Carbone

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Now Closed

206 Reviews

Taste

Decor

Service

Hygiene

Value

50340

Central

Above $801

Italian

131

NY Bone-in Strip

3 Recommended

$598

$528

little.miss.picky

Level4

281

Carbone is probably THE most loved Italian restaurant amongst my circle, brought all the way from NYC to HK by Black Sheep Restaurants Once seated, the waiters will make you feel right at home by serving complimentary cheese (cut right in front of you), prosciutto and a huge basket of garlic bread, even before showing you the menu Let’s start off with desserts (although the trolley will only come at the end of the meal) because you absolutely need to save enough space in your stomach for them! A

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Carbone is probably THE most loved Italian restaurant amongst my circle, brought all the way from NYC to HK by Black Sheep Restaurants

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Once seated, the waiters will make you feel right at home by serving complimentary cheese (cut right in front of you), prosciutto and a huge basket of garlic bread, even before showing you the menu

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Let’s start off with desserts (although the trolley will only come at the end of the meal) because you absolutely need to save enough space in your stomach for them!

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Although all their desserts are amazing, the luscious lemon cheesecake is just on a whole other level, so it’s best to set it aside for last. With a perfectly balanced taste of creaminess and zestiness paired with a velvety smooth texture, it’s definitely worth every penny of the hefty price tag.

The moist carrot cake came in a really interesting curved shape with ginger ice cream on the side. The highlight would definitely be the rich cream cheese frosting on top —making it better than all the other carrot cakes I've had before!

The spicy rigatoni vodka is their most famous dish, but it was too spicy for me, so I can’t say if it lives up to its reputation.

However, I can definitely vouch for their other must-try signature dish - the gigantic Mario’s meatballs paired with rustic tomato sauce, as the juicy and tender meatballs made of ground beef and veal just melted in our mouths. It was a good idea that we listened to the waiter’s suggestion to add an extra meatball, so that the 4 of us could each have an entire one to ourselves.

(Side note: you can try recreating the meatballs at home by checking out the recipe on Major Food Group website)

Highly recommend ordering the caprese salad for starters. The simple dish is made of high-quality ingredients (heirloom tomato, burrata cheese and salsa verde) that speak for themselves, and you can witness the waitress pouring the olive oil with your own eyes.

For mains, we got the NY bone-in strip and the potatoes sergio as a side dish. While we enjoyed the charred steak, the crispy potato wedges really stole the show - it was perfectly flavored with herbs and rosemary sprigs that were just delightful to the palate!

(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)

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DETAILED RATING

Taste

Decor

Service

Hygiene

Value

Date of Visit

2020-06-21

Dining Method

Dine In

Spending Per Head

$700 (Dinner)

Recommended Dishes

Leon3003

Level1

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I seldom write reviews and it is even rarer for me to write a negative one for a restaurant. In fact, this is probably only the second time I've had such an appalling experience that I feel obligated to warn potential visitors. I would have brought up all the legal issues that they are likely to have breached here if it were not for it being the birthday lunch for my friend.
We visited as a party of three, the two accompanying me decided that they were going to share the lunch set and have an additional a la carte dish, whereas I decided to go full on a la carte. Everything was fine (apart from the uni pasta that was way too fishy for us to consume) until the waitress attended our table as we finished our mains and ordered dessert.
The waitress let us know that we, apparently, could not order the lunch menu for sharing. I stated that that is fine, and so that must mean that we are entitled to more food on the lunch menu, having 'ordered two'. She said that was not the case, as "Sir, this is a Italian fine dining restaurant, you cannot share a lunch set". At this point I was infuriated, but I did my best to compose myself. It seems that this insolent waitress has already 'analysed' me and declared me as a peasant who has never been in a 'restaurant' and could only afford to share a stick of fishballs with ten others on the street. How dare she? I have been to almost all of the Michelin starred restaurants in London and the majority of the ones in Hong Kong, and she feels that this was the first time I stepped into a Western restaurant?
I further questioned on how is it that we must pay for 2 lunch menus but only order one combination of dishes. She asserted that the these were "family portions" and were "meant to be shared", and that it was 'her bad' for not letting me know at the start when I ordered. For all those who have studied even the tiniest bit of basic contract law should understand the formation of contract here. I told them that this did not make sense at all, especially when the menu stated the price for one person. I further questioned what happens if I visit alone for lunch, at which point another member of staff stepped in and told me that if I come alone, I am to pay for two people. At this point, I expressed once more the ridiculousness of the menu, and that the menu should simply be worded as "lunch for two" and listed the total price, instead of the $388 price per person stated but the only reply I received was "but the portions are quite big".
As I said, I would have thrown a bunch of contract law stuff at her, but I really did not want to make a scene when celebrating my friend's birthday. This is possibly the worst experience I've had in my life so far, and is the first time I have had been looked down upon by a waitstaff.

King Crab alla Scampi

(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)

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Taste

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Value

Date of Visit

2016-09-30

Dining Method

Dine In

Recommended Dishes

TheWongEatsHK

Level2

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To quote the words of the great American chef Thomas Keller, perfection can never be achieved. I firmly believe that there is no such thing as a perfect meal. It exists solely in the realms of one's imagination and dreams. But I do believe that there are dining experiences, near-perfect meals I call them, that inches close to perfection. The food is faultless, the atmosphere jovial, and the service attentive. Perfection costs, but then at the end of the meal, not only would the hefty price tag not offend you, you might feel like you have scored a bargain. As I walked out the wooden furnished dining room of Carbone at the chic Lan Kwai Fong Tower, I was certain I had a near-perfect meal, even though I may have to end up mortgaging all my earthly possessions to the bank.

Yes, Carbone is pretentious and classy (this particular food blogger doesn't really do pretentious and classy). It is all white table cloths, red wooden interiors and immaculately dressed waiters. You are likely to share a dining room with many of Hong Kong's suit-clad businessmen, who neck expensive bottles of vino like water and leave behind plates after plates of uneaten food (One unfortunate lady was completely overserved and had to be carried out of the restaurant. Seriously though, who can actually afford to get drunk in Carbone?). But once you focus on the food and not on the environment, you will realise that you are being served a stunning meal.

Bread basket with Grana Padano cheese and salami

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Like it's New York branch, Mario Carbone's Hong Kong restaurant serves up classic New York - Italian cuisine - simple, rustic food that is generous and heartwarmingly good. My meal began with not one, but two types of bread - garlic buttered baguette chunks and a sesame crusted loaf. It was served with large chunks of Grana Padano cheese and thin slices of salami. Often times, you can judge a restaurant by its bread; and in Carbone's loaf, still warm from the heat of the oven, was a sign of good things to come. The garlic bread was buttery and rich, while the sesame loaf was fragrant and pillow-soft on the inside.

Carpaccio Piedmontese

Carbone's Carpaccio Piedmontese (HK$228) was truly a showstopper, and quite possibly the best beef carpaccio in Hong Kong at the moment. Paper thin slices of raw wagyu beef were accompanied with slivers of button mushrooms, crushed walnuts, arugula, and a generous drizzle of truffle oil. It was decadent, rich and earthy, but most importantly, the beef still shone brightly despite being matched with strong tasting ingredients. The other starter, the Tricolore Salad (HK$158) was solid. The combination of crisp lettuce, radicchio and bitter endive worked well, and the salad was perfectly seasoned. However, the dressing lacked a little acidity to bring the dish to life.

Common culinary knowledge dictates that thick pastas like rigatoni should accompany heady, hearty sauces, as the wide surface area allows for a better pasta-to-sauce ratio. Normally, I am not a fan of thick pastas (I believe thinner pastas taste lighter and cleaner), but I would happily devour Carbone's Spicy Rigatoni Vodka (HK$208) any day of the week. The pasta was cooked to a perfect al dente, and the tomato vodka sauce was creamy and luscious. It is a testament that good, simple cooking can just be as good as anything.

Mario's meatballs (HK$228) were good, but paled in comparison to the stunning Spicy Rigatoni Vodka that was served at the same time. The pork and fennel meatballs tasted nice, where the aniseed kick of the fennel enhances the flavour of the pork. Sadly, they were teetering on the heavy and dry side (I must stress that the Chinese, particularly those from the HuaiYang regions, make tremendous meatballs that melt on your tongue. Their secret? Good old fatty pork). Despite the slight problems with the meatballs, the tomato sauce was vibrant and punchy, and would've gone well with some freshly toasted loaves of bread.

Main course took awhile to arrive, but they were worth the wait. One of my favourite meat experiences was trying Bistecca Alla Fiorentina in an old restaurant right next to one of Florence's many bridges. The hulking T-bone steak, the size of my torso, was simply perfect. I can still vividly remember the ruby red meat, the charred crust, and the flavour of an animal which has been respectfully reared and expertly cooked. It was smokey, intense and simply divine. Nothing will ever match that steak experience for me, but Carbone gave a pretty good attempt. The NY Bone in Strip (HK$528) was perfectly charred to a medium rare, where the meat was tender and soft like butter. While an assortment of sauces are provided, you should know better than to spoil a lovely piece of meat with it. Instead, just eat it as it is, with a touch of salt and pepper for seasoning.

The whole Branzino (European sea bass) was a testament to good honest cooking. It was just simply good fish and good cooking techniques. The fish was expertly grilled, where the flesh is still tender and the flakes fall apart upon the pressure of one's fork. The skin was also delicious and crispy. Other than a squeeze of lemon, no additional seasoning or sauces are needed for this beautiful fish. However, it was extremely expensive - costing more than the Bone-In strip (HK$628), especially for a rather small fish.

The side dish of Potatoes Sergio (HK$118) was the perfect accompaniment to the two main courses. Whoever Sergio was, he was damn good with the humble spud. These potatoes were crispy and light, and the rosemary sprigs elevated the dish to another level. It reminded me of a refined version of potato chips, which is a good thing I swear, as one can never have enough chips.

Flambeed Banana Sundae

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Dessert was presented on a trolley, which was fun and fantastically old school. The Banana Flambee was made a la minute and was served as a decadent sundae with a spiced banana cake. However, the entire thing was too rich and heavy, and the cake was a bit stale. The lemon cheesecake on the other hand, was executed well. The base was crumbly and soft, and the bright, zesty filling worked really well with the buttery pastry.

Come to Carbone to celebrate special occasions, or to spend intimate times with loved ones. More importantly, come for perfectly executed plates of food. Yes, perfection (or near-perfection) will cost you, but it will all be worth it. Now if you will excuse me, I have to settle credit scores with my bank.

(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)

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DETAILED RATING

Taste

Decor

Service

Hygiene

Value

Date of Visit

2016-09-19

Dining Method

Dine In

Spending Per Head

$550

Recommended Dishes

Carbone Open Now Now Closed

Carbone

Open Now

Now Closed