Hong Kong - 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA

8 1/2 Seafood Soup with shellfish, zucchini "trombetta" and fresh herbs (looks quite stingy, but this is actually a half portion in a rather heavy-bottomed bowl)

Roast Duck Foie Gras with piedmont hazelnut sauce, smoked duck in dice, greens

Star of the night....this tub of white diamonds!

Mooooreeeeee

Homemade Tagliolini with butter, parmesan, and Alba white truffle

Chocolate Martini

Confit "Taiyouran" Organic Egg with potato emulsion, confit potato, Chanterelle mushroom and Alba white truffle

Homemade Tagliolini with butter, parmesan, and Alba white truffle

Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto with fine Italian cheese and Alba white truffle

Homemade Trenette pasta with Red King Prawn, "Datterin" Tomato and fresh mint

Always a good time with my girls Small, Laubaby and Big

Review: 8 1/2 needs no introduction. 3 Michelin stars, attentive service and amazing food every time. Remember to book at least a month ahead! I recommend the Homemade Tagliolini, Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto and Homemade Trenette Pasta with Red King Prawn. They also offer delicious cocktails - my fave is the Espresso Martini.

8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA
Address: Shop 202, 2/F, Alexandra House, 5-17 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong
Phone: 2537-8859
Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-1030pm

Hong Kong - Neighborhood

Wagyu Tartare

Buttered Tagliolini

Food photos are a must!

Bone Marrow Risotto

Potato Gnocchi with Iberico Ham and Parmesan

Cheese Selection

Chocolate Palette

Vanilla Ice Cream

Complimentary canelés to end the night

Review: For our first taste of Alba white truffles this year, Big and Small picked Neighborhood, a newly opened joint by Chef David Lai from Bistronomique and On Lot 10. The quaint and modern restaurant is situated next to a little park and quite hard to find at first. Once we were seated, we were presented with a bowl of "white diamonds" nestled on uncooked rice. We were like little kids at the candy store, so excited to pick our own truffle! Their truffles were HKD 26 a gram and weighed on a digital scale at the table. Our truffle was more than enough to go between the three of us. We were given a truffle shaver set to the thinnest setting and we shaved the truffle on everything except the cheese and chocolate dessert! I was recently told that white truffles are in fact very 熱氣 - you can actually get nose bleeds after consuming heavy white truffle meals! But I guess once a year won't do too much damage.

We liked the al-dente Buttered Tagliolini for its subtle flavours that let the white truffle shine. The Wagyu Tartare didn’t have an overly acidic dressing and the raw yolk brought a great texture to the dish. The Homemade Gnocchi with Iberico and Parmesan was light and fluffy but could’ve had more potato taste. The Bone Marrow Risotto had large chunks of delicious fatty marrow throughout and the herbs cut through the fattiness, but the rich flavours sadly overpowered the truffles. For desserts, we liked the intense and creamy dark Chocolate Pallete and we used the last bits of our truffle on Vanilla Ice Cream, so decadent! They also served a great Fourme d'Ambert.

Overall I think the addition of white truffles elevated the food, but without the icing on the cake these dishes would still be delicious. The portions are small but reasonably priced, great for trying many dishes at once. The vibe is perfect for dates and there’s also a full bar. Their menu changes every week, so I'm looking forward to see what they have in store after the truffle season ends.

I recommend: Buttered Tagliolini, Bone Marrow Risotto, Chocolate Palette

Neighborhood
Address: 61-63 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
Phone: 2617-0891
Hours: Mon-Sat 6pm-1030pm

Hong Kong - Tabibito

The first and last time I went to Tabibito was during its soft opening. The dishes were alright, but nothing stood out. I hadn't been since, until I saw on my friend’s Instagram that they had begun serving mentaiko pasta for brunch. As you may know, mentaiko pasta is one my all-time favourite dishes, so I had to go try it!

Tabibito is located at the end of Po Hing Fong in Sheung Wan and can be a bit of a walk if you are taking public transportation. However, it's worth it. We went around noon on a Saturday and it was empty, so come early if you want to beat the brunch rush hour. Tabibito serves traditional brunch items like sausage and eggs, and non-traditional items like kimchi fried rice (getting that next time!) and ox tongue sandwiches. They also have daily specials, like sliders and mac n' cheese when I went.

Ox Tongue Sandwich: Tender pieces of grilled ox tongue with mustard, mayo, chopped boiled egg and pickles sandwiched between toasted bread. It might sound like a strange combo (to me at least), but it worked. It tasted like a classic egg salad sandwich but with ox tongue, yet the ox tongue wasn’t overpowered by the creamy and tangy egg mixture.

Super Banana Pancake: This reminded me of Tokyo Banana, a banana custard treat from Japan. If you’re a fan, you will love this pancake. Tabibito’s version puts a healthy portion of delicious silky banana custard inside a banana pancake. I could eat the custard all day long! The pancake had a nice crust while remaining fluffy on the inside. It was served with a side of maple syrup and half a caramelized banana.

Mentaiko Pasta: One of the best mentaiko pastas I’ve had in Hong Kong. The sauce was rich and creamy, full of umami and slighty spicy. The portion of pasta was generous and they didn’t skimp on the mentaiko. Each pasta strand was slathered with it. I also loved the shisho leaf, which cut through the richness of the dish.

Verdict: Delicious comfort food from around the world with a Japanese flair. I’ll be going back to try their "normal" brunch food and of course, to get my mentaiko fix. My only complaint is that their tables are quite small so you may have to play tetris to fit all your dishes on there. Keep in mind they only serve their brunch menu on weekends. They also do not take reservations for brunch.

I recommend: Super Banana Pancake, Mentaiko Pasta

Tabibito
Address: G/F, 20 Po Hing Fong, Sheung Wan
Phone: 2547-2833
Website: www.tabibito.com.hk
Hours: Tue-Fri 6pm til late, Sat-Sun brunch starts 11:30am

Hong Kong - Trattoria Queen Hollywood

As you may know, Japanese and Italian are two of my favourite cuisines of all time. When you combine the two, scrumptious things happen. Trattoria Queen Hollywood serves exactly that: delicious Italian cuisine influenced by Japanese flavours and ingredients. It's a small cozy restaurant, with about 15 seats on the main floor. The kitchen is semi-open, so customers can see their food being prepared and plated. The menu is quite small, but I think that's a great way to focus on a few signature dishes and make them perfect. 

Amuse bouche: Pork pate with a sprig of dill sandwiched between two rice paper crisps

Japanese Vegetable Bagna Cauda: Bagna cauda literally means "hot bath" in Italian, and is a warm dip for vegetables typically found in Piedmont, Italy. Here, seasonal Japanese vegetables were provided. 

This dish was served similar to a fondue. You dip the vegetables into the warm homemade sauce made of anchovies, garlic, olive oil and butter. I loved the stark contrast of the cold sweet and crunchy vegetables against the warm salty anchovy.

The sauce was served in an oil burner to keep warm.

Spaghetti Vongole with clams, mussels, squid and dried mullet roe: This dish was made using Dassai, a top quality Japanese sake, instead of traditional white wine. The seafood was extremely fresh and plump. The sauce was light and briny, not like your usual sweet and creamy Japanese style pasta. The dried mullet roe added depth and umami.

Pike Eel Agnolotti in a Mushroom sauce with Summer Truffle: Agnolotti is a type of pasta from Piedmont that is similar to ravioli, but square, smaller and thinner. This homemade pasta was filled with Pike eel and tossed in a mushroom sauce and a variety of fresh mushrooms. The eel had an almost meat-y flavour and texture, which paired really well with the earthy mushrooms. The sauce was fresh and light, elevated by the fragrant truffles.

Homemade Panna Cotta and Chocolate Cheesecake with Yamazaki Whisky sauce: Possibly one of the best panna cottas I've had! The smooth texture was just spot on. The creamy panna cotta practically dissolved in my mouth. The whisky sauce was sweet and had the distinct fruity aroma and bitter aftertaste of Japanese whisky. This went well with the rich dark chocolate brownie (it said cheesecake on the menu but it was fudgy and chewy like a brownie).

Verdict: I can't wait to come back again. I'm a huge fan of Japanese Italian food and Trattoria Queen really hit the spot. They use high quality ingredients and strive to highlight those ingredients, not drown them in a lot of cream which can happen in Japanese-Italian cuisine. They also offer complex flavours and you can tell the dishes were thought through and executed well. The restaurant itself is cozy and comfortable, and the service was attentive. 

I recommend: Japanese Vegetable Bagna Cauda, Spaghetti Vongole, Panna Cotta

Trattoria Queen Hollywood
Address: G/F, 258 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan
Phone: 2559-6077

Sausage Pasta with Fennel and Chili

This is one of my favourite pasta dishes. It's bursting with so many different flavours. There's the anise you get from the fennel, heat from the chili flakes, sweetness from the cherry tomatoes, and the caramelization from the sausage. All these beautiful flavours are brought together into one dish with a touch of cream and then garnished with parsley. You can use pretty much any kind of pasta with this dish, but I recommend penne, fusilli, or shells so you get maximum sauce with each mouthful. I've made this many times and I think this is my yummiest version yet!

 What you'll need: fresh sausages, pasta (I ended up using mini shells instead of this one pictured here because Boyfriend said it looked like maggots...), parsley, cherry tomatoes

 What you'll need: fennel seeds, black pepper, oregano, chili flakes

Bash up the chili flakes and fennel seeds to release their flavours

Squeeze the sausages out of their skins and break them up in the pan.

Keep frying and breaking the meat up until it resembles mince.

Add the bashed-up fennel seeds and chili flakes and cook on a medium heat until the meat becomes crisp, golden brown and slightly caramelized. Take your time with this step. It is essential that the sausage is browned nicely (not burnt!) and has rendered most of its oil. That's how the deep flavours develop.

Add in cherry tomatoes, cooked pasta and a touch of cream. Mix until the sauce has thickened and coats the pasta evenly.

Garnish with chopped parsley.

Sausage Pasta with Fennel and Chili

For 2

Ingredients

1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 fresh Italian sausages
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup cream
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
150g pasta
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Method

1. Bash up the fennel seeds and the chili flakes in a pestle and mortar or in a seed grinder.
2. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat. Squeeze the meat out of the sausage skins onto the pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
3. Fry for a few minutes until the meat starts to colour and the fat has rendered slightly. Break up the meat more until it resembles minced meat.
4. Add the fennel seeds and chili and cook on a medium heat for around 10 minutes until the meat becomes crisp, golden brown and slightly caramelized.
5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. When done, drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water.
6. Add in the oregano into the sausage, and pour in the white wine. Allow it to reduce a little.
7. Add the halved tomatoes and cream and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften, around 2 minutes. Season.
8. Add the cooked pasta and toss with the sausage mixture until the sauce has coated the pasta evenly. Add the reserved pasta water to loosened up the sauce if needed.
9. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver's Proper Bloke's Sausage Fusilli