The Raffles mall is a strange place. It isn’t high end, and yet it also doesn’t fit in the mould of the crappy Chinese malls that exist throughout the city that you never visit unless your bank happens to have a branch inside. There are some decent shops and eateries in this mall, but I don’t actually know people who go out of their way to eat there unless they’re already there shopping so I was surprised to see Casa Talia by Tiago set up shop there.
In fact it’s very interesting that Casa Talia by Tiago chose this stage and it is quite apt for a restaurant that also doesn’t quite understand it’s place in the world. It is a restaurant with incredible potential – the interior design is elegant and tasteful and they have a focused menu featuring innovative, luxurious Mediterranean tapas and shared dishes ranging from a 1.6kg Australian Grain-fed Tomahawk Steak (RMB 888), Boston Lobster and a signature nitrogen tiramisu (RMB 128). The creator behind these indulgent dishes is none other than very talented Italian chef Corrado Michelazzo, the executive chef at 10 Corso Como in Shanghai.
He sums up his culinary background quite nicely here –
“I was born in a mountainous region of Italy: Val d’Aosta. First I worked at the three-Michelin starred La Ferme de Mom Pere and George Blanc restaurants in the 1990s, and after that I earned my Michelin star in 2003 from Hotel Bellevue’s modern Italian eatery Relais-Chateaux. Since 2013 I have been the executive chef at 10 Corso Como in Shanghai.” – Corrado Michelazzo, interview with theBeijinger here.
As I said above, Casa Talia is off to a great start with a guy like Michelazzo putting his name to the restaurant. So why put this place in a mall where the bright neon lights and empty retail stores seem to suck away any bit of romance or intimacy from a special dining experience? We were pretty excited to try it out when we first heard about it and keen to see if it could challenge my perception that I malls like Raffles kill restaurants.
Main Dining Area
First strike on the ledger was the fact that we rang them just before 9pm on a Wednesday and asked if they were still serving food, to which they promised: yes, absolutely and we were welcome to come. We promised to arrive within 15 minutes and when we did, we were promptly told by the woman at reception that the restaurant was not taking any more customers. We explained that we had called in advance and whoever answered the phone confirmed that it was not too late and when the receptionist went to ask who had answered the phone, another server came over to say that we could sit down for dinner under the conditions that we would only be able to order from their salads, soups and tapas, but that it was too late to order any drinks, mains or desserts. Basically, all the stuff we came for.
Undaunted, we channeled our inner stoics and made the best of the bad situation. The menu looks very good at first glance and it’s clear that the Michelin starred chef they brought in to consult was worth it. It is a pan-Mediterranean menu that offers some Italian, Spanish and a few other flavours. If we could sum up the food, it’s that it is decent with some nice flourishes but the portions are small and that there was the occasional dish that just left us apathetic.
1 Page Dinner Menu
My Garden in Summer Salad (RMB 58)
Cod Fish with Sea Urchin Sauce (RMB 46)
Tenderloin Skewer with Grilled Vegetables (RMB 28)
Sardine with Balsamic Oil & Onion (RMB 16)
Beef Tongue with Pepperoni Sauce (RMB 32)
Pan-Fried Mushrooms in Garlic (RMB 48)
Mediterranean Seafood Soup (RMB 48)
Fried Truffle Risotto Balls (RMB 48)
Squid Ink Seafood Pasta (RMB 98)
The risotto balls and beef tongue were instantly forgettable despite the beautiful presentation and everything else you see in the photos above was good, but nothing spectacular. The Mediterranean soup was too bitter and the only dish we left unfinished.
Whether this was due to the fact that the staff seemed to just want us to bugger off so they could go home, but their wheeling out the garbage through the middle of the restaurant while customers were still eating seemed to signal their intentions loud and clear.
While this may come off a negative review, it does feel incomplete. I still believe there is a lot of potential here, they just have a ways to go before they’re there. And I believe that they do produce some great dishes, they just don’t necessarily do it when they want to go home. Again, we were keen to come and treat ourselves to everything we wanted on their menu which definitely would have included some of their mains and maybe finishing our meal with their signature nitrogen tiramisu would have left us with a better impression before leaving. But with these options removed from us as soon as we had arrived, maybe this was a failed mission from the start.
I’m a firm believer that a restaurant needs more than a solid menu to succeed. Yes, Casa Talia offers up innovative Mediterranean dishes by a world-class Italian chef, but with a similar price point to La Dolce Vita, Mercante, Niajo, Migas, I would recommend you pick places that have put a lot more into the overall dining experience taking into account both atmosphere and service.
Leaving with no Dessert
Casa Talia’s Contact Details:
- Address: 4th Floor of Raffles Mall (at the top of the escalators) 1B, 4/F, Raffles City, 1 Dongzhimen Nandajie
- 东直门南大街1号来福士购物中心4层L4-01B
- Tel: 8409 4009
- Open Daily from 10:30AM-10PM (but call in advance to confirm that you can enjoy the full menu if you are arriving anytime after 9PM)
About Kristen
Kristen Lum has an accomplished background in PR, communications and events in China. Born and raised in California, Kristen has been based in Beijing since 2006 and is founder of the lifestyle blog called LumDimSum, covering mostly restaurant news and reviews alongside upcoming events around town that relate to Beijing’s muti-faceted, quickly-developing creative industries like art, music, film, health and fitness, fashion, nightlife, charity events, and travel tips.
