(22 Feb) – Umberto Bombana is without doubt one of the most important Italian chefs in the world. Known as “the king of the white truffles” – main ingredient of his menu – is the owner of the only Italian restaurant outside Italy which earned the 3rd Michelin star. His “8 e mezzo” (a clear homage to Federico Fellini’s masterpiece) has received the prestigious award after two years from its opening, surprising the Italian chef: “It’s all happened very quickly. The 3rd Michelin star are the highest honor for a chef. Only ten Italian colleagues – Bombana said – have achieved it and, moreover, i am the first one receiving it outside the Italian borders”. The “8 e mezzo”, now considered the best Italian restaurant in Hong Kong, is located in the Central District, a pedestrian isle in the center of the small Asian city-state. The restaurant also offers a breathtaking view of the skyline of the city and in summer opens its two rooftop bars.
The success of “8 e mezzo” and the prestigious award pushed Bombana to open a new restaurant in Shanghai, which will be inaugurated in the last days of February. (Peg)
UMBERTO BOMBANA, A STAR CHEF
The brilliant career of Umberto Bombana begins in the Eighties, working alongside Ezio Santin, one of the chefs who revolutionized the Italian restaurant industry. Then he moved to the United States, at the Rex restaurant in Los Angeles, and attending many internships with top chefs as Rostang and Vissani. Crucial step in his career has been the choice to work for the Toscana restaurant at the Ritz Carlton Hotel of Hong Kong. The temporary closure of the Ritz, in 2008, led Bombana to accept the proposal from the property of ‘Hong Kong Land – the most important financial and commercial center of the city – to open an Italian restaurant. So in 2010 he launched “8 e mezzo”, now the best Italian restaurant in Hong Kong.