All posts filed under: Pasta

Pici: New Cute Italian Pasta Bar in Wan Chai

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I was immediately sold by the description of Pici as a casual pasta bar tucked behind the small streets in the Star Street area of Wan Chai. It seemed like the perfect spot to suggest trying for three girls catching up on a implicitly-agreed chilled out early Friday night. Cozy bustling vibes in a quiet corner Tucked away deep into the quieter alleyways of Wan Chai, this small pasta establishment had curated lively vibes and charm on its own. In fact, given that this restaurant had only opened on 25 January and I was visiting on 3 February, I thought, surely we would be able to get a seat (they don’t take reservations). Thankfully my friends arrived at 6:55pm and grabbed the last three-person seat because when I got there at 7:03pm, a few people were waiting outside already. Vitello Tonnato  – HK$80 I found out about this dish when I was dining at Cochin and absolutely fell in love with all the mesh of flavours. When I saw it on the menu, I thought …

Giando: Authentic Italian with the Best Ingredients

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When an Italian chef is the sole owner of a restaurant, you know things can go really really right. To add to this wonderful microeconomic backdrop, Chef Gianni Caprioli makes it a personal mission to ensure only excellent quality ingredients are used. In fact, I was told 95% of their ingredients are imported directly from Italy – including their eggs. Chefs of top Italian restaurants have been spotted eating here a number of times. I first came here on a Saturday and returned the next Sunday again. With this in mind, it’s not a question of whether you should dine here, but a question of what to order when you come here. Had I come here earlier, it definitely would be among the 5 Italian Restaurants in Hong Kong that Do Stand Out, for being the most authentic and featuring the best quality ingredients. Weekend Brunch at HK$338 for 3-Courses I love my ‘epic brunches‘ and this place would definitely rank high if I ever came up with such a list. The 3-course set runs from 12-3pm …

Espresso Alchemy: Coffee Connoisseurs Who Cook Really Good Food

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Coffee culture in Hong Kong is indisputably growing fast, but it’s growing even more rapidly on me. A few months back, I wrote about the 4 best cappuccinos in Hong Kong, but I’ve definitely discovered many more excellent coffee spots since then that’d make it on such list, like Bakery Cafe (Central), Five Coffee Company (Sai Kung) and Espresso Alchemy (Tsim Sha Tsui). Interestingly though, coffee and food has started to develop into two segregated activities for me, as in, I’d go for lunch then move elsewhere for a cup of coffee. Great coffee and great food just don’t get housed under the same roof in this city. So it was genuinely a shocker to discover Espresso Alchemy, possibly just the one exception to that rule, which honestly does a top notch job at the two. Piccolo Latte *must order* I first discovered and fell in love with the piccolo latte when I went to Roast (in Bangkok) about 2 years ago but since then haven’t really seen it on menus much in Hong Kong, and when I do, they’re usually …

Recipe for Kimchi Grilled Cheese and Kimchi Carbonara

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Asian fusion, especially kimchi-everything, seems to be strongly trending in Hong Kong these days. Having sampled such fusion dishes myself, such as the kimchi bruschetta from Moyo, I do understand the addiction. That’s why I’ve even gone ahead to try these kimchi-fused dishes at home! Apart from actually making the kimchi (I’m not Korean enough for that yet), incorporating it into everyday comfort food turned out to be pretty easy, straight forward and a great complement. See my two recipes for kimchi grilled cheese and kimchi carbonara below. Kimchi Grilled Cheese Ingredients: 2 slices of bread A handful of grated cheddar cheese A small handful of kimchi Butter Method: 1. Butter one side of each slice of bread 2. Mix the kimchi and grated cheese in an oven-proof bowl, shove it in the oven (I put it in my mini toaster oven) until cheese is melted (about 3-5 mins) 3. Spread the mix onto one slice of bread on the non-buttered side 4. Place on the pan on medium heat (butter side down), place other …

Secret to Making Very Al Dente Homemade Pasta

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I’ve always been disappointed with homemade pasta served at restaurants because they’re never really “al dente” – soft on the outside, chewy at the centre. I began to believe that this was just a general feature of homemade pasta. But then I joined a “Perfect Pasta” cooking class in Tasmania and found that the secret to making homemade egg pasta very al dente is to work the dough. It’s not really a secret. I guess most restaurants don’t have resources to do more than the minimum kneading, but if you have about 2 hours in the weekend to spare, then give this a try at home. The key is to knead the dough until it looks and feels as smooth as a baby’s butt! There were no recipes at our cooking class, but it was so straight forward, I had unintentionally memorised it and was able to successfully recreate the pasta at home. I love my pasta chewy so we worked the hell out of it and I’m confident to say I’ve never had better …

Try This: Mentaiko Pasta for Lunch at Tabibito

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I came here for dinner once and absolutely loved all the dishes we ordered, especially the Lobster Toastie. Given that dinners here can cost about HK$500 per person, coming here for lunch is one way you can taste their delicious Japanese fusion dishes on a more wallet-friendly budget. Of course, the menu is very different though. Lobster Toastie – Special item served during dinner I actually fell in love with mentaiko pasta at Baby Cafe in iSQUARE (now closed), which was featured in Fusion pastas that actually taste amazing. After being thoroughly impressed by Tabibito’s food during dinner one time, their mentaiko pasta definitely met my high expectations of being creamy, tasty and with a good amount of ‘crunch’ from the roe. It’s HK$80 for a lunch set with miso soup and they have a few other options on their menu too. Mentaiko pasta (served during lunch) The downside is of course that it’s quite inconveniently located in PoHo (upper Sheung Wan). See more “Try this” articles here. Tabibito 20 Po Hing Fong Sheung Wan Phone: 2547 2833 …

Tasmania: Learn real pasta skills at Red Feather Inn Cooking School

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I often like to join cooking classes when on holiday and it was even more of a must-do when visiting Tasmania as there are two renowned spots which promise to bring a memorable experience: Red Feather Inn near Launceston and The Agrarian Kitchen near Hobart. Unfortunately, The Agrarian Kitchen was fully booked so I couldn’t try that. Actually, Red Feather Inn was too, but luckily for us, they kindly held a private class for the two of us (at a higher price of AUD250 v. the group class which charges AUD195). So if you are keen, book as early as you can. The Chef Chef Lewis works at the Red Feather Inn’s restaurant and teaches their cooking school classes too. With over 25 years of experience in London and experience from cooking schools around the world, a lot of important cooking insights or ‘tricks’ is what you’ll definitely be getting out of a class here. First course: egg pasta with bolognaise sauce Perfect Pasta class to learn real skills and tricks We decided to go with the “Perfect Pasta” …