Whenever I’m in need of esoteric Italian ingredients that I can’t find at supermarkets, I look the website, buonissimo.hk. Want white truffles from Alba? They have them. You need to order them seven to 10 days in advance, and they’re a hefty HK$3,105 for 50 grams (HK$3,750 if you want a certificate guaranteeing their origin), but then again, these are never going to be cheap. Fresh Italian porcini - another seasonal item - are also available.

I’m especially enamoured of their cheese and preserved meats selection. The former includes burrata, taleggio, smoked mozzarella and testun al Barolo (cheese covered with pressed nebbiolo grapes which were used to make Barolo wines). The preserved meats section includes ‘nduja, lardo, guanciale and culatello. They also sell other hard-to-find ingredients such as Fiorentina beef, dried capers, caper leaves in extra-virgin olive oil and colatura di alici (anchovy sauce).