Cammino

Address: The Excelsior, Hong Kong, 281 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay.
Tel :2837 6780

Nestled in The Excelsior, the largest hotel on Hong Kong Island, is Cammino, an Italian restaurant that is small only in size; the menu is extensive and its seasonal promotions are whopping. Until the end of June, the restaurant has a white asparagus promotion, offering the scrumptious vegetable in a number of appetizers and main courses.

Cammino was recently renovated, which is obvious from its clean lines, contemporary lighting, dark wooden chairs and tables and stylish gold mirrors adorning the walls. The restaurant has an intimate setting, but is still appropriate for a business lunch or friendly dinner.

For those who visit Cammino during the month of June, definitely go for one of the white asparagus dishes. The gratin of white asparagus with truffle and morels opens the meal with a sweet and juicy start. The asparagus is served on a bed of sauce and dotted with the select fungus, forming an array of amazing tastes. Highly recommended. The beef carpaccio with confit fennel, mesclun salad, truffle and shaved Parmesan is another tasty dish.

Part of the white asparagus promotion, the pan-fried goose liver on white and green asparagus risotto with Marsala glaze is a dish in which every ingredient can be individually tasted. Another great main is the homemade spaghetti with Boston lobster and tarragon bisque. The entire dish is like lobster ravioli, only inside out. The half lobster is presented on top of the spaghetti, demonstrating its freshness and quality. The tomato-based sauce hints of the lobster and is perfect for bread dipping once you have cleared your plate.

Desserts are a must-try. The unique passion fruit and pineapple ravioli with melon soup is one of a kind and very refreshing in the summer heat. The bitter sweet chocolate mousse filled with caramel ganache and toasted almond gelato on Amaretti crunch is presented elaborately. (And it tastes good too!) When in Causeway Bay, stop by this Italian eatery.

Milano

Address: 2/F, Sun Hung Kai Centre, 30 Harbour Road, Wan Chai. Complimentary parking during dinner hours.
Tel: 2598 1222

Milano's Italian Restaurant & Garden Terrace may be one of the most convenient and comfortable places to eat in the city. The stylish restaurant is in the heart of Wan Chai in the Sun Hung Kai Centre, close to the bustling Sanlitun dining area, and has a remarkable terrace overlooking the harbour and the Convention Centre. Indoors, the restaurant is pleasing to the eye, well decorated in earthy tones of browns and luscious reds, blues, and greens. Hanging drapery billows in the breeze as customers walk to the outdoor terrace, the perfect setting for firework viewing.

The menu at Milano is Italian through and through. Dishes are regional and ingredients are imported from Italy to ensure genuine flavours. Prices are reasonable as well, for both lunch and dinner. The Antipasto Misto, the Chef's tasting platter, is a great way to start the meal for those dining with a small group. The serving includes vinaigrette-dressed salad, marinated artichokes, caprese (Italian mozzarella and tomatoes with basil), and cold cuts with melon.

A number of dishes stand out on the Milano menu. One is the Gnocchetti Sardi Campidanese, Sardinian pasta and fresh pork sausage in tomato sauce with saffron and basil. Both the pasta and the sausage are typical of Sardinia and the sauce tastes refreshingly homemade. Another is the Pizza San Antonio, topped with mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, pepperoni, salami, onion, mushrooms and asparagus. The thin crust pizza is baked in the restaurant's open pizza oven. It's served fresh and delectable.

The desserts are so beautiful that diners may even want to snap a photo before they're consumed, which probably won't take long because they are magnificent. Order the mini Baked Alaska with vanilla ice cream and melon salsa for a show. The Tiramisu, meaning "pick me up" in Italian, deserves its connotation. The soft layers of mascarpone cream and Italian ladyfingers soaked in espresso in this uplifting dish differ from one chef to the next. The Executive Chef at Milano has got this one right.

Cecconi's Cantina

Address: 43 Elgin Street, SoHo, Central.
Tel: 2147 5500

You may not be able to pronounce its name on the first try, but don't let that hold you back from stepping into the new Italian restaurant in the heart of SoHo. Under the prestigious guidance of the head chef from the famed Cecconi's Cantina in Melbourne, Australia, Cecconi's Cantina Hong Kong is forming its own niche in a crowded dining market.

Cecconi's Cantina is a smart Italian eatery, striking a comfortable balance between modern and classic design. The interior is nicely spaced, with exposed beams and a semi-open white marble kitchen, similar to the Melbourne restaurant. The atmosphere feels like a tucked away cantina in Rome or Florence that is frequented by locals and treasured by the lucky tourists who stumble upon it. The wine list is massive, featuring 100 wines, one-third of which are from Italy.

Good quality dishes and fresh ingredients comprise the menu at Cecconi's. Many recipes have been adapted from the Melbourne restaurant by Chef Peter Birks, who hails from the Melbourne team. Essential ingredients like tomatoes, olive oils, balsamic vinegars and buffalo mozzarella are all imported directly from Italy. Slow cooking is valued in creating every dish, such as the 11-year-old recipe for the signature seafood linguine.

For starters, the carpaccio is exquisite, presented as a kaleidoscope of soft, thinly-sliced carpaccio, truffle-infused mushrooms, savoury cheese, greens, and homemade aioli, a topping that pleasantly fuses the multiple ingredients. The zucchini and Italian pancetta-wrapped prawns are another hit, sitting atop lemon whipped potato and sauce vierge.

Diners can be quite creative with the mains. Two dishes feature rabbit, a meat not often eaten in Hong Kong, but common in Italy. The rabbit risotto is absolutely amazing. The Australian rabbit is marinated in red wine for 24 hours, and then braised in its stock. Before serving, Ligurian olives are added. Those who aren't normally fans of these ingredients on their own will return for this dish. The abbachio - Mongolian baby lamb braised in white wine, garlic and vegetables, served with polenta - has such a wonderful aroma that it invoked curiosity among neighbouring tables. The polenta is pure, slow cooked until its grains break up naturally. The creamy texture soaks up the juices from the lamb so that every bite is full of flavour.

Dessert is popular at Cecconi's. The warm chocolate pudding with vanilla ice cream creatively includes citrus compote and all three tastes mix well on the palate. Check out this restaurant before all of Hong Kong deems it a weekly favourite.