New life has been breathed into the 35-year-old The Mistral at the InterContinental Grand Stanford by celebrity chef Theo Randall. The Briton mentored Jamie Oliver and was head chef and partner at The River Café in London for more than 17 years. Randall has taken over the reins and reinvented this beloved Kowloon eatery as Theo Mistral, which serves simple, contemporary Italian fare. We started with the sharing board of fresh burrata, prosciutto di Parma, bruschetta di peperonata and roasted asparagus wrapped in speck and olives (HK$328). We also tried fresh crabmeat with Florence fennel, dandelion and Sardinian bottarga (HK$228) and several pizzas (from HK$178 to HK$228).

The handmade pasta filled with slow-cooked veal and pancetta with porcini mushrooms and Parmesan (HK$228) was divine. For mains, we devoured the roasted guinea fowl filled with prosciutto di Parma, lemon zest, thyme and mascarpone on pagnotta bruschetta with porcini and Portobello mushrooms (HK$348). And for something sweet, the favourite was the amalfi lemon tart (HK$98), but the pannacotta con grappa was good as well (HK$98). The torta di mele (HK$98) – a sweet pastry of apples, sultanas with roasted almond ice cream – didn’t wow. As we were leaving, an elderly couple, who have been regulars here for more than 20 years, were beaming with delight and said how much they loved the menu. I must admit, I totally agree with them.