Walking in from the modern furnished hotel, you would be surprised to feel a sudden and total change of mood.
You are greeted by a rustic scene of mediterranean cellar style...

We greatly enjoyed our lunch at Sabatini. However, many business men during lunch section.Starter with pama ham with melon (My favorite), parmigiano reggianoRisotto with spinach and chorizo sausage, delicious!The blueberry dessert is highly recommended. Service was professional but friendly (the perfect combination). All waiters served with smiles and professional introduction on the menu.

Tiramisu were all gone when we ordered. Our facial expression triggered a special little gift - Tiramisu in tube - from other section of the hotel.

Loved Sabatini... This was my second visit and will for sure go again.

Coffee is not that good....This was the only disappointment.

Well, this is the fifth time i visited this restaurant. and every time, i was impressed by the high-quality services and food there.
though a lunch set costs about 300, the delectable dishes and the heartwarming services made it worthwhile.

Every dish is a slice from heaven. if u visit sabatini, ur taste bud will experience the finest italian dishes that u can find in HK.
the spaghetti is fa-bu-lous. I love the linguine there and it was one of the best dishes that i have ever savoured in my whole life.
the coffee there is breathtaking. the desserts are mouth-watering and extremely yummy. the napoleon is a must-try
the waiters there are well-trained, handsome and polite which are the qualities that most waiters in HK are lacking.
the atmosphere is brilliant. suitable for couples and lovers.

For the final verdict, Nero style, go to SUMMARY.

THE MISSION

Celebrating my wife's birthday, with good, decent, tasty, honest food. Price was not so much of a factor, as compared to Italy, we knew it would be overpriced anyway. After visiting several Italian restaurants in HK, my expectations were not that high, definitely not hard to meet.

STYLE OF REVIEW
Honest, but learning along the way. This is my first OpenRice food review. I will need to develop my standards of review and style alon the way.

THE EXECUTION
No one got executed (yet), but should anyone have been?! E.g. the chef?

THE PROLOGUE
We had zero (id est 0) waiting time. This was due to the fact that we reserved and were early. We had a good table, due to the reservation and my wife's skills in pre-figuring the best table. So a big hug for zero waiting time But were we (not) waiting for the right thing?

We were given enough time to make our choice regarding food and wine, without someone breathing over our shoulder. A bonus point maybe?

The wine menu was like Harry Potter, many pages, hard to get to the core. It was not easy to handle, not even for someone who visits the gym regularly. Forget about that bonus point and more about the wine later.

We were amused by some bread with various spreads, all OK style, nothing memorable. Cheap entertainment, bread and games.

We did get our first glimpses of From Dusk To Dawn, when the clock strikes 12: the "singing".

We came for the food, so let's focus on that.

THE CORE ESSENCE - THE HEART OF THE MATTER

I am trying hard to remember my starter. In other words, it was not very memorable. It is only a few days ago. I still clearly remember my meals in Italy last January. So it is not Alzheimer. The price here at SSabatini was about 2 sets for two persons of HK style food. I expected something reasonably tasty, honest. Did I get that?

My first choice, the ox tongue was not available. Had the world just been hit by an ox tongue disaster?

THE STARTER
With the lack of any interesting choices, I went for a "safe" choice, the slowly cooked salmon. I do not care how it is cooked, salmon hardly needs any cooking. Slowly cooked gave me the impression that there would be more taste or anything special. Eheu! (Latin exclamation for some kind of disappointment). It was semi-OK, not looking at the price nor description on the menu. It was a piece of non-memorable salmon, nothing more, nothing less, just overpriced and very pretentiously introduced.

My suggestion: focus on taste and honest food, maybe a wider selection. The slightly more adventurous ox-tongue was missed, but I bet it would have been overcooked. Use fresh herbs, good quality cheese etc.

THE MAIN ACT
My next choice was for one of the recommended home made pasta's. Fusilli, with squid. In French Fusilli sounds like execution. It was rather lack of execution. It is a simple dish. To call the fusilli home made would be rather silly, unless the factory is someone's home. With the current and recent recessions, this is unfortunately more and more the case. The reorder test is a very simple home made test, almost like a pregnancy test. It goes like this: Would I order this again? Meter says no. For less than 10% of the price I or any amateur cook would have made it at home, but then tastier.

My suggestion: when you say home made, make it home made. Tend not to overcook or ask the dining guest, your client. It is OK if it is several times a full set diner for two price wise, but not if it is very mediocre.

THE PERIPHERAL ACTIVITY - FOODWISE
I simply love Italian salad, the simplicity, the dressing, the freshness. I was hesitating about going for a meaty main course, the lamb. But then lamb, which can be heavenly when it has this gamy taste and is prepared well in a short time, often disappoints. Eheu again. The safe not easy to mess up choice, the salad, some other Italian salads I had in HK for a fraction of the price.

I am not very big on desert. I would have liked to try out the admittedly a bit boring tiramisu, but it was not on the menu. It would not be very fair to judge on deserts, We had deserts, nothing of great taste. However,

My suggestion: If you want to be an Italian restaurant, why not stock a bit of Vin Santo and Biscotti? Too much home style? Maybe home style cooking need to be reached first before you aim to be a real Italian restaurant.

PERIPHERAL ACTIVITY - BATS (FROM DUSK TILL DAWN)
I had been warned about "singers", grouping to attack tables. If I had been asked and allowed to answer according to my heart, when asked what to play, I'd have solemnly answered: Play dead! To each his own said the farmer and grabbed the pig. I am simply not used to people overly vibrating in non-earthquake territory. My heart goes out to the partner of the female "singer". Violence - as in knocking out - is always wrong, but somehow I almost understand it. Luckily I did not need to make a cross with my fork and knife to keep them from my table.

My suggestion: Probably not entirely ethical. Forced vocal lessons and sessions in the control of body movements?

THE WINE
I was given a big book, about the size of all Harry Pottr or Lord of the Rings books. I am not totally ignorant when it concerns wine. I like to go for a certain taste. That angle was not provided. I could not find anything per glass or carafe either. With high margins on wine and mediocre wine sold at high prices, a missed opportunity I'd say.

My suggestion: introduce some good, honest table wines, per carafe, for decent consumer prices. e.g. half a litre for 180HK$

THE CHEF
The chef came out. That is the third Italian chef I have seen come out in recent weeks. Not to talk to his clients, however. Are they scared? Do they see HK as inferior? Do they feel they would never make it in Rome, exampli gratia? I don't know. In my simple view is about trying to give your clients a good or even special food experience. When we are talking about a 2500+ HK$ meal, there is enough room to achieve that. Pressure should not be that high. The chef never spoke to any client. A confident, happy-with-his-performance-or-product chef would. Maybe a chef who forgot what it is all about.

My suggestion: have the chef walk around, honestly interested, asking the guests about their experience. Hey this place is not that cheap. You'd better deliver!

THE DAMAGE

THE VERDICT - NERO STYLE
The ambiance is not too bad. The food is a let down. Highly overpriced. Staff cares a bit. Chef does not show any care. Don't expect much. Keep your bill low. Save it for real Italian food in Italy (or when chef wakes up).

WHAT TO RECOMMEND
OK atmosphere, when one has scared away the "singers"

WATCH OUT
Apart from "singers", don't make it expensive. Disappointing in taste. A pretentious ripoff with a non-caring chef.

Had heard about this restaurant recently. As we are looking for nice restaurant at TST, I suggest to try this one.The environment is quiet and decent. Decorated like u are in Italy. A candle night dinner began!The waiter lighted up the red candle for our table and asked what drink we wanted. My hus said sparkling water and he served a bottle and 2 glasses with limb immediately as well as bread and menu.My hus asked for the wine list. I was surprised the wine list thick like yellow pages! When I read the menu, I noticed there was a band of 3 philipino, singing songs and play guitar.We ordered salmon with salad, ox soup with cheese, Boston lobster risotto and tomato and olive oil fussili. The salmon has one panfried and two tartar style on top of greens. Portion small but taste refreshing. The lobster was put on plate from the frying pan in front of u and the source was added then but the lobster, rice and source not hot, just warm. Taste not particularly good. But charge $688. Fussili very tasty but portion is small.For desserts, we had their signature cake and tiramisu. Both were impressive! Cappuccino is average. If we come again, I will definitely try desserts!

I went to Sabatini yesterday with my boyfriend to celebrate our first anniversary. I have been to some intalian restaurants and this place is unexpectedly awesome. The foods were tasty and fresh. We've ordered muscles,seafood pasta,lamb chops and seabass with scallop. Surely we did tried a dessert which I dont remember the name. I do recommend people to go but it's pretty expensive.

A few of us celebrated a friend's birthday tonight here. This is an old Hong Kong favorite, which I myself used to like a few years ago. I particularly enjoyed their homemade pastas. However, some two years ago I was advised against returning as the standards had reportedly declined since the departure of the old chef. Therefore I was curious to see for myself if the food was at the same level as I remembered.

When I arrived at the Royal Garden Hotel, there were posters around advertising the arrival of the new chef for Sabatini. Uh-oh... ANOTHER new chef? And the second change in about two years? That can't be good...

They ran out of the poached ox tongue I initially wanted, so I started with an appetizer portion of capellini rustici con ricci di mare, bottarga di muggine cavaiale ed erba cipollina. I was surprised at the size of the dish, as the pile of pasta looked pretty filling. The taste was disappointing to say the least. While I looked forward to a symphony of flavors of the ocean - what with sea urchin, mullet roe and caviar - what I got was a mouthful of cream. I had imagined that the cream sauce would be infused with the tastes of yummy seafood, but somehow the chef chose not to do so. So this was just pasta with plain cream sauce, sprinkled with bits of seafood on top. Totally bland. Totally uninteresting.

I actually struggled to pick out a second dish from the menu - none of them seemed to appeal tonight - and eventually settled on braciola di maiale Iberico con raviolo di cotechino e lenticchie, servita con patate, cipolla novella e friggitelli. How difficult is it to pan-fry a piece of pork chop? And why do so many restaurants fail in the execution? While the meat was far from dry and chewy, it just didn't deliver the yummy goodness that I expected from an Iberico pork chop. The Sous Vide Monsters will be cheering as I say this, but tonight I wished my meat had been cooked sous-vide. The lentil ravioli was totally uninteresting, but the peppers were nice.

I was ready to take on another sabayon, but we had a cake for the birthday girl. The band came over to sing for us. I had been dreading this from the moment I sat down at the table. The group of entertainers had been working their way through the restaurant, and their performance was very mixed. While we all admired the vocal talents of the lady, the men were downright horrible. When they sang "Old MacDonald" at the far end of the room, I honestly wanted to get up and leave... And one of the old guys actually had "Leng Chai" written on his guitar...

So, mediocre food AND bad entertainment. Not much reason for a return visit, especially when I have to trek across the harbor.

Original blogpost with pictures and wine notes: http://www.diarygrowingboy.com/2011/01/few-of-us-celebrated-friends-birthday.html

Haven't been to Sabatini for nearly 10 years. Too long, much too long .....
Yes, Hong Kong is full of new and Michelin-starred restaurants but none of those can compare with my all-time favourite. Sabatini brings back a lot of memories - memories of times past, memories of good quality food at reasonable prices, memories of atmosphere unmatched in the newbies or claimed-to-be's, memories of classic dishes against the fusion of je-ne-sais-quoi, memories of substance over presentation, memories of everything that Hong Kong once had .....
This restaurant also brings back memories of a period when Soho was still a quiet residential area, where catching a ferry to cross the harbour was THE thing to do, where the skyline of Hong Kong island at night was still a sight to behold, where history would stand still, where people actually took pride in working in the same restaurants for decades .....
Back to food ....
Bread - the freshness, the softness, the fragrance of home-made bread! A far-cry from those which use ready-made ones from the chain shops/factories or those that use microwave to reheat stale ones. Each piece was a brilliance in itself.
Antipasti - a great selection of dishes to whet the appetite. All classics, all well prepared - nothing would stand out, and yet nothing would feel out of place of one another. They were all there for a purpose - that being to complement each other. In the old days, I would get the waiting staff to choose for me but I have been away for too long so I decided to do it myself, only to realize that the sight of the plethora itself is a delight on its own. How could I have let such visual stimulation escape from me in the past, I wonder?
As I didn't fancy a main dish on this particular occasion, I opted for a pasta instead. Tagliatelle with prawns and squid with a dash of Parmesan. Oh, the aroma of the cheese, the texture of the pasta, the taste of the sauce all blended with each other so well, so seamlessly!
By this time, I was already filled to 80% of my capacity but both dessert and coffee at Sabatini are something not to be missed according to my recollection. No surprises there - Espresso, the Tiramisu and the Mascarpone cake are still the best way to finish any meal, not least a meal at Sabatini.
All the memories and food nearly brought a tear in my eye. Why and how has Hong Kong become like what we have today? Why does greed have to be written into every equation in this town? If Sabatini can do it, why can't the other (newer) restaurants do it?
Let Sabatini and its spirit live on!

After three years in Hong Kong, I finally managed to get to dinner at Sabatini's. I wasn't disappointed; it was well worth the wait.

Neither of us could resist the antipasti buffet. It looked, and was, delicious. Particular highlights of the buffet were an octopus carpaccio which just melted in the mouth and the roasted bell peppers which were well-cooked, juicy and sweet. I cheated with the mozarella and tomato dish and just took the mozarella and fresh basil. It was a perfect consistency and full of flavour.

As unsure of quantites, both of us regretfully skipped the pasta course (so we will definitely have to go back).

We followed up with (him) Iberian pork chop and (me) lobster risotto. The risotto was well cooked, although a bit too much liquid for my taste and the lobster tasted great. Perfect comfort food. The pork chop was fairly big, perfectly cooked and seasoned - the best pork chop either of us had tasted in a long time.

All that was accompanied by a lovely bottle of Machiavelli (really!) chianti.

Luckily we had room left for dessert. My friend had the dessert platter, which came with a very nice tiramisu, a chocolate biscuit cake with hazelnut cream and a lemon tart. I couldn't resist tasting the lemon tart which was just tart enough and not too sweet. I asked for a zabaglione/sabayon for dessert. Although not on the menu, any Italian chef should be able ti whip one up. And he did. It was perfect. The best I have tasted in a long time.

So, sublime food: what about the service? It was excellent. Waiters knew their stuff. Nothing came too quickly or took too long.

And I couldn't finish without mentioning the decor and the mariachi band. The decor looks very definitely 1970s although I'm sure it has been renewed since then. The band were great and looked like they were 1970s too - except for the female singer who had a lovely voice. Wonderfully kitch!

The night is pre-celebration of a birthday.
This is also the 1st time we came back after the renovation.
In facts, I was pretty worried how it could be changed. After all, it doesn't worry you at all, as the changes that you would not even realise.
Mainly the construction was also done in their Kitchen. Well, I am not yet in a status to ever have a chance to visit their Kitchen, but, I already know why these people have been working here for so long. It is the passion and it must be Mr. Sabatini, because he cares. Hope my instinct is right, too.
This was also a day that we had some good news at home, so, we haven't really sat down relaxingly for a candle lit dinner for long time. A lot of dinners with candle lit, but the mind has to be relaxed, too. We were this evening. So, let's all the good news continue going forward.
Started with their signature bread and my favourite is their grissini.
The herbal one was a little greasy tonight.
Traditional Antipasto from the Table - The refilling of Parma Ham was a bit too slow. My Honey did not have any during his visit. A little sad!
The lobster bisque is back on the menu - I have loved their Lobster Bisque. Tonight, still isn't the perfect one. As it wasn't creamy and aroma enough. Well, straightly personal taste, and certainly have room to improve.
We chose
- the Seasonal dish, i.e.: Risotto Asparagus - Risotto is always good. The differences this time is that it is lighter and fresher with some bits of Asparagus inside.
- Pan Fired Fish - They have been doing some very good fish dishes these days. Crispy on the skin and still juicy inside.
Deserts:
We chose from the trolley with Desert Sampler. Love them by having the Tiramisu is a Glass cup. This is class! Why stingy by giving fibre glasses?
After this round, I think I will try the whole Saint Honore next time. The sampler was too small.
Followed by the cappuccino - Why not? Choices of Brown, White sugar from the pots and also more cream, too.
A Joyful dinner ended after more than 3 hours. We wished it could be longer as we enjoyed the Chit Chat in such fine place.
It was a Saturday evening, kind of crowded, and surprisingly a lot of people speaking loudly. May be it was because of the band. Anyway, it was still good, but I think it would be nicer to control a little more of their volume.
p.s. All the above said cost per dish excldes 10% service charge

FOR THE FULL PHOTOS COLLECTIONS, YOU COULD VISIT SUPPLEMENTARY PHOTOS SITE @ [babedolphin.blogspot.com]

Well I arrived here mainly for 1 thing, Chef Signoretti's interpretation of the TAGLIATELLE AL RAGU BOLOGNESE. Except I skipped the 17th altogether because that critical phonecall beforehand reconfirmed the suspicion that Head Chefs usually have their designated day-off on Sundays. Its all part of work training & due diligence. Tell u a short story 1st though. Apart from during the first few months of barely resettling into HK and needing to play catch up with the local food scenery, I never again took up much effort indulging myself with food magazines on a regular basis. Time is limited afterall - although if I had spare time and randomly happened upon the odd issue of free press in cafes or 飲食男女 at my hairdresser and if I found the topics interesting enough I'll take a quick browse. The impetus to look out for free mags never appealed before either, until I rediscovered ones such as BC Magazine , as the Staff Writer there appears remotely 'interesting' and seemingly carries a supernatural ability to be bi-located in more than 1 space-time at any moment, him always up-to-date with the latest info or scandals before everyone on the planet - that's provide I can locate a copy of BC at all lately! Nevertheless whilst at it I've also grown a wholly new habit of browsing through some of the HK Magazine selections!

Granted I still have trouble working out who actually writes what or how regular the publication is printed, but having now read a few of their latest issues for the past 1 or 2 months - I surprisingly discovered that a lot of what Dorothy & others recommend are coincidentally the type of food that I ardently crave the most! Its oh-so handy! Yep - with the benefit of hindsight I now lament my late start following her useful column, I had absolutely no excuse to have skipped the line of back issues during that past year: there's only so much energy or tentacles an individual can extend out to feel around for every new shop or to receive restaurant updates unless you're half-a foot in the food trade. Its out of my league! So upon reading a recent preview in HK Mag of the upcoming Sabatini event which promotes the Italian Day and my beloved, authentic, Bologna-styled Tagliatelle with Ragu Sauce pasta, I found myself a perfect excuse to once again set foot into this venerable Italian institution for yet another trial, and that's after so many years of absence and a handful of chefs that have come and gone in the mean time. Thanks then.

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Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar -
The Oil isn't overly aromatic or deep in flavour. Balsamic was a bit corrosive leading to a seizure in the throat. Arrgh.
Bread Basket with Dips -
Came with a few dips, the soft-styled Grissini's were quite-good and fresh, its rare to find though I havne't eaten at Grissini's to compare yet. The crispy Carta di Musica sheets were stunning too. Bread basket was surprisingly better than so many Italian restaurants, eg. Zefferino's, Da Domenica, Mistral or even the new 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo by Bombana.
Sauteed Duck Liver with Peach, Mousse of Duck Leg Confit & Vin Santo Sauce -
We didn't want to order any Parma Ham this time as I have had them before and also tried some at the Food & Wine festival. Unless its the ultra premium Italian Parmas, nothing so far had convinced me from surrendering that soft 'ham' spot for aged Iberian Jamon's. I was more interested to try their cooking skills anyway, so let's go with the Duck Foie Gras as a genuine test! This was exceptionally well, the mousse of leg confit sandwiched with bread triangles and the sweet wine reduction was spot on. Simple Trattoria fare done right, but for $300+ dollars for 2 pieces?
'Stracciatella' of Beef & Capon Consomme with Beaten Egg, Parmesan & Parsley -
A little bland here - a capable consomme should carry clarity of depth but without overpowering nuances. Eggs here were much stronger than the too weak a soup base.
House-Made Tagliolini Bianchi e Nero with Tuscan Sausage, Cherry Tomato & Black Truffle -
A specially ordered hybrid dish, the house-made Pasta consists of both black and white noodle strands. The Tuscan sausages were bold and spiced, this dish reminds of Da Domenico's so-called Ragu Tagliatelle. Initially no Black Truffle taste was detectable, yet our calm waiter radiating out his 'almost' believable look of penitence, rectified our initial dissatisfaction upon returning the same dish from the kitchen within barely a few minutes. Swift, efficient and professional indeed. This dish is abnormally similar to the below dish, perhaps a strategic ordering mistake but it wasn't my order but a dining companion's so it was a good test to try 2 types of pastas nevertheless. Tagliolini was a little over-cooked, though not mushy.
Tagliatelle al Ragu Bolognese -
The Ragu here is the AUTHENTIC translation straight from Bologna and unlike the GVSTO version months ago this was properly slow-cooked, the meat having released their gravy then softened up, before soaking back up its own juice as well as that of other sauces, wine and herbs, it carried an adequate flavouring depth. This was the 'coltello' hand-diced version too, not machine minced or shredded, it carried less heartily herbal or wines influence as we anticipated, especially after trying the Bistecca Steak House's sophisticated version. Albeit here its using a combo of chopped beef and pork rather than wild boar for the base ragout. This Tagliatelle tonight was also hand-made, but beware that half of all pastas in Sabatini are commercial ones! It was boiled a little too soft without springiness, lacking egginess or wheats taste - in this aspect it will disappoint, although in reality it was acceptable just not as enjoyable as its supporting ragu sauce.
Tiramisu & St Honore Cake -
The St Honore Cake was exactly what one expects, a little rich and by itself alone already overshoots the daily allowance of sugar intake, the profiterole ball came with a thick toffee crunch. Acceptable, but its more about the 'drama' when the cake is firstly selected by you from the dessert chariot then hand sliced infront of you as an entertaining factor. The Tiramisu here however was disappointing this very night, was it a dud? I have had the Fine Food's Tiramisu cake before from downstairs and that was better than this. Tonight, it was slightly rough rather than smoothly textured, too cloying overall, the internal savoiardi fingers also carried little traces of any marsala nor enough espresso contribution. The top layer of Mascarpone cream really carried too little cheese or egginess as it should, and I have my suspicions as to why too: to me, it tasted like it was over-powered by White Chocolate, which they seem to have used to set the Tiramisu (cake) so that it won't melt at room temperature on the dessert chariot. I love W. Choco mind you, but not when its ruining the balance of the Tiramisu. I had better at Da Domenico or TIVO or even COVA. (Or at home, using my secret recipe )
Pasticcini Tower -
The top chocolates layers quite very sweet, with a lot of marzipane or coconuts as a filler - they tasted just like See Candie's. The biscotti below were much better but also quite sweet. Oh well, that's how it should be I guess.
WINE: Bolgheri Rosso 2007 -
For $340, its not cheap for a carafe. Nevertheless, acceptable. A bit of violet and black berries, slightly oaky. Medium-dry and tannins were approachable. Slightly above normal house-wine quality, very suitable with the food.

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AT $800 plus per person even before the Carni or Pesce Course was ordered, since we reserved room for exploring dessert, this experience was sheer opulence only justifiable if you can bear to exonerate yourself in believing that fine-dining equates to eating in cavern like dining-halls with artificially fabricated ambiance (think La Taverna or Ole). Although let's not rob it of the genuinely warm and professional service. The enjoyment had little to do with their capability or lack of it to dish out 5-Star Italian food, as the price might have misled us to believe. Ming you its actually not that bad - and considering the overall entirety of things, this encounter could still impress those who dig it.

Yet the hedonist within me remains unwavered as that part of me naturally protested to the soft flappy pasta strands, slightly boring sauces & recipes, the poor presentation of the food overally and the low tiramisu quality tonight. These were there for all to see and don't lie - if they can't get trattoria-styled dishes done perfectly at gross inflated prices, it has failed the customers in a sense. As an overall package however, it was a fun 'singular' experience and hence the reluctant smiling face, it certainly does make for an interesting venue for that occasional anniversary celebration. With an ever burgeoning selection of nice dining spots in town nowadays, unless you can come out on the right side of appreciating what, how or why a Mexican-styled band is doing here blasting out 月亮代表我的心 in a supposedly Top Class Italian Restaurant, serving $300 entrees and main courses, then perhaps you will find your groove here afterall. If you come for their '3' to low '4' Quality food, I'd probably suggest its not intrinsically sound as a preposition. 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo or the likes of Amber for food are better options personally, or Petrus for both environment and food is more balanced as an experience. Da Domenico on the other hand, at least sends out a decent Tiramisu and cooks pastas properly.