This Italian restaurant is in Lan Fong Road, Causeway Bay, under the helm of Chef Roland Schuller, who had been the mastermind behind the Michelin 2-star Octavium until recently. Hearing that he has opened this diner offering his signature pasta at very reasonable price, we came today to try it out.
With its popularity, at the early evening hours the restaurant was already quite packed. Seated at the innermost table, the décor showed a design bringing some artisanal Italian homes, with exposed brick walls, soft lighting, plenty of photos, paintings and other artworks decorating the wall to offer an intimate atmosphere.
Ordering a bottle of Saicho Hojicha ($290) to share, we started with Burrata & Truffle Honey Bruschetta ($98). On the toasted bread was some creamy burrata, drizzled with truffle-infused honey, and seasoned with Maldon sea salt. The sweet and savoury mix of the cheese was appetizing, and a nice snack to start the dinner.
Next came Vitello Tonnato ($188). The thinly sliced veal tongue was tender and full of flavours, mixed with veal jus and tuna sauce, with capers and chives on top to decorate. The combination of veal and tuna was a match in heaven, demonstrating why this dish, or a variation, was always on menu for Italian restaurants.
Another starter we got was Wild Mushroom Tart ($78). On the crunchy shortbread tart crust the chef had stuffed in confit assorted wild mushrooms, having a nice texture and good bite. Together with creamy leeks and green chives to provide fragrance. The serving included two pieces each.
For the pasta, we had Fettuccine alla Bolognese ($198). The ragu was a 6-hour-simmered Italian beef bolognese, rich in flavours. The fettuccine was homemade and having a great al dente texture. I thought there was Parmigiano Reggiano on the pasta, but somehow it was missed. Considering the hype of the restaurant, this was a bit short of expectation.
The Crab Cake ($178) was additional order when we found the portion was small and we could eat more. The crab cake was breaded and deep-fried to beautiful golden colour, with the delicate sweet meat quite delicious. Paired with homemade tartare sauce and pickled onions, there was also lemon wedge to add a bit of citrus acidity if one desired.
The Grilled Spanish Octopus ($218) was quite large, with the thick tentacle cooked nicely, very tender and easy to chew, serving with a seafood bisque, to enrich the flavours. Together with chorizo, taggiasche olives, crispy potatoes, smoked paprika, fried capers, it was a dish meant to be shared.
For dessert, my wife had the Gelato of the Day ($58), which was a Sesame ice-cream with rich flavours, also not too sweet per the Hong Kong people’s palate. I had the La Volta Tiramisu ($98), with layered ladyfingers, mascarpone, espresso, and cocoa dust to present this traditional Italian dessert in its full justice.
Service was good, but apart from one of the female staff whom I was impressed with her diligence in introducing the food and followed up on service requests, the others was less enthusiastic. The bill on the night was $1,544 and considering the overall experience, I would rate this restaurant 70 points, worth trying.
