About a week before the Michelin guide announced its 2012 list, little did we realise that Mr. Umberto Bombana would go on to score 3 stars for his restaurant. Thanks to D, we scored reservations for this date about 10 weeks ago. Now that it's gotten 3 stars, that 10-week wait is only likely to increase.
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| Alba White truffles |
Was it worth the hype? Well, I'll say as much. It is the best place to enjoy Alba truffles in Hong Kong.
And thanks to D, our very friendly server kept going and going.. to cheers and applause of course. Thankfully we were hidden from public view.
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| Buttered Parmesan linguini with white truffles |
The result: a fabulous fragrance and taste which totally stole the show, making this one of the best pastas I've ever enjoyed. Only complaint: since our group was large, and there was only one guy shaving, the pasta was just a tad clumpy when we finally got down to it. But still thoroughly enjoyable.
And the rest of dinner?
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| Marinated Scampi - hybrid caviar, sea urchin and citrus Chantilly |
A combination of the freshest ingredients. No one can argue with that. Naturally sweet, but those used to eating Japanese sweet shrimp might find this a tad bland by comparison. Caviar and sea urchin make up for it.
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| Duo of braised pork cheek and roast medallion of pork |
While the cheek was awesome - soft, tender and juicy, the rest of the dish wasn't as mind blowing. Well executed.
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| Cheese platter |
Hard cheeses here beat the soft cheeses in my opinion. Unfortunately, we didn't get the names of the cheeses. Choice of quince and apricot preserves were good matches.
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| Sabayon with Muscat grapes |
Very pretty and refreshing. Good for those who like just a palate freshener after dinner, with a just of hint of ostentatiousness in the form of a gold leaf over the top.
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| Pear tart |
A tad burnt one side, but otherwise quite good. More subtle than apple and not as sweet.
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| Petit fours |
On the sweet side, I actually found the petit fours most enjoyable. The use of pistachios in the nougat pieces, and the use of hazelnuts in the meringue were very, very good. Wish they had doggie bags filled with these on our way out.
Overall, a great place to dine and enjoy the freshest which Mr. Bombana sources from around the world. Was it 3 stars' worth? I'm no Michelin judge so I won't even go there. But I will go back to Otto, at least for tartufos!
Shop 202, Alexandra House
18 Chater Road, Central
Tel: +852 2537 8859
I like this place a lot, but somehow I keep thinking of it as comfort food rather than being all showy and 2 or 3 star like!
ReplyDeleteHard to come to a decision on what to expect! I do love their food execution so much though.. : )
HKE,
ReplyDeleteI've come to disregard stars and guides. Food is too subjective perhaps and so rather than getting caught up, I just enjoy it for what it is. But of course, there is a price, literally, to be paid for these stars but again, it's up to the customer to determine at what point it just becomes too ridiculous. But for now, just enjoy! ;)