Giando is likely familiar to most of us living in Hong Kong from their former location in Wan Chai in Fenwick Pier. Relocating to the increasingly popular Star Street location, the modern Italian restaurant remains devoted to sourcing and serving only the finest ingredients. While their a la carte options are drool-worthy, what you should really come to Giando for is the weekend brunch. This is one of the few semi-buffet brunches in Hong Kong where the quality, freshness, and taste of the dishes at the buffet (and, of course, the mains) were flawless. For only HKD$338 (includes buffet + main + dessert), heading to Giando for brunch is a must-try.

Vibe At Giando

White table cloths and minimal decor mark the interior of Giando. While nothing strikes the eye as particularly intriguing or unique, the food more than made up for the restaurant’s simplicity. There is a large floor-to-ceiling window that spreads across the front of the restaurant, allowing for plenty of natural light to seep into the dining area, and private tables sectioned off in the back of the restaurant, perfect for larger parties.

Buffet Spread

The buffet spread during brunch at Giando is one of the more impressive ones I’ve seen in Hong Kong (and trust me, I’ve been to my fair share of buffet brunches here). There was an ample selection of dishes and you could clearly tell the focus was on quality ingredients. My favourites from the buffet were the variety of tomatoes (there were six!), the ricotta and stracciatella cheese, and eggplant parmesan, though I really did thoroughly enjoy everything I tried.

Mains

Unlike many other semi-buffet brunches that only have a handful of mains to choose from, Giando offers an impressive list of main courses ranging from “light” choices, “primi” pastas, and “secondo” meat and seafood. Besides having over 15 choices of mains, we were also impressed with how large the portion sizes were (especially the pasta dishes), how beautifully presented each dish was, and how good the food was.

Dessert

Choosing a dessert was just as difficult as choosing a main course; with seven dessert options I literally wanted to try them all. After some serious deliberation, we settled on two Italian traditional desserts: the panna cotta and tiramisu. The panna cotta was creamy and had just the right amount of mixed berry sauce without overpowering the dish. The homemade tiramisu was authentic and spot-on both in flavour and texture.

Verdict

If it wasn’t obvious enough from the above, I’ll put it simply: if you love brunch (let’s get real, who doesn’t love a good weekend food-fest?!) and Italian food, then Giando is a no-brainer. We were all thoroughly impressed by the quality of food at the buffet and the general care and consideration that goes into sourcing their ingredients from boutique farms and shops throughout Italy thanks to founder Gianni Caprioli. Moreover, most of their main course a la carte dishes are between HKD$200 – 300, so you really are getting great value when coming to Giando for brunch.

The Deal

Set Brunch: HKD$388 (buffet counter + main course + dessert)
Buffet Only: HKD$288
Free Flow Add-on: HKD$158 for Bianco Vigna (Prosecco) or HKD$208 for Conntadi Castaldi (sparkling wine) 

Giando
G/F, Tower 1 Starcrest
9 Star Street
Wan Chai 
Hong Kong 

Tel: 2511 8912