Grissini — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

GRISSINI BREADSTICKS The meal started off with the amazing Grissini (breadsticks). They’re served warm, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. It’s filled with buttery flavors, which we found very similar to Japanese Shio Pan texture-wise and taste-wise. The balsamic vinegar was of high quality. It was thick and sweet, and didn’t actually taste sour like normal vinegars. We also requested for butter, and was impressed with the supreme quality too. It was whipped butter, resulting in a creamy and smooth finishing. The Grissini was addicting, and you could tell from all the breadcrumbs on the table in my food photos!

APPETIZERS There were six appetizers for sharing, making sure you get to try all of the restaurant's signature dishes.

Ostriche e friarielli The flavors of oyster was on the mild side, slightly briny with subtle hints of the ocean. The pickled turnip leaves elevated the dish by adding some acidity and textures to the oysters. It would be even better if the oysters could be plumper.

Alici marinate all' amalfitana The anchovies were marinated with lemon, mint and chilli, balancing off the fishy and salty flavors of anchovies. I don’t normally eat silver-skinned fishes, but this surprisingly was acceptable for me.

Capocollo di martina franca Capocollo ham is similar to the more commonly-known prosciutto. They’re both whole muscle salume, except that capocollo is taken from the pig’s neck, and prosciutto from its hind leg. We loved the ham for its leaner meat, aromatic flavors and the slight crisp on the sides.

Carpaccio di ricciola The yellow tail was fresh, with its high fat content giving off a creamy and buttery texture. The amber-colored, briny and savory colatura (similar to fish sauce in Asian cuisine) added in extra umami and complexity to the dish.

Vitello tonnato The veal was slow cooked, resulting in a fine-grained and velvety texture. The thinly-sliced veal shavings, which tasted mild and delicate, were slathered in the bold and creamy tuna sauce. The punchiness of capers gave the dish a Mediterranean twist with a savory depth.

Burrata e pomodori What could go wrong with this combination? The cherry tomatoes were super fresh. It is unfathomable how such a tiny little fruit could house the ample amount of sweet, bursting juices. The lush, oozy cheese curds of the burrata were cased within a spongy elastic layer. The fine and fresh ingredients brought this classic and simple dish to a whole new level.

UOVO, ASPARAGI BIANCHI E PARMIAGIANO I was impressed with the extremely rich and luscious flavors of Parmesan with its signature piquant, nutty notes. The sauce was foamed to make it lighter on the palate. The egg was sous-vide, similar to Onsen eggs, giving the yolks a silky creamy consistency, and the whites a light gelatinous texture. White asparagus, which is grown without sunlight, gives a sweeter aroma, and is less grassy than the green ones. Together with the parmesan wafer, they added some nice crunch to the dish.

MAINS Pollo piemontese cotto in pentola d'argilla (shared between 2; supplement $170) This was an amazing dish. Being cooked in a an enclosed clay pot, it ensures that all the liquids of chicken are retained. You could see how plump the chicken was. The flesh was smooth, tender and succulent, even for the breast. The morels and potatoes also soaked up all the excess juices. The entire dish was infused with so much flavors, from the sweetness of vegetables, earthiness of morels and the savory of chicken.

Spaghetti all'astice (supplement $120) The cold-water Atlantic lobster was fresh, with firm, bouncy meat, and a sweet briny flavor. The Piennolo tomatoes were used as the sauce base. Different from normal cherry tomatoes, their shape is slightly elongated with a tip on the top. They gave the sauce surprising fruitiness and a bright acidity. Grissini was not stingy on the portion at all. Each bite was filled with thick luscious sauce and mouthfuls of...

The environment and ambience work wonder for an enjoyable meal - the room was sunlight-infused backed up by the Victoria Harbour and tables were generously spaced. Helmed by the Neapolitan chef Valerio Mandile, he presents the best regional produce from Campania and South Italy. Diners here could savour authentic Italian cuisine with creative twist.

◇ Grissini (9/10) As the name of the restaurant suggests, the grissini breadstick is, and has to be, a signature of the establishment. The very reputable grissini did not disappoint. From the warmth and the luscious aroma, I could tell that they were served straight from the oven. The outer has appropriate crispiness, and the interior was fluffy and chewy especially at the plump ends. They were accompanied by extra virgin olive oil and homemade balsamic vinegar. The vinegar was also memorably good. It was slightly thicker than the standard ones, and offered a mellow tartness with fruity undertone. Everything complements perfectly and I tried my best to resist eating all of them to avoid stuffing myself before having other dishes.

Starters -

◇ Carpaccio di ricciola (8/10)

The yellowtail has unrivalled freshness and lingering umami. Freshness aside, the fish pieces were also not too dry nor too fatty. The accompaniments formed an interesting combination in terms of texture and flavour, with sweet orange and savoury achovy colatura.

◇ Polpo marinato (7/10)

The octopus had optimal tender and chewy texture. Yet it would be much more to my liking if the octopus could be grilled longer or even fried to create crispier skin. The flavour from marination was very subtle as well. Nevertheless, the lime mayonniase gave decent acidity to the dish to serve as an appetite kicker. Adding thin slices of celery could be a hit or miss though, as the leafy flavour might not be liked by all.

Main Course -

◇ Trenette al nero, seppie e vongole (7.5/10)

There is nothing to complain about the homemade trenette which has a faint hint of sea saltiness and was cooked to be al dente. Among all the sides, the parsley-infused cuttlefish stands out with its relatively strong brininess but it was delicately balanced with the sweet and sour yellow tomato sauce.

◇ Tortelli di melanzane, mozzarella, salsa di ciuegino, maggiorana (4/10)

This dish is a disappointment due to its intense saltiness which has overpowered most of other flavours. Fairly speaking, I thought it would be a divine dish if it wasn’t the saltiness because the texture and thickness of the tortellini pasta as well as the cherry tomato sauce were on point.

Desserts -

◇ Tiramisu all’ amaretto (7.5/10)

A meal in Grissini wouldn’t be complete without their signature tiramisu. The mascarpone cheese was creamy and airy. Some may find the coffee liqueur too strong but it was just right for me. I also appreciated that the biscuits were not too soggy despite being soaked in the coffee liqueur. Overall it was not too sweet and of high standard.

◇ Coppa al limone (7/10)

The dessert was a delightful refreshment to wrap up the meal. I particularly liked the punch of sourness by the lemon foam and the crunch offered by the shortbread. A palatable one.

Date: Jan 2023 weekday...

FOOD IS GENERAL BUT SERVICE IS BAD

dinner here tonight, we have four guests and they arrange a small table for us., but since we order a lot of food, so the table is too small for serving all the food., when they serve two entre, it has already covered the whole table, when the staff serves us the bread stick, he needs to put it on top of the two entre, which is very messy indeed, it looks like as if we are dining in a "char chan tang"....when i see there's some round bigger tables are empty, i ask the assistant manager to relocate us to the bigger table but he said that tonight they are all full so can't move us to the round table., i try to lobby with him to give us a round tables which are empty and he still insists that all tables are reserved to other guests but in fact i had been there for almost an hour, no guests come., more than four tables are empty.

i told him this small square table in fact not big enough to serve four guests who order so many food., he said to me that next time he will mark down my request for round tables for four guests., if there's only small table available, they will simply turn down my booking., it's really ridiculous - he is not trying to resolve the problem but rather to escape the problem by turn me down my request and kick me out.

fortunately later, they finally relocate us to a round table., but the main course they serve us already become cold as a result of the square table too small for them to put the remaining dishes on the table.

i am very unhappy indeed and i raise my comment to their head sommelier named leo lo and thank God he is more understanding and considerate to listen my comment and admit that my request for bigger table is reasonable !

anyway, i believe they need to retrain their staffs (especially the assistant manager) to achieve the spirit to serve and provide "can do " attitude to their customers instead of NO - no ! as long as the customer's request is fair and reasonable.

don't forget this is a five star hotel so naturally my expectation to...