The bespoke multi-course lunch menu at Castellana allows diners to mix and match their own starter, first, second course and dessert. Since we knew nothing about Piedmont (except their hazelnuts) and its cuisine, we decided to take on a longer culinary journey with its 7-course tasting menu designed by Chef Sacco.
Lunch started off brilliantly with some soft ricotta cheese mousse topped by Piedmont almonds that was finished off with bell pepper flavored sponge and basil dust. Right from the start, we got a taste of the contemporary approach of a pretty exciting brand of Italian cuisine that's fun to watch (and eat!).
Our amuse bouche was immediately followed by some homemade bread to get our appetites going.
Our first dish of the tasting menu was smoked lake trout which has been smoked for 3 to 4 hours. Dusted with spices and beautifully decorated with edible flowers and raspberry gel, the smoked lake trout came with this really nice wobbly texture. It's not as smoky or flavorful as most smoked salmon so we could still taste the naturally rich flavors of the trout. Not a bad start at all.
Things continued to get better with the upcoming dishes. First, it was Fassona beef tartare served with a clear beef broth and pickled vegetables.
Fassona beef is a Piedmontese cattle from the northwestern part of Italy born fawn colored and turns grey-white as it matures. It is renowned for its unique muscular structure, resulting in excellent texture, tenderness, juiciness, and a rich, sweet flavor.
Obviously, the chefs here are very confident in the beef's unique texture and flavor, which is why they've only added sparkling water and spring onion while they prepare the tartare. It was a great way to preserve the natural flavors from the cattle and I was really impressed with the tenderness, juiciness and sweet flavors of the beef. It's also one of the leanest cut I've ever seen, which for me is just perfect for a tartare.
Risotto with black garlic and river prawn was next. The artful presentation was complete with dabs of weed jelly and white cheese.
This was one of the most delicious risotto I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. The creamy and silky risotto was brimming with sweetness from the black garlic, matching well with the freshness of the river prawn while the weed jelly and white cheese sauce provided some earthy and cheesy notes to the mix. A really well-designed dish with the perfect execution.
Following the risotto was Chef Sacco's signature Carbonara "au koque", the chef's modern take on the classic spaghetti carbonara. The secret of success to this popular dish might be attributed to a special ingredient to the eggy Carbonara sauce - gin, an element that the chef thought would make the sauce more delicate on the palate.
Our fish course today was Corregone lake fish from the cod fish family, finished with a blackberry glaze. I thought the fish came with much less fat content than the usual cod fish but with noticeably stronger flavors. And those flavors were wonderfully enhanced by the fruity notes from the blueberry glaze. A simple yet sophisticated dish with a well-balanced mix of flavors.
It was served with a mixed berries salad and warm kale on the side.
Our meat course saw us going back to the prized Fassone beef again, only this time the tenderloin was seared to medium-rare, and matched with foie gras and a tangy, intense red wine sauce.
This looked absolutely beautiful. Succulent with perfect tenderness and juiciness. The presentation didn't jump out immediately but it was a superb dish with terrific textural contrast. The excellent combination of flavors and textures didn't just stop with the wonderfully cooked beef tenderloin, foie gras and red wine reduction but carried over to the rest of the dish that also included potato purée, baby spinach leaves and bread crumbs (love the crunch there!).
Dessert was the evolution of tiramisu - past, present and future (from left to right).
This was a stunning display of imagination and creativity. On the left was the classic tiramisu we have all grown to love with ladyfingers, mascarpone cream and cocoa powder.
The "Now" version was an innovative interpretation of a tiramisu comprising of a vanilla pudding with coffee flavored cream filling, and topped with a cocoa nibs wafer and scoop of mascarpone sorbet (Call me old-fashioned but I still love the classic one more!).
We also took a glimpse into the future on how a tiramisu might look like. Here we have a chocolate infused with tiramisu flavored liquor to complete the journey into our tiramisu evolution.
I didn't expect such a brilliantly executed meal from this small and cozy restaurant so it was all a very nice pleasant surprise. The smoked trout and Carbonara weren't bad but it was the two beef dishes and risotto that really stole my heart. I'm definitely going to come back and check out the other set menus real soon.
Food Rating: 7.5/10
Price: $$$$
Address: 10/F, Cubus, 1 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Causeway Bay
Tel: +852 3188-5028
Website: www.castellanahongkong.com
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