I’ll come back and write my review, but the pictures speak a thousand delicious Cantonese words. Here’s the menu:

逸龙点心拼盆 Yi Long Court Dim Sum combination

蟹肉粟米羹 Sweet corn soup with crabmeat

干贝老少平安 Steamed stuffed bean curd with conpoy

鲜虾扬州炒饭 Yangzhou-style fried rice with fresh shrimps

草莓西米露 Chilled sago cream with strawberry juice

Round two of Restaurant Week - I’ve heard great things about Palladio at the Portman Ritz-Carlton from our magazine’s food expert, Crystyl, so I decided to take family friends visiting Shanghai for the weekend. We were all gratified by the ambiance, attentive service and tasty fare.

The carpaccio was especially impressive, since I’m used to overly salted beef. This papyrus-thin version came with creamy circles of ricotta and delicate dabs of pesto. The cod, advertised with truffles, wasn’t like those found at other restaurants with just a sprinkling of truffle oil. It was jam-packed with a generous portion, which anyone who loves the magical fungus can appreciate. Lastly, the dessert. Oh, the dessert. Tangy and tart, paired with a unique choice of sambuca-tinged ice cream. Bellisima.

I’m obviously a big fan of Italian food — all things Italian, for that matter — and I think I’ve found a new friend in the restaurant’s affable manager, Fabrizio. He explained the art of espresso making to us (the older the machine, the better the coffee) and practiced Italian with me for about 20 minutes. I’ll be back not only for the food, but to keep my r’s rolling.

Here’s the menu in all its Italian glory:

starter…

carpaccio di manzo affumicato, pesto di basilica, sailgun di ricotta

smoked beef carpaccio, basil pesto, ricotta cheese “salignun”

烟熏牛肉薄片配罗勒酱及芝士

main…

risotto mantecato al pecorino sardo, crema di zafferano, pancetta

risotto, pecorino, saffron cream, crispy pancetta

羊奶芝士藏红花烩饭及脆培根

or

black cod tartufato, mousseline di patate e briciole di scalongo

truffled black cod, potato mousseline, shallot crumbles

松露渍鳕鱼配土豆泥及洋葱酱

finale…

fragile e limone, crema gelata alla sambuca

strawberries & lemon combination, sambuca ice cream

草莓柠檬双拼茴香酒味冰淇淋

Jess, Alice and I have all been craving steak for quite a while, so when the Restaurant Week list came out, our first pick was The Strip Prime Steakhouse. Nothing beats celebrating payday than a medium rare, perfectly charred hunk of USDA meat. I strangely told the restaurant I was allergic to gluten because I’m not particularly fond of bread pudding, so they gave me glazed pears and chocolate chunk ice cream instead. Glad this was our first round pick, and I’m excited to try all the other restaurants this weekend!

Here’s the full menu:

Nicoise Salad, with Seared Ahi Tuna尼斯色拉

Poached Salmon, Chill served in Caper-Egg Roumalade Sauce水瓜三文鱼排

Or

Stone Roast Beef Filet with Mash Potato and Vegetables香烤牛柳配土豆泥蔬菜

Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce面包布丁