Chef Masanti was nowhere to be found in the open kitchen but still I decided to give this special menu a shot.
My last visit to Si was about a year ago and I still remembered they had some really nice homemade pasta. Tonight though, I will set the bar a little higher since they have a Michelin starred chef putting this special menu together for them.
The first course to warm up our palates was vension carpaccio served with juniper and gin butter, black truffle pearls, confit lemon and edible flowers. I thought the texture of the carpaccio was really nice. The vension was flavorful yet not overpowering like I originally suspected and those flavors were neatly backed up by the black truffle pearls and confit lemon. Pretty good start for me.
Second course of the tasting menu was chestnut cream which was almost like a velouté. Creamy chestnut combined surprisingly well with parmesan foam, poached egg, Sassella wine, vinegar and caramel (Yes, caramel!) forming a wonderful marriage of flavors.
This was seriously good. Not your typical chestnut soup with all the complex flavors but I like the way they've come together and harmonized each other.
Another enjoyable dish was skillfully cooked fresh capunti pasta. It was served with an assortment of mushrooms.
I thought this was really delicious. Apart from their cute appearance that looked like an open pea pod, the pasta had really nice bite to them.
Next up was roasted polenta gnocchi served with a ragout made with pork ribs and finished with a bit of lentils over the top. I like the texture of the gnocchi which was a little crunchy on the outside while soft and moist inside. I didn't think I have ever had a gnocchi as big as a jumbo fish ball before so this was a whole new experience for me all together.
My last savory dish was slow-cooked veal cheek served with potato cake and endives.
The veal cheek was meltingly tender and I thought the endives did okay to cut through the richness of the cheeks.
Finally, it was time for dessert which was a simple semifreddo served with raspberry sauce, mixed berries and chocolate to wrap up this wonderful dinner.
The kitchen's ability to deliver high-quality pasta was again in full display tonight as I thought both the capunti pasta and gnocchi were two of the best dishes of the night. The chestnut cream dish was another pleasant surprise with the way the parmesan foam and poached egg (egg yolk in particular) elevating the flavors of the creamy chestnut to another level. All in all, it was a very entertaining night full of good food in a nice friendly setting.
Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop G03, G/F, D2 Place TWO, 15 Cheung Shun Street, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok
Tel: +852 2370-9022
Website: www.sirestaurant.hk
Si Simply Italian modern Italian restaurant D2 Place Lai Chi Kok special dinner menu Michelin star chef Stefano Masanti best pasta Hong Kong
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