When Hong Kong chef Umberto Bombana served Madonna the wrong dish
Luckily the singer didn’t mind being served northern Italian version of a dish, not southern one she wanted, recalls chef whose Italian restaurant, 8½ Otto e Mezzo in Central, is the only one outside Italy to have three Michelin stars
THE FAMILY KITCHEN I was born in Italy, in a small country house near Clusone, a village in the province of Bergamo, at the foot of the Bergamasque Alps. Growing up immersed in a rural atmosphere, as fortunately happened to me, means being able to connect from the start with the seasonal patterns. June represented the scent of freshly cut hay, just before my uncle fed it to his cows; August still brings memories of bright yellow corn, ready for harvesting, and the garden where my grandmother grew vegetables with almost obsessive care. The best ingredients came from there and ended up in the large kitchen, where everyone, from my grandma to my mum and my father – who went there to cook game – used to spend a lot of time planning meals, sorting ingredients and preparing typical family dishes.
FIRST TASTES I was the only one out of six siblings who was really attracted to the fascinating, cosy and warm environment of the kitchen. I took my passion for cooking from my grandmother, a great cook who had been working for years in the kitchen of an aristocratic family. When I was only three years old, she handed me a fork and asked me to roll the gnocchi on the tip of it to make those beautiful, light grooves that allow gnocchi to absorb the sauce. That movement, the soft texture of the dough and the satisfaction of seeing the gnocchi materialise in my little hands is something I will never forget. It made me truly happy.
I clearly remember my first impression of Hong Kong. I landed in the terrible heat of mid-August and promised myself I would stay for three months only, not a single day more. It’s now, what – 23 years?
MY MAESTRO I started my journey away from home near Milan, when I was called to work at the Antica Osteria del Ponte, in Cassinetta di Lugagnano, at the court of one of the great chefs, Ezio Santin, a man who had an extraordinary sensitivity in the kitchen and the greatest gift of balance. He was the one who taught me the importance of purity and stability of flavours. In his kitchen, I worked with a guy who planned to move to Los Angeles and asked me to join him there. They were hiring people at the Rex Restaurant, a mythical place that represented Italian culinary excellence in LA.