Late September – heralding in the autumn season, is the time of year filled with important festivities, major calendar events and seasonal highlights that instil a sense of celebration. In the Asian region, the Mid-Autumn (or Mooncake) festival takes center stage. New York, London, Milan and Paris play host to major fashion events, and farmers in the northern hemisphere gather to showcase the year’s harvest. Every fall, northern countrysides are ablaze with colours of harvest and leaves that turn to golden shades. The time of year, when culinary delicacies become synonyms with the autumn season. Delicacies – such as the the white truffle – are signalling the change of season at Lupa by Mario Batali Hong Kong.
Rabbit Salad with Olive Oil Garlic Sage
For lovers of Italian fare, fall signals the beginning of some of the most thought after culinary items – like the white truffle (also known as the ‘white diamond of Italy’) – most famously sourced from the Piedmont (Piemonte) region. Here, Lupa Hong Kong continuous its tradition with the evolving ‘Taste of Italy’ menu – celebrating tastes, flavors and produce that are authentic to each of Italy’s 20 regions.
Fontina DOP Fondue with Thyme Crostino
The Piemonte region is well know for its picturesque location at the foot of the Alps; the farming community upholding a long tradition of cultivating and harvesting food by hand. Chef Giuseppe Ferreri (born and culinary trained in Rome) has once again assembled authentic dishes that best capture the cultural and culinary spirit of Piemonte. Piemontesi are said to enjoy slow food, being in touch with the land and in harmony with the seasons. They are especially proud of the most precious harvest of them all – the white truffle. This king of funghis is available to hunt and harvest during a short season from October to late November. Only found in the wild and underneath the earth, white truffles are highly esteemed and very scares, thus, motivating discerning diners to quickly gather at their favorite ristorante.
Truffle season at Lupa
Chef Guiseppe Ferreri
Comfortably seated and surrounded by Lupa’s esthetically pleasing décor and open-kitchen design, Chef Guiseppe Ferreri is on hand to guide guests through each purposefully selected creation on the Piemonte menu. The culinary journey to Piemonte begins with a Tonno di Coniglio, a tender (tuna like) rabbit salad with olive oil and sage. Following, and unique to the region, is a Fontina DOP Fondue – a very particular cheese produced during the summer months from cows grazing freely in the Alps. Melted and refined with thyme, this creamy dish is full of scent and flavors. Tortello al Rosso D’uovo represents a traditional pasta dish – a single oversized ravioli-like creation, made unique by an encased soft egg yolk and a generous serving of white truffle.
House made Pasta filled with egg yolk, generously topped with truffles
Another classic Piemontese dish, and Chef Ferreri’s choice of Il secondo (main course), is Brasato al Barolo, or braised beef. Lazily simmered for hours infused by Barolo red wine from Piemonte, giving this most tender of meats an aroma like no other. Again, a delightful, intriguing and exquisite ‘Taste of Italy’ experience crowned by ‘white diamonds’, and made complete by Pastry Chef David Debrunner – a talented young desert expert from Switzerland, who has prepared a soft and perfectly light chocolate and amaretto cake, simply called ‘bonnet’.
Braised Beef with Barolo
Indeed, an inspiring culinary journey and newly acquired knowledge of the Piedmont region: the only thing left to wonder is, which Italian region will Lupa Hong Kong take its patrons to next – Buon Appetito!
Soft Chocolate & Amaretta Cake Scent of Coffee
Lupa by Mario Batali, 3/F, LHT Tower, 31 Queens Road Central, Hong Kong. Telephone: +852 2796 6500, www.luparestaurant.com/hongkong