Her Dolce V.
Google
We visited for Valentine’s Day with high expectations, especially given the Michelin Selected status. Overall, the experience was pleasant enough, but unfortunately not memorable enough for us to return.
We began with the oyster, abalone and snail salad. The oysters were fresh and enjoyable, but the abalone was very tough. As this was our first time trying it, we may not be experts, but from what we have seen elsewhere it is usually sliced very thinly and trimmed more carefully. This version was quite chewy and could definitely have been prepared better. Tabasco was also not brought with the oysters and we had to ask.
There was also an issue with our reservation. My partner booked well in advance for Valentine’s Day and received confirmation, yet our booking was somehow not in their system when we arrived. As the restaurant was very busy, we were genuinely worried we might not be able to dine. The staff handled the situation politely and offered prosciutto and a glass of champagne while we waited, which we appreciated, but it was still surprising that this happened.
The pork shoulder with truffle and horseradish cranberry potato foam was good but not particularly exciting. The menu even lists it as “foarm” rather than foam, which felt slightly careless for a Michelin Selected restaurant. Visually and texturally, the potato element was more like a cream or light sauce. Flavour wise it was good, though missing a real wow factor.
For mains, the seaweed fed lamb was served in three styles. The slow cooked piece was excellent and very tender, but the lemon jam was almost impossible to taste, which was slightly disappointing. The lamb brasato with gnocchi was tender and enjoyable, but the pecorino was barely noticeable despite being a cheese that normally has a strong, salty presence.
Dessert was the biggest letdown. As an Italian, I was especially interested to see how the classic desserts would be interpreted. The panna cotta was very plain and lacked the creamy vanilla depth one would expect. I do appreciate when restaurants create modern twists on classics, but the cannoli felt a bit confusing. The menu simply lists cannoli, ricotta cream and pistachio, so we were expecting something closer to the traditional texture and structure. What arrived was quite different, particularly the shell, and flavour wise the pistachio and ricotta notes were very muted. The coconut cream was pleasant, but it did not feel very Italian.
We were also served small chocolate bites with the bill. While the gesture was appreciated, they were extremely bitter and not particularly enjoyable.
Service throughout was friendly and professional. The overall plating was neat but did not quite feel at Michelin Selected level. Overall, the meal lacked some of the depth of flavour and technical precision we would expect at this level. The concept feels closer to contemporary European fusion with Italian references rather than a traditional Italian approach. It was an enjoyable evening, but not one we would choose to repeat.
