Vibrant Italian Restaurant Cantina Opens in Tai Kwun

Aqua Restaurant Group is launching cool and modern Italian restaurant Cantina, with a mission to bring simple and flavoursome produce, seasonally inspired showstoppers and reinventive Italian classics to Central’s historic Tai Kwun, next door to sister restaurant The Chinese Library.

Cantina’s food is designed for sharing so you can enjoy small to large dishes including handmade
pasta, risotto and signature thin-crust pizza inspired by traditional recipes from Northern to
Southern Italy. Every dish is delivered with a generous portion of authentic Italian flair and
fantastically fresh ingredients.

Cantina is Italian for “Canteen” which is exactly what its space on the first floor of Tai Kwun’s Police Headquarters Building used to be, when it was the colonial Police Officers’ Mess. It was a place for casual lunches and sometimes more rowdy merrymaking when the officers got together for a celebration. Today, this tradition continues with Cantina’s authentic Italian dishes which focus on quality produce and classic cooking techniques. The flavoursome menu redefines time-honoured recipes with layered textures and powerful taste served in a chic, upbeat dining room.

The lively new restaurant is the perfect spot to catch-up with friends, enjoy family dinners, hold
business lunches and of course for long weekend brunches – jam-packed with comforting Italian
dishes and plenty of free-flow. Cantina’s elegant and historic dining room is decorated with shimmering teal fabrics and fragrant lemon trees. The century-old space retains the original wooden floors, high colonial-style pitched ceilings and full-length period windows. Guests are made to feel at home as they are passionately looked after by energetic and attentive staff who specialise in tableside service and theatrics to create a warm and personal dining experience that will keep you coming back for more.

Food
Cantina’s menu is about good, honest Italian cooking with Chef Luca Schiavone adding his own
modern twist to traditional recipes. Every dish is served fresh from the kitchen as it is ready and
designed to be shared like tapas, so guests can connect over a cocktail or glass of wine in Cantina’s
warm and friendly dining room.

Start with Cantina’s modern cicchetti (pronounced chi-ket-tee) – small plates of Venetian inspired
bites which originated in lively bacari bars. The word cicchetti is derived from the Latin word ciccus, meaning “small quantity”. This centuries-old dining ritual dates back to the time when Venice was once a maritime hub. In the piazza of San Marco and the labyrinthine streets of Rialto, vendors used to sell glasses of wine with small portions of food and bread to the shipping merchants and traders who passed by at all hours of the day. Cantina keeps this tradition alive with delicious cicchetti made from the freshest and finest seasonal ingredients sourced through artisanal producers, as well as a great wine selection carefully sourced through the Italian culinary team’s personal relationships with small Italian winemakers.

A great place to start is with Cantina’s Gnocco fritto served with Parma ham and stracchino chees which is based on a Emilian recipe made with kneaded and fried dough. This classic dish, also known as crescentina meaning “to grow”, refers to the dough puffing up during the cooking process.

A must-order is the eye-catching Sicilian red prawn carpaccio finished with lemon zest, Italy’s finest Bronte pistachios (often called “green gold”, sourced from a tiny village near Mount Etna) and sweet pomegranate jelly. The key ingredient is Italy’s Southern red prawns which are famous for having a sweet, delicate flavour and smooth buttery texture. For extra indulgence, guests can add Oscietra caviar.

Another favourite is Fritto misto – a Southern Italian seaside delicacy made with fried prawns, squid and courgette served with a mouth-watering garlic mayonnaise. A must try is the Panelle, a popular Palermo street-food dish which was inspired by Sicily’s Arabic immigrants. These vegetarian fritters are crafted traditionally with chickpea flour, parsley and water, topped with a modern-twist of rich truffle ricotta and served on crispy homemade focaccia. One more classic dish from North to South is Baby octopus; slow-cooked for four hours and served with peas and a warm slice of sourdough to mop up the accompanying spicy tomato sauce.

After a few orders of cicchetti, guests can enjoy Cantina’s signature pizza. The homemade dough
recipe is made with minimal yeast to create an incredibly light and thin crust designed to elevate the pizza’s fresh Italian ingredients and flavours. Seafood lovers should order the unique Squid ink dough pizza, topped with Sicilian prawns, bottarga, yellow cherry tomato, rocket and lemon zest.

There is also an incredible selection of homemade pasta and risotto, including the classic Risotto
with Sicilian prawns from Mazara del Vallo which is distinctively infused with three different types of citrus: blood orange, lemon and lime. Guests can order a perfectly al dente Squid ink spaghetti with cuttlefish & sea urchin which comes from Northern Lazio and Southern Tuscany.

One more favourite is the Cavatelli pasta from the Southern regions of Molise and Puglia. Miniature pasta shells, also known as “little hollows” are paired with succulent pork ribs, beef flank and fennel sausage which have been slow-braised with a thick tomato sauce.

For the main course, Cantina’s show-stopping sharing dishes include a soft and delicate Flamed salt-baked sea bass. The fish is set alight and cooked table-side within a thick layer of salted pastry. After the fiery display, the pastry is cracked open and this simple, yet delicious dish is served with a sweet and sour vegetable caponata.

Order the Pollo alla stemperata – an incredible tangy stew, which is a Sicilian family staple. Made with pan-roasted chicken thighs, carrots, celery and and green olives, the recipe comes from
medieval cooking with the concept of ‘stemperata’, known as tempering. Chef Luca combines
ingredients at radically different temperatures and slowly cooks everything so it all gradually rises to the same temperature to evaporate and enhance the flavours of each ingredient.

Impressive dishes continue with a gigantic 450g Milanese Breaded veal cutlet. The deep-fried dish is famously known in Italian as Orecchia d’elefante for resembling the shape of an elephant’s ear once flattened. The rib bones are added at the end with theatrical flair to emulate elephant tusks.

Last but not least, there is the remarkable 1kg grilled rib-eye which is sourced based on the best cut available on the market. Grilled, thickly sliced and finished with aromatic rosemary, roasted garlic and Maldon sea salt – this mouth-watering meat feast is perfect for sharing with friends and family.

For dessert, save room for Cantina’s authentic Table-side tiramisu made with rich mascarpone
which is assembled step-by-step in front of your eyes. Cannolo Siciliano is a delicious, crispy rolled pastry filled with sweet ricotta, chocolate pieces and ground pistachio. There is also the refreshing Basil panna cotta, served with melon coulis and drizzled with mosto cotto; made from pressing the seeds, skin and the stems of grapes and reducing everything down to a sweet and tangy syrup.

In the evenings, guests can enjoy dishes A la carte as well as a seasonal Tasting Menu from HK$728 per person. During the week, Cantina offers a satisfying set lunch from HK$348 per person. On weekends, Cantina’s brunch encompasses Aqua Restaurant Group’s generous Non-stop Brunch freeflow – featuring 3.5 hours of unlimited prosecco, champagne, wine and beer served alongside a bountiful supply of Italian favourites that will keep you coming back for more.

Passionate Italians
As the Italians say, “L’appetito vien mangiando,” or “Your appetite comes by eating”. Cantina is led
by a talented team of Italian culinary experts who are always on the hunt for excellent produce and
find inspiration in other cultures and future trends. Cantina showcases the exceptional skills of
Sicilian native Chef Luca Schiavone whose past experience includes Head Chef at Venetian-inspired
Cecconi’s in London’s Mayfair as well as Head Chef at Michelin-starred Zafferano and Shoreditch
House, both hotspots in London.

Chef Luca arrived in Hong Kong at the start of 2022 and has hit the ground-running; shaping
Cantina’s menu from nostalgic dishes and traditional favourites that remind him of home. The menu was developed with Executive Chef Andrea Mura; who has completely transformed the Italian kitchen at Aqua’s stunning new home at H Zentre in Tsim Sha Tsui. Driving the vision of Cantina is Alex Bellafonte who was recently announced as Aqua Restaurant Group’s Director of Operations in Asia. He has over 20 years of experience in the F&B industry including radically driving Zuma as Operations Director in Asia as well as managing a grand collection of famed Gordon Ramsay and Aubaine restaurants in London.

The Dispensary Bar
In true Italian fashion, Cantina’s cicchetti and main courses are designed to accompany cocktails and wine. The wine list ranges from big and famous to small and independent producers that will
transport you to Italy with one sip. Championing the cocktails is newly appointed Creative Bar
Director for Aqua Restaurant Group; Livorno-born Lorenzo Coppola. His passion for elevating
cocktails and creating sensory guest experiences truly knows no bounds. Lorenzo will design new
menus and showcase his ambitious plans for The Dispensary bar and its spacious verandahs –
inspired by both The Chinese Library and Cantina, as well as overseeing the entirety of Aqua
Restaurant Group bars very soon.

Cantina will open for dinner from Friday 6th May with weekend brunch available from Saturday 14th May and weekday lunch available from Monday 16th May for you to enjoy passionate Italian cooking served in an elegant heritage setting.

Cantina
Police Headquarters Block 01, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
T 2848 3000 | cantina.com.hk | FB & IG @cantinahongkong