Testina
Modern trattoria Testina has always championed a “waste not, want not” philosophy – in fact, it came naturally to head chef Marco Xodo. Testina was founded in partnership with Trippa Milano, a beloved restaurant from Italy where every part of the animal is incorporated across a menu of classic Italian dishes. Most recently, Marco created a pappardelle al ragù di cortile (chicken offal pasta) that encapsulates this sentiment. Uncommon even in Italy, each offal is individually prepared including liver, heart, gizzard, combs, testicles and embrional eggs, which are then cooked with a mirepoix of vegetables, butter and fresh thyme, and finished with white and marsala wine on housemade pappardelle. “It’s labour intensive and made with love. It’s really just for foodlovers”, shares Marco.
3/F, 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central; testina.hk
Agora
Chef Antonio Oviedo takes the expertise he championed at 22 Ships to be born anew at Agora, where Spanish cuisine is brought to elevated new heights. “Using classic recipes as a reference, we pay homage to the gastronomic heritage from the ancient civilisations that shaped us into what we are today”. Kokotxas is a traditional Spanish dish featuring stewed cod throats (kokotxas) served in a delightfully rich Pil Pil sauce. The confit kokotxa is stirred to create a thick and aromatic emulsion made rich with rendered Ibérico ham fat, garlic and chilli. Ossetra caviar adds a hit of salinity and another layer of umami to the complex dish. “Offals are very common in Spain, and for me it was always present in the daily dishes I ate growing up – to use every part of an animal is the best way to honour a product.”
Shop 14, G/F, D Hall, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central; jiagroup.co/restaurant/agora
Wing
Acclaimed Chef Vicky Cheng bridges tradition with modernity at Wing, his restaurant that honours customary Chinese cuisine infused with innovative twists. “It’s very important to prepare Chinese food without losing its original and authentic form, no matter how innovative your idea is”, shares Vicky. Manipulating flavours and textures, Vicky combines sea cucumber with pig intestine in his braised pork intestine with sea cucumber dish, where sea cucumber and pigs intestine meld together with the familiar flavours of mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐). “Incorporating the multi-textured ingredients, sea cucumber and offals, into the flavour-packed classic mapo tofu, makes it a dish that is all rounded in terms of appearance, mouthfeel and flavour”, explains Vicky. “We’ve always held a no-waste mentality, that’s why we try to use every part of the ingredients that we’ve sourced.”
29F, The Wellington, 198 Wellington Street, Central; wingrestaurant.hk
Editor
Carina Fischer
