‘Egg-ceptional’ Omelette Unveiled at Broadgate
That is exactly what the email said when I received it from the good people at Broadgate. Sorry, good is much too light a compliment actually, let me say that they were really great! Out of the blue I was told all about this ‘Egg-ceptional’ Omelette and asked if I would like to try it out for myself. Well of course I would, but more so I knew a certain young lady would leap at the chance. I quickly arranged for myself and the world’s biggest egg/omelette fiend, Lauren, to head down to the trendy developments of Broadgate, just down the road from us, and check out what this hype was all about.
Picollinos, as their website states, will…
“bring the rustic charm of Italy to the cityscapes and suburban environments of the UK. The combination of great food and a vibrant atmosphere make Piccolino a popular destination for all Italian food lovers.”
While Mark Evans, Estate Director at Broadgate said:
“We’ve worked closely with Piccolino’s on the ‘Eggs-change Square’ omelette and are delighted with the result – a light but egg-cellent omelette which will tantalise the taste buds of everyone at Broadgate this Spring.”
Broadgate
On arrival to the area you can see all the lavish looking new buildings and bars around. Broadgate shows off all that is thriving in the heart of London City. Amongst the areas of Finsbury Avenue Square, Broadgate Circle, Exchange Square, Bishopsgate and Broadgate Plaza there are many high end retailers, brand name stores, pubs, wine bars and dining treats for all. It is not just for the workers around (30,000+) to use in their lunch hours or to unwind after a ‘city slickers’ day in the office. It is also very welcoming to all, tourist or locals, and we should know living just a mile or so away. Broadgate also houses an impressive collection of public art around the site including sculptures, paintings and water features from a number of major British and International artists
I highly recommend taking a trip over to Broadgate the next time your thinking of hitting up your usual haunt. Instead why not try something new, you won’t be disappointed.
Piccolino
On arrival we walked up some steps and into the shiny, new looking building and entered Piccolino. In actual fact we soon found out that it was opened back in October 2007 and so we wondered why we’d never been before. The hostess/maitre d’ was expecting us and took our coats with a very warm welcome and led us to the bar for a drink until we were ready to be seated. After ordering a Bellini for Lauren and a nice glass of Vini Rossi nero d’avola 2009 for myself, we decided to just go get stuck into this lavish omelette that was the real reason why we were here.
The restaurant is very spacious and walking away from the bar and down into the dining area I noticed more tables of various sizes, an upstairs private looking area and a large wine storage room next to the kitchen. As we got close to our seats I could smell the authentic Italian aromas in the air and became even more eager to eat this wonderful treat that awaited us.
The waitress on hand was just as energetic, helpful and happy as our hostess had been and quickly sat us down and delivered an array of breads, oils and balsamic vinegars to keep our appetites under control while head chef, Enzo Buscema went to work creating what was billed as ‘The World’s Most Luxurious Omelette’.
Ok, so I keep saying that this is the ‘World’s Most Luxurious Omelette’ and now I will tell you exactly why it is so luxurious. Here is the list of ingredients I was given a week or so before our reservation, and let me tell you I was still mesmerised by them all.
- One duck egg from Sussex
- Five sprinkles of gold dust
- Five Porcini mushrooms from the Trentino Alpi
- Seven shavings of Caciocavallo Podolico from Podolico
- Five shavings of Tartufo Nero Truffles from Abruzzo
- Five shavings of Testun Barolo cheese from Piemonte
- Three shavings of Testun Barolo Cheese – From Piemonte
- Three stems of wild asparagus from Sicily
- Three stems of Radicchio from Treviso
- A drizzle of Colonna olive oil from Tuscany
- A drizzle of Canti prosecco from Canti
Now you see why I was so eager to be here and why Lauren was so over the moon to be trying this dish. When the omelettes arrived at our table and were placed in front of us, we both looked in awe of this mighty egg feast. The sheer magnitude of the plate and size of the portion was amazing. The smell coming off it was intense with the perfumed essence of truffles and the smokiness of the ham wrapped around the asparagus. I must admit I was expecting everything to be just incorporated within the omelette, but as well as that they were also arranged around the dish. The lumps of Testun Barolo were large and firm and you could see the grape skins attached to the edges where the cheese had been made within wine casks. There was also the red stems of Radicchio from Treviso, a beautiful soft Porcini mushroom from the Trentino Alpi, some thin fresh spaghetti and shavings of truffles all glistening in the Colonna olive oil, which was harvested and bottled on a 400 year old Tuscan estate from Tuscany. Oh and in the middle of all this, the omelette itself of course.
I have to say first off that the omelette was not my usual, as in I always cook mine runny and soft. This was actually more of a frittata in that it was thick, solid and cooked all the way through. I am not saying it was a bad thing as it was cooked evenly and perfectly all over and with so many ingredients going in you can understand why. On first cut you could see the flecks of gold and I suddenly appreciated what was before me. On taste it was wonderfully intense. The eggs melted away leaving you with the strong flavour of the cheeses (including the world’s finest cheese, Caciocavallo Podolico, taken from the Podolico cow which only provides milk in May and June) and then a dense spike from the mushrooms and truffle. Combining the sweet ‘egg-stravagant’ foam like egg structure with the unique bitter taste of the Radicchio worked very well. Then, adding a chunk of the Testun Barolo with pasta gave me a warm buzz and I felt like I could have really been sat outside some old family run restaurant, on a cobbled courtyard somewhere in a remote sunny Italian village. The last combination I was drawn to was the rewarding crispy ham wrapped around the wild asparagus stems from Sicily and the earthy sweetness of the Porcini mushrooms.
I have to say that the crispiness of the grape skins on the cheese amazed me with every bite and soon my plate was almost empty. Luckily Lauren, being the petit girl she is couldn’t finish her portion, so I quickly took charge and finished off the last bits of her omelette and surrounding luxurious wonders that were kindly sourced for our enjoyment.
Throughout our meal the waitress and hostess were coming and going seeing if everything was OK. They were more than helpful with my questions about the food, its sources and the methods created. In fact, after checking with the chef they even came back to explain further about the delights I’d inquired with very informative and in depth answers.
We decided to have another drink and after a few moments of should we, shouldn’t we? We both opted for dessert. Lauren went for the deliciously dark and naughty chocolate fondant cake (tortino al cioccolato) and I ordered the smooth delicate poached rhubarb panna cotta. Both were amazing and I have to say the sharpness of the rhubarb with the creamy, silky and sweet panna cotta was just incredible.
The last thing before we rolled our stuffed bellies home was to thank the hostess again for her incredible hospitality and chat for a little while about the experience. She wouldn’t let us leave without taking some little chocolate truffle type balls that she had boxed up for us. The Italians call them Cioccolatini, and these were flavoured with hazelnut liqueur. They were very similar to my mum’s treats she makes every Christmas and that in itself speaks volumes about the quality.
So there you go, The World’s Most Luxurious Omelette @ Picollino, Broadgate. Get down, across, or up there as soon as you have the chance and explore all that is there to offer, not just at this restaurant but all around the developing area.
Oh and a wonderfully crisp, tangy slaw that had, in Jeff’s own words “red onion, coriander, lime, honey, sesame oil, red peps, salt pepper and lots of love…and pineapple”!
