Dude, where's my carbonara?

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I got chewed out by Juve Fan. After the closure of Ramato, I (and many others, I'm sure) have been bugging him to re-open a more casual eatery. After all, if I just want a nice place of pasta with an appetizer or two, there has to be more viable options in town between Pici and Estro.

Well... Ninetta opened with great fanfare not long ago, which meant that it was still too early for me to visit. Besides the fact that lots of KOLs were fighting to get the earliest table they could snag, the restaurant itself sent out a marketing email asking people to book tables for August - a call that went out on the second of July. That means "Don't bother trying to come in July!" So imagine my surprise by Juve Fan pings me a week later and asked why I haven't visited Ninetta. HELLO?! You asked us to book for AUGUST then I am the bad guy for not having dined at your establishment by the second week of opening?!

Well, Juve Fan decided I should come sooner rather than later, and found us a table for tonight. So here we are.

Sure enough, we arrived on the same night as a table of KOLs... placed there by B Bestie. Well... Foursheets and I just want a casual dinner and enjoy the food. No need to mingle with KOLs, then...

Sourdough - I was hungry when we arrived, so this was much appreciated.

Codfish: whipped baccalà, polenta chips, bottarga, dill oil - it's been a long time since I last tasted a dish like this, so I didn't hesitate when I saw it on the menu.

I love how fluffy dried cod gets when it's rehydrated and fluffed up with olive oil. The flavors and the fluffy texture just speak to me. Baccalà or brandade are too low-brow for Hong Kong... and I wish they get more love in this town.

Veal tonnato: slow-cooked veal, tuna sauce, capers, veal jus - I'm so glad Marco Xodo is running this kitchen, because it means we get to have this beautiful dish. It's one I am already familiar from the days when I was still patronizing Testina before I began my boycott of all ZS Hospitality restaurants, so I'm glad I am, once again, able to taste this. The thin slices of veal was just incredibly tender, and worked so well with the beautiful tuna sauce with the airy texture. The acidity from the capers kept this light, in spite of the drizzle of veal jus.

Spaghettone, tomato trio sauce : San Marzano, Datterino, Ciliegino - this has always been one of Juve Fan's best pasta dishes, as it showcases the purity of tomatoes.

The sauce was sooooo smooth, and I just love the fruity flavors and the sweetness. MUAH!

Ninetta Sour - Graziano came and dropped this off for us, saying it's "something really good" when I asked him about it.

Cavatelli, Sicilian red prawns, shellfish broth, fennel pollen - this was pretty good, and the red prawns together with the shellfish broth were tasty... but it's missing a little something that would make it spectacular. For the price, though, I'll take it. The tarragon in the broth was a highlight.

I couldn't believe that an Italian restaurant ran out of tiramisù! What kinda operation are they running here?! Well... then I had to pick a substitute dessert...

Pesca Melba - OK la... We've got fresh and frozen raspberries along with marsala sabayon (shouldn't it be zabaglione?)

I picked a casual bottle of wine from the restaurant's list, keeping in mind Foursheets' preferences.

2025 Murgo Etna Bianco - really flinty on the nose, with lots of peaches along with vanilla oak. Acidity on the palate was quite high for the first sip, which was what I wanted out of this wine.

We had a pretty good meal so I was happy. Sort of. But WHY ISN'T CARBONARA ON THE FUCKING MENU?! What was Juve Fan thinking?! We were literally seated next to a framed sign that said: sprtiz, carbonara, tiramisù and amore. And two of those things were not available tonight. DAFAQ?! FAIL.

Maybe we should have told Juve Fan or B Bestie that we wanted the "KOL menu"... at least they'd save me some tiramisù.