Maestro: Italian Dining at Its Finest

Of course, ending a week with some fine dining is always a great idea to reward yourself for the hard work (or the hardly-any-work) you busted yourself over. We went over to InterContinental Citystars to check out their Italian restaurant, Maestro and see if it’s worthy of the excellent reputation it has acquired.

Warmly greeted by the friendly staff there, we noticed that the Italian atmosphere was set up to to make us feel like we were spending the evening in Venice; candle-lit with gentle diffused light and filled with the sound of accordion music with a masculine voice cutting through it to serenade us with an eargasmic mix. The waiter came attentively to us saying, “We also have the set menu today set by Ross Lusted, Sydney’s Chef of The Year and one of the culinary ambassadors.” Who could say no to that? What was really impressive was how fast the food came. However before it did, the waiter had asked us if any of us was allergic to sesame. I’m all out of words here, but that was an exemplary gesture of the restaurant to account for its clients’ preferences. It was a first.

First course was the Japanese Izakaya Salad which had sesame in it - accounting for his question- and Wakame which gave the plate a seafood-like kick, setting the right balance. We sat there, and admired the careful way the kitchen treated the veggies in the salad - but not for long because it looked delicious, tasted as such, and finished it right away, eagerly awaiting the main course.

Then came the succulent slabs of Grilled Wagyu Loin. Cooked to a perfect medium, saucy and of prime quality, we picked up our forks and knives and started to take the first cut after we put a little spinach butter on it. Not to get fairytale-ish here but we did a commercial-like "mmmmm" with our eyes closed - that’s how good it was. Before we finished off the entire plate, we had to invigorate our taste buds with some of the shaved heirloom carrots and dried morels that came with the Wagyu loin. It all went down smoothly with the some smooth Jardin Du Nil red wine.

Dessert was aerated passion fruit which had – now brace yourselves – roasted white chocolate on it, topped with passion fruit ice cream and passion fruit seed powder. It was sweet and sharp and definitely made for a unique dessert. They also offered us the little chocolate cake bites to complement the exquisite experience, which came incubated in a nice crunchy glass biscuit surrounding.

We left the place with perfectly satisfied stomachs and enriched palates, and we couldn’t be any happier especially that the waiters understood table etiquette - when to add more water, are we stuffed or not without even saying a word. Authentic fine dining, we must admit!

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