Geruhage HK tour day 2: just like Italy

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In addition to all the different Chinese (and not just Cantonese) meals I have lined up for my friend, I also added a couple of meals at some of my favorite restaurants. Geruhage has, of course, dined extensively in Italy over the years, but I had an inkling he might enjoy some of the things Juve Fan would send our way. So we turned up at Estro for lunch today and I resisted the urge to wear my Maradona Napoli shirt... No doubt the Angioni brothers were happy about that!

I told Juve Fan that we would be going for a big feast tonight so we should keep lunch relatively light, but I insisted on getting 2 pasta courses. I have enjoyed, nay, loved almost every pasta I have tasted here, and I wanted my friend to get a taste of that magic coming out from this kitchen.

But first, some aperitivo:

Tart with roasted eggplant purée

Semolina cushion, tomato, capers, olives

Lemon slices with Italian melon

Green apple, fennel, and lemon drink - nice fragrance.

Our waiter moved the wine glasses from the side she prefers them to the other side. I have no idea why this was done.

Tomato | in different textures, watermelon and tomato water - first of all, sponge cake has absolutely no business being on the plate at a fine dining restaurant, whether it's part of a dessert or as part of a modern take on the panzanella. I understand this dish is a variation on tomatoes, with fresh tomatoes, semi-dried tomatoes, tomato sponge cake, tomato and vinegar sorbet, as well as a tomato and watermelon consommé... but sponge cakes are usually pretty bland and this was no exception.

I love tomatoes, and these dishes are often pretty refreshing and nice, but the presence of the sponge definitely lost some points for this dish.

Long fettucia | spot prawn, almond milk, chili - kinda interesting to see the spot prawns served this way, underneath the "tower" of pasta. The dried pasta from Pastificio dei Campi was cooked with spot prawn stock, almond milk, and chili powder, and the result was something very tasty and delicate without being overpowering.

Long scialatielli | cuttlefish, parsley - so happy to have this again and in the "normal" format without caviar. The fresh pasta was cooked in cuttlefish broth and leek broth, and today the cuttlefish came from the Mediterranean and not Japan. A little squid ink powder sprinkled on top instead of a dollop of caviar, but we really don't need the latter. Loved the interplay between the textures of the cuttlefish and pasta.

My friend was so impressed with this pasta that he felt for sure it could have been served at one of the top restaurants on the shores of Lake Garda.

English venison, cabbage purée, cabbage terrine, hazelnuts - with a venison and hazelnut sauce. My friend was surprised to see this on the menu and enjoyed the dish. The meat was certainly very tender, but as I chewed on it the texture of the middle became almost paste-like.

Cappuccino - I'm so happy to have this again because I really loved it on my last visit. Caramel cremeux, brown butter savory sablé, coffee ganache, and coffee tuile. So good. INHALED.

Fig leaf gelato and pistachio gelato - I had originally asked to see if we could have affogato instead of coffee, but they didn't have vanilla ice cream... and wouldn't let me pour espresso on top of the pistachio gelato... so they served us an additional scoop.

Mascarpone lemon tart - with almond lemon ganache.

Madong chocolate truffle - with cardamom and chili.

We kept it very civilized in terms of alcohol, as I brought just one bottle of Italian red...

ColVento Vermentino di Sardegna Brut - a little flint on the nose.

2007 Lodovico - served about 40 minutes after decanting. So fragrant and beautiful now with woodsy notes. Initially there were also some coconut butter and vanilla, which I really love, in addition to really sweet fruit. Tannins are still here but much smoother now at this age. Love this wine.

I'm very happy that I brought my friend here as I think he enjoyed the meal. It was a good amount of food, though, so we needed to walk off some calories. This is how we ended up across the harbor...

M+ is a world-class museum of modern art, and specifically modern Asian art. I thought it would be interesting for them to see the space as well as the works, especially the Sigg collection. It was also another opportunity for them to look back on the Hong Kong side and enjoy the spectacular views.

Soon it was time to cross back to the Hong Kong side so that we could freshen up for dinner. Big feast tonight!