After three years! Finally I came back again here and for Rosso’s famous Sunday Brunch. Well, actually I was here like a couple of months ago to taste Chef Oriana Tirabassi’s magical risotto with golden leaves. Now, it’s time for the fresh antipasti, fresh raw seafood, and main courses that I anticipated a lot. Here comes, Rosso!

It was a full-house and filled with cacophony of children playing, glass clanking, and people talking. I don’t mind about it since I was also anticipating this kind of situation. The Sunday Brunch deal is a good deal after all. You get to choose many wonderful things from start to finish and under the leadership of Chef Oriana, everything is well guaranteed. The forever-replenished antipasti bar, bruschetta, raw seafood, and live pasta station star as the protagonists for any given Sunday Brunch here, but I will now focus more on some of Rosso’s finest main dishes.

I was unlucky at first that I was away taking photographs somewhere while Chef Oriana came by and say hi to my wife instead. By the time I return, my wife told me that Chef Oriana ensured her that our dishes that day will be free of porkie dorkie. It’s a good thing to hear that she cares for her customers and coming by straight to our table is something of an honor for any dining experience nowadays. The connection between the chef and the customers is a must and something that is sacred. This bond of trust would mean well for each party to appreciate and energize each other with compliments and/or healthy criticisms.

But that afternoon, there’s nothing left to say aside from compliments and happy thoughts. Chef Oriana presented us with her wondrous craft of fillet barramundi with fennel salad, sauteed Jerusalem artichoke and lemon butter sauce. The skin of the fish was also perfectly fried and given as the accompaniment of the dish. We immediately finished this one first although the other two dishes were also appear intriguing.

Pappardelle and gnocchi became the next main dishes we tried on that brunch. Well, I have to tell you one thing about gnocchi. I have never found a good gnocchi before and I shy away from it on many occasions. Now that I have to face this one, then it immediately became a daring challenge for me. The result? Chef Oriana gave me a solid cure for my phobia from encountering gnocchi for good. She cooked a well-made gnocchi which was very flavorful, thanks also for her idea to combine it with the cheese sauce, and accompanied them with prawns. From here, I know where to find good gnocchi and I pledge myself to be taken with care with the skillful hands of this wonderful lady. Bravo, Chef Oriana!

The pappardelle with porcini mushrooms came in nicely but we were already too overwhelmed with the goodness of the barramundi and the gnocchi. Nonetheless, it’s always a good thing though to refresh your pasta dictionary, especially with pappardelle which may not be as famous as its other wonderful peers as we know them so well.

The brunch ended with a sweet note of a freshly baked pizza topped with berries, cream, and chocolate. Well, we had to wait quite long for it but it’s well worth it! Look how beautiful this creature is and I’d have it all day with a freshly brewed coffee while sitting on a porch overlooking the ocean. Imagine that!

An additional note over this busy brunch is that you may have to be a bit patient with the service as it may slow down a bit and sometimes the waiter is nowhere to be found, although we were seated in a strategic area. The hospitality was a bit uneven as some of them were very kind while the rest was a bit awkward. Well, service is a tricky aspect from a restaurant, although sometimes you can forgive any problems coming from it IF the food in then captivates you, but still it plays an important part with customer’s real satisfaction.

Well, it was a really good dining experience and both me and my wife enjoyed our time there. It took a bit longer than expected but Chef Oriana treated us well with her might and magic. A comeback is indeed a must!

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