Now open in Hong Kong’s Central district, Spiga marries contemporary Italian dining with design inspired by the cinematic splendour of 1950s Italy.
Widely seen as one of Italy’s most talented chefs, Michelin star Enrico Bartolini offers a taste of Italy in its purest form at Spiga.
“Spiga is a representation of today’s Italy. I am passionate about the contemporary tastes, style and presentation of Italian dining, in its most authentic form, and that is what we are serving our guests at Spiga. We want to share with Hong Kong a taste of what Italians are eating today in Italy,” says Bartolini.
With three restaurants in Italy and four Michelin stars to his name, this is chef Bartolini’s first restaurant outside of his homeland.
Born in Tuscany but heavily influenced by the North East, Bartolini perfectly merges the cooking styles found around Italy to create top-notch contemporary classic cuisine.
Step into the cinematic splendour of 1950s Italy with Joyce Wang Studio’s inspired interior design. Full of Italian charm, the space is creatively sectioned into distinct settings, giving a feel of intimacy and exclusivity, further enhanced by dramatic lighting fixtures and hand selected antique collectables. It’s a destination for drinks at the bar/lounge or lavish meals in the restaurant and private rooms. Or to kick back in style on the outdoor terrace, Portico. To fully experience Spiga, chef Bartolini’s five-course tasting menu, the same menu that is presented in his restaurants in Italy, brings guests on a journey of modern Italian cuisine. The meal starts with Soft Potato with Capers, salmon roe and lemon zabayon sauce before moving on to Lime-stuffed Bottoni with tenderly roasted octopus and a house-made cacciucco Fish Sauce. Next, is one of chef Bartolini’s most famous dishes, Risotto with Beetroot and a creamy gorgonzola cheese sauce, which showcases the chef’s passion for creating traditional dishes with innovative techniques. Taking a heartier turn, guests can savour the Crunchy Beef Cheek with crispy roasted potatoes and a tangy Dijon mustard millefuille. The menu is available for the entire table for per person.
A la carte diners are encouraged to order an Entrate to share or enjoy individually as a chance to whet the appetite for the dishes to follow. The Sicilian Red Prawn cooked with a crispy fried underbelly served with drops of a Tamarind dipping sauce is a prime example of how chef Bartolini takes classic recipes and flavours and improves them with an innovative cooking technique. Often breaded and fried, this dish is instead left simply half-fried without any batter, offering a unique mix of textures and a sweeter prawn flavour. It’s simple and flavourful as with many of Chef Bartolini’s dishes.
In keeping with traditional Italian cuisine, Spiga makes fresh pasta each day to ensure a high level of quality and flavour. For the Primi first course, diners have the option to choose a risotto, ravioli, tagliatelle, or linguini. Then whether the pasta is fresh, dry, thin or thick style, Bartolini tops it with quality ingredients that bring out all of the flavours of the dish. Spiga’s signature pasta is Parmesan Risotto served with seared cuttlefish and pesto sauce made with Basil imported from Piedmont. The presentation and preparation of the dish showcases chef’s strong attention to details and contemporary play on an authentic dish. The fresh Italian ingredients and lightly seared cuttlefish are meticulously arranged on the plate in an art-splatter and presented tableside for the ingredients to be acknowledged before a dollop of hot risotto is carefully spooned over the masterpiece.
Secondi main portions include Grilled Black Angus Tenderloin with Pototoes Millefuille and Crudaiola sauce; a true Osso Buco from Lombardy and a carefully Roasted Chicken marinated with chilli, garlic, mustard and rosemary and bell peppers served with colourful roasted vegetables, a testament to the chef’s aim to bring high quality, comfort food to Spiga. Italians take comfort food very seriously, at Spiga there’s a selection of housemade Napolitano red sauce or a white sauce pizzas to be enjoyed as an appetizer for large groups or as a leisurely main course after a couple of appetizers. Pair a Secondi or a pizza with one of Spiga’s 350 wines to be recommended by the in-house Sommelier Maurizio Severgnini.
Favourite desserts at Spiga include a traditional Tiramisu ; a Soft Crème Brûlée with cherries, meringues and iced blueberries; a Lemon Curd Tart with raspberries and almonds; and Cream Puffs filled with vanilla cream and strawberries. A signature is the rich Chocolate Foam that presents as a ganache yet, has a soft billowy texture and is chicly served with a house-made hazelnut ice cream placed across the centre of the foam.
With a semi-buffet lunch including nine a la carte items, Spiga is ideal for central business meetings when time is tight.
