121BC – 大夥兒就是要分享
走過中環卑利街的121BC多次，卻總是沒有一個人走進去進餐的勇氣，那張長木檯彷彿告訴你要大夥兒來聚餐才是最適合的。意大利餐廳引進家庭式餐飲體驗，亦主張以較大的份量，讓客人可以大夥兒一起分享。據說餐廳最近推出了全新晚宴餐牌，索價不高($450一位)，這夜便和幾位愛食的朋友一起來試試。
Passed by 121BC on Peel Street several times, I didn’t have the courage to walk in for dinner due to that big long wooden table. It seems like the symbol of big feast and sharing meal. As an Italian restaurant, 121BC brings the family style dining experience to Soho and provides a generous portion for sharing. Heard that it has recently launched new banquet menu, I couldn’t wait to come try it with some food lovers.
餐牌都寫在黑板上，廚師會以時令食材入饌，另亦每月選定一個意大利的地區，以當地特色菜作主題。先以三款醒胃前菜打頭陣， Stracciatella, Beetroot, Balsamic, Basil 用上Burrata 芝士內軟稔的stracciatella 芝士，配上紅菜頭和意大利陳醋。清甜的紅菜頭用來平衡意大利陳醋的酸勁， 但仍是過酸了一點點。
Menu is written on the black board with monthly specials, according to one of the regions in Italy, that chef recommends with seasonal ingredients. We began our feast with 3 starters, Stracciatella, Beetroot, Balsamic, Basil; Vitello Tonnato and Octopus, Squid Ink, Green Chilli, Crackling. Stracciatella cheese is the cheese produced from buffalo milk. The sweetness of beetroot tasted even more outstanding accompanied by the balsamic vinegar. However, the balsamic was a bit too much and made it a bit too sour.
而另一前菜 Vitello Tonnato則給了我很大驚喜，之前在瑞士旅行時曾嚐過此菜式，腦海裡的記憶便靜悄悄被勾起了。切成薄片的小牛肉，以混有吞拿魚的蛋黃醬伴著食，那種清新的肉香真讓人抗拒不了。
Vitello Tonnato however gave me much surprise since it recalled my memory in Switzerland. The sliced veal matched perfectly with the mayonnaise with tuna. The flavour just stayed in your mouth so long that made you want to have more.
Octopus, Squid Ink, Green Chilli, Crackling 即八爪魚沙律，用上墨汁，少許辣椒和炸豬皮伴著食，香口又彈牙，但卻沒有很大驚喜。
Octopus, Squid Ink, Green Chilli, Crackling is technically an octopus salad with squid ink, some cherry tomatoes, chilli and crispy crackling. Octopus was tender but not chewy. It made a great contrast with the crispy crackling but the dish overall was not a big surprise.
幾位女生選上的主菜可是一點也不清淡，在主理人推介下，點上了Caramelised Lamb Ribs, Orange, Caraway 和Wagyu Skirt Steak, Radish, Bone Marrow Butter。燒羊架是燒到離骨的程度，焦糖化的脆面，但肉汁還是鎖得很好。而和牛牛扒配上牛骨髓牛油，真的是美味得很，那入口化開的油脂有齒頰留香的感覺，配上用香草醬拌的小蘿蔔，小小酸香讓人更開胃，絕對值得推薦的一道主菜。再配上意大利青瓜的沙律和烤南瓜，醒胃得讓我們食得比平時更多！
Though I was having dinner with a group of gals, the main courses we ordered couldn’t be underestimated. Caramelised Lamb Ribs, Orange, Caraway was so well managed while the meat was so tender and juicy, and the skin was so crispy. Besides, Wagyu Skirt Steak, Radish, Bone Marrow Butter was one of the main courses that I would highly recommend. The bone marrow butter brought another layer of flavour to the wagyu steak and it MELTED right in your mouth. 🙂 The radish with pesto sauce and side dish zucchini and roasted pumpkin have balanced the meaty main courses well.
女生們食飯又怎會少了甜品呢？餐牌上的3款甜品也食上了，意大利奶凍配咖啡焦糖，甜而不重奶味，焦糖味讓奶凍更香濃。而朱古力榛子慕絲，灑上了白朱古力和蜂蜜脆脆，食下去軟滑得來，又有點咬口，還帶著點點海鹽的味道。而最深刻的則要數上橄欖油蛋糕，意想不到的濕潤質感，配上雲尼拿忌廉、士多啤梨蓉和黑橄欖，甜中帶咸的感覺，讓人很有驚喜。
How could gals miss the dessert in a proper meal? We have ordered all three desserts on the menu, Pannacotta, Coffee Caramel, Almonds; Chocolate and Hazelnut Cremoso, White Chocolate Crumble, Sea Salt; and Olive Oil Cake, Vanilla Cream, Strawberry, Candied Olives. The milk flavour of Panna Cotta was just right that you can enjoy the rich flavour of caramel. Chocolate and hazelnut cream was so smooth and the honey crumb has given it great crunchiness. Sea salt made it taste even more interesting while a little saltiness appeared when the cream began to melt in your mouth. However, these all couldn’t compare to the olive oil cake as the moisture in the cake matched so well with the vanilla cream, smashed strawberry and olive. Very impressive!
以$450這價錢食上8道鹹點和2道甜點，有這樣優質的食物，性價比真的是區內中甚高，絕對值得大家去嚐嚐。
The quality of food and price surprised me a lot. This also made me understand why the restaurant is always full at night. Really worth trying!
121BC
Address: G/F, 42-44 Peel Street, Central
