I’m a die hard fan of carbonara. I love the thick creaminess and crispy bacon, mixed into a lot of CARBS! So I’ve had my fair share of the pasta and also the often resultant disappointment. But the three plates of carbonara in today’s post definitely wow-ed me and made me wipe my plate clean of any sauce!

Perfectly classic carbonara at Caffe Habitu
Of chain cafes, Caffe Habitu ranks highly for me as they actually make quite decent food at a very reasonable price. This classic carbonara and their truffle carbonara (offered as part of their lunch menu before) was more than decent though – so perfect! The cream is sufficiently but not abundantly thick, with a slight eggy taste. Of course, pasta is cooked al dente. Under HK$100!

I had this at Caffe Habitu The Table at Elements (West Kowloon).

Japanese fusion carbonara at Wired Cafe
I’m often not a fan of fusion food because it’s often mediocre. But in my previous post, I did mention that the Jap-style carbonara with onsen egg here is one of the fusion pastas that actually taste amazing (along with two others). The sauce was more watery but the overall taste didn’t stray too far from traditional, making it a pleasant plate of carbonara with a ever-so-slight twist. Also under HK$100!

Wired cafe is located in Miramall (Tsim Sha Tsui) and Hysan Place (Causeway bay).

Thick, creamy and whatever you like at home!

The final recommendation “costs” a little more – your efforts mainly! Following Jamie Oliver’s recipe for the carbonara sauce here, making a perfect carbonara was actually pretty simple! It tastes very thick, but the lemon zest introduces a very comfortable balance, making you feel less “stuffed” from the creaminess. Put your carbonara experience into the fate of your own hands – a highly recommended recipe!