Carbone (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I was keen to check out Carbone and its “red sauce Italian” style dishes when the 1-star Michelin restaurant from New York first opened in Central a few months ago. But November and December are always busy months for restaurant openings and I ended up waiting a little longer than I originally thought before paying them my first visit.

Located on the eighth floor of the LKF Tower, Carbone has quickly established itself as a fan favorite in Hong Kong. On the day of our visit, the restaurant was totally packed at around 7pm and even the bar at the entrance area was completely full of customers waiting to be seated.



And who could resist a hearty Italian fare in an authentic throwback vibe like this? I heard the setting here is almost a carbon copy of what they have in Greenwich Village, NY.




Some nibbles to start us off courtesy of the kitchen. First up was a spicy salami that was very good.



Even more amazing was the garlic bread. 

 

The parmesan cheese was also of very good quality.



I am naturally not a carpaccio person but having heard so much about Carbone's Carpaccio Piemontese ($198), it's impossible to pass on this gem and I was glad I didn't.

Thin sheets of wagyu beef was perfectly marinated with olive oil and black truffle and served with some rocket leaves and mushrooms. I love the crushed walnuts which was the key to that absolutely irresistible bite (8.5/10).


 
The signature dish, spicy rigatoni vodka ($198) was another masterpiece that should not be missed here. The handmade rigatoni had just the perfect bite and equal to the task was the pink cream sauce with tomato, onion and Calabrian chili (8/10).



I was supposed to have their veal parmigiana as my main course as it has always been touted as the most iconic dish in the “red sauce Italian” cuisine. But I have never really paid much attention to signature dishes and went with my own choice of pork chop and peppers ($428).

As recommended by our server, we had it at medium but slightly more on the medium-well side. It ended up to be a decent dish. The Iberico pork had good texture and was nicely complemented by vinegar peppers and braised onion (5.5/10).



Despite the limited choices from a small menu, Carbone showed exactly why the restaurant managed to capture its first Michelin star and cemented itself as one of the best Italian restaurants in New York in just a little over a year.




Food Rating: 7/10
Price: $$$$
Address: 9/F, 33 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Central
Tel: +852 2593-2593
Website: carbone.com.hk