Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Carbone

This Italian restaurant is located in LKF, inside the LKF Tower. With the decoration being one of New York brassiere of the mid-20th century, there is a bar where one can enjoy a nice drink before the meal. On the night the restaurant was pretty busy. Ordering a bottle of still water, the staff told us that the water was charged per person but would be refilled which was a good arrangement.

For appetizers we ordered a Octopus Pizzaiolo, which got large three pieces of octopus, cooked perfectly that retained the bite but not overly rubbery. There were also plenty of roasted bell pepper which was sweet and tasty, with some fingerling potato as well. A nice start for the meal indeed.

The other appetizer we ordered was Baked Clams, comprising of three types of baked clams, one stuffed with oreganata, one with uni and pesto sauce, and the last one with chili and cheese. The  portion was generous with 12 clams in total. For me I like the chili and cheese one the most, as they got a kick on the taste to highlight also the freshness and brine notes of the clams. Overall another nice dish too.

Then we had the Lobster Ravioli, which was recommended by the staff. It certainly delivered my expectation being one of the signatures of the restaurant. The sauce was creamy with a nice acidity from the Vermouth, and the herbs also giving the color and fragrance to the sauce. The ravioli is homemade, with the right portion of fillings and the lobster was simply phenomenal. Full of flavors, got the perfect texture on the bite, this is my favorite on the night for sure.

For the main course we ordered Scallop Livornese, with five big pieces of scallop seared nicely, with the inside medium-cooked to give a beautiful texture. And the scallops were also fresh, good in quality, as evidenced by the great authentic taste. There were also tomato, olive and green onion accompanying to give also the color contrast and additional flavors.

The other main course we had was Double Lamb Chops. I had to admit I should look at the menu carefully next time because when it was served we were all amazed by the portion size. It was simply huge with four large pieces, and even dividing among us it was still too much. The Tasmanian lamb was soft and cooked to medium per request, paired well with a mint and olive oil sauce. My only critics was that the lamb was a bit too fatty so the layer of fat was quite difficult for the health-conscious public now to handle. It also got minimal seasoning so for some it might be a bit light on taste.

Wrapping up the dinner we also had a slice of Tiramisu. In fact by then I was so full that I couldn't eat much, but from the bite the cake was fairly good with a moist inside, different layers clearly visible and the cocoa coating of the right sweetness too.

Overall the service was good, with the staff all friendly and attentive. Having a Virgin Mojito as well, the total bill on the night was $2,290 which was a bit expensive. And the environment for many might also be called 'noisy'. But if you like the sort of environment and some good food, Carbone would still be a good choice for an Italian meal.

My overall rating was 68/100.