When you think of Alba in the Piedmont region of Italy, the first thing that usually comes to mind is white truffles. But at Piazza Duomo, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant led by Chef Enrico Crippa, the real star of the show is actually the "terra" - the land.

The restaurant is famously owned by the Ceretto family (the renowned winemakers). This means Piazza Duomo has access to incredible resources, including their own greenhouse and organic/biodynamic gardens. They even have their own dedicated white truffle store right in the town center.

The food closely reflects the seasonal bounty of the region, and the tasting menu follows accordingly.

But First, the Truffles . . .

Of course, during truffle season, truffles are everywhere! Upon walking in, we were greeted with a glass dome showcasing several INSANELY large white truffles.

Soon after we sat down, a man dressed in a suit walked in with a box full of HUGE white truffles.

Oh the aroma as soon as he opened the box! It was intoxicating. Honestly, after a few minutes your nose actually starts to get used to the smell. It becomes harder to differentiate which truffles "smells the best." Thankful one of our friends, who seems to have an incredible sense of smell, had a pretty strong opinion of which one she thought smelled the best. We later found out the one she chose had just been found that morning.

So it was super fresh. And it was huge. And yes, it was EXPENSIVE (14 EURO per gram). But this was probably a once-in-lifetime experience, so we decided to go for it. We'd be enjoying this huge white truffle over every course of our tasting menu.

The Welcome

The meal started with a series of small bites that reminded me of Korean "banchan." It was like a traditional Piedmontese antipasto spread, but elevated. We had a rich ragu topped with truffle, pumpkin, cauliflower, and a cheese dish with a vibrant spinach sauce (yum!). We also tasted a smooth whipped potato and a tiny, delicate salad.

Finally, a Deep Fried Raviolo, which was perfectly crispy and a great way to kick off the snacks.

Salad 21... 31... 41... 51...

This is perhaps Chef Crippa’s most famous dish. The name refers to the number of ingredients, which varies by season—our version had about 98 different ingredients sourced directly from their farm! The server told us to eat it with tweezers, one leaf at a time. It starts off very bitter and punchy. As we worked our way to the bottom, we found a bed of purple clovers and a delicious, savory kombu dashi broth that tied everything together.

Check out the video at the end of this post to see us eating this super interesting salad, leaf by leaf!

The Sea

This course featured soft and sweet cabbage (it reminded me a lot of Napa cabbage) served with scallops and, of course, a generous shaving of white truffles.

June 18, 1815, Mont-Saint-Jean

Interestingly, this interpretation of a deconstructed Beef Wellington arrived quite early in the meal. We weren't expecting beef + foie gras this early! The knife-work on the mushrooms was incredibly delicate. The overall dish was heavy and decadent, but surprisingly, they paired it with a white wine. This act did "lighten" the course, putting it more in line with the courses that came before and after it.

The Garden

Next was "The Garden," featuring a beautiful long-stem artichoke served with a silky cream sauce.

The Soil

"The Soil" was one of the highlights of the night. A "velvet" potato puree that felt more like a thick, luxurious soup, this dish also came topped with generous amounts of white truffles.

Bryan actually said it was better than the famous Joel Robuchon mashed potatoes, which is saying a lot!

The Mill

You can't go to Piedmont without having risotto. This one was quite thick and cheesy, cooked perfectly al dente.

The Extras: Piedmont Classics

Since we were in Alba, we couldn't resist ordering a few extras, all of which are optional and demonstrate Piazza Duomo's interpretation of certain classic Piemontese dishes.

And with white Alba truffles . . .

The Mountain

We still had wine left, so the chef sent out a special treat for us to go with our truffles: a Foie Gras “Bonbon.” We paired this course with a glass of the Ceretto Barolo Cannubi, which was just stunning.

2005-2025 Evolution Milk

For dessert, we had the "Evolution Milk." It was a "snow" gelato sitting on top of rice pudding, and yes—we even put truffle on this! It was easily one of my favorite things I’ve eaten all year. We finished with a "Latte+," a small drink of milk spiked with a bit of alcohol.

Migardises (Petit Fours)

And then finally, we were near the end!

So many different choices! Beautiful delicate black sesame crackers, "lollipops" where you could eat the stick, delicate tuille, chocolate covered espresso beans, and some nice fresh oranges.

This almond cake was delicious as well.

We each got our own little jar of slightly boozy milk.

Video - Piazza Duomo Highlights

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General Thoughts: Piazza Duomo Alba

Piazza Duomo is definitely a "splurge" meal. The tasting menu was €290, and the white truffles were sold at market price (€14 per gram).

If you are a wine lover, their "Best of Our Cellar" pairing (€595) is a deep dive into some of the most iconic bottles in the world, including their own Ceretto Barbaresco. Here’s what we had:

• Benanti Etna Superiore Pietra Marina 2020
• Gaja Gaja & Rey 2020
• Profetas e Villões Crosta Calcaria dos Profetas 2023
• Coche-Dury Auxey-Duresses 2012
• Ceretto Barbaresco Asili 2006
• Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino 2019
• Bassermann-Jordan Riesling Beerenauslese Jesuitengarten 2013

It was an unforgettable experience. The focus on the vegetables from their own garden makes the meal feel lighter and more modern than many other three-star type places, even with the indulgence of the truffles and beef.

The meal did take a loooooong time. I think we were there for nearly five hours. By the time the meal was over, it was almost time for dinner (not that we had room!). To me, 5 hours is a bit too long. But perhaps it was partly our fault for ordering so many "extra" courses!

All in all, certainly a memorable and fun experience. I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to share such a special meal with such close friends.

Piazza Duomo Alba Italy
Piazza Risorgimento
4 - 12051 Alba (CN)

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We're a little spoiled here in Hong Kong, with the insane concentration of good food in such a small area. Sure, it can be crowded (and hard to walk on the sidewalk sometime!), but at the same it's there's nothing like being able to walk to and from so many world class restaurants.

Forum is one of only seven restaurants in Hong Kong that has achieved three Michelin stars, the others being: 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo - Bombana, Ta Vie, Amber, Caprice, Sushi Shikon, and T'ang Court.

I've actually eaten at Forum least twice, which is why Bryan was dumbfounded when he couldn't find it on the blog.

"I guess you never wrote about Forum ??! . . . ."

There's really no excuse. I'd taken the photos. I'd enjoyed the meals immensely. I just fell behind, with all these trips I have to write up, sometimes local Hong Kong restaurants get put on the back burner of the list of things to do. (which is totally not right!)

That reminds me, I visited T'ang Court earlier this year and haven't written THAT one up either . . . ai ya!

So here I am, digging a bit back in time, to give these three Michelin star restaurants at least the post they deserve on this blog.

Forum is located in the Causeway Bay neighborhood on Hong Kong island. Chef Yeung Koon Yat executes traditional Cantonese food at the highest level using the finest ingredients.

Cantonese Food at the Highest Level

An exquisite crab cake topped with caviar was perfect. Just look at the art of the cucumber carving on the side.

Cantonese soups are deceiving in how simple they look. In fact, typically the broth is made from a ton of ingredients boiled for a long time. They are super nutritious, very flavorful, yet at the same time very "clean" tasting.

Abalone and mushroom make a natural pair, as their bouncy textures and sweet umami are similar in some ways.

This crab shell was covered with a thin layer of egg, which was very delicately prepared.

A simple dish like kung po chicken can become surprisingly elevated when executed at the highest level. We actually fell in love with the homemade sauces at Forum (which they sell!).

Another classic dish, napa cabbage slowly simmered until its is almost creamy and soft. The napa itself can be so sweet that you don't really need much else to enjoy this delicate dish.

A good fried rice takes time, patience, and a wok that can give you that wok hei in the rice. I'm usually pretty full near the end of a Cantonese banquet (and thus will often skip the rice). Here, though, it's worth eating!

Dessert

We finished with mala cake (a type of brown sugar steamed bread), as well as red bean soup.

Forum sells their fantastic XO sauce and black bean sauce, so we ended up buying a few jars to take home. It's a way to remember the restaurant during my simple meals at home.

Forum Hong Kong
1/F, Sino Plaza, 255-257 Gloucester Road,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

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We'd been planning our Italy trip for close to a year. Arriving from opposite sides of the globe (us from Hong Kong and our friends from Boston), we landed in Milan for 48 hours before heading to Modena and Alba for the next part of our trip.

Our dinner that first night in Milan was at Andrea Aprea, a 2-Michelin starred restaurant located inside the Luigi Rovati Foundation (an Etruscan art museum). Originally from Naples, Chef Aprea was the first to earn a Michelin star for a hotel restaurant in Milan back in 2011. Today, he holds two stars and focuses on taking traditional Neapolitan flavors and reimagining them using modern techniques.

We opted for the Signature 8-course "Prolong Experience" (€290). While we waited for our table, we grabbed a drink at their more casual Caffè Bistrot downstairs, which they kindly brought up for us when our table was ready.

Chef Aprea focuses a lot on “the fusion of memories”. A lot of our experiences involved the memory of a particular dish, but experienced in a new way, perhaps a new texture or form that is only made possible with modern techniques. 

The Welcome & Snacks

Case in point: the meal started with a playful nod to childhood. We had a snack featuring pop rocks, orange, and savory oyster leaf. It was a total surprise—the popping sensation definitely brought back "memories," but the flavor was sophisticated and refined.

Cheesy Pillows: These were a huge hit with my friend's family. What I nicknamed “Bolobao” (because it reminds me of a Hong Kong pineapple bun!), was a crunchy, sweet-and-savory bite that was absolutely delicious.

Olive Bomb: A burst of olive flavor perched on top of a delicate pie shell.

The "Burrata"

This dish was brilliant. It looked like a standard burrata, but it was actually a light burrata foam encased in a thin candy shell to give it shape without the heaviness. Served with an intense tomato "paste" and basil, it was a completely different textural take on a classic Caprese salad.

Seafood and Land

Smoked Duck Pastrami & Raw Langoustine: Thin, delicate slices of smoked duck pastrami came topped with a cube of apple sauce and a cube of raw langoustine. On the perimeter, meticulously placed dots of walnut and lovage leaf. Lovely dish, though I would have preferred the dish with just a bit less apple sauce (a bit too sweet).

Duck Liver Mousse: Served with a perfect, buttery brioche. (not pictured)

Cuttlefish “Diabola Style”: This was intense! It featured a dark, mole-like sauce with a good kick of chili heat (thus the "Diabola" style) and a thin slice of apple on top to cut through the richness.

The "Silver" Potato: This looked exactly like a baked potato . . .

. . but was actually a mini potato coated in silver leaf.

Inside, it was creamy and savory—very tasty.

The Middle Courses (The "Heavy" Part)

The middle of the meal felt a bit more polarizing.

We had the Submarine Risotto, which was served half-and-half: one side savory with mussels and scallops, and the other side "sweet" with candied orange peels. The rice was very al dente—slightly under for my taste—and the sweet/savory combo was a bit hit-or-miss.

We also had a Tortellino with guanciale and ricotta. The sauce was incredibly intense and a bit too salty for us, though it was served with a side of cube pork fat bread which was dangerously good.

The Main Events

The meal smoothed out again with the main proteins:

Turbot: Perfectly cooked. Bryan said it strangely (but fondly) reminded him of biscuits and gravy.

Pigeon: This was a standout—perfectly cooked and paired with a lovely almond cream and orange sauce.

Palate Cleanser + Dessert

To clear our palates, we had a 🍋lemon sorbet served with a lemon fragrance via dry ice. It came in these cool magnetic lemon-shaped containers. (Note: Ziva actually found a hair in her dish, but the staff replaced it immediately with no issues).

The final dessert was a beautiful mix of vanilla ice cream, cheesy dollops, and raspberry. It was salty, sweet, and crunchy without being overly heavy, which was exactly what we needed after such a big meal.

Andrea Aprea - Final Thoughts

The tasting menu at Andrea Aprea was designed to showcase some of Chef Aprea's most famous dishes through the years. Although I won't disagree that the individual dishes were very impressive, the flow of the meal was a little choppy. The meal started with an impressive sequence of snacks and also ended on a very strong note. The middle felt a little weighed down by heavy sauces, making it feel more like a collection of "greatest hits" rather than one fluid story. However, overall we still very much enjoyed the meal. The creativity and the stunning museum setting make it a very cool Milanese experience overall.

Andrea Aprea Milan Italy
Corso Venezia 52, 20122 Milano
Presso Fondazione Luigi Rovati

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We were staying in Midtown and on the hunt for good bagels. Having seating would be a major plus. After some research, we landed on Liberty Bagel and Best Bagel and Coffee. Though both had excellent reviews, we decided to try Best Bagel and Coffee first, since it had more seating and we would have a shot of actually being able to sit there and each enjoy a bagel sandwich!

At Best Bagels, all bagels are "hand rolled and kettle boiled". Additionally, they make ALL the bagels right on the premises, so you know you are getting a freshly baked one.

There are many options! Just look at the photos of the different bagels hanging from the ceiling. They run an efficient operation. You order and then wait to pick up your sandwich.

Perhaps it's the current NYC trend, but they have some fun colored bagels . . .

and LOTs of different types of cream cheese.

I got a seseame salmon and lox bagel, but with avocado! It was FANTASTIC. The bagel was perfect, and all the ingredients inside were fresh and high quality. We did have to sort of "hover" in order to grab seating. Thankfully, it's a high throughput kind of place, so seating opens up pretty quickly and pretty frequently.

We came back with a friend, and managed to grab one of the few outdoor seats. Since the weather was warm, we really enjoyed it out there!

Best Bagel and Coffee

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I have always loved New York Bagels. Bryan and I used to bring a dozen H&H bagels back to Boston from New York for YEARS. So of course when I finally had the chance to return to New York after (gasp) 10 years, I had to get some bagels.

Interestingly, the New York bagel landscape has shifted quite a bit since our last visit. H&H closed in 2010 (the founder was jailed) and then re-opened in 2014 under new ownership. At the same time, many new bagel shops have opened, including Liberty Bagels in 2018.

Liberty Bagels has gained a massive following for sticking to the "old-fashioned" way of doing things—hand-rolling their dough and kettle-boiling each batch to ensure that signature chewy exterior. While they are arguably most famous for their viral Rainbow Bagels, they are equally respected for their traditional flavors and massive selection of house-made cream cheeses.

Just look at this cream cheese spread. It's like an ice cream parlour!

The line can be quite long, but it moves pretty fast. Walk past the huge crowd to the cashier to order, and then wait (with the crowd) for your number to be called. You can also order ahead online and pick up right near the entrance.

Smoked whitefish bagel sandwich

The bagels are delicious, and we came back multiple times. The very last day, we bought a dozen to take back with us (to Hong Kong!).

Bryan painstakingly cut each bagel in half with a knife before immediately freezing them. They reheat beautifully (just put it directly in the toaster or under the broiler in a toaster oven).

Liberty Bagels
multiple locations throughout New York City

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