Ponentino is the F&B star of new luxury hotel The Royal Garden Kowloon East in Tseung Kwan O, which opened earlier this year. The rooftop eatery – housed all the way up on the 47th floor – has taken its cue from long-standing sister restaurant Sabatini Ristorante Italiano at the hotel’s sister property in Tsim Sha Tsui, this time with a more relaxed ambience that speaks to the holiday-like vibe of the hotel itself, one of the few in Hong Kong to offer standalone resort-style villas.
Ponentino is touted as presenting a classic regional Italian dining experience, showcasing several dining options to please one and all (à-la-carte menu, semi-buffet lunch and dinner, tasting menus), though we found the lunch tasting menu (HKD528 pp) to be lacking an authentic Italian feel.
Executive chef Joe Wat Kai Chung’s tasting menus are ambitious and generous in portion. The amuse-bouche presented to us at lunchtime was definitely creative – a melon-mousse-filled choux topped with a sliver of prosciutto, a take on the traditional Italian prosciutto and melon starter – but not entirely successful in execution, with the mousse being far too sweet and overtaking the flavour of the cured ham.
The chef redeemed himself with the fig stracciatella (HKD178) starter, gorgeous to behold. Here we have a sweet-meets-savoury victory combining the honeyed sweetness of fresh fig with the rich milkiness of stracciatella cheese (burrata’s “heart”) and tang of balsamic vinegar.
The beef consommé (HKD158), the soup course, seems incongruent on a self-described classic Italian menu, especially with its bottom layer of steamed egg custard bringing with it a distinctly Asian undertone.
It’s hard to fault Ponentino’s signature Boston lobster linguine (HKD318) with its buttery, concentrated tomato sauce coating every inch of the pasta. There’s loads of lobster meat incorporated, delicate and naturally sweet.
As a main course, the Australian M5 Wagyu rib-eye (HKD1,788/1.4kg) is well cooked and tender, but again there is nothing particularly “Italian” about it; even the veg on the side seem to be prepared in a more traditionally French fashion, steamed in butter.
The same can be said of the homemade apple pie (HKD138), a Frenchified tarte tatin, though the vanilla gelato is a genuinely tasty nod to Italy.
Our verdict of Ponentino
Ponentino’s elegant yet relaxed space, particularly the outdoor terrace, is transportive. Whilst generally well executed, the restaurant’s food side seems to be lacking in direction; though described as regional Italian, it does not have a true Italian focus. Ponentino still seems to be finding its feet, but we have faith, with some tweaking, that it will be worthy of destination dining sooner rather than later.
Ponentino, 47/F, The Royal Garden Kowloon East, 3 Tong Tak Street, Tseung Kwan O, 3983 0638, book here
| Order this: lunch and dinner tasting menus Menu: Ponentino à-la-carte menu Price for two for dinner: around HKD1,600 | Atmosphere: laid-back and resort-style, like the hotel itself; the outdoor terrace with its lush wraparound mountain views is an ideal spot to get stuck in as the sun sets Perfect for: those looking for an escape from the hustle-bustle of city life |
This review is intended to offer an individual perspective on the dining experience and should not be considered as a definitive judgement of the restaurant’s overall quality or reputation. The views expressed in this review are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions of Foodie.
