COCONUTS CRITIC’S TABLE – A superhero movie once suggested, “With great power comes great responsibility.” With restaurants, I believe with high prices, comes high expectations!
Il Milione opened last year and its arrival was heralded as a new standard for Italian fine dining. The praise led to one Michelin star and inclusion in numerous top dining guides. But even its fans warn it’s not a cheap meal.
Located in Hutchison House, a corner of Central frequented only by bankers and fund manager types, Il Milione seems geared to high-powered douche bags…I mean, big spenders. The chic and posh decor is designed to impress clients rather than for comfort and relaxation. In general, I don’t trust Italian restaurants that I can’t picture myself enjoying weekend brunch at.
A front bar area is entirely separated from the dining buckram with no windows and low ceilings. It’s a space that can’t be anything else but intimate. The black and amber gold tone adds to the clandestine hush.
Even though the restaurant is still practically empty, we are seated in the middle of the room rather than a preferable corner table or a couch booth. Why? My guess is, they’ve saving the better tables for more preferred guests. I’m in jeans and lugging a backpack so obviously I don’t fit the profile of those with a fat entertainment expense account.
The name Il Milione (The Million) is derived from the book about Marco Polo’s travels in the East. The analogy hints at the introduction and cultural exchange of Umbrian cuisine in Hong Kong. But where the landlocked region’s food is primarily rustic, there’s nothing country about Il Milione’s modern Italian treatment. This is a ristorante that wants to play in Serie A Liga and charges its price to that standard, which means I have to judge them at that elite degree.
Before our appetisers arrive, we are offered an amuse bouche of a cube of veal cheek and a little crown of potato. I ask what type of beef is it? The server, who clearly is not prepared for questions, just repeats, “it’s beef cheek. The cheek.” “No, I meant… never mind.” Not a great start.
The cube is soft and moist with a slightly crispy edge. It’s nice. A tray of different flavoured breads follow, even though they already put a small basket of ciabatta slices on the table. Is two different breads really necessary or should I assume it’s part of the indulgent treatment?
For starter, we chose the interesting sounding Foie Gras Caramellato (HK$250). It’s described as caramelized foie gras with smoked eel served with some aromatic water and ginger water with small vegetable cubes. The crude presentation looks like a school project volcano. The caramelized foie has a nice sweet texture but we couldn’t taste any smoked eel at all.
The pasta course of Gnocchi Di Patate (HK$260) suffers from a similar drab presentation. The roasted gnocchi and seared cod fish from Iceland are matched with chickpeas, plums and rosemary. It’s an interesting combination – I like the sweet plum nibbles with the savoury gnocchi and fish – but it’s more like a gnocchi salad than a pasta dish.
One thing we noticed was that several other tables chose the Chef’s Risotto Special, where a simple, plain risotto is finished at the table with the rice mixed inside a 24-month wheel of parmesan cheese. It is certainly theatrical and impressive for special occasions but there doesn’t appear to be anything unique in terms of its flavour profile. I wonder if anyone from Umbria would pay HK$700 for such a basic risotto portioned for two?
Dentice Alla Piatra
The first main was the Dentice Alla Piatra (HK$320), a generous serving of pan-fried red snapper with celeriac puree and crunchy platano and watercress. This was the most accomplished dish of the evening. Light but textured, the fish was moist inside and crispy on the edges. Elegant but not trying too hard to impress.
Cinghiale in Due Modi
The Cinghiale in Due Modi (Wild Boar Done Two Ways, HK$380) is nice but not as impressive in its simplicity. Normally, wild boar is available only in sausage form. Il Milione cooks the leg meat in a tomato stew and the rack meat seared accompanied with a pear and red onion chutney. In both instances, the meat is perfectly prepared. The seared pork is still tender, not overcooked and the jam is delightfully tangy to match the lean protein. As for the stewed tiny meatballs, they aren’t as gamey as I had hoped, to be honest. Paired with only a tiny carrot split in two, it’s not particularly substantial. I would’ve added a little polenta or some mashed root vegetable to make the dish more hearty. As it is, I thought the plating was also quite amateurish.
Soufflé Alla Nocciola
For dessert, we had high hopes for the Soufflé Alla Nocciola (HK$260). The price indeed raised our expectation but we felt dismally disappointed. The hazelnut soufflé deflated in front of us and it tasted dry. A mint panna cotta was presented in a such a tiny cup the serving spoon barely fit into it. Lastly, the chocolate sweet bread – yes, it was a sweet bread not sweetbread – was just ho-hum. Why this was a hundred dollars more than most of the other sweets is confounding. To be honest, the humble strawberry mousse offered as a pre-dessert was more satisfying.
Admittedly, there is skill in the kitchen’s food but little passion or personality demonstrated on the plate. The wow factor that you would expect for a higher echelon establishment in this range is simply missing from Il Milione. Some of the minor flaws experienced I would normally just overlook, but if one is making guests pay HK$90 even for a bottle of water, then your patrons deserve to be extra picky and detailed.
After the meal, I learned that Il Milione recently lost its head chef, bartender and manager. Staffing change is the bane of many restaurant’s existence. Can Il Milione recover? We’ll see. Right now, it’s in danger of fading imto mediocrity.
Coconut’s Critic’s Table reviews are written based on unannounced visits by our writers and paid for by Coconuts Hong Kong
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Il Milione: G16-21, G/F, Hutchison House, 10 Harcourt Road, Central. Tel. 2481-1120
