Weekend Brunch at Grissini

I had a lovely weekend brunch recently at Grissini of Grand Hyatt when they invited me over at the newly renovated private room. There's no better time to visit on a perfect sunny day with sunshine beamed through the floor-to-ceiling window... felt like I was at Amalfi Coast with a glass of Aperol Spritz in hand. And I reckon the long table was just perfect for a cozy day time function with privacy.  

Dim Sum and Some More

I was at One Harbour Road at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong last month to check out a few new dimsum dishes by Chef Chan Hon Cheong. It has been a hectic (and rainy) day but glad to enjoy some quiet time with decent food.

Dolce Vita

I have been on a roll as far as having Italian food is concerned in this one week in November. After lunch at Estro on a Saturday afternoon then Sabatini on Monday evening, a few days later I was eating at Grissini of Grand Hyatt. I haven’t been back for a while and seems like they have gone through some minor renovation since then, and also a change at the helm with Chef Marcello Scognamiglio’s recent departure. 

But what’s not changed was the laid-back ambiance, and the menu drawing inspirations and classical cooking from around various Italian regions. That and their namesake grissini breadsticks, served while we were studying their menu. 

Their set lunch menu always represented excellent value, and one could choose from 2 or 3 courses with many choices and it’s reasonably priced, and that’s how we started with a few additional dishes to share. We started with a couple antipasti dishes. Yellowtail Carpaccio was one of the restaurant’s signature, with the crudo of yellowtail in thick slices, slightly cured and served with artichokes, sea asparagus and plenty of the aromatic olive oil on top. I love the fatty flavor. 

Vitello Tonnato done in traditional Piedmontese style is always my favorite, with slices of tender veal served chilled with a creamy sauce flavored with tuna. The l’uovo in camicia was the richest of the three appetizer dishes, served in a bowl with the soft-boiled egg mixed with potato espuma and melted Scamorza cheese with green kale and bread crumbs on top as garnishes. I figured that’s the most comfortable bite comes cooler winter months. 

For pasta, we went for the bowl of Scialatielli tossed with zucchini, basil and provolone cheese. At its onset it looked like the pasta dish was not laden with sauces but it sure tasted rich and complex with such simple combination of fresh ingredients. I couldn’t help but felt a sense of déjà vu when the main course of Baccala al Limone arrived. I had a similar dish a few weeks ago prepared by Chef Marcello and I enjoyed it so much that I tried to replicate the sauce in one of the dishes I prepared at home earlier. And it’s good for an encore this time, with pieces of codfish fillet, silky and slow-braised and served with an emulsified sauce prepared with fish broth and oil, and on top was more ingredients such as clams, mussels and capers. And to cap this off was the generous sprinkle of lemon zest giving the dish amazing aroma.

For dessert, Tiramisu was a given since that’s one of their most popular desserts, and this time I also tried their Brioche, served with the lovely sabayon infused with Moscato d’Asti on the side. I did prefer my desserts (especially an Italian one) sweeter but the brioche was perfectly made and served warm.  

What can I say? Life’s been treating me well lately and how appropriate there’s a perfect Italian phrase to describe this. 

(Meal was by Invitation)

When? November 12 2021
Where? Grissini, 2nd Floor, Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai
Menu Highlights? Baccala al Limone
Drinks? Il Mosnel Franciacorta Brut Rose NV
Web: www.hongkong.grand.hyattrestaurants.com/restaurants-and-bars/grissini

Rare Weekday Lunch in Town

I took advantage of my rare weekday appearance on the island side of town to eat at One Harbour Road at the Grand Hyatt. It wasn't that long ago since my last visit but they recently went through some renovation and re-opened with some slight changes in decor and table setting. 

Morning Hotel Dim-Sum

When lunch became the "new dinner" and the most important meal of the day, I guess breakfast is now the "new lunch". One Harbour Road at Grand Hyatt is one of those restaurants now with an extended opening hour from early morning on, so we dropped by one weekend for a leisurely breakfast.

Nice and Easy

We ended up eating at One Harbour Road at the Grand Hyatt on a Friday evening when we managed a last minute table booking. It’s been a while since we were last here and we wanted something nice and easy so that fits the bill. 

Simple Piedmontese Dinner

It's been a while since we last visited Grissini at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, and first time since they went through a brief remodeling and the introduction of a new chef late last year. The new decor featured a more casual design with a feel of a countryside cottage or trattoria, but a few things remained, including the harbor view from one side of the dining area, and the show kitchen at the entrance where the namesake grissini sticks were prepared and baked - and they were just as good as ever with just a light dip of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Re-visiting Grissini

It’s a pure coincidence that we were eating at Grand Hyatt pretty often recently – after decent dinners at the Steakhouse and One Harbour Road, I thought we may as well check out Grissini as well, so here we were on a Friday night to kick off the weekend. Let me be straight first – we were never huge fans of the restaurant and our previous experience has been so-so at best. But still, we figured it didn’t hurt giving it a try every now and then, and check to see if one day our opinion might be swayed the other way.

Another Birthday Celebration

Courtesy of some cash coupons I received as part of my bank charge card, I thought we should visit One Harbour Road at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong for dinner some time so we could take advantage of the discount. And we have just the right occasion for this – to celebrate mom’s birthday over a meal there.

Classic Steakhouse Dinner

Late last month I was at Grand Hyatt Steakhouse checking out the new menu introduced by their new head chef Fernando Gojan. The restaurant is now one of the few hotel steakhouse remaining in town, featuring a classic menu with focus on “artisanal” beef from ranches around the world, plus seafood, all the sides and desserts, as what you would see in any high-end steakhouses.

A Few Good Rieslings

It’s been years since we last ate at One Harbour Road, the Chinese restaurant at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong by the Wanchai harborfront. I guess for us it’s a typical case of “out of sight, out of mind” place: while there’s nothing particularly bad about our previous experiences, it just never came up as a place we wanted to go back to.

An American in Burgundy - Domaine Dublere Wine Dinner

We love winemaker dinners. First and foremost, often it represents great value for money with the amount of wines they serve and also for some of the rarer finds from the winemaker's own collection that they sometimes bring along. And second, just like how people enjoyed reading the director's interview about making of a movie, we like hearing stories from the winemakers themselves on the philosophy of their winery, what they do with their grapes and their wines and to feel their passions and pride in the wines they made. That's much better than any critics' reviews or marketing campaigns.

Well we went to one last Saturday at the Grand Hyatt Steakhouse. Interesting enough, it's hosted by Blair Pethel, the owner and winemaker of Domaine Dublere, who as an American from North Carolina and a former journalist, somehow made his way to the great land of Burgundy and became a farmer - as he called himself - and founded Domaine Dublere (a Francophone twist of his first name Blair) about 10 years ago. Turned out Blair was also a fellow Washingtonian - spending a good amount of time in the capital during the Clinton Administration as a political journalist - and we went to the same school (he did his graduate degree and I did my undergraduate's - but at different time). What an interesting coincidence!