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Showing posts from July, 2011

Umberto Bombana's Otto e Mezzo in Hong Kong

Hong Kong, just like London, New York and Sydney, has its fair share of restaurateurs who attract loyal followers. Umberto Bombana (originally at Ritz Carlton's Toscana, then The Drawing Room in Causeway Bay) is definitely one. I had the opportunity to check out his relatively new restaurant. Tucked into a corner of the mezzanine floor of an office building in Central, Otto e Mezzo exudes a certain cosmopolitan Milanese chic: discrete entrance, showy celebration of Jamon (yes, even some of the best Roman eateries such as Salumerie Roscioli don't serve prosciutto anymore), and stylish chocolate brown deco. The poached langoustine tail topped with caviar was delicious with a delicate texture. Con cura , Signore Bombana personally shaved a big lump of black truffle onto his freshly made taglioni in a mushroom sauce. Some of us ordered the costoletta alla milanese - and it arrived as a whole piece which was then carefully carved into three portions. The eating experience

Ozone - the feeling of on top of the world

The Ritz Carlton opened a few weeks ago with a lot of press coverage and fanfare. So I just had to check it out - so I hooked up with a friend for a few drinks and some bar snacks at Ozone. Having navigated through Elements (shopping mall) to the entrance of the hotel (9th floor), the lift then took me to the opulent hotel lobby on 103th floor. The last time I went above 100th floor anywhere was to go to Window on the World at the World Trade Center in New York: that was a while back. Having been screened by the staff that I was suitably dressed (shirt with sleeves, shoes, trousers), I boarded the lift that took me to Ozone on the 118th floor. The view was amazing. At that height, I was looking down onto the 88th storey talll IFC across the harbour. The Peninsula looked like a little stump on the waterfront of Kowloon. It was also to see over Magazine Gap onto the south side of Hong Kong Island and beyond - a vista that I have not come across before. Fabulous. The drink an