Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Testina

This Italian trattoria is located on Lyndhurst Terrace in Central, with Chef Marco Xodo, who previously served in 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana Shanghai, creating dishes to utilize offal and rare cuts, inspired by the exuberant chef Diego Rossi from Trippa Milano in Italy. Coming today has another purpose for me, to meet up with my wine buddy who is now sommelier of the restaurant.  

The décor of the restaurant is casual, with mustard-color wall and wooden panels seeing through to the kitchen with the staff busy preparing the dishes. There is also a bar on the side on the other side. We are seated on a small table near the window, comfortable and relaxing. 

The staff are helpful to introduce the various signatures here. To start off, we have the “Lingua Tonnata” ($288), with the veal tongue thinly sliced and served in a carpaccio style, very tender and tasty. The tonnata sauce is a creamy and delicious complement to the veal tongue, made with mayonnaise, anchovy, capers, and canned tuna, with a bit of veal jus added to further impart additional flavours. Fantastic starter and one of my favorites in the evening. The wine paired is Cataldi Madonna Giulia Pecorino 2021, with nice acidity of green apple note. 

Next is “Trippa Fritta” ($198), which is deep-fried honeycombed beef tripe seasoned with rosemary, salt, and pepper. The slight crisp surface combined with the chewier texture of the beef tripe offers a unique experience that is appealing, and this will be a great dish to go with beer in my opinion. I could use a bit less salt but overall is still another pleasant starter. The wine paired is Poliziano In Violas Cortona Merlot 2016, a fruity and elegant red going well with the tripe. 

The third antipasti are Smoked Sardines ($288), with the fish fillets cut into sections, having beautiful smoky notes but not overly dominating, without any hint of fishy note. There are some Stracciatella di Burrata, slightly grilled artichoke and Romesco sauce mixed together, with the soft cheese and the tomato-based Romesco sauce going very well with the fish. Delicious. The wine paired is Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve, with the champagne a surprisingly nice match. 

Coming to the pasta, we have Homemade Pappardelle with Chicken Offal Ragu ($288). The pappardelle are fantastic in texture, picking up the wonderful and delicious ragu that is made from chicken liver, kidney, comb, unlaid egg, and testicles, with also some shaved Parmigiano cheese sprinkled on top. While some people might hesitate when they heard about the offal, the taste is truly phenomenal, and this pasta is another of my favourites in the evening, prompting me to want to order another one to take away. The wine paired is Decugnano dei Barbi ‘Villa Barbi’ Orvieto Classico 2018, with the fuller body Vermentino able to match well. 

For the main course we pick “Testina” ($298), meaning head in Italian. The chef uses the cheek meat from the pig’s head to make into cubes, slow-cooked, pan-seared and then grilled, before putting a salsa verde on top with plenty of minced garlic. The pork is soft in texture and juicy, with a crunchy skin. The fresh herbs in the green salsa adding extra dimension to the depth of flavors. Underneath are some vegetables which has a bit of unique bitterness, but surprisingly complementary to remove the heaviness of the dish. The wine paired is Sorelle de Nicola Feyles Barbaresco Riserva 2018 with its nice perfume and slight spicy note matching well with the pork.

Coming to dessert, we pick Crispy Apple Strudel and Crema Inglese ($118) and Hazelnut Cake with Piedmont Hazelnut Zabaione ($148). The former has the crispy puff sheet with pieces of simmered apple and some raisins, custard cream on the bottom, and topped with some powdered sugar and a vanilla ice-cream. Skilfully paired with a fortified wine, Broadbent Madeira Verdelho 10 Years Old. Comparing the two, this one is more delicate.

The hazelnut cake is equally delicious, with a richer mouthfeel. The Piedmont Zabaione is a traditional custard cream, flavoured with hazelnut and also some fortified wines, quite sweet in taste which matched with the cake. To pair, my friend recommends Foro Amaro, an herbal liqueur made from a many different botanicals. Another great pairing as the bitterness of the amaro helps to balance the sweetness of the cake. 

Capping a great meal with a cup of double espresso, it is a very contented and joyful evening, and no wonder the restaurant is rapidly making its name in the local dining scene. The service is also very good, not just my sommelier friend but also the other staff. With the bill of $2,427 it is very reasonable, and I would certainly visit again to try out some of the other dishes as well.