Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - LucAle

This Italian restaurant is located at Pokfulam Road in Sai Ying Pun, with its name coming from portmanteau of first names of its two Italian chefs Luca and Alessandro, who wanted to bring their home cuisine to Hong Kong. Today we came here to see what authentic Italian food they had prepared for the diners.

Seated at a table on the side, the restaurant is decent in size, with an open kitchen on one end where we could see some actions inside. There is an intimate and cozy vibe of a trattoria in the air, supplemented with the fun and relaxing spirits of the local neighborhood. The mosaic of sauce plates of different colors is eye-catching.

For wine, I have a bottle of Matteo Correggia Roero Arneis 2024 ($950). Made entirely with Arneis grapes, this white wine has crisp acidity, with a clean nose showing plenty of citrus and green apple, floral, and a nice touch of minerality. The wine is a versatile match with most seafood dishes.

Starting with some salad and cured meat, we had Burrata Deliziosa and Prosciutto Di Parma 24 Mesi ($198), along with Tomato Salad ($108) on the side. The burrata is soft and good in taste, with the 24-month aged Parma ham rich in savory and not too salty. The tomato salad is also good, cut into smaller pieces before mixing, juicy and flavorful.

Then comes the first appetizer, Carpaccio di Mazzancolle Giapponesi, Gel al Nero di Seppia, Yogurt, Caviale ($328).  The raw Japanese prawn is made to carpaccio style, with some dark, crisp squid ink gel on top for extra texture.  At the same time, there are some yogurt and caviar to decorate and serve. Nice appearance and taste.

The homemade pasta was Tagliolini Verdi Fatti a Mano con Vongole, Seppioline dell’Adriatico e Porcini ($318). It is a green tagliolini, cooked with clams, Adriatic Sea baby cuttlefish and porcini mushroom. The pasta is al-dente in texture, with the seafood providing delicious umami flavors. We both love this one very much.

A special dish for sharing, Branzino Italiano al Sale Profumato di Limoni Italiani ($1188) is salt crusted sea bass, infused with Italian lemon and other herbs, to give a wonderful fragrance and flavors to the delicate taste of the fish, with the salt crust keeping it moist. It is also served with creamy mashed potatoes and eggplant on the side.

For dessert, my wife has Semifreddo di Nocciole e Arachidi, Cialda di Sesamo e Arance, Caramello Salato ($108). It is a hazelnut and peanut semi-freddo, with a crisp sesame and orange wafer on top, and further having a salted caramel ice cream providing a balanced salty and sweetness to make this one interesting.

I have Affogato alla Vaniglia con Nocciole ($108). Serving as a holder is a large scope of vanilla ice cream with the middle carved out, where the hot coffee is poured into, to give a twist to the traditional affogato. On the rim of the ice cream there are hazelnut pieces to give additional texture on the bite. Another wonderful dessert.

Service is decent, while the staff can certainly do more in explaining the dishes, as well as stories like the name behind the restaurant. The bill on the night was $3,698. Considering the food quality and overall dining experience, I would rate this restaurant a Excellent 78 points. Worth returning.