EASTER BRUNCHES, SPECIALS, AND BASKETS: EASTER IS HOPPING AT GIANDO, GIA TRATTORIA, FISHSTERIA AND MERCATO BY GIANDO

EASTER WEEKEND, GIANDO AND GIA TRATTORIA OFFER SEMI-BUFFET BRUNCHES, FISHSTERIA PROVIDES MEAT-FREE SPECIALS FOR GOOD FRIDAY, AND MERCATO BY GIANDO HAS ENOUGH VARIETY FOR EVERY BASKET AND HOME COOK

Giando, Già Trattoria, Fishsteria, and Mercato by Giando four of Hong Kong’s most acclaimed spots for Italian culture and cuisine, are offering festive options this Easter weekend. Ranging from brunches at Giando and Già Trattoria and Good Friday seafood specials at Fishsteria, to traditional desserts and Easter basket sweets at Mercato by Giando, the four eateries have something to satisfy every palate this season.

GIANDO + GIA TRATTORIA: EASTER BRUNCHES, 14-17 April

Giando, located on picturesque Star Street, alongside their modern Italian A la Carte menu offers a Easter brunches across the entire holiday weekend. The semi-buffet brunch (starts at HK$338 + 10%, with a free-flow prosecco option for an additional HK$150 +10%) offers a vast array of fresh imported Italian cheeses, tomatoes, and salads in addition to a selection of artfully prepared mains such as: White Asparagus with Italian Poached Eggs, Homemade Spinach Lasagne with Bolognese, and Rabbit Porchetta (+HK$58) offered with a choice of dessert including: Homemade Tiramisu (+HK$18), Pana Cotta with Berries, Hazelnut Parfait with Chocolate Shavings and Vanilla Sauce.

Già Trattoria, set amidst a homey atmosphere at Fenwick Pier, offers special dishes for their weekend Easter semi-buffet brunch (HK$308 + 10%, with prosecco or Peroni free-flow for an additional HK$158) in addition to their traditional assortment of Italian cheeses, charcuterie, and salads. Main dishes include: Scialatielli with Mixed Seafood and Cherry Tomatoes, Golden-Fried Desalted Cod Fish on a Chickpea Puree (gluten-free), and Grilled Lamb Chops with Grilled Vegetables (+HK$38) alongside a selection of desserts including: Dark Chocolate Brownie Mousse, Tiramisu, and Homemade Gelato, . Making it the ideal spot to spend Easter with the entire family and friends.

FISHSTERIA: Good Friday Seafood Specials, 14-17 April

Good Friday will see upscale Italian seafood restaurant, Fishsteria celebrating the Easter Weekend with an offering of seafood special dishes ideal for those who keep the tradition of abstaining from meat during the holiday. Over Easter weekend, Fishsteria is offering three innovative takes on fresh seafood including: Crab Meat Burrata with Crushed Fresh Tomato Dressing topped with Sea Urchin (HK$288), King Salmon Tartar with Caviar and Toast (HK$198), and Pan-Fried Japanese Amardi with Cauliflower Puree and Coriander Sauce (HK328). The restaurant will also serve their iconic Seafood Brunch (HK$338) daily during the holiday weekend.

MERCATO BY GIANDO: Easter Basket Treats and Iconic Italian Desserts

Mercato by Giando, Hong Kong’s most comprehensive Italian market, offers holiday treats fit for every Easter appetite. The Colomba di Pasqua (HK$175) translates to ‘Easter Dove’ in English and is a traditional Italian Easter cake similar to the Panettone’s of the Christmas season. Other Italian traditions on offer exclusively in Hong Kong from Mercato include Domori chocolates, and Liquori di Amerigo, a traditional Italian liqueur offered in a variety of flavors.

Giando, Gia Trattoria, Fishsteria and Mercato by Giando are all helmed by Chef and Owner Gianni Caprioli. Chef Caprioli is committed to offering Hong Kong the pinnacle of Italian experiences through cuisine and culture. This commitment drives Caprioli to source his ingredients exclusively from Italy’s boutique wineries, artisan cheese makers, and small farms and fisheries. 

SARDINIAN WINE-PAIRED FEAST POPS UP AT FISHSTERIA: 23 FEBRUARY

Kong’s foremost sustainable seafood restaurant, Fishsteria, is offering a taste of the Mediterranean with a stunningly curated 4-course menu featuring classic Sardinian dishes masterfully paired with a selection of Sardinian wines. The 4-course menu, complemented by four glasses of Sardinian wine is available on Thursday, 23 February for HKD788 (+ 10% service). The nautical-inspired eatery, spanning two-floors on Wan Chai’s Queen’s Road East, has affirmed itself over the past year as a Hong Kong seafood mainstay, by offering sustainable wild-caught fish, innovative appetizers, and an array of crustaceans and oysters carefully sourced from the world’s best waters.

The island of Sardinia has a distinctive cuisine: Italian yes, but heavily influenced by the invaders who came and went. Most notably, the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs and Spanish left their marks on the food that would later be known as Sardinian. Indeed, Sardinia didn’t become part of Italy until 1861, so the island had more than 2,500 years to absorb these hybrid influences. Crafted by Sardinia native, Chef Matteo Giordi (Chef de Cuisine of Giando), Fishsteria’s Sardinian Feast Menu offers a variety of notable flavours from the diverse island. 

The meal begins with a choice from two starters: Insalata di Carciofi e Bottarga di Muggine, an artichoke salad featuring grey mullet bottarga, pecorino cheese and chives, or Calamari Ripieni, Crema di Pomodoro e Bottarga di Muggine , calamari stuffed with tomato sauce, almonds and grey mullet bottarga. While continuing with pasta and fish courses: Fregola con Gamberi Rossi, Zafferano e Mentuccia, fregola with red prawns, saffron and mint, and Filetto di Branzino alla Vernaccia, roasted fillet of Sea bass with potatoes and olives in a Vernaccia wine sauce. The finish of the dinner is marked with the arrival of Pardulas, a classic Sardinian ricotta tart.

Sardinia’s wines are unique from those produced in the rest of Italy. The Island’s remote Mediterranean location, as well as the historic influence from other cultures, gives the wines a unique character, characterized by grapes seldom seen in other parts of Italy. Fishsteria’s Sardinian Feast Menu is bolstered with a flight of wines selected from Sardinia’s finest wineries. Diners will revel in a selection of Vermentinos, the dry, crisp, and herbal white wine of the Mediterranean, including: Tenute Dettori – Dettori Bianco 2015’s Romangia Bianco Vigneto di Badde Nigolosu, Su’entu’s Vermentino di Sardegna Doc 2014, Argiolas’  Is Argiolas Vermentino di Sardegna Doc 2015, Pala Assoluto’s Isola dei Nuraghi Igt – Vino Passito – Nasco, Vermentino, and Sardinia’s most famous vermentino expression,  Jankara’s Vermentino di Gallura Docg 2014.

Fishsteria’s 4-course Sardinian wine-paired dinner is available on 23 February for HK$788 (+10% service).  A selection of Sardinian Chef’s Specials will be available through 28 February. 

HOLIDAY MENUS: UNUSUAL TO TRADITIONAL- FISHSTERIA, GIANDO, AND GIA TRATTORIA BRING A FESTIVE TASTE OF ITALY TO HONG KONG FOR THE HOLIDAYS

STARTING 20 DECEMBER, FISHSTERIA LAUNCHES THE FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES, GIANDO OFFERS IMAGINATIVE FESTIVE SPECIALS, AND GIA WARMS WITH A HOMEY ITALIAN FEAST

HONG KONG, 30 November 2016- Fishsteria, Giando, and Già Trattoria, three of Hong Kong’s most acclaimed Italian eateries, are offering three very unique festive experiences this holiday season. Ranging from unusual, with Fishsteria’s Feast of the Seven Fishes (HK$777) and Giando’s modern take on Black Truffles, to traditional with Già Trattoria’s Christmas set menu (HK$628), the three eateries have something to satisfy every palate this season.

FISHSTERIA: Feast of the Seven Fishes

20-27 December will see upscale Italian seafood restaurant, Fishsteria celebrating The Feast of the Seven Fishes. Unique in Hong Kong, this tradition originates from southern Italy, as a celebration that commemorates the vigil held in the wait for Christmas, when red meat is typically not consumed, but instead replaced with an abundance of seafood. At Fishsteria, the seven course set menu (HK$777 + 10% servc) features imaginative seafood dishes such as: Fried Oyster topped with Sea Urchin, Snow Crab topped Burrata and Tomatoes, Lobster Bisque, Linguini with Clams, Artichoke, Peppers, and Bottarga topped with Pine Nuts, a duo of sustainable cod: Bacalao (sourced from the North Pole) and roasted Tooth Fish (sourced from the South Pole), and finished with Panettone and homemade gelato.

GIANDO: Black Truffles, White Truffles, and Festive Dishes

Giando, located on picturesque Star Street, alongside their modern Italian A la Carte menu offers a bevvy of holiday specials, and dishes featuring Black and White Truffles. Special to Giando’s menu will be festive dishes including: Sicilian Prawn Carpaccio (HK$218), Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Caviar and Chives (HK$168), Gnocchi in a Pumpkin and Cheese Fondue topped with Black Truffles (HK$348), Roasted Fillet of Cod Fish with Castelluccio Lentils and Parsley Sauce (HK$298), and an Italian favourite: Panettone with Mascarpone and Chestnut Cream. A rotating array of White and Black Truffle dishes will be served throughout the season, with the option to top-up any dish with White Truffle (HK$88/gram). Giando’s festive menu will be on offer Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Eve.  

GIÀ TRATTORIA: Christmas Set Menu, Truffle Mondays, and NYE Fireworks

Già Trattoria, nestled in Fenwick Pier and boasting expansive views of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour, is dishing up rustic Italian fare this entire holiday season. For Christmas Day, guests will delight in a 4-course festive feast (HK$628 + 10% servc) featuring choices such as: Salmone Selvaggio Marinato Con Ricotta Infornata E Rape Rosse (Herb marinated wild salmon baked with spiced ricotta cheese and beetroot), Cappelletti In Brodo All’ Uso Di Romagna (Homemade cappelletti filled with capon meat, ricotta and parmigiano cooked in Christmas beef broth), Strozzapreti Con Vongole E Carciofi (Homemade hand-twisted pasta with clams and fresh artichoke), Filetto Di Branzino Con Finocchi Saltati E Salsa Verde (Pan-fried Orbetello sea bass fillet with sautéed fennel and salsa verde), Cotechino Natalizio Con Puré E Lenticchie Di Castelluccio (Pork meat cotechino served with mashed potato and lentils), and finished with Semifreddo Allo Zabaione Con Panettone E Salsa Al Cioccolato (Zabaione parfait with Italian panettone and chocolate sauce).

Truffle Mondays are also lending some festive flare to Già Trattoria, this December. Every Monday (6-9p) in the lead up to Christmas, Già offers a special truffle paired tasting menu, that diners can top up with Italian White Truffles for only HK$30 per gram. Upon entering the restaurant customers are able to purchase their own whole truffles (HK$30/gram) to be shaved tableside on their dishes of choice. The special Monday menu offers dishes such as Piedmont Beef Tartare (HK$188), Italian organic eggs (HK$188), Handmade Egg Taglioni (HK$198), and Veal Scaloppine with Marsala Wine Sauce and Wild Mushrooms (HK$268). Each carefully prepared dish may be topped tableside with the finest imported Italian White Truffles, for a very special price of HK$30 per gram.

NYE Fireworks will be on full display from Già Trattoria’s panoramic harbour front windows. The homey Italian restaurant will serve their standard A la Carte menu featuring dishes such as Italian Porter Chianina Beef (HK$1188, serves 2-4), Homemade Lasagna Bolognese(HK$158), and irresistible desserts like their traditional Tiramisu (HK$78). An advanced booking and minimum spend of HK$1,200 is required for tables staying after 8.30p.