Where to get the best black truffle dishes in Hong Kong

Marking its 10th anniversary this year, 208 Duecento Otto is launching a range of special menus, one of which is a decadent black winter truffle menu. Flown in weekly from Langhe, the premium black truffle is used for 208’s Hokkaido scallop carpaccio and green asparagus salad ($448), as well as for the homemade pappardelle pasta with lamb ragout and morels ($468), and the fontina and buffalo mozzarella pizza ($448). Each of these dishes features ten whole grams of black truffle, but if that isn’t enough for you truffle lovers, you can order additional shavings ($65/gram) for the ultimate truffle galore.

It’s hard not to mention truffles when it comes to Artisan de la Truffe. For one, it's in the name! But also they source some of the best black (and white) truffles from Europe all year round. Using the seasonal selections, which include the Périgord black truffle, Brumale truffle, and the Burgundy truffle, chef Manful Lee and his team are currently serving a weekend brunch menu (from $398/person), with a luxurious 1.5-hour free-flow champagne and wines available for an extra $200/person. Or dig into the all-day breakfast, which features breakfast classics alongside truffle ham and truffle chips. You can also spruce up your afternoon tea and dinner with the tasting menu (from $788/person for four courses; from $988/person for six courses). Expect a rich Porcini mushroom soup, risotto with sea urchin sauce, a chargrilled Australian M6 sirloin steak, and more – all dressed with fresh, fragrant truffle shavings.

Until mid/end of March, Castellana is offering a Périgord black truffle menu. Native to Southern Europe, this particular species of black truffle carries a powerful aroma of undergrowth, strawberries, and dried fruit with a hint of cocoa in their fruiting bodies. Five grams of this fungi are used in every dish of the winter menu ($1,480 for four courses; $1,980 for seven courses), and you can add more shavings for an extra $58/gram. The meal starts with tonno rosso, a flambe of marinated Japanese tuna, served with herbs sauce and bottarga-style beetroot. This is followed by a nourishing brodo ‘au plin’, which is a winter cabbage broth with small agnolotti pasta stuffed with Wagyu beef, grana Padano cheese, and hazelnuts. One of the main course options includes the astice blu mare (Brittany blue lobster), cooked with butter and served with purple cabbage, leek cream, and smoked potatoes. To finish, try the tartufo gelato, a Tuscan ice-cream infused with 75 percent dark chocolate and Périgord black truffle. If you would like some Piedmont wine to accompany the food, pairings are available for an extra $800.

The DiVino restaurant group is back with more truffle this season. Following the success of their white Alba truffle menu at the end of 2020, DiVino is using the finest tartufo nero from Norcia for a series of dishes (available until March 31). At Spasso, you can try the crown of diver scallops ($188) marinated with Sorrento lemons and served with baby cress and winter black truffles. Exclusively available at DiVino Patio, the blanc d’aquitaine veal tartare ($168) is served with a beetroot salad and black truffle, while carnivores can opt for black Angus beef carpaccio ($248) topped with a cream of slow-cooked egg, mâche salad and black truffle petals at DiVino Wine Bar & Restaurant. If fresh shavings aren’t enough to satisfy your cravings, you can purchase an entire truffle nugget to share between the table. But for a well-rounded gastronomic experience, order the degustation wine flight ($550) which they have made into a fun blind tasting with a prize to be won, and paired it with black truffle dishes including an 18 month-old carnaroli risotto creamed with burrata and topped winter black truffle, among other dishes.

Cosy Italian joint LucAle in Sai Ying Pun is offering their truffle menu until the end of March this year and showcases black truffle from Alba including the raviolo gigante ($408), which is, as you've probably guessed, a supersized ricotta-stuffed ravioli with mascarpone and egg yolk, topped with black truffle and green pea cream sauce. The filetto di manzo alla Rossini ($588) is an equally hearty dish, with beef tenderloin, buttery foie gras, spinach, and black truffle. The classic beef tartare ($388) is also a highlight as it gets an Italian twist with the addition of crema di gorgonzola, hazelnuts, and blueberry.

With a Michelin star under their belt again this year and the launch of their seasonal black truffle menu, Octavium is starting 2021 with a bang. Take your pick from the six a-la-carte dishes, such as the Japanese egg with black truffle glace, toast with culatello ham and caciocavallo ($380), or the tagliolini with black truffle and parmesan ($380). Alternatively, you can opt for the four-course degustation menu ($1,188/person; additional $620 for wine pairings), which spotlights the Wagyu beef with Japanese pumpkin and black truffle, alongside a red wine from Lombardy (Togni Rebaioli ‘1703’ Nebbiolo, 2018). If you’d like to match fresh black truffle with your food, you can add it to any dish of your choice on the lunch menu (from $460/person) for an extra $280/dish.

The winter season delicacy menu at Sabatini in the Royal Garden hotel features several black truffle dishes, perfectly showcasing the versatility of this prized ingredient. Dishes include appetisers like mushroom and chestnut soup with parmesan cheese cookies and winter black truffle ($228) to mains such as bigoli pasta with artichoke, sausage, and winter black truffle ($408), and roasted duck breast with duck liver, pumpkin puree, treviso endives, and winter black truffle ($588). To savour all the above items and more, opt for the tasting menu ($1,488/person) with a wine pairing for an additional $400.

Enjoying black truffle doesn’t always have to hit the four dollar sign ($$$$) – at least not when it comes to The Coffee Academics' Wagyu sando ($188) which comes with shaved black truffle. Accompanied by an onsen egg and grilled buttery buns, this item is only one of the many new favourites on the revamped food menu that celebrates the opening of yet another branch of Coffee Academics in Tsim Sha Tsui. Enjoy the sandos at this glamping and hortology-inspired outlet, and don’t forget to bask in the outdoor terrace with a signature coffee in hand.