The best white truffle menus in HK this season

Castellana

Castellana, recently opened in collaboration with two Michelin-starred Chef Marco Sacco, is featuring its first white truffles menus this autumn. To make it special, the chef has designed two different menus intended to be crowned by freshly shaved slivers of Piedmontese silver.

The first menu, ‘Piccolo Lago’, offers several signature dishes such as the smoked lake trout, black garlic risotto with river prawn and au koque carbonara. New additions include a delicate Bettelmatt cheese flan, with eel, Piedmont pigeon, and savoury and sweet Jerusalem artichokes.

The ‘Traditional Piedmont’ menu appeals to diners who fancy tasting regional classics such as veal with tuna, capers and anchovy sauce; and Oberto Fassona beef and foie gras. New dishes to the menu include: lake fish soup; Salmerino trout with carmagnola bell pepper sauce; Ravioli stuffed with Castelmagno cheese and a warm Zabaione. The highlight of this menu is the innovative Il Tartufo (The Truffle), which features the whole skin of a black truffle, stuffed with bone marrow, pureed truffle and served atop a sauce of hazelnuts.

Both truffle menus are served in either a four-course or seven-course format. For each menu, truffle-lovers are able to select their own truffle, charged by the gram, and then, depending on preference, dial up or down the truffles on each of their courses. The restaurant and the chef have a close relationship with famed truffle expert Tartuf Langhe to ensure the quality and competitive prices all season long.

It’s worth noting that the menus offer wine pairing options as well, including exclusive labels for the restaurant, such as Prunotto Barbera d’Asti ‘Costamiole’ DOC 2001, Roagna Barbaresco Faset DOCG 2013, and Nervi Gattinara Valferana DOCG 2013. Cocktail lovers can also turn to the bar which is serving up a selection of truffle cocktails.

Address: 10/F, Cubus, 1 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay

Nicholini’s at Conrad

Nicholini’s at Conrad Hong Kong has launched a collection of culinary delicacies to celebrate the return of Piedmontese white truffle.

Capitalising on the culinary potential of white truffle, the dishes come in a variety of textures and flavour profiles. For example, “pan-fried foie gras, Jerusalem artichokes, sweet shallots and white truffle” fuses the fattiness of the goose liver with the earthiness of the Italian fungus to unleash a duet of aromas.

“Italian veal tenderloin, Brussels sprouts, finferli and morel mushrooms, colonnata pork and white truffle” conjures up the taste of autumn – especially the umami-rich finferli and morel.

Chef Riccardo Catarsi re-interprets a Sicilian classic in “Sicilian tiger prawn carpaccio, smoked eggplant, cauliflower, Kaluga caviar, white truffle”. Coming from the fishing village of Mazara del Vallo, the sweet red prawn is one of the most prized seafood species in the whole of Sicily. To finish off, “traditional white chocolate, hazelnut and white truffle chocolate parfait” is a sweet marriage of the regional specialties of Piedmont.

The white truffle seasonal menu is served at Nicholini’s now until the end of the truffle season. Diners can order the dishes from the a-la-carte menu with a selection of Italian premium wines.

Address: Level 8, Conrad Hong Kong, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong

Octavium

Sister restaurant to 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana, the only three Michelin-starred Italian restaurant outside of Italy, Octavium is helmed by Chef Umberto Bombana, hailed as “The King of White Truffles”, and executive chef Silvio Armanni. Welcoming the white truffle season, Armanni has designed a dedicated menu of white truffle delicacies to showcase the authentic, traditional Italian way of savouring the prestigious fungus.

Most of the seasonal dishes are deceptively simple – this is always the key to savour the natural taste of white truffle. “Italian organic fried egg – savoy cabbage & Alba white truffle” is a classic choice, as is: “Tagliolini – Alba white truffle, parmesan cheese & butter emulsion”.

“Nougat Semireddo – vanilla sauce & candied orange, with Alba white truffle” is the dessert to round off the meal. Almonds and pistachios in the nougat add extra crunchiness; Italian classic semifreddo topped with the subtleness of vanilla sauce and candied orange helps usher in the full flavour of Alba white truffle.

The restaurant offers a comprehensive wine list with hundreds of Italian labels. You can go for the wine pairing option with the white truffle dishes to complete the tasting journey.

Address: 8/F, 22 Des Voeux Road, Central, Hong Kong

izakaya Zuma

Fancy going modern and untraditional? Contemporary Japanese izakaya Zuma has created a new white truffle menu with creative flair.

A selection of six white truffle dishes will be available à-la-carte, while additional servings of this Italian delicacy will be available too. Every dish is served with generous measures of freshly shaved white truffle.

Inventive creations such as “aonori toast with sea urchin” is built up on a homemade aonori and green tea brioche, toasted then infused with smoke from the grill, the plate is then layered with a kombu seaweed cream; thereby combining the sweetness of the sea urchin and earthiness of the truffle. “Seared toro with caviar, wafu sauce and hana hojiso“, served with lightly salted Kristal caviar and a crisp wafu sauce, is further elevated by the aroma of the decadent white truffle shavings.

A highlight of the menu is the show-stopping “Japanese wagyu tataki, truffle ponzu”, which melts in the mouth at the very first bite. The final touch is a “white truffle and cheese pancake soufflé with caramelised pecan crunch and lemon sorbet” – the flavours and textures are uniquely combined to deliver a satisfying experience.

Address: Landmark Level 5 & 6 15 Queen’s Road Central Hong Kong