Castello Restaurant (Closed)

Catchup night with one of my best friends in uni, we first grabbed a drink at a bar somewhere nearby, and was  wandering around the street.Passing by this restaurant, we were attracted by its Dinner Set Menu and decided to give it a try though there was quite inside. The chief Marco gave us a big warm welcome.Ciao! taste of Italy, sweet.Two glasses of red house with a plate of cheese were first served on the house. Drinkable wine, really good cheese and such a warmth, lovely.We ordered a Chicken Carbonara and a Pork as the main course.Authentic dish as we had tried in Italy. Specially good bacon as recommended by Marco.The pork is well cooked, tendered and juicy.Not a fancy or chic place but a truly warm and  lovely place, will definitely pay it a visit again soon.  continue reading

I was at Castello Restaurant ("Castello") with six other high school friends for a reunion dinner a few days ago.  In fact, a few of us have visited this restaurant separately before and we all loved the cozy atmosphere and the food they served, hence we made a booking to Castello this time round to ensure we could have our seats on a Thursday night.Despite Castello being known for it's paleo and gluten free available options, I came here genuinely because having a meal here brings back my memories of being in the heart of Italy, Rome (without the costly plane tickets).  With Chef Marco and his family operating and managing this Italian restaurant, I taste through the food and the service, genuine and traditional Italian cooking - none of the delicate fine dining decoration but "true" Italian cuisine - it really means something when you actually see regular Italian visitors - so, you know where to have your business lunch or dinner with an Italian boss, client, colleague or friend.The food is simply amazing and in a relatively generous portion, this is what we ordered:APPETISERS1. Prosciutto & Mozzarella (HK$178)For meat lovers, this was a very satisying appetiser because it came with a basket of bread and the portion of freshly sliced prosciutto ham and the huge ball of mozarella was enough for 7 of us to have second or third small servings.2. Burrata e Rughetta (HK$178)Chef Marco explained to us that Burrata was a premium and top notch mozarella cheese and that not many Italian restaurants in Hong Kong serve this because it is more expensive than normal mozarella.  In my opinion, there is a big difference because the milky taste is so much stronger and the texture was extremely creamy and soft. MEAT & WINE3. Flank Steak Salad (HK$580)The huge piece of steak that was delivered directly from Italy (two times a week) was one of the highlight of the meal.  It was cooked perfectly to medium rare and this meat was ever so tender and juicy!  I also loved how it came with a generous amount of raw baby spinach leaves, sliced green apples, sliced white champignon mushrooms and thin garlic slices, I would come back even just for this.4. "La Moscheta" Italian Red Wine (Approx. HK$200 - HK$350 per bottle shared amongst 7 light drinkers)Being a not-so-heavy drinker and someone who preferred a sweet fruity taste to any kind of alcohol, Chef Marco recommended this bottle.  I have to say, this is by far one of my favourite red wines I have ever tasted because it was a pleasure to drink - none of that strong alcoholic sting in my throat.  A good choice for those who don't regularly consume wine, but would like to have some wine with your dinner.RISOTTO/PASTA5. Spicy 'Nduja' Italian Sausage Risotto (HK$238)This is by far my favourite risotto in the whole universe and only Castello serves this in Hong Kong as of today. "Nduja" (Ng Du Ya) is the name of the spicy sausage, which, before being cooked, is in a raw form stuffed with spicy marinated minced pork meat. This risotto tastes creamy and slightly spicy, with the flavour tasting a bit like tabasco to the nearest description I can find, but it doesn't matter because EVERY mouthful bursts with flavour.6. Risotto Mushroom & Truffle (HK$238)For non-spicy takers, my next best bet in being a well-loved risotto would be this one.  The flavour is strong in truffle taste and with a generous amount of mushrooms, slightly creamy textured and a very satisfying meal on its own.7. Rigatoni Amatriciana (HK$188) GLUTEN FREE PASTA OPTION AVAILABLEDo not expect to see main stream pasta dishes like Carbonara, Meatball Spaghetti or Baked Bolegnaise at Castello because it truly serves traditional Italian cuisine.  Many Italians would indulge in this pasta, Rigatoni pasta that is shaped like a thick macaroni, cooked al dente and covered in a tomato sauce simmered in red wine and premium Italian ham.  The ham is on the fatty side, but the texture is amazingly good, slightly chewy and very tasty indeed!PIZZA8. Marco Aurelio Pizza (Mushroom & Truffle Pizza) (HK$200) + Gladiatore Pizza (Parma Ham & Rocket Salad Pizza) (HK$200) - GLUTEN FREE PIZZA BASE OPTION AVAILABLEThe choice of topping was great for both of the pizzas (Sorry, we dived into the pizza and did not take any photos for them!) and the crust was chewy, soft and thin - the way I like it to be done.  Nevertheless, I like how the down to earth atmosphere runs into the food as one of our friends wanted a crunchy pizza, we asked the chefs to bake it till it is crunchy, the fact that the food can be cooked to our personal preference really deserves a word of appreciation.DESSERT9. Tiramisu (HK$78)Last but not least, the infamous Castello tiramisu marked a perfect end to our dinner.  Almost every table ordered this rich and creamy goodness served in a posh martini glass with several layers of ladies fingers dipped in coffee.  With simply the way the tiramisu was served, you can immediately tell how much passion and consideration that is placed in preparing our dishes - in order to keep the dining experience of the tiramisu 'fresh', the chefs layer the tiramisu everytime just before serving, so that it keeps the ladies finger biscuits from being utterly soggy-soaked.    continue reading

Being a health enthusiast foodie, I couldn’t be more excited to try some healthy food at Castello, the first paleo Italian restaurant located at the heart of Soho, using only fresh ingredients imported directly from Italy twice a week. Paleo diet, a.k.a caveman diet, is not a weigh-loss diet, it its an disease diet. The healthiest way you can eat because it is not only nutritional approach that works with your genetics to help you stay lean, strong and energy, while our modern diet full of refined food, trans fat and sugar that is leading to lots of common disease. Prosciutto e Mozzarela ($178)One of the most traditional appetiser to have at any Italian restaurant. The giant piece of buffalo mozzarella tasted fresh with a runny centre, while the 24 months aged parma ham were thinly sliced. The savouriness from the ham blanked out the light and creamy mozzarella with a rich dairy taste.If you fancy olive oil, don’t be shy to go crazy pouring a generous amount of olive oil to go with your mozzarella, I can guaranteed the high milk content cheese is going to taste even creamier and fresher. Vitella Funghi e Tartufi ($248)At Castello, all steak are grass-fed, which means paleo-friendly. They are flown chilled, but not frozen, from Italy and sourced from cows fed only fresh grass and man-made artificial gran based feed. As a truffle lover, we could smell the aromatic truffle from the kitchen. The truffle cream sauce was cooked with mushroom and fresh rosemary, a perfect match with the cooked veal. We really enjoyed the cream based truffle sauce so we used almost the whole bread basket to do some sauce dipping actions. p.s. if you like rare meat, make sure you ask for it beforehand otherwise the restaurant likes to cook their veal more thoroughly. Risotto ’Nduja Italian Sausage ($248)For Pizza and Risotto, gluten free option is also available for a small additional charge. We are not allergic to gluten so we just went for the normal one. Since risotto is Castello’s signature dish, we have order this risotto which used to be on the special menu, it was then moved on to the regular menu because it was too popular from a lot of customers. With no disappointment, it was one of the most unique risottos I have ever had. The al dente risotto was cooked with zucchini, Italian sausage and 'Nduja (special spicy spreadable salami from Calabria). We liked it because of its distinctive taste and its texture was not too heavy and cheesy compared to many other risottos out there. It tasted indeed local and Italianal. You know what? Chef Macro revealed that it was one of his mum’s signature dishes! No wonder we couldn’t find this dish in anywhere else! Tiramisu ($78)The whole dessert used pure Italian ingredients from the egg, mascarpone cheese, ladies fingers, to even a shot of espresso. The tiramisu looked a bit different from normal ones because they used Italian egg yolk which is a lot more yellowish compared to those ones in Hong Kong. Complementary gluten free version is also available upon request. Be aware that this dessert is quite dense and it’s very satisfying even it is served in a cocktail glass instead of scrapping from a big dish. A sweet end draws a beautiful full stop to a lovely meal on the ground floor of Soho, overseeing the westernised buzzing party district! Last but not least, don’t forget to order a nice cup of Italian coffee to ease your digestion by boosting your metabolism after a satisfying yet nutritious paleo meal. Soho area is full of quality Italian restaurant, Castello would be a great choice for you if you are living on a paleo diet or if you are allergic gluten. This place is reasonably price while the portion sizes are very generous for its price. So, do come and give it a go to try how paleo taste like! continue reading

Castellos is a relatively new Italian restaurant on Elgin St in Soho. They offer paleo meal options for the health conscious and also gluten free pizza and pasta for coeliacs or gluten-intolerant customers. Of course regular pasta and pizza is avaulable too should you be blessed with a balanced immune system ;) However, as I am gluten intolerant this was a huge draw for me, and I was hopeful that the restaurant could live up to my high expectations.I'm so pleased to say that it went above and beyond what I could have hoped for! I dined with my mother, and we were seated immediately by the very friendly and warm Marco (who is also the head chef). He gave us the low down on the menu, and was incredibly helpful in answering all of our questions concerning my dietary restrictions.We started with the spinach & apple salad with a side of grilled veggies. The spinach leaves were fresh and crisp, topped with crunchy slivers of a deliciously tart granny smith apple, and a healthy sprinkling of crumbled pistachio. It's dressed lightly with vinegar and olive oil and was complimented nicely by the warm and perfectly grilled veggies. Both dishes were delicious and fresh. We also had two glasses of red wine (can't recall the name) and it was a really lovely & full bodied wine. Next came our mains -- pizza!! I ordered the Nerone (a spicy tomato with mozzarella) & my mother had the gladiatore (mozzarella, fresh rocket, mushrooms, and a very generous amount of parma ham) she was kind enough to order a gluten free base with me so we could share. And let me tell you, this pizza is DIVINE. The base is thin & crispy on the edges, but still chewy and with a nice consistancy throughout. The flavours were all perfectly married, and I savourd every bite as I slowly and meticulously devoured the entire (large!!) pizza. I can't say enough about how delicious it was. You'll have to go and taste it for yourself. With gluten-free pizzas tasting this amazing, I can only imagine the regular bases are incredible as well. Finally we ended our meal by sharing the Tiramisu, which was a creamy, velvety-rich, and absolutely gorgeous dessert. I was completely full and satisfied by the end of the meal, and would have licked my pizza plate and tiramisu glass clean if I was certain no one would see me. If you haven't been here yet, I strongly urge you to check it out. Wonderful Italian food with great service and a nice relaxing atmosphere. I've already been back twice since, and know this place will be a staple for me from now on. Whether you are gluten-free, paleo, or just love to eat, if you eat here you'll be in good hands. continue reading

古生物飲食是什麼，其實我也不了解，只知道原始人是茹毛飲血的，之後他們學曉了用火，而飲食文化就是這樣一直演變成現在的「火之藝術」。早前與友人來到了一間祟尚PALEO DIET的餐廳，其中有一幅大黑板正正畫了一個流程表，可是可能我太蠢，實在不能理解。餐牌上也有解釋何謂古生物飲食，詮釋就留待大家去感受了。雖然我很蠢，但我的味覺還是正常的，而且追求美食的心卻仍然存在。先由頭盤去感受一下什麼是古生物飲食。【Burrata e Rughetta】以新鮮的Buffalo Burrata、火箭菜及車厘茄組成，是十分常見的前菜組合，淋點油醋就已經很清新自然了。另一碟【Asparagus and Parma Ham】則是以24個月的巴馬火腿伴以清爽的露筍來吃，清甜爽脆的露筍與帶咸香的火腿真是Good Match，不溫不火，是很好的開胃菜。最後的一碟是【Italian Style Stuffed Bell Pepper】，是三款之中最濃味的，將牛肉、洋蔥、蕃茄及蒜等的材料釀入紅椒內，份外惹味，而紅椒的清甜正好中和了餡料的濃度，合襯度爆燈，值得一試。其實意大利飲食文化與中國飲食文化有著不同的方向，連上菜的次序也是。中國就會將炒粉麵飯放在甜品前主菜後，可是意大利卻相反，放在主菜甜品前。這道【Risotto Mushroom and Tuffle】就用上很多不同的菇菌來製作，那香噴噴的氣味當然來自黑松露，除了在烹調時加入，還在上菜前刨上新鮮的松露來增加香味。在質感方面，我會以爽口來形容，因為實則上材料與米的比例可能在3:2之比，每一口都是菇菌香，不過意大飯都煮得好好，帶點煙靱，喜歡Mushroom Risotto的朋友定必喜歡。然而亦發現了每間意大利都會有他們獨特的意大利腸製法，所以也點了來試一下水準。【Italian Sausage】不知是不是用上豬肉拼牛肉來做，肉質結實，富咸香，不過最惹味的還是放在上面的配料，是意式的蕃茄口味，越吃越滋味。身為牛魔皇的我最期待的就是【La Tagliata】，這兒的做法相當健康，第一啖放入口時，完全感覺不到有加任何調味，細問之下才知道，他們的做法是不加任何調味，皆因用上的意大利牛肉肉味是非常濃厚的，祟尚原汁原味。雖然沒有調味，但烤得卻不錯。我會選擇加點海鹽來提味，肉味是很香濃的，質地方面卻有點嚼感卻不失柔嫩，加上旁邊的配菜，整體是不錯的。甜品經侍者的推介下點了【Tiramisu】，他們解釋是即叫即做的，所以質感非常軟滑，酒味亦相當香濃，而且有著脆口的感覺，是非試不可的佳品。來到最後，我仍然不能理解什麼是古生物飲食，但從另一方面感到這間餐廳祟尚自然，調味下得輕手，口味相對地清淡，難道少鹽少油少糖的解法就是古生物飲食的真諦？ continue reading