The Perfect Repeat

I wasn’t planning to come to Tokyo in such quick succession but then when Chef Daniel suggested that I should come visit again during the Shanghainese hairy crab season after my meal in September and “you wouldn’t regret it,” I was like, sure, why not. And just as important was this time I came with the missus. Coming in for lunch this time and I found the dining room during day even more charming, with the mild sunlight beaming in from the window, and this time I got to sit at a table properly for the whole meal with our friends CXB and KC which happened to be in Tokyo and booked to eat there on the exact same day. 

White Truffle Treat

I knew we were onto something quite special when I saw a large white truffle sitting in a jar on our table as I walked in to Castellana the other night. I visited the restaurant earlier this year but happy to be back, this time with a few friends and during the prized white truffle season. 

White Truffle Tasting Menu

Just at around this time every year, Facebook keep reminding me of the previous meals I had at Sabatini when the famous Alba White Truffles were in season. And I am glad that this year I got one more to add to the memory with another gorgeous dinner prepared by Chef Claudio and his team at this legendary restaurant at Royal Garden at TST East.

White Truffles Encore

I wanted a white truffle encore just before its prime season ends (some time between early to mid-December), so we paid a visit to Nicholini’s at Conrad on the last Friday of November for their tasting menu. With the restaurant (and other F&B outlets inside the hotel) pretty much booked up for the staycation goers, we went for one of their early seating and got ourselves a table of two right by the window - not bad for something arranged only at last minute. 

Annual Ritual

A visit to Sabatini is always a good idea especially during the white truffle season with their special tasting menu by Chef Claudio. And I was glad the restaurant (and hotel) was re-opened just in time before the end of the prime season for the treasured ingredient. 

Light Italian Dinner

We headed down to Tosca di Angelo for a quick dinner on our staycation weekend at The Ritz Carlton Hong Kong. With literally non-stop eating (and drinking) since the night before, we opted for something light this time. 

A Rare New Opening

Aria is one of the rare new restaurant openings in this rather tricky time, but I think there’s always room for another Italian restaurant if it’s done right. And I was there earlier this week in one evening to try the dishes prepared for us by their chef Andrea Zamboni. 

Pre-Flight Treat

There’s no words more comforting when Chef Bombana dropped by our table and said he would take good care of us, especially during the white truffles season and when you knew he's a man of his word. I was excited to be able to join some other friends for a dinner tasting at Chef Bombana's Otto e Mezzo restaurant late last month, on the very evening I flew out to London for a week - that's the way to start off the holiday with a sumptuous feast.

Dinner That Almost Didn't Happen

We managed to make it to Neighborhood for dinner against all odds a few weeks ago. We came close to calling it off at the last minute because of the deteriorating traffic situation in the city that day but at the end we actually arrived ahead of the planned booking time because most of us were allowed to leave office early.

Start of the Season

It’s somewhat a rare sight these days in this town – with a restaurant filled to its capacity, but Nicholini’s at Conrad was packed with customers on a Friday evening. I guess partly because everyone are just itching to be out and about freely as things got stabilized a little bit and partly because the white truffle season has officially begun and the restaurant received its first batch today.

Four-Hands Menu at Nicholini's

As I returned to Hong Kong on late Saturday afternoon after a “whirlwind staycation” in Macau, I headed straight to Nicholini’s of Conrad for a special dinner featuring a guest chef from Tuscany. Chef Gaetano Trovato of Arnolfo Ristorante in Northern Tuscany joined hands with Chef Riccardo Catarsi of Nicholini’s joined hands to present a special 6-course dinner menu, with both chefs taking turns in presenting each course.

White Truffles and Company

A few weeks ago we were back at Neighborhood for another epic meal. After our meal at Belon in late September, we plotted for another dinner gathering and this casual bistro helmed by our friend and chef David Lai was our choice. And it came right at the prime of the traditional white truffles season so we ended up having a few dishes that were served with the piece of white truffles we picked from Chef David’s stash which he got from his supplier regularly.

Another New Chef on Board

We were at Gough’s on Gough a couple of months ago checking out their Restaurant Week menu just as they were undergoing a change in culinary direction, and late last month, I went back to meet their new Chef Cary Docherty and check out some of the new dishes he introduced at the restaurant as part of that transformation.

Fancy Mushroom Night

I honestly could not remember when’s the last time I was at Sabatini – don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my meals whenever I was there and I am a sucker for the old-school Italian trattoria vibe the restaurant is known for, along with its classic cooking style and many of its timeless signature dishes. I blame that on the location really, just slightly out of the way of where I usually hang out.

White Diamond Dinner

Price for white truffles this season has been ridiculously high this year (low production due to uncooperative weather), so that means I had to be frugal and thought twice on where I put my truffle money on - First World problem, I know. I have always heard the restaurant at Hong Kong Club serves one of the best valued white truffle menu in town so it's too big an opportunity to miss when a group I am (somewhat) associated with was organizing a dinner there.

Risotto with White Truffles

Originally I was planning to make some pasta going with the piece of white truffles we got at the Fair in Alba, but the house didn't come with a pasta machine (plus I got a little lazy once we settled in), so instead, I bought some rice in the market and made a risotto instead one evening.

White Truffles Dinner at Umami Concepts

We brought back a medium-sized white truffles (about 100g) from Alba and a few days after we came back to Hong Kong, organized a small gathering with the AG meetup group at Umami Concepts, a private kitchen studio on Bonham Road and a brainchild of the Canadian chef Nolan Ledarney.