Ciak in the Kitchen is the casual cousin to 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana, the only Italian restaurant outside of Italy ever to earn three Michelin stars. Both restaurants are located in Central in the Landmark Center.
We’ve been to Ciak in the Kitchen several times and the food is pretty good. Of course, it cannot compare to Otto e Mezzo, but the restaurants serves solid pastas, pizzas, and main dishes.
Pasta and Pizza
We decided to get a pizza with two different toppings: One half was the Bufala, which includes tomato sauce, fresh buffalo mozzarella and basil. The other half was Norcina, which included homemade sausage, mushroom and mozzarella. ($280 HKD if pick 2 flavors)
Underbelly could ideally be a bit more charred, but it was OK.
The pastas are good. Classic Carbonara with Black truffles was solid, with fresh homemade pasta and a generous shaving of black truffles.
Meats and Seafood
They also offer a nice variety of meats grilled on their charcoal grill, such as their house made sausages, various cuts of steak, grilled seabass, and many others. The meat dishes take 20-45 minutes to prepare and are quite good.
All in all I find Ciak in the Kitchen to be good, but I think there are many other Italian restaurants in Hong Kong that I prefer, such as the Black Sheep Restaurants (Osteria Marza, Associazion di Chianti) or even Di Vino Patio in Wan Chai. These restaurants don’t have the brand name association with a 3-Michelin starred chef, but I actually think their food is more interesting and, in a lot of ways, better.
Still, Ciak in the Kitchen is a pleasant place to dine and the ambiance is warm, lively, and fun. The location is excellent and the space is cozy and relaxing. The food is well executed and you won’t go wrong ordering most things on the menu. The service is warm and friendly, and we always feel very welcome whenever we visit.
Ciak in the Kitchen
Shop 327-333, 3/F Landmark Atrium
15 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong
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