Rare Italian import

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NC Chung and I hadn't seen each other in a while, and he suggested that we catch up over lunch. I'm ever so glad that he's been able to enjoy dining out a little more over the last couple of years, and the caliber of restaurants we go to nowadays is definitely much higher than when I first got to know him. This time he chose to book us into Testina. I have, of course, long heard about this import from Italy... and have been looking forward to tasting the specialty ingredient - trippa.

I relished the opportunity to order à la carte, as I wanted to try only those dishes I fancied - unlike this meal with the Kitchen Nazi. With an easygoing dining companion, I could order all those things that a picky eater would pooh-pooh... and I love coming to these "nose-to-tail" restaurants!

I also love that they serve Nordaq filtered water, which reduces the carbon footprint of the restaurant.

Chicken liver parfait, saba and panettone - in retrospect, this was a dish I shouldn't have ordered. I love any kind of liver mousse but it's not something I absolutely needed to have here. I loved spreading it on toasted panettone but, inevitably, there was more parfait than bread... so I ended up grabbing a slice of sourdough to finish the job. This helped fill me up a little quicker than I had wanted.

But I did like the candied citrus peel, sesame and sunflower seeds which added texture as well as leaving a fragrance in the mouth.

"Trippa fritta", fried honeycomb beef tripe and rosemary - I'd seen pics on social media, and it was finally my turn to taste this. I love that it was a little crunchy yet still chewy and springy - retaining some of that familiar texture of the honeycomb tripe (金錢肚). Loved the salt and pepper seasoning, and grateful that the rosemary can be shaken off the top and I don't have to consume it.

"Baccalà mantecato", whipped cod and toasted polenta - I love dishes made with whipped cod like brandade, so it seemed like a no-brainer. This was certainly a pretty dish in terms of presentation.

The quenelle of whipped bacalao was wrapped with bell pepper and topped with some bell pepper sauce. The whole thing then sat on top of a block of toasted polenta. I really liked the dish, but of course the polenta only helped to make the dish more filling...

Ravioli del plin, veal and mushroom jus - I just can't resist any time I see agnolotti or ravioli del plin. Today the filling was made with Umbrian sausage, veal, and veal tongue along with Parmigiano-Reggiano. The jus was full-flavored and exactly what the dish required. I could eat this all day.

"Trippa alla Milanese", cannellini beans and Parmigiano Reggiano - BABY, THIS IS WHAT YOU CAME FOR! Trippa is a dish I love but don't get to have often. In fact, the closest I get to having it is when it shows up on occasion at Neighborhood. I love the texture of the rumen, but wish the rosemary flavors weren't so heavy. Still very, very happy, though...

"Testina" pig's head and salsa verde - I've always loved "head cheese", so naturally I had to order this, too. Pork jowl that's been slow-cooked before searing. Served on a bed of cime di rapa leaves, along with their buds. It's the first time I've ever had these greens and I really liked it. The fatty and delicious jowl also came with some salsa verde and shavings of horseradish - giving it a little bit of a kick.

This was definitely too much food and we didn't have any room left for dessert. I did enjoy every dish we had, and you can bet that I'll be coming back for more offal.