Delicacies
Comforts of a Mediterranean table
By Donna Mah (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-02-27 07:58
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The terrace of Panevino is an ideal place to enjoy the food and the street scene. Jason Bonello Photography / for China Daily |
Hong Kong
A cozy eatery offers the tastes of Italy. Donna Mah takes a high-carb plunge.
In Hong Kong you can find almost any cuisine, but one of the most popular (and numerous) seems to be Italian. All good Italian restauranteurs will happily tell you about their ingredients and how they select them. As with Cantonese cuisine, fresh and flavorful ingredients are deemed a priority. Perhaps that's why Italian food is so popular here.
If you're looking for a lovely little neighborhood Italian trattoria that's a little off the beaten track, a visit to Panevino on Robinson Road is a must.
Robinson Road is not known as a "go to" street for good eats, but I was pleasantly surprised when I chose to dine here one evening. Panevino's general manager Chantal Teodorovich believes in putting "heart and soul" into his boutique restaurant business and to "provide a very personal experience." Panevino has been around since 1997, so it must be doing something right.
The menu is comprised of dishes mainly from southern Italy's Puglia. A warning to those that are on low-carb diets, there are a lot of pastas on the menu. That's a good thing in my book, but I know it's not for everyone. The handmade artisan noodles, with a few fresh-made exceptions such as the gnocchi and ravioli, are imported from Italy and they are cooked to al dente here.
Once you are seated at your table, a generous selection of small bites arrives - bruschetta, chunks of Parmesan cheese, olives, and bread. The dcor could be called modern trattoria with the exposed brick, terracotta floors and an expanse of windows overlooking the road. There is also a terrace for al fresco dining.
As the menu is really a collection of about 14 years of customer preferences, there is something for everyone here - including a fairly long list of vegetarian options. A few signature dishes that are recommended, such as the selezione di antipasti della casa (selection of homemade appetizers from the buffet you pass as you enter the main dining room), the paccheri alla picchiapo' (a specialty pasta from Puglia with buffalo mozzarella, sausage and fresh tomato), the maialino croccante al forno (crispy roasted suckling pig served with rosemary roasted potatoes). There is also a spaghetti al limone (spaghetti with lemon) dish, which is made with Sicilian lemons - light, creamy and very tasty. If you crave the roasted suckling pig, it is a good idea to call ahead and reserve this dish, as there are a limited number of portions served each day. Also, the buffalo mozzarella is handmade and flown in weekly from Italy - it's creamy, soft and very yummy!
There is a good and varied list of Italian wines from what I'm told are bio-agricultural producers. Chantal tells me that their wines are also "boutique" coming from small producers. They also serve an Amarone - a rich red wine made from partially dried grapes - by the glass, which is rare.
Lunch and dinner are served daily, with a weekend and holiday brunch served from 11 am to 4 pm. Dishes are priced from about HK$100-300 ($13-29). The antipasti brunch is just under HK$200 and is served with champagne (for an additional charge, a pasta or a main can be added). Buon appetito!
(China Daily 02/27/2011 page13)
