'A Tuscan Wine Dinner' at GRUB

GRUB Pasta Kitchen organized 'A Tuscan Wine Dinner' and the bistro accommodated our request to sit on the al fresco patio. Of course we brought Choya along. We rarely go for this sort of tasting dinners anymore because I can't be bothered to stay out for hours without Choya alongside. 

Took out a few small cubes of Grana Padano from the antipasto of charcuterie for Choya. She loved it. But she's such a sweet girl that she wouldn't ask or beg for it. She simply accepted the two bites of the cheese and went back to snooze. She doesn't have a habit of eating outside, but she might deign to take a bite or two of something.

We never need extra attention from the hosts, so we're happy to read the brochures and do our own research. This isn't a lecture, I honestly can absorb all the information faster than what the hosts can summarize. This was a wine dinner, not a term test. I was going to eat and drink. I wouldn't have questions to ask. 

The wines aren't exquisite in that sense. They're not showing us the Super Tuscans. The four wines (a Bianco Toscano IGT, a Chianti, a Rosso di Montalcino and a Morellino di Scansano) chosen for this dinner were easy table wines that wouldn't scare away diners, and the price point is acceptable. Importantly, the wines complemented the food. Of all the Sangiovese grapes tonight, I liked it in the expression of the Mantellassi San Giuseppe Morellino di Scansano 2020. 

We were also keen to taste the meats and other pasta coming out of GRUB's kitchen. For logistics, of course the food menu included usual GRUB menu items of San Marzano tomato soup with red miso and basil oil, and the dessert of tiramisu with coffee soil. 

What we were here to check out, were the mains which we knew would be different from its usual offerings. The puttanesca dip in the charcuterie plate was absolutely delicious — great with the veggie sticks. Apparently, this dip might go onto the refreshed menu next month. Tonight, we were served a pasta in the form of tagliatelle with pencil mushrooms, mushroom jus and truffle cream, and a meat main of seared duck breast with pumpkin puree, red wine sauce, shiso leaf, chive oil.

I could do without the truffle cream in the pasta, but it wasn't too bad. I like pencil mushrooms; I pretty much like all mushrooms from Yunnan. The duck breast was beautifully grilled. I was glad that it wasn't the usual smoked duck breast. I enjoyed this loads! I kinda ditched dessert. Tiramisu isn't my thing lah. My dessert came in the form of a second glass of red. Heh!