Ask For Luigi

There are just some restaurants I haven't revisited for quite some time and one of them is the popular Ask for Luigi.  Yes, it has been 10 years since I've dined on their Michelin-recommended food.  Not sure why it has taken me so long to return, but Jess made a reservation for us to grab some lunch.  I'm glad she did so because I probably would've been running off to try the latest and greatest, but forgetting places that have been around and continue to be awesome.

As if I needed anymore Burrata especially since I had it the night before at Bar Corso.  Hey Jess wanted it and honestly, I wasn't complaining.  Absolutely love burrata!  This one here came with tomatoes, strawberry vinaigrette & pistachio.  I thought the heirloom tomatoes were fresh and sweet.  Nice firmness on them while still being ripe.  This came with a whole burrata that we cut open to reveal the creamy insides.  I thought the vinaigrette was balanced and provided both sweetness and acidity.  The one thing I would've liked was a few flakes of fleur de sel to elevate the flavours.

We ended up with the Mussels with nduja sausage, fennel & pomodoro because they were out of the cauliflower.  No problem as these mussels were so on point.  They were plump and buttery with everyone of them opened.  It sat it a tangy pomodoro amped by the addition of nduja.  This added depth and a meatiness that wasn't overbearing.  There was some spice but generally it was mild with the aromatics of the fennel coming through.  That grilled bread on the side was both necessary and utterly awesome.

On another visit with Roanna, we went for the other appies I didn't have last time including the elusive Fried Cauliflower.  Last time, we didn't get to try it because they were sold out.  I remember from the first time I visited Ask for Luigi that they were very good.  Turns out my memory was right as the cauliflower was cooked-through but still firm.  It was drizzled with aioli and topped with a considerable amount of parm.  Sneakily, the star of the dish was the fried chickpeas as they provided complimentary texture.

We weren't really into ordering a salad this time around, so we went big with Luigi's Meatballs sitting in a fresh tomato sauce.  These benefited immensely from the sultanas and pine nuts as it broke up the meat texture with plump sweetness and a sweet nuttiness.  As for the meat, it was a bit firmer than I remembered, but I haven't had these in awhile so am not sure.  Now that didn't impact the eating enjoyment we had as the meat was moist and lacking in filler.  That tomato sauce was perfect being only lightly tangy with natural sweetness.  Very bright flavours.

We had the pasta of the day being the Duck Ragu in a light pomodoro.  This was absolute money with mildly tangy tomato sauce that was complimented by the richness of the duck ragu.  There was plenty of tender morsels of meat that had the gaminess of duck that was also well-seasoned by the stewing with the herbs and tomato paste.  Again, the tanginess of the pomodoro provided a certain brightness to break up the heaviness of the ragu.  The gamelli pasta was perfectly al dente and held onto the ragu beautifully.

The other pasta we had was the Bigoli Nero with frutti di mare and uni butter.  Oh this was so rich and buttery.  It exhibited further luxury with the creaminess of the sweet uni mixed into that butter.  There was definite brininess to the dish but also the seasoning was on point where everything was properly salted including the pasta.  Seafood was perfect too with delicate prawns that had a snap and buttery mussels.  The pasta itself was firmly al dente.

Much like the visit with Jess, Roanna and I went for the pasta of the day which was Vongole Tagliolini in a white wine butter sauce with chili flakes and anchovy breadcrumbs.  This featured all the best things about fresh pasta.  Texturally, it was al dente with a certain dry firmness, unlike dry pasta, which can be gummy or too wet.  As a result, the dish ate a bit dry and possibly could've used just a touch more butter.  The clams were plump and buttery while offering up their usual briny sweetness.  Loved the anchovy breadcrumbs on top as it provided both crunch and saltiness.

Trying to hit the rest of the pastas, we had the Rigatoni alla Bolognese.  This was very good with firm noodles bathed in a creamy bolognese that was not short on tender nuggets of meat.  The rigatoni was the perfect vessel here since it held onto the sauce and kept things moist and flavourful.  It was ever-so-mild with a rich meatiness.  About that meat, it was slow-cooked to the point it was buttery and airy.

Our last pasta was the most surprising as it did not contain any meat.  The Radiatore Verde & Mushroom Trifolati was my favourite on this second visit with Roanna.  Even more effective than the rigatoni, the radiatore held onto the olive oil and garlic beautifully where there was bursts of aromatics.  The plethora of mushrooms added woodsiness as well as moisture and the usual squishiness.

For dessert, I went for my favourite in the Olive Oil Cake with candied orange and whipped ricotta.  This cake is the must order here.  It was soaked in syrup being moist and aromatic.  The whipped ricotta was super light and creamy.  The citrus really came through in a subtle floral manner.  As you can see, the food at Ask for Luigi is as solid as it has ever been.  It certainly continues to be a destination for great pasta.  I will not take another 10 years to be back!

The Good:
- On point pastas
- Prominent flavours
- That banana bread (only available during brunch)

The Bad:
- Super tight in there with limited table space
- Not the best area at night