Chat qui Rit opened in 2015 and is close to the Piazza San Marco.  However, the logo is from the 1940s when it was a cocktail spot and after-dinner place with a luxury feel that was named Chat Qui Rit or “the laughing cat”.  Owner Giovanni Mozzatto decided to maintain the 1948 logo as the logo for this new venture.  That thought of merging the old and new is also seen in the kitchen here, with established Venetian Chef Davide Scarpa paired with young Leonardo Bozzato, who also brings in some Asian influences.  It is a striking space with outstanding service and food.  Spread over several rooms, there is music in the background, lots of windows to the outside, a large bar area, seats outside and good-sized tables set with a beautiful napkin embroidered with the cat logo. Besides a full bar they also have a huge, well-chosen wine list.  In addition to the a la carte menu, they have a tasting menu that is well-composed, paced, and portioned.  I of course loved the cat logo, but the place lived up to the name and I give it high recommendations to any who have the chance to visit.

Set-Up

 

Food

As we enjoyed a well made cocktail the server brought out a ‘Welcome from the chef.’  This included a Murex from Burgandy in browned butter which was excellent, a chip holding pesto of pine nuts and basil with a good crisp and flavor, and a salty beignet stuffed with duck breast and topped with cheese and  smokey ham which was great.  The beignet was more like a biscuit than a  beignet but either way, it was yummy.

 

Next was rosemary focaccia that came with a candle made with olive oil.  As it melted and burned out the flame it was to dip your bread into.  The housemade focaccia was excellent, both in flavor and texture.  It didn’t need to dip into anything.

 

Delicately seared scallops were paired with wild seasonal herbs in a dashi-yuzu broth.  This was an Asian inspired dish with hints of ginger and soy mixed with the yuzu.  The scallop coral was reduced and used as a flavoring in the wonderful broth.  The perfectly cooked scallops were topped with vegetables that looked like caviar but tasted even better.  Wow.

 

Baccalá “Mantecato” cicchetto was a bao sandwich stuffed with cod, garlic, parsley and cabbage.  In the middle of it all was a siracha like sauce that really enhanced the cod in the scrumptious bun.  Wonderful textures, you almost could eat it with a fork.  It was terrific.

 

Bread service  was a housemade dense brown bread with not too thick a crispy crust but it was fine.  Some breadsticks were made with herbs from the Lagoon, one multigrain and the other sesame.  They were both nice but less crisp than usual breadsticks.

 

Stuffed plin (pinched ravioli) was filled with hare and served on béchamel foam with fermented blueberries and cocoa beans.  The perfectly cooked pasta contained a tasty filling with a rich sauce to bind it all.  The blueberries added a little twist to the taste.

 

Shi drum fillet was topped with lacquered eel and plated with a terrine of crispy potato and dashi beurre blanc sauce.  The fish was similar to a sea bass which paired well with the rich sauce.  The eel added even more richness, as it was like barbecue.  The potatoes were in multiple layers and crisp and delicious.

 

Duck breast with “Go” extract was plated with seasonal mushrooms and sour herbs from the Lagoon.  The shiitake mushrooms benefitted from a bit of mustard seed.  The moist duck was cooked nicely but I did prefer the brown sauce.

 

While waiting for dessert they served a lemon-orange sorbet topped with a candied caper.  You were to eat it with a licorice coated spoon.  This was a terrific combination of flavors.  I loved it and licked that spoon clean.

 

The dessert was called “When Gianduia and hazelnuts meet the flavors and scents of the forest”.  A crumble of chocolate, nuts, and camomille was plated with “raspberries” and a cream of porcini.  The chocolate cookies were short and rich while the  faux raspberries were stuffed with gianduia.  There were some real raspberries that held additional fruit gel.  I liked the faux raspberries better but then I’m not a raspberry lover.  The ice cream melded the other parts nicely for a dessert with lots of textures and flavors to play with.

 

Final treats were sweet olives with yuzu cream (olive flavor dominated), mushrooms with lemon and tequila and salt (tart), pineapple with coconut and vanilla with alcohol (fresh), peanut butter filled with peanut cream (cold and smooth, nice), teddy bears of dark chocolate with tobacco and white chocolate with rum (I liked the latter better).  We enjoyed a glass of grappa with the treats.