Lost in the arteries of Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay, Castellana was a little gem of a restaurant tucked above the teeming masses up on the 10th floor of Cubus. Now, in its latest, grander incarnation, Castellana continues to infuse creative Piedmontese twists into traditional and authentic regional Italian dishes in a new two-storey space, in Club Lusitano on Ice House Street. Has the new real estate retained the flavour, fun, and culinary calisthenics? We went to find out.
Exclusive portrait by Chris Yau for Robb Report Hong Kong
A Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, the young executive chef (a phrase that pops up often if you read up on the restaurant anywhere!) Romeo Morelli has dutifully paid homage to the culinary landscape and culture of Northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Morelli came to Hong Kong during an inauspicious time, the thick of the pandemic, at a time when the dining scene was tumbling like dominos. And yet, fantastic word-of-mouth ensured his little restaurant was the talk of the town since 2019.
Having sampled the fine tasting menus on both locations, we can clearly state the chef continues his commitment to presenting Hong Kong gourmands with an impeccable Piedmontese culinary journey, an uncommon destination for those familiar with popular pastas and Italian dishes you’d find anywhere and everywhere else. This place is something else-and its one for the books.
Under the direction of Morelli, Castellana has unveiled new lunch and dinner menus that showcase the incredibly rich and diverse gastronomic landscape of Piedmont: the slow food movement that traces back to this region. As the area is also home to some of the greatest truffles available anywhere in the world, but naturally, they’ve introduced a white truffle tasting menu too.
At a sneak peek dinner at the new abode, Morelli graced us with a new dinner set menu, Traditional Piedmontese Recipes Around The World. Drawing inspiration from the varied terroir and storied gastronomy of the region, while combining culinary traditions with other food cultures that span the globe.
The course begins with the girello di vitello invecchiato, a seasoned round of dry-aged veal that utilises the centuries-old Piedmontese art of salting and seasoning of the meat using mountain herbs and oil, with a topping of Toma Piemontese cream cheese. To be factual, the evening began with a sommelier recommended champagne, and copious red wine between courses—the details are a bit of a blur at the moment.
What really stood out, the hand-made gnocchi from red potatoes using a method inherited from Morelli’s grandmother, then glazed in a vegetable broth reduction and accompanied with duck thigh stewed for hours over coals.
The salmerino di montagna, Arctic char with carrots, is a star dish where Piedmont’s finest river fish is cooked over embers until the skin is irresistibly crunchy, before being served with carrot and citrus sauce.
A seamless evening as one plate makes room for the next, you leave satiated and satisfied.
If it seems overwhelming for a quick meal at lunch hour, fear not; the lunch set is lighter fare which offers a concise but no less satisfying dining experience. With the optional courses, lunchtime offerings include farfalle panna, salmone e piselli (butterfly pasta, marinated fish roe, peas), tagliatella uni-ca (tagliatella, fresh Japanese uni, vanilla and white truffle), and quail pie di mia nonna (homemade puff pastry filled with quail, onion, cardoncelli mushrooms and cream cheese).
For the spoilt epicurean, there’s the five-course white truffle menu, an indulgent dining journey elevated by ‘white diamonds’ from Alba in Piedmont, Italy, known as the home of white truffles. The neighbouring table (filled with friends), shared a spoon of the battuta di Fassona e tartufo bianco in which tender and premium Fassona beef (or Piedmontese cattle) is simply seasoned with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil from Liguria. Topped with a generous shaving of the aromatic Piedmont white truffle, its a sensory explosion. Divine.
However, as we go to publish, kindly note the menu might have altered from the time of the review. As the young chef (there’s that expression again) explains, “Our menu changes regularly depending on what’s in season, so there are new dishes because the seasons have changed. Right now, we are waiting for the King of Autumn, the white truffle, because we have a really interesting menu dedicated to this amazing ingredient.”
‘Amazing’—a word we heard often as we staggered our way out. Did we mention there was copious wine and a generous pour?
UG/F & 1/F, Club Lusitano Building, 16 Ice House Street, Central
(+852) 3188 5028
All images courtesy of Castellana unless noted otherwise.
