homemade Ravioli filled with burrata, mushrooms, brown butter sauce, fresh white truffle from Alba

Finished with a cascade of white truffle of course.

Glorious, glorious truffle.

Homemade Ravioli filled with burrata, mushrooms, brown butter sauce, fresh white truffle from Alba

Pre-dessert: Almond Foam and Pistachio Gelato, berry coulis, meringue

Otto e Mezzo has created not one, but two truffle-laden desserts: a Monte Bianco of chestnut semifreddo, and a white truffle ice cream with hazelnut sponge and crème anglaise.

We opted for the Monte Bianco (458), which arrived in a small mound of chestnut semifreddo enveloped in mascarpone and topped with a swirl of chestnut purée. The overflowing white truffle might appear heavy-handed, but was actually quite necessary, as the cold dessert didn’t engulf the table in white truffle fragrance as the hot dishes did. I miss the almond gelato drizzled with white truffle honey that I had in Rome last winter…

Monte Bianco, chestnut semifreddo, blueberry jam, mascarpone, persimmon jelly, coffee meringue, fresh white truffle from Alba

In non-truffle news, the Sicilian Cassata Gelato (188), a relative newcomer on the menu, has become a crowd favorite for good reason, with layers of sweetness, tartness and creaminess falling into perfect alignment.

Sicilian Cassata Gelato, whipped ricotta, cherry coulis, meringues

The white truffle menu is available at Otto e Mezzo until the end of the year. Stake your claim. Pronto.