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Lamb Sweetbreads with Fennel: Crispy Fennel Dusted
Sweetbreads with Lemon
The sweetbreads were quite rich and had a nice
crispy crust. Although the first couple bites were not bad, the crust was a
little but too grainy and dry. I felt that the taste was a little one dimensional
and it would have been much better if there was a creamy sauce to go with the
sweetbreads such as aioli.
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Calamari with Spicy Tomato: Crispy Calamari with
Pickled Chilies, Lemon, and Spicy Tomato
The calamari was sliced too thinly and this resulted
in pieces that were not meaty enough and felt over-fried and dry. I like my
calamari to have a nice crispy crunch with a nice chewy interior. The bits of
pickled chilies and tomatoes also did not provide much of a flavor profile and the
dish was just uninspired and quite subpar. It wasn’t disgusting or anything, but
just nothing special either. I feel like I can find calamari in some random
places in the States better than this!
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Carne Cruda alla Piedmontese: Chopped to Order Steak
Tartare with Mushrooms and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The steak tartare was really bad. The flavors were
not robust at all and the presentation was actually a bit disgusting. The meat
does not look fresh at all, why are there little brown bits?! The white wrapper
was not anesthetically appealing and the mushrooms were raw and did not go well
with the tartare. I don’t really understand why there were mushrooms there in the
first place. Especially if they were raw! The taste was much too grassy and
unrefined and the tartare was bland and boring.
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Bone Marrow with Preserved Lemon Gremolata: Roasted
Bone Marrow with Preserved Lemon and Parsley
This dish was actually decent. The presentation was
a bit plain thought, just two bones plunked on a plate. The bone marrow was
roasted well and had decent flavor. Although this dish was fine, it was
definitely not the best bone marrow I’ve had. It would also be nice if some
freshly toasted bread was provided. Instead we used the bread that was given at
the beginning of the meal.
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Creamed Corn with Lime Salt: Local Corn with
Pickled Cherry Peppers
As you all remember the creamed corn at Bistecca is
to die for, it’s creamy, decadent, and sweet. This creamed corn however, was running
and slightly undercooked. The kernels were quite crunchy and did not result in
a lovely slightly mushy concoction which I think creamed corn should be like. I
am no expert on creamed corn, but this just wasn’t that yummy. Also, the pickled cherry peppers did not provide any special flavor to the dish and I wondered if it was really even in it (I guess you can see tiny flecks).
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Guanciale Mashed Potatoes: Mascarpone Mashed
Potatoes with Pork Jowl and a Poached Duck Egg
The mashed potatoes sounded very delicious on the
menu, but in reality it was just quite normal. It also wasn’t bad, but I did
not really notice any special flavors with the extra pork jowl and poached duck
egg. If anything it seemed like it would have been better if Carnevino just
concentrated on making quality traditional mash instead of adding these
superfluous extras that don’t really compliment the dish.
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Dry-Aged Fiorentina (for 2) 38oz
Finally the star of the show arrived. The giant
steak was set down amongst many oohs and ahhs but these excited sounds of
anticipation soon died down. I also wanted to point out that the suggestion
that this serves two people is a bit insane. We shared this amongst 7 girls. I
guess it could be plausible if it was shared between two men but I think 38 oz
for two people is a bit overkill. The steak looked amazing, a nice char and a
juicy red center. But this is truly a case where looks can be deceiving. The
meat did not have a rich meaty flavor at all, it was rather bland and the
texture was also disappointing. The meat was quite hard and some pieces were
only soft because it was so rare. There was not a lovely amount of marbling and
it was actually quite lean. The meat lacked flavor, tenderness, and juiciness.
Also, I requested for the steak to be medium rare but this steak was most
definitely a rare. I don’t mind rare steaks but these kinds of mistakes are
unacceptable at an institution such as this.
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I understand that Carnevino just opened and many restaurants need a few months to iron out a few kinks. Yet I feel that the steak really revealed a lot about the place, apart from the wrongly executed cooking, the fact that the steak lacked so much flavor and texture revealed that the low quality of the ingredients. If it was service or reservations that were a bit spotting I would find that to be slightly more forgivable, yet the majority of the dishes were unimpressive to say the least. I don’t doubt that Mario Batali is a great chef, but if he plans to expand, he truly needs to ensure that the quality of the food is kept up to standard and that he cannot simply rely on his name to attract customers. Carnevino claims to take a unique spin on classic steakhouse dishes, which is why I guess there are all those little add ons such as ducks egg and pickled chili, but these "reinventions" did not enhance the dishes at all. I doubt I will be returning to Carnevino unless new reviews are truly mind blowing. Next steak stop: Edo and Bibo Oyster and Steakhouse!
Carnevino
5/F
LHT Tower
31 Queen's Road
Central
Hong Kong
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