CUCINA

HK$1000 per person

6/F, Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong TEL: +852 2113 0808

www.marcopolohotels.com

Located on the 6th floor of Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel, Cucina does honest-to-goodness Italian food in haute, elegant settings. Specialties from different regional cuisines make up the menu, ranging from hearty homemade pastas in a variety of shapes and sauces to meat and seafood dishes that range from the rich and indulgent to the light and zesty. A starter of burrata, fresh tomatoes, basil and 24-month Parma ham is a homage to Italian summer— the cheese incredibly fresh, the ham on the perfect cusp of sweet and salty. A grilled mixed seafood platter lets the quality of the catch speak for itself: from the scallop to the scampi, every bite is delicate, done simply but superbly so, only a squeeze of lemon needed to heighten the flavours. Slow-cooked wagyu beef cheeks on pumpkin puree and porcini mushrooms sits at the other end of the spectrum, the Barolo red wine sauce so deeply moreish, if a tad on the heavy side. A wine list that focuses mostly on Italian vineyards is more than reasonably priced for the polished setting.