CIAK In the Kitchen is a dining concept based on the traditional Italian grocery store where customers can come in and enjoy high-quality food at the shop or take it to go. They also took it a step further by combining the grocery store with a trendy trattoria.
The crossover of Italian grocery store and trattoria is by no means something new in Hong Kong. In recent years, Assaggio, Divino Patio Ristorante and Bar and Giando have all adopted a similar format and it's getting more and more popular.
Located near the entrance of the restaurant are counters serving gelato, drinks and pastries.
As usual, the pastry counter was my focal point and I was particularly intrigued by these "bombolones", or round shaped Italian doughnuts that looked really tasty!
At the middle of the restaurant is an open kitchen that serves freshly made bread, pizzas and comfort food. A free-seating area with approximately 20 seats is available for anyone interested in a quick bite.
Further inside is a trattoria also decorated like a grocery store.
We decided to pick a quiet corner behind the wooden shelves to enjoy a little more privacy.
The 2-course set lunch here provides the best value for money. You get to pick a starter and a main course from a short list for $238.
For starter, we had the beef tongue which was beautifully complemented by a lovely tuna sauce. That was one of the better beef tongue I have had in recent times.
Pan fried black cod fish, although arrived relatively late, was also nicely prepared. The chives, citrus dressing and mashed potatoes combined to provide contrasting flavors to the cod fish.
My only complaint was perhaps the portion could have been a little bit more generous.
Of course, we had to sample one of their pastas from the a la carte menu. We ended up with this penne with Arrabiata sauce which was only average at best.
We were expecting a better effort from a kitchen under Chef Bombana's guidance but that was no comparison with some of my favorite pasta from Posto Pubblico or Linguini Fini.
We took the optional dessert for $60 as part of the lunch set and it was one of the house specialty - CIAK tiramisu (regular price was $88 I think).
Expect a little bit of deconstructive twist here!
There are a lot of posters and paintings on the wall, but none more appealing than this portrait with Chef Bombana holding a plate of truffle in his hand!
We have enough up-scale restaurants in Central already so CIAK In the Kitchen really provides a nice change of pace.
Food Rating: 6.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop 327-333, 3/F, Landmark Atrium, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central
Tel: +852 2522-8869
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