We were surprised by how long the Sunday brunch was when we sat down at Grissini in August for their special menu celebrating the mid-summer Ferragosto Festival. We did try Chef Valerio Mandile's cooking a couple of times since he became Chef de Cuisine of this long standing Italian establishment at Grand Hyatt last year and enjoyed his food, and his Sunday brunch offering was equally impressive too.
The menu was offered in family style with most dishes served in sharing portions, many of those traditional dishes from Chef Valerio's home region of Campania in Central Italy and there are other traditional dishes from other regions as well. To start, of course it's the freshly baked grissini served with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, followed by a series of cold and warm appetizers. I love the Vitello Tonnato done in traditional Piedmontese style with tender veal slices served with the rich and smooth tuna sauce. The Frittata made perfect brunch dish with Zucchini filling and the rich pecorino sauce on top. The list of dishes may sound a lot but they served everything in tasting portion so turned out it's just right for the two of us without feeling overloaded.
We got to choose from a wider selection of dishes to be the main, some in individual portion like the pan-fried sea bass with cannellini bean sauce, and some shared between two or more, including their signature chicken baked in claypot. We were in the mood of something light and bright so we went for the Paccheri di Gragnano allo Scoglio, essentially a tomato-based seafood stew with large tubular pasta, a specialty dish from Campania. Everything was just prepared perfectly just the way it should be with nice balanced flavor.
A few types of desserts were served at the end, including their signature Tiramisu prepared in a large bowl and served by spooning individual portion on a plate in front of us. They are probably one of the best in town and a league of its own. Free flow wines and cocktails were offered as an option - we love the lemon spritz (served either with lemon juice and tonic as non-alcoholic option or limoncello and prosecco for the proper one) We also enjoyed the refreshing bottle of Campania white wine made using indigenous Falanghina grapes.
(Meal was by invitation)
When? August 20 2023
Where? Grissini at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 2/F 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Paccherti allo Scoglio
Drinks?
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