After my last meal at restaurant, I was convinced that Linguini Fini serves up the best pasta in Soho. Apart from that, there are many reasons why I love Linguini Fini. Their nose-to-tail cooking philosophy. The no-waste method of running the restaurant. The wine honor system.
I also heard that their chicken wings are pretty kick ass as well, have you tried? I must do that some day.
So it is only a matter of time before I got personal with Chef Vinny Lauria, the mastermind behind Linguini Fini’s inventive and tasty menu.
Nose-to-tail eating concept is very ingrained in your restaurant, but to the novice, it can be quite a concept to take to. What would you tell them, and how best can they can experience the philosophy?
Our pappardelle nose to tail bolo is reflective of this philosophy (see a photo of this here). It is a classic bolo with veal pork and beef, but instead of just using the typical mince, we do it nose-to-tail using pigs head, veal loin and ox tail. The whole idea of nose to tail is to be more sustainable, using the whole animal instead of just the prime cuts.
If someone come to Linguini Fini for the first time and only have time for ONE dish, what would you recommend?
I would recommend the fragrant glass linguini fini alfredo. It is a good representation of what we do. We infuse chow cho (fragrant grass) in a classic homemade linguini fini and serve it with a creamy parm cheese sauce. The dish is delicious and uses a local flavor infused into classic Italian cuisine.
Some would say many other restaurants kind of borrowed your ideas. How do you feel about this development?
I haven’t really noticed, but I think it is great that other restaurants in the city are starting to focus on more sustainable practices.
You moved to Hong Kong in 2009, yet never been to Asia before. That is quite a huge leap of faith. What was your main worry back then, and how are you faring now?
Well I honestly didn’t stress too much about it. It was a huge jump for me as it was my first Exec Chef job and it was in a continent I had never been to. I just looked at it as I look at any other challenge. It was an opportunity to learn and an opportunity to achieve great things for myself and my career.
As for now, I am really happy I made this move. I feel like I have settled in really well and have developed a sound culinary style and my food has a true identity. I feel like I have really achieved a lot of personal and professional development in the past five years.
If there is a type of Hong Kong food you dislike, what would it be?
I honestly really like it all. If there are certain dishes that I don’t love, I still have a lot of respect for their purpose and the way they are prepared.
EAT: Linguini Fini | 49 Elgin Street, Central, Hong Kong | info@linguinifini.com | +852 2387 6338