The Truffle Shuffle

Ladies and gentlemen, a fungal outbreak has once again hit Hong Kong—but don’t worry, this one is tasty and luxurious: the Alba white truffle. Known for their exorbitant price and pungent taste, white truffles are praised as “the diamonds of the kitchen,” and larger samples have been known to fetch millions of dollars at auctions. The white truffle market in Hong Kong is rapidly expanding, thanks to a growing number of hedonists and gourmands who enjoy fine dining in French and Italian restaurants. According to truffle connoisseur, Antoine Piccolo, General Manager of Gourmet en Provence, “The best white truffles can only be found in a particular region in Italy because of the natural environment: the trees, the soil, the bacteria and the weather. All these factors allow for white truffles to grow.” Farmers in the Piedmont region typically use pigs (aptly named truffle pigs), which have the innate ability to seek out this prized delicacy. Nowadays, though, they choose to train dogs instead as dogs are more efficient and won’t eat the truffles once they find them.

So, what’s the best way to savor this little, ridiculously pricey mushroom? “Many chefs believe that the white truffle should not be cooked. They simply need to be cleaned perfectly and, using a special tool called the truffle shaver, shaved on top of any dish. Just like the way you put parmesan cheese or salt and pepper on top of your food,” Piccolo says.

Le 188° Restaurant & Lounge
Surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, Le 188° Restaurant & Lounge is nestled at the very top of the Harbor Grand Hong Kong Hotel. With a romantic ambience and an intimate environment, the restaurant offers a 188-degree view of the harbor. Chef Jeno will showcase his truffle favorites with a supporting cast of organic eggs, homemade white truffle linguine, ravioli and giant scallops.
Harbor Grand Hong Kong, 23 Oil St., North Point, 2121-2693

St. George
Hullett House’s signature fine dining
restaurant, St. George, serves British-inspired fine European cuisine in a refined setting. From October 25th to the end of November, the restaurant welcomes the Alba white truffle with nine delectable dishes. Designed by Chef Philippe Orrico, the menu is approached in two distinctive fashions: the traditional, classical way and the creative, modern way. We particularly like the looks of the risotto carnoroli with alba white truffle and the apple with cinnamon and squid with alba white truffle. All truffle dishes start at a hefty $368, plus a 10 percent service charge.
Hullett House, 2A Canton Rd., Tsim Tsa Tsui, 3988-0220

WHISK
Singaporean master Chef Justin Quek has returned to the WHISK kitchen for a five-day stint to cook up a white truffle storm for guests from October 13 to October 17. Back from his annual gastronomic pilgrimage to Alba, Chef Justin brings back only the finest truffles to pair with his light contemporary European dishes. Chef Justin will be serving up some tempting morsels with his mouth-watering menu, such as the egg royale with goose foie gras and white truffle as well as tagliatelle in white truffle cream with white truffle shavings. The price tag will also impress at a whopping $1,380 with a ten percent service charge.
5/F, The Mira Hong Kong, 118 Nathan Rd., Tsim Tsa Tsui, 2315-5999

Domani
Capturing the essence of northeastern coastal Italian cuisine, Domani celebrates the white truffle’s origins with their exceptional menu that includes innovative white truffle dishes such as the risotto allo zafferano con crudité di scampi (a saffron risotto with raw scampi, $160). The biggest gourmet indulgence they have on offer is the quail breast stuffed with stewed prunes, 24-month aged parmigiano reggiano fondue, maderia sauce and honey, $240.
4/F, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, 2111-1197