Ninetta Hong Kong

@ninetta.hk isn’t really about a doting nonna so much as the idea of one: a beloved matriarch with a rich story to tell and far too much food to share.

It’s a familiar conceit in the current wave of nostalgia-minded trattorias, where you’ll find veal chops and stuffed whole chickens on ornate silver platters, with thick drapes and flowered carpets to match. But if this Ninetta were personified, she’d be a little spunkier, with a healthy fetish for antique wall art and a flair for preparing said veal chop whose crust survives under a layer of molten provola and pink, salty ribbons of mortadella. You’ll find this and other terrific dishes like it on the 3rd floor of a Ginza-style commercial building on Wellington Street, in Hong Kong.

By Monday night, the conceit becomes clearer under the trained hands of the chef Marco Xodo (ex Testina), with Antimo Maria Merone (Estro) among its co-founders. You may find athleisure-clad aunties bent over a plate of braised baby octopus and a bottle of Etna Rosso, or families inducting their worldly children into pork neck and zucchini skewers. But the more adventurous among them should consider offal via Xodo’s yellow-chicken ragu, which embraces all the parts — heart, gizzard, comb — caught in broad folds of pappardelle. Or sweet peas, dotted in and around hand-folded tortellini and cream, which arrive in a tall porcelain tureen.

There’s a tableside braid of mozzarella, as satisfyingly thick as the torso of Michelin Man, and a textbook tonnato, where the veal is rosy and tender and the tuna sauce velvety, but when I return — reservations permitting — I’ll supplement the milanese and pappardelle with the lasagne terrine, handsomely crisped at the edges, and Ninetta’s excellent desserts. My favourite among them is the pistachio cake, almost weightless, in a sabayon that pushes the pistachio from sweet toward roasted and faintly smoky.

For all the looking backward, Ninetta feels remarkably alive. Thanks @theforksandspoons852 for paving the way. Less

Famiglia nights hit different at Ninetta 🇮🇹

Just checked out @ninetta.hk - the hottest new Italian trattoria by @chefxodo, @antimo_maria_merone and @grazdegreg! Together, they have created a restaurant that celebrates the very best of Italian culture: family, generosity, simplicity and seriously good food. The a la carte menu has a total of 32 dishes spanning from light antipasti to handmade pastas, hearty mains and classic desserts. Favorites included the veal tongue bun, orange carpaccio, veal tonnato, homemade pappardelle, lasagna terrine, pork skewers, and veal chop Milanese.

Come for the pasta, stay for the nonna-level love ❤️

What we tried:

Beef Tartare
Hand-cut Fassona beef, marinated egg yolk, watercress

Veal Tounge Bun
Rocket salad, salsa verde

Mozzarella Braid
From Campania, ox heart tomatoes, Taggiasca olives

Orange Carpaccio
Thinly sliced orange, sweet & sour dressing, spanish anchovies

Veal Tonnato
Slow-cooked veal, tuna sauce, capers, veal jus

Lasagna Terrine
Ragù Bolognese, béchamel sauce, parmesan

Home-made Pappardelle
Yellow chicken ragù with heart, gizzard and comb

Paccheri
Whole Boston lobster, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, chili

Tortellini hand-folded
Smoked artisan ham, sweet peas, cream

Veal Chop Milanese
Mortadella and melted provola cheese

Ma Yau Fish
Whole seared, acqua pazza sauce, clams, mussel jus

Pork Skewers
Grilled Spanish pork neck, leeks, “scapece” zucchini

Pistachio Cake
Pistachio sabayon

Pannacotta
Fresh cherry, cherry purée, candied lemon

Ninetta Tiramisu
Hazelnut, coffee, crispy crépes
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Ninetta
Central, Hong Kong
#supermelHK #supermelCentral Less