An Italian native of small town Seregno, near Milan, Marco Xodo is the head chef at modern Italian eatery Testina in Central, Hong Kong Island. He spoke to Andrew Sun.
Generally, when I’m not working, I tend to eat in different restaurants to try different cuisines. One of my favourites is Jean May (Shop A, 14 Gresson Street, Wan Chai. Tel: 9180 6778). I believe this French bistro’s chef shares a similar mentality to Testina. It’s casual, cosy and I really like this ambience.
For big groups, my friends and I often go to Yardbird (154-158 Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2547 9273). I really like the vibe and their skewers.
I also like sushi at Sushi Mamoru (Shop 2, 32 Oi Kwan Road, Wan Chai. Tel: 2133 5700), which serves very good quality food and a lot of variety. You can tell the chef treats every plate of food with respect. Their lunch set is also good value for money.
For Chinese, I love The Chairman (3/F, 198 Wellington Street, Central. Tel: 2555 2202) for their modern take with a traditional touch. They manage to evolve Chinese food without losing tradition. Every time I go, they always have new dishes. It’s inspirational.
Another casual place I go to is the Thai restaurant Samsen (two locations including 23 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan. Tel: 2234 0080). I like the freshness of the dishes. I appreciate Indian food too and I often go to New Punjab Club (34 Wyndham Street, Central. Tel: 2368 1223). The chef is so nice there.
I always bring visitors to try local food and street food, such as wontons, noodles, tendons. One place I always bring guests for local foods is definitely Genuine Lamma Hilton Fishing Village Restaurant (Lot 584, Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island. Tel: 2982 8220). I love their fresh calamari, prawns and other seafood. Plus, I like to bring friends to fish markets such as the Aberdeen fish market.
When I want to celebrate, I like travelling. In Japan, my favourite restaurant is Sushi Yoshitake (9F, 7-8-13 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. Tel: +81 3 6253 7331). It was the first three-Michelin-star restaurant I ever visited in Japan and I have beautiful memories of it. It was a mind-blowing experience, opening my mind about Japanese cuisine.
When I go to Singapore, I like Bakalaki Greek Taverna (38A Martin Road, Singapore. Tel: +65 6836 3688). It’s not very famous but the freshness of the ingredients and the simplicity of the preparation is unbelievable.
Another Singapore place I like is Ma Cuisine (38 Craig Road, Singapore. Tel: +65 6224 1838), a French bistro. I love how the chef presents classic dishes in their updated version. The food is super tasty and the ambience cosy.
In Italy there are a lot of places in my heart. My personal top three restaurants are: Trattoria La Buca (Via Ghizzi 6, Zibello. Tel: +39 0524 99214) in the city of Polesine Parmense, a nice place with an elderly lady welcoming you. The food is rustic but super tasty.
Another place is Antica Osteria del Mirasole (Via Giacomo Matteotti 17/a, San Giovanni in Persiceto. Tel: +39 051 821273), near Bologna, where they prepare traditional regional cuisine. I was amazed by the hospitality of the staff and the authenticity of the dishes.
The last one is Clinica Gastronomica Arnaldo (Piazza XXIV Maggio 3, Rubiera. Tel: +39 0522 626124) where they have a Gueridon service, a kind of old-style service. I love their speciality, which is the Bollito Misto – a mix of eight varieties of different meats – served with fruit mustard.