THE Italian-inspired restaurant Caffe Mondo at Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou has launched a new seasonal menu, which brings back classic Italian dishes and introduces authentic Italian shared platters to the city of gourmets.

Caffe Mondo entices with an emphasis on fresh, seasonal and authentic Italian cuisine. In this seasonal menu, chef Filippo Fondatori has highlighted that many dishes are a creative twist on classic and authentic. It might look familiar, but it’s a new way to retouch the dish.

This is the first time Caffe Mondo has added traditional crudo dishes to the a-la-carte menu. Crudo in Italian means “raw.” It is similar to Japanese sashimi but rather than being about detailed techniques or impressive knife skills, it’s about appreciating seafood at its peak freshness. Fondatori has selected the Japanese amberjack to go with pizzaiola tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella, which makes this crudo tastier and more Asian-flavored.

In Italy, sharing a dish doubles the happiness of the people gathering to enjoy it. The chef has added in a few shared platters as Caffe Mondo is always a place for gatherings. Baked and salted crusted whole sea bass is the highlight.

Other than the shared main course, the seasonal new menu also brings in different proportion choices for pasta: no matter for family or for a friends’ gathering or for enjoying by oneself, guests can always find their favorite dish to savor. Fondatori has brought back the classic Bolognese sauce with spaghetti and the popular squid-ink spaghetti with frutti di mare. The squid-ink spaghetti is made from pasta di Gragnano, the best dried pasta brand in Italy, while the Bolognese sauce with spaghetti is handmade by the chefs in Caffe Mondo. For the signature pizza, Fondatori has selected the seasonal black truffle from Yunnan, the best place of origin in China, to create a tasty Norcina-style dish of mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and Yunnan black truffle.

Dessert is an important component in Italian cuisine and Four Seasons Guangzhou chocolate is the gem of the dessert menu. By using exclusive blended 65-percent chocolate, the well-known chocolate fondant has been granted an irresistible taste, making it a delightful indulgence for anyone’s sweet tooth.(Tang Li)