We had lunch at my favorite Italian restaurant in Hong Kong, Grissini at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Wan Chai. As soon as you enter the restaurant you can smell the aroma of freshly baked grissini or breadsticks made on site.
These are the lightest and crunchiest breadsticks I’ve ever eaten. They are best when it’s hot off the oven. The breadsticks are long and thin so it’s easy to eat a lot.
grissini or breadsticks
This is the only restaurant that serves Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena or true balsamic vinegar and not the commercial balsamic vinegar we usually buy. This kind of vinegar is made from sweet wine grapes aged in wood barrels for a minimum of 12 years. They don’t contain any artificial ingredients. True balsamic vinegar is thick, sweet and syrupy. A small bottle of this can cost anywhere from HK$400 to 1,000. That’s why I eat my fill whenever I’m in Grissini. They’re a perfect dip for the breadsticks too.
Even the olive oil they use is very high end. Only the good stuff is served in this restaurant.
Appetizers
foccacia w/ tomatoes
foccacia
Italian cold cuts
liver pate
veal tuna
beef carpaccio
Italian frittata
marinated eggplant
tomato & mozarella salad
homemade smoked salmon
seafood salad
octopus salad
cheese
grilled vegetables
mixed greens
fresh vegetables
The specialty of Grissini is bollito misto or boiled meats. This dish is made up of beef, tongue, sausage and vegetables. It is served with a green sauce, fresh horseradish and fruit jelly. It’s a very, very flavorful and comforting dish.
bollito misto – boiled meat
bollito misto – boiled vegetables
fresh horseradish
The red heat lamp was responsible for this yucky picture.
roasted beef rib eye w/ herbs
pasta bar
meat ragout lasagna
Pasta sauces (tomato sauce, hare ragout, asparagus sauce,
mushroom sauce & bolognese sauce)
There were only a few hot dishes but they were the best. The trick is to get as much as you can eat as early as you can. When the lobster and soft shell crab run out they replace it with something else. When I went back for more crab it was fried calamari that was in it’s place. It was still good though.
borcotti soup
The lobster disappeared as soon as it was refilled. You have to stand guard to get the good parts or else you’re left with just the legs and head of the lobster.
sauteed lobster
baked sea bass
deep fried soft shelled crab
Dessert
Napolitan ricotta cake
chestnut cake
fresh fruit tart
creme brulee
tiramisu
I loved this apple pie filled with a custard filling.
Maria’s apple tart
fresh fruit cream cake
cream puff
ligurian cake
jam tart
mascarpone cream w/ sour cherry
fresh strawberries
fresh raspberries
Even if you don’t like buffets you have to try the Sunday feast at Grissini at least once. The quality of the food and service can’t be found in other buffets. The choices aren’t overwhelming and the variety is excellent.
Main courses HK$290-HK$580
Fixed-price dinner HK$980
Fixed-price lunch (Mon-Fri only) HK$320
Sunday feast HK$455
Grissini
Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
1 Harbour Road, Hong Kong,
telephone: +852 2588 1234
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