8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Anyone familiar with fine dining in Hong Kong should be no stranger to Chef Umberto Bombana. He was the acclaimed chef at Ritz Carlton Hong Kong's famous Italian restaurant Toscana before its closure in 2008. In 2010 after months of preparation, he officially launches his own restaurant, 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Central.

This latest venture by Chef Umberto Bombana sports a very cozy interior decor while the tables are generously spaced.

This is not the typical seafood salad you see every day. Lobster, squid and a white fish made up this exquisite salad that was further complemented by ratte potato, parsley and extra virgin olive oil dressing. It was a refreshing starter perfectly designed to kick off a wonderful lunch (7/10). 



When we first saw this appetizer on the menu, we thought it would be a boring dish with slices with parma ham and melon. But it turned out there's a catch to this.  

The parma ham riserva was not only served with slices of sweet cavaillon melon. Instead there was also a little cup of melon velouté to go with it.

So I followed the instructions carefully by first wrapping the melon with the parma ham and then dipped them into the velouté. That was sweet like a dessert (8/10)!



There was a bit of regression starting with the main courses. Our traditional veal scaloppine with white wine and capers sauce was slightly on the rough side. We expected more from a 3-starred kitchen (4/10).



The roasted black cod fish was better but still lacked the creativity shown in our starters. I liked the black olive, tomato confit and oberico ham bits on top of the fish. It added extra bite and flavor to go with the fish and the extra virgin olive oil and lemon dressing (6/10).



Dessert was the "8 1/2" chocolate tart served with a chocolate-flavored ice cream and a small cup of warm chocolate macchiato. Unfortunately I am not a big fan of dark chocolate (5/10).



Serviice was definitely top of the class. Food was also well prepared but I thought there was a lack of creative flare and wow factor missing from certain dishes.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$$

Address: Shop 202, Landmark Alexandra, 18 Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Central
Website: www.ottoemezzobombana.com