Chef Umberto Bombana is back! The acclaimed executive chef of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Hong Kong’s legendary Italian eatery, Toscana, has returned to the limelight with a new heartfelt, personal ristorante 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA in Central’s Landmark Alexandra. The name is a direct reference to Federico Fellini’s 1963 biographical movie classic. Like the film director, Bombana is a maestro of his art. Delighting the gourmet palate with unique culinary creations, Bombana has been hailed “The King of White Truffles”.

A native of Bergamo in Northern Italy, he was trained at Centro di Formazione Alberghiera and apprenticed under the talented Ezio Santin at Antica Osteria del Ponte, now a Michelin starred restaurant outside Milan. His impeccable talent soon took him around the world. In 1983, he joined the famous Rex Il Ristorante in Los Angeles, where he was lauded for his simple yet refined regional cooking. The restaurant, owned by Mauro Vincenti, is a regular venue for post Oscar parties. Adding to his foundation were stints in the kitchen with other top chefs such as Gianfranco Vissani, Michel Rostang and Pinuccio Alia.

His signature talent reached an unprecedented level of prestige when Bombana was awarded Worldwide Ambassador of the White Truffle in 2006 by the Piedmontese regional Enoteca Cavour (Italy).

With the closure of Toscana and The Ritz Carlton Hong Kong in January 2008, chef Bombana took some time to reflect on his culinary vision. In the summer of 2009, he and chef Roland Schuller launched an exceptional new restaurant The Drawing Room with Schuller handling the day to day executive chef duties. In less than a year, it already garnered a Michelin star.