Observing Riccardo Catarsi, head chef of Nicholini’s, Conrad Hong Kong, in the kitchen is like watching a true master at work. With culinary connoisseurship clearly the building blocks of his DNA, the kitchen is his world. And, given his eclectic embrace of all the very finest internationally-sourced ingredients, it is equally fair to say, the world is very much his kitchen.
A native of Tuscany, Chef Riccardo Catarsi was a keen student of the region’s enviable culinary heritage, although he quickly learnt to supplement it with a contemporary twist that was quite his own. Today, he sums up his approach to producing the singularly appetising fare, for which he is rightly renowned, as “steeped in the past, while looking to the future”.
While the theory sounds great, can it weather a true-life taste-test? Thankfully, the answer here is most definitely in the affirmative. Indeed, exhibits A-E in our hastily-convened court of culinary contemplation came courtesy of the seasonal Five-course White Truffles Tasting Menu.
From the very first serving – Lobster with Mediterranean radish, celery root and white truffle – the breadth and depth of the chef’s ambition became more than apparent. The succulent pieces of Boston lobster, slow-cooked in butter, were ably counter-pointed by the crunchy radish and the smooth mashed potato – all coalescing into a satisfying whole, thanks to a unifying dollop or two of lobster bisque.
Should further proof have been required, this was certainly furnished by the second serving – Wagyu carpaccio, pan-seared foie gras with chanterelle mushroom and white truffle. All in all, a sumptuous sequel, with the three gourmand-gratifying components all competing for top billing, but losing out to a tactically-cunning cameo from the ever-wondrous white truffles.
With our palates still reeling from strikes one and two, Riccardo Catarsi remained relentless, with Tortelli with ox tail, porcini mushrooms, red wine sauce and white truffle soon table-bound. A Tuscan stuffed-pasta dish par excellence, here the Euro guru was clearly on home turf, with his self-confidence goading him into a wanton flourish with the addition of a slightly-sweet red wine sauce. Was it a garnish too far and the sole own goal of the night? Of course not – in fact, it was the perfect counterbalance to the savoury, melt-in-the-mouth tortellis.
If the entrées hadn’t sufficed to dismiss any putative case of unfine foodiness, then either of the main courses would have seen all the jurors dispatched homewards, Signor Catarsi cleared of all charges and awarded costs against any culinary critic who had ever doubted his memorable meal-making mettle. Indeed, the Vitello, brussel sprouts, mixed wild mushrooms, Tuscan pork cheek and white truffle alone would have been enough to clear the court, with the fore-fronted fungi formidably enhancing the appeal of the pork-veal combo with its appetite-arousing aroma.
It was the alternate main course – Monkfish, Parma ham, chard, pumpkin and white truffle – that, however, proved to be the most exquisitely-executed dish of the evening. The fish, first slow-cooked and then wrapped in culatello Parma ham, was pan-fried to perfection to seal its savoury succour.
The end result was a mighty morsel of monkfish, decadently draped in a subtly-sweet, truffle-infused sauce – a truly incredible culinary creation. Our only regret with regard to this devastatingly delicious dish – and one that could equally apply to every single serving, if not the entirety of the evening – was that it was gone all too soon. That, though, ladies and gentlefolk, is reason enough for repeat bookings till the end of December, when the white truffle season officially draws to a close.
Nicholini’s
Level 8, Conrad Hong Kong
Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2822 8801
www.conraddining.com
Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay