Tosca has long been one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the city well before the Michelin gods tagged them with a star. The elegant décor and harbour view have something to do with it but Chef Pino Lavarra's contemporary cuisine is undoubtedly the key for my regular visits.
Their children's policy (6 years old or older) is holding me back a little these days so I wasn't aware of the new prices (2 Courses – HK$448, 3 Courses – HK$508, 4 Courses – HK$698).
They got the ball rolling with a nice collection of homemade bread.
That was followed by a little welcome dish from the chef, a lovely croissant-like pastry with salumi, cream cheese and tomato sauce. The pastry was so flaky.
Linguine, clams, zucchini flower and saffron - I was trying to finish this lunch within a hour and a half so I decided to skip the appetizer section all together and went straight to my pasta dish.
I don't think I have ever been disappointed with chef Pino's homemade pasta. They're always perfectly al dente and you knew they are freshly made because of the wonderful texture and rich eggy flavor. The linguini was very tasty on its own. Apart from the clams and zucchini flower, they also tossed it with saffron and a homemade pesto sauce made primarily with vegetables. Pretty delicious but would I be expecting anything less from this kitchen?
Monkfish, spinach, artichoke and prosciutto - Monkfish has never been high on my list (for fish course) but I thought they have a good one here.
The roasted monkfish which was perfectly moist, combined so well with the bed of spinach and roasted artichoke wrapped with smoky prosciutto.
Green tea tiramisù, pistachio and mascarpone gelato - Ever since celebrated Spanish pastry chef Rafael Charquero arrived at Tosca as their head of pastry, his desserts have been the most talked-about creations in town. This is a beautiful interpretation of the classic Italian tiramisu with green tea, pistachio and mascarpone.
This is very light and airy. Love the way green tea (sponge and powder) and mascarpone (gelato and chip) work together and harmonize each other. Another masterpiece from chef Charquero.
Some sweet canapés after the meal.....
After so much crappy food all week, I finally manage to reward myself (and my tummy) with something a little different this afternoon (on a black Friday!). Now I better head back to my office and get some work done.
PS. My apologies for the poor quality of the photos. Just for the record, these were taken with my backup camera as my primary and "preferred" one is currently on injury reserve (in the repair shop) following a freak accident on one of my recent trips. Hopefully, it comes back fully "healed" in 2 weeks time.
Food Rating: 7/10
Price: $$$$
Address: 102/F The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, International Commerce Centre, 1 Austin Road West, West Kowloon, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Kowloon
Tel: +852 2263-2270
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