Tuscany by H (Closed)

I thought I really owe Tuscany by H a review even though it is now closed and will be reincarnated into “Gold”, a higher end, more expensive restaurant by Chef Harlan to target high rollers. While this dinner happened last year, I still vividly remember the meal and the dishes as it was one of the best Western dinners I had in Hong Kong since I came back from New York. The great companions and the almost flawlessly executed pasta dishes made it an extremely satisfactory night, even more so than the Chef Dinner Table @ Caprice Due to the “VIP status” of KC, we had Chef Harlan personally preparing all the dishes for us. The quality of the dishes certainly lived up to the hype, and exhibited the highest standard attainable by Chef Harlan’s kitchen. While the bread basket was not very exciting overall, the lightly salted grissini were warm and slightly chewy for a quick bite. The focaccia and thin crisps were rather ordinary, and even the pesto sauce aside couldn’t elevate their appeals. I decided to save room for the rest of the food. When I tasted the first appetizer, the “36 Months Aged Parma Ham, Roma Tomatoes, Rocket and Creamy Burrata Cheese”, I was pleasantly surprised by the extremely soft and velvety texture of the parma ham. They were sliced ultra thin (the way it should be), and it was deeply flavored without being one-dimensionally salty. This was so much better than the parma ham I had at other high end Italian restaurants in Hong Kong like Sabatini and Angelini. The burrata cheese, one of my favorites (which I had reviewed in Classified Mozzarella Bar, http://www.openrice.com/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=1989216), was yet another perfect bite and the best burrata I have tasted in Hong Kong. With the sweetness of the tomatoes, the bitterness of the rocket leaves, and the tartness of the balsamic dressing, all these simple ingredients brought together a beautiful marriage of textures and flavorsThe meal continued with “Melting in Your Mouth” Slow-Cooked Scottish Salmon on an Italian Summer Salad”. True to its name, the salmon was moist and soft, thanks to the slow-cooking technique. The salad provided the dish with more refreshing flavors to the otherwise monotonous salmon.“Tasting of Foie Gras 2 Ways – Homemade Smoked Terrine and Pan Seared, Fresh Apricot Jam and Port Wine Sauce” came next. I always find pan seared foie gras to be tasty yet inherently boring in most restaurants, and this one was no exception. The foie gras terrine, on the other hand, was deftly prepared with a rich smokey flavor in a slightly firm yet smooth texture. The sweet apricot jam and the mildly tart port wine sauce provided perfect foils for the luscious foie gras.“Homemade Tagliatelle, Italian Wild Boar Ragout and Shaved Pecorino Cheese” is a signature dish at Tuscany by H, and it did not disappoint. The tagliatelle was cooked to perfection, justifying the beatuy of al dente fresh pasta. It came in a properly ground and perfectly seasoned gamey wild boar and veal ragout sauce which made every strand of the pasta seriously delicious. The pecorino cheese lent an extra “sharpness” to the dish. It was exuberant, in-your-face, and extremely satisfying! “Homemade Tagliolini, Prawns, Garlics, Basil, and Vine-Ripen Cherry Tomatoes” was another gorgeously executed pasta dish that emphasized the beauty of simplicity. The eggy thin noodles were lightly coated with a refreshing tomato sauce, and the fresh crunchy prawns provided just a touch of oceanic essence to accentuate the sweet and savory flavors.We couldn’t resist the tempting combination of FRESH porcini and black truffle when we saw “Tagliatelle, Italian Fresh Porcini Mushrooms and Shaved Summer Black Truffle” as a special of the night, and this slurge was worth every penny of the expensive price. When the dish arrived, the aroma of the black truffle was so intense that we all snapped photos in nano seconds so we could start digging in. There was no shortage of thick-cut fresh porcini slices and thin shavings of black truffles, and every bite was earthiness to the third power, an unalloyed pleasure! We watched it disappeared quickly!“Wagyu Beef Cheek Ravioli, Goose Liver, and Black Truffle” was highly recommended by our friends and another signature dish at Tuscany by H. While having wagyu beef cheek, goose liver, plus black truffle all in one plate might seem like a sure-win combination, I personally was not a big fan of the shredded beef cheek texture. The ravioli skins were aptly prepared to the right thickness and doneness. The sauce was intensely flavorful and rich, but personally I found the complex flavors of the goose liver and black truffle all seemed to overlay on each other and lost their identities. With this texture as the ravioli filling and the strong sauce, I don’t think it really matters if it was wagyu beef or not.My focus of the dinner was always the pasta, but the main courses were actually quite exemplary. “French Challans Black Chicken, Sauteed Summer Baby Vegetables, and Black Truffle Sauce” was surprisingly tender and juicy, which I normally didn’t expect from chicken dish. The chicken had a subtle “chicken” flavor (which usually is missing in poor quality chicken), and the black truffle potato puree lent a earthy and rich creaminess to the dish. Even the side vegetables were delicious, alternating sweet and savory. While the ocean trout in the “Slow-Cooked Tasmania Ocean Trout, Truffle Mushroom Puree and Organic Asparagus” featured supple oily flesh that was soft and moist, it was to me the least interesting dish we tried (but I rarely find salmon or trout dishes interesting…) especially when it came with the exact same black truffle puree and sauce as the chicken dish. Did I mention that it also came with the same asparagus as the side veggie of the chicken? “Charcoal Grilled Prime Ribeye of Beef, Sauteed Baby Summer Vegetables, and Red Wine Reducution” was not quite my favorite type of dry-aged ribeye steaks that I am so used to now (too spoiled in the US…), but it was still a gorgeous steak, righteously seasoned and grilled (sans charcoal flavor…). The steak itself was flavorful enough that it didn't need sauce and the (repeated) baby vegetables it came with.Desserts came with a chocolate cake with gelato and chocolate crème brulee with cream foam. By that time I was way too stuffed, and even they were up to standard, I was no longer paying attention as the previous dishes completely overshadowed them.The service was exceptional, with the servers attending every single of our needs and answering all our questions and requests knowledgeably. I don’t believe in judging restaurants based on just a lunch meal (and it’s why you rarely see me writing lunch reviews, particularly of French or Japanese restaurants. This dinner prepared by Chef Harlan himself clearly reflects his talents and skills to use lots of high end ingredients to create contemporary Italian. I never consider Tuscany by H as serving traditional or authentic Italian cuisine, as seen in the use of fancy-pants or global ingredients throughout the menu. However, the most important thing is that Chef Harlan is able to reconcile the earthy and the sophisticated elements, and prepares delicious dishes with skillful executions. It will be interesting to see how his gamble on the high-end venture, “GOLD”, pays off in the near future. continue reading

I deliberately waited patiently until this restaurant closed its doors before writing my review, as I really hope that once it rises back like a phoenix the next time around as GOLD, us foodies can see a better reincarnation to once more revisit its past glory!*****************************BREAD BASKET -This was a bit dry overall, and it had very litte of Italian herbal bread taste. A little too clean in other words. 7/10bowl:TRUFFLED POTATO MASH -Very well done and creamy, with good loads of truffle and potato taste, this was very enjoyable 9/10ITALIAN WILD BOAR RAGOUT TAGLIATELLE WITH SLOW COOKED JAPANESE EGG AND SHAVED PECORINO CHEESE -This was outright disappointing. The Hand-Made pasta was mushily overcooked, despite Chef Harlan being on duty on the night! I understand hand made pasta does not equate to dried pasta, but even taking this into consideration this was poorly timed in terms of cooking. The 2nd problem lies with the Wild Boar Ragout, which was so bland and void of gamey meat taste or even herbal taste. The ragout was so mediocre and bland overally, the nearby Bistecca's version would have made this seem like a kingergarten version. Bistecca's ragout was heaps and bounds better. Thinking back of my critical review of Sabatini's similar paste dish, I think I should have given that place more credit.... 6.5/10 The slow cooked Japanese Taiyou Egg was good, but it couldn't rescue the pasta from its mediocreness. I had to cut loss and discontinue from ordering mains or desserts. continue reading

I was just there for lunch. I ordered the 4 course lunch set which was not bad. Price was HKD 218 + 10%. It includes chef's buffet which consists of salad, cold cuts, cheese, and others...I love the pesto sauce they serve with their bread..I can't resist myself from asking for more refills! Next came my mushroom soup...no surprise...My main course was shrimp spagehtti with was absolutely delicious. Pasta al dente, shrimp was very fresh and tasty. The portion was not too big so by the time I was finished, I wasn't stuffed! I could still enjoy my chocolate cake and coffee. Overall, I like the atmosphere here for lunch and I find the price for their lunches very reasonable. I will definitely come back again. continue reading

依間我就第一次去食、之前聽朋友話Ｄ野食新鮮，所以約左friend一齊去試.我自己最鍾意食青口、非常新鮮唔在講、好鮮味又爽口、肉質好弹牙最正係啖啖肉！廚師手藝不俗，雖不講得上是絕佳，但也合格有餘。因有炭爐，所以烤出來的肉類頗美味。特別一讚是羊架， 香嫩無比，Ｄ汁好好味。意大利意粉-廚師煮得剛剛好保持到Ｄ海鲜仍很嫩,有鮮味-意粉亦非常好味Ｄ汁好好味。又唔會好淋好有質感又爽口彈口。 continue reading

The end is imminent. Harlan G has an upcoming venture in the nearby LKF Tower and so from what I've heard, Tuscany by H will say farewell within the next 45 days. From the first time I visited back in 2008, I have never been disappointed and always leave happy and contented after a meal here. So while I look forward to a new offering from the big man, I have mixed feelings about having to say goodbye to this place. Although I like trying new stuff every time I revisit a restaurant, I almost never do it at this place. I stick to what I like. Salad of Romaine, Napoli Tomatoes, Shaved Reggiano, Crispy Parma Ham and Anchovy Garlic Dressing. This salad is simple and simply good. The trick is that every component is sourced well and is nothing but the best. As an example, the tomatoes are so sweet that you can probably make dessert with them and not have to add much sugar. This is testament to what other restaurants must try to do. If you charge 5-star prices, you should use 5-star ingredients. This dish is almost impossible to get wrong, especially if you follow from the 5-star ethos. Wagyu Beef Cheek Ravioli with Goose Liver and Black Truffle. Perfect team work by the 3 ingredients, each a superstar in its own right, to deliver a result which was most exciting to the palate. Only complaint this time was that the ravioli broke down and was not as al dente as I like. Easily Harlan's piece de resistance, his Veal Chop “The Way I Like It” Crushed in Tuscany Bread served with Rocket, Cherry Tomatoes and Mashed Potatoes never fails to disappoint. Thicker than the traditional, this is a very good piece of meat and treated with utmost respect in the way it's served. Perfect crispy breaded outside to a very moist and juicy inside, topped with the sweetest tomatoes (same ones he used in the salad above). My only complaint was that the rocket had a little too much heat as compared with its Italian cousin. To end on a sweet note, we had the Signature Tiramisu which is apparently Mr. G's gramma's recipe. Generous with Mascarpone and not diluted down with cream, the chestnuts also added taste and texture and went superbly well with the lady's fingers and rich cocoa dust. And we were happy ever after. We will certainly miss you...For the original post and photos, visit edeats.blogspot.com continue reading