Hidden Gem

We came across this little Italian restaurant in a commercial building in Causeway Bay and decided to give it a shot for a dinner celebration. I love the simple interiors - modern, cozy with comfortable lighting with tables well scattered across, and the quiet ambiance well suited for the fine dining style of the place.

Four different set menus were offered, differed by number of courses (4 or 7) and style of cooking, with one drew upon inspiration from around the world and one more traditional Italian, both deviated and evolved from the original Piedmontese theme of the restaurant and the vision of the consultant chef Marco Sacco.

We went with the 7-course "Journey around the world" menu and began with a simple bite of  the traditional Bettelmatt cheese flan dressed with a simple broccoli sauce underneath. Our first course of scallops was lovely with the piece of Hokkaido scallop cooked mi-cuit with a slightly charred top and served with turnips done 2 ways - puree and "mille-feuille", garnished with a baby spinach leaf. Love the combination of flavor and the scallop was cooked just right.

Not so much a fan of the Ciocco Porco -traditional black pudding given a modern twist and encased in rich chocolate with beetroot sauce. Unfortunately I could only taste the chocolate and not so much the blood sausage nor the beetroot.

Next, caramelized Montoro onions were served in a deep dish with a clear broth, and the slow cooking softened and released the subtly sweet flavor of the onions imported from Campania. I like the idea of the gnocchi dish - potato gnocchi served with a velvety  sauce made with prawns and sea asparagus, and on the side, a couple pieces of sea prawns slightly sauteed with a drizzle of citrus juice. But the gnocchi was on the soft side and lack the bouncy texture - not enough kneading and spent too much time "swimming" I reckon - and I could also live with a slightly richer sauce, or maybe the soft gnocchi just failed to hold up the sauce well enough. But the prawn was great, with the subtle acidity.

A couple of mains were then brought over and both were excellent. First a couple pieces of monkfish fillet dusted with Nduja sausage powder and served with a orange-colored sauce made with clams and fish broth with arrowroot puree on the side. The fish got great firm texture and went well with the smoky flavor from the powder. The second main was served in another colorful presentation - this time guinea fowl supreme stuffed with pork sausages, and on the side, potato mille-feuille and pumpkin crisp, with meat jus dotted around.

Love the creativity of the dessert - a sweet rendition of "Cacio e Pepe" we were told, with white chocolate "pasta" served with goji berries and mangosteen. And the gigantic Gianduiotto sweet was another highlight, smooth with nice hazelnut flavor in enormous portion that's like a cake - it's made exclusively for the restaurant by Torino chocolatier La Perla.

We BYOed this time and went along the Piedmontese theme with a 15-year-old Barolo. Full-bodied with intense black cherries and some red fruits, some leather, and rounded up with nice and smooth tannins and a long after-taste. Right at its peak I reckon.

The meal somehow reminded me of the Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia in Milan with the clean , artsy decor and casual cooking style - a nice hidden gem with no-nonsense cooking with a creative touch. A couple of dishes do need some work, but I heard good things about their other pasta dishes so we may need to go back and redeem that soon.

When? May 18 2020
Where? Castellana, 10/F The Cubus, 1 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Hokkaido Scallops with White Turnip Mille-Feuille
Drink? 2005 Damilano "Cannubi" Barolo DOCG
Web: castellanahongkong.com