Where To Eat

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the Central Business District of Hongkong Island is a smallish restaurant, named Giando. 

It is, today, the only restaurant in the Hongkong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that is a no-nonsense, Italian eatery, serving only traditional Italian food, made from Italian raw produce, imported by the restaurant. 

The owner, Mr Gianni Caprioli, told TARGET (泰達財經), without the knowledge that his restaurant was being surveyed by our three-man, reviewing team, said that he has a passion for fresh, Italian food products, from tomatoes to eggs to spices and, to that end, he has opened a small supermarket on the Ground Floor of Fenwick Pier where he sells the same produce that is used in the preparation of the restaurant’s dishes. 

And, as one samples the food of Giando, one notes the pungency of the Italian eggs and the sweetness of the Italian tomatoes, among other things. 

TARGET visited Giando on Thursday evening, November 13, at 7:00 pm, on the dot. 

Having reserved a table for three under a nom de plume, lo and behold! Our waitress turned out to be the same young lady who had served TARGET’s team about three months previously when she was working at another restaurant. 

On studying the wine list, TARGET was pleasantly surprised to recognise a host of some of the best Italian wines, imaginable, from the famous Italian sparkling wine, Ferrari, (Italy is not permitted to label its sparkling wines as Champagne since this marque is treasured and protected by the French legal system) to the lovely reds of Barbaresco. 

This wine is produced from the Nebbiolo Grape, grown in the Piedmont Region to the east of Alba, an area of Italy that is famous for its white truffles (tartufo bianco).  

TARGET ordered a bottle of Pio Cesare Barbaresco, Vintage 2010, at the price of $HK1,200. 

On studying the menu at some length, the following dishes were ordered: 

Special 

Pizza Con Fontina, Funghi Misti Al Tartufo Bianco
White Pizza with Fontina Cheese, Mixed Mushrooms with Shaved White Truffles
$HK688 

Starter 

Con Tartufo bianco e Pane Tostato
Organic Eggs Sunny Side Up with Shaved White Truffles
Served in Toasted White Bread
$HK388 

Minestrone (made from at least 12 kinds of vegetables)
$HK88 

Burrata Cream with eggplant
$HK188 

Secondi Piatti 

Branzino cotto al Sale
Whole Italian Sea Bass Baked in Sea Salt Crust with Sautéed Vegetables
$HK348 

Dal Forno e Dalla Griglia
From Our Open Oven and Italian Charcoal Grill

Costata di Vitello alla Milanese con Rucola e Podorini
Milanese Style Veal Chop Breaded Served with Arugula and Sweet Tomatoes
$HK418 

Dolci 

Tiramisu
Homemade Giando’s Tiramisu
$HK108 

Gelati e Sorbetti Homemade
Gelato della Casa

Giando’s Ice Cream Selection (3 Scoops)
$HK78 

Mousse di Ciocclato Amedei 70%, Crema e Croccantino (no sugar added)
Amedei Chocolate 70% Mousse Cream and Crunchy Nuts
$HK108 

The Food 

While Giando could never be described as being a fine-dining establishment, due to a number of reasons, at the same time, its dishes and their unique presentations could put many a so-called, fine-dining establishment to shame. 

The ‘Special’ of the day, the pizza, was, simply put, wonderful. 

The white truffle shaves were scrumptious and brought the ‘White Pizza’, as it is called, to life.  

Perhaps, for many Italians, a 12-inch pizza may be considered normal for a party of three people as the first course, but for TARGET’s team, one or two slices, per person, was all that could be consumed, considering that which was to follow the pizza. 

Full marks for the pizza! 

The second course rivalled the first course, with emphasis on the Burrata Cream with eggplant. 

This is a dish, made from Mozzarella Cheese and cream. The outer ‘shell’ of the combination of the cheese and cream is a little crispy while, on slicing through the cheese, one is met by the cream, oozing out of the shell. 

Fattening? Of course! 

Delicious? Naturally! 

Turning to the other first course – organic eggs with shaved white truffles – it was out of this world.  

Not all chickens’ eggs are the same. Italian chickens’ eggs stand apart from most others, the yokes, being a deep orange colour and having distinctive flavours, all of their own. 

Tasting is believing. 

As for the Minestrone, it was good, but it was served a little too cold. 

TARGET’s team does not have the same stomach capacity as the average hungry Italian and so, in recognition of this fact, only two of the Main Courses were ordered. 

It was a little difficult to choose between the two Main Courses due to the fact that they were, both, outstanding, both, having merits of their own. 

The sea bass course, for instance, was as good as it gets and, due to the fish, having been cooked in sea salt, it had no strong ‘fishy’ odour to be considered off-putting.  

As for the Milanese-style veal chop, the meat, having been imported from Germany, according to TARGET’s waitress, it was cooked to perfection. 

This dish is, in fact, that which the Austrians and Germans would label as Wiener Schnitzel. 

It is a pounded veal chop, first immersed in beaten eggs and, then, covered in breadcrumbs before being deep fried in very hot oil. 

The French, also, make this dish, but add parsley, Parmesan cheese, milk and a pinch of nutmeg to the beaten eggs before covering the veal in breadcrumbs. 

The raw meat, having been coated in the egg-and-milk mixture and covered in breadcrumbs is left for at least two hours in a refrigerator to cool. 

It is, then, sautéed in butter and served with a slice of lemon in order to add a little zest. 

The Milanese version is much simpler than the French variety, but it was still, very tasty:  The carnivores of the world will be delighted with it, no doubt. 

As for the desserts, they were, all, very good although the chocolate mousse was a little too rich for this food reviewer. 

The Restaurant

Giando is a little difficult to find, these days, what with the ‘kids’, blocking parts of Hongkong Island, as well as having installed barriers, illegally, on public roads in an effort to flex their puny intellectual muscles, while shouting ‘Freedom!’ to the world. 

However, locating Giando is well worth the walk from CITIC Tower to Fenwick Pier, but, in the evenings, due to the fact that the traffic lights have been disabled at the junctions of certain, public road intersections – Who knows by whom? – one has to be a little fleet of foot to avoid being run down by speeding motor vehicles, the drivers of which push their vehicles at very fast paces. 

Giando has the capacity of about 50 patrons – TARGET’s waitress suggested that it could hold 100 patrons, but that is hard to believe – and, while there is music, being piped throughout the restaurant, it is not audible due to the clatter of knives and forks, people, chatting and laughing, and, by and large, enjoying the very casual atmosphere. 

The spacious kitchen, on the night of TARGET’s visit, was being manned by three European chefs and 11 other cooks, some of whom were Korean, TARGET was informed. 

It was noted, last Thursday night, that there was a plethora of European guests, present, all of whom was imbibing copious quantities of wine to wash down the excellent food on offer. 

The service is adequate and the tables are not too close together, being very conducive to an amatory tête–à–tête.