Trifles with truffles

Bombana shaves some black truffle onto a pasta plate.

"For example, I think it's fantastic to have the black winter truffles with the summer vegetables," he says, referring to the special menu he presented in Beijing last weekend.

"In the past, you only had black winter truffle in the winter, so you had to have it with the winter vegetables - celery root, this kind of thing."

After launching The Drawing Room restaurant with chef Roland Schuller in 2009, Bombana began to mold Otto e Mezzo, his most personal project ever.

The name, which means 8 1/2, came to him suddenly.

"Fellini's 8 1/2 is considered to be one of the top 10 movies ever produced. Fellini as an artist in general - not just a movie director - really fascinates me."

The film is a reflection on creation, Bombana says, and it came out in 1963, when a lot of things were happening in the cultural and economic life of Italy. "It was a very positive time, so I dedicated the name of the restaurant to Fellini."

His goal, like Fellini's is to deliver an unforgettable artistic experience, an effort that was recognized when the Hong Kong restaurant won two Michelin stars within a few months of opening, and a third star in 2011.

In November 2011, Bombana hosted the Hong Kong bidders for the annual World White Truffle of Alba Auction, an event linked by satellite to the Italian auction grounds.

Since then, another Otto e Mezzo has opened in Shanghai, and now Opera Bombana - an airy, more casual incarnation that also includes a bakery.

And occasionally, a truffle show.

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