Hong Kong has been experiencing a pasta craze like no other. While classic Italian pastas have never been hard to find, these three new restaurants are taking a daring approach, offering gourmands a fresh take on the pasta experience through unconventional and creative flavours.
Alma &
Earlier this July, Chef Ives Abel and Yoyo Cheung sent Hong Kong foodies into despair when they announced the closure of their neighbourhood cafe, Sooner. But the grieving period was short. The pair had decided it was time to dream bigger and quickly announced the launch of Alma & right in the heart of Central. Named after the Spanish for “soul and more”, the restaurant marries Spanish and Italian flavours through casual tapas and handmade pastas, crafting a menu that is precise but not without playfulness. For instance, chef Ives describes the Crab Caramelle as “a luxurious pasta dish that captures the deep, savoury notes of the sea”, yet its joyful presentation maintains a sense of approachability and charm. Spotlighting a unique pasta shape not commonly found in restaurants around the city, the dish comprises delicate pasta parcels filled with decadent crab. Shaped like charming candy wrappers, they are served atop an earthy, nutty artichoke purée and topped with a loose-handed drizzle of prawn bisque.
G/F, 51 Peel Street, Central; @almahongkong
Twist
The team behind Honky Tonks Tavern and Bourke’s bring a certain spunky spirit to each and every one of their dining concepts, and it’s no different with Twist, a new pasta bar championing global flavours. Whilst eating their way around Hong Kong and the world, they noticed that pasta places—no matter how exciting—seemed to limit themselves to rigid beliefs of what Italian food should look like. With Twist, they’re venturing beyond, using pasta as a blank canvas on which to explore “bold, nostalgic, and culturally rich flavours”.
Having moved to Hong Kong to head the kitchen at Twist, chef Ben Sears first took that exploration to beloved local eateries around the city, citing Kung Wo Beancurd Factory, Mak Man Kee Noodle Shop, and Kau Kee (he’s been back over 3 times already) among his references. On Twist’s opening menu is the ‘Bone Marrow Macaroni’, a nostalgic nod to the distinct brisket curries of cha chaan tengs. “The technique is classically Italian: braising meat, slowly cooking down a soffritto like a proper nonna,” explains chef Ben. “But then the flavours take a sharp turn into Hong Kong.” The beef ragù is no ordinary ragù; using Australian Stockyard wagyu braised in white wine and a classic soffritto, it is enriched with chu hou sauce and Koon Yick Wah Kee curry powder to give it an unmistakably Hong Kong kick. “It might look understated, but the flavour is anything but—it’s full of surprises. That sense of incongruity is part of the joy.”
17 Bridges Street, Central; @twistpastabar
Zozzona
Zozzona is the brainchild of restaurateurs Vidur Yadav and Chris Mark. Teaming up for their first venture together, the two set out to revive a once thriving neighbourhood around Tsim Sha Tsui with a cuisine that remains somewhat unexplored in Hong Kong: itameshi. Helming the kitchen is chef Takayuki Kumai, who served as Carbone Hong Kong’s pasta chef for the past six years and now pens the culinary story at Zozzona. Itameshi is not merely fusion food, it is an entire cuisine of its own that traces back to the early 20th century when Western cuisine was introduced to Japan during the Meiji period.
“It’s less about combining two cuisines and more about a sincere appreciation and reinterpretation of Italian food through a Japanese lens,” says chef Taka. The first Italian restaurant in Japan opened in 1881, but it wasn’t until the 1980s and subsequent economic crash in the 1990s that itameshi really boomed. Today, people are most familiar with ultra-casual chains like Saizeriya, but Zozzona boasts a sophisticated and thoughtful approach to the cuisine with dishes like the ‘Tagliolini Freddi’. Served cold, the dish boasts flavours that are simple yet precise. Shiso infused pasta is tossed in a shiso-pesto sauce and topped with bouncy ribbons of fresh, marinated squid. Each bite is a refreshing reflection of the seasonal, quality-driven values that lie at the core of itameshi.
29-31 Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong; @zozzonahk
Photography: Samantha Sin
Styling: Ella Wong
Editor
Alyanna Raissa J. Payos
