Skip to content
Left arrow
FOUR Magazine logo
Search icon

Umberto Bombana

Chefs
|
04 Mar 2017
|
2 min read

The Italian chef’s journey began in Bergamo, Northern Italy where he trained at Centro di Formazione Alberghiera, learning his trade under Ezio Santin at Antica Osteria del Ponte.

Hailed as “The King of White Truffles”, Chef BOMBANA Umberto has never forgotten his root as a chef with great respect for honest food, great produce and attention to customers. Always motivated to push the limits of traditional Italian cuisine with innovative and boundless creativity, he has successfully taken his three Michelin-starred Italian fine dining restaurant 8½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA onto the world stage, elevating it to a must-go dining institution admired by Epicurean connoisseurs all over the world.

A native of Bergamo in Northern Italy, Chef BOMBANA was trained at Centro di Formazione Alberghiera and apprenticed under acclaimed Chef Ezio Santin at Antica Osteria del Ponte, now a Michelin-starred restaurant outside Milan. Chef BOMBANA’s talent and skills soon took him around the world. In 1983, he joined the famous Rex II 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, further developing his signature personal culinary philosophy.

Chef BOMBANA arrived in Hong Kong in 1993 to manage Toscana at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Hong Kong, which quickly became an iconic destination of the fine dining scene. His flair and passion for refined Northern Italian cooking offered Hong Kong 15 years of incomparable dining. During his career at The Ritz-Carlton, the chef also shared his expertise at sister properties in Laguna Niguel in California, Boston, Osaka, Seoul and Singapore. Recognition for Chef BOMBANA’s culinary creations reached an unprecedented level of prestige when he was awarded “Best Italian Chef in Asia” by the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners (ICIF) in 2002 and then “Worldwide Ambassador of the White Truffle” in 2006 by the Piedmontese Regional Enoteca Cavour in Italy.

With the closure of Toscana and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Hong Kong in 2008, Chef BOMBANA began his most personal and distinctive project — 8½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA. The restaurant name, selected personally by the chef as a tribute to his favorite Italian film director Federico Fellini’s 1963 movie《8½》, is a celebration of Italian lifestyle and art. In December 2010, the restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars in the 《Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau 2011》after only eleven months of opening. It further achieved three stars in the《Michelin Guide Hong Kong Macau 2012》, becoming the first and only Italian restaurant outside Italy to receive such high recognition. Since then, it has retained the honor for sixth consecutive years.

Chef BOMBANA’s culinary empire has extended to China where he opened 8½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA Shanghai in 2012 and Opera BOMBANA in Beijing in 2013. In December 2013, he opened Hong Kong’s first refined Italian trattoria, CIAK – In The Kitchen located at the Landmark Atrium, Central. In June 2015, Chef BOMBANA launched the latest branch of his famed 8½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA Galaxy Macau serving refined Italian cuisine and featuring the finest seasonal ingredients sourced from around the world. In June 2016, the beloved one Michelin star Italian trattoria reached Taikoo Shing with its second branch: CIAK – All Day Italian and propagate the best of traditional Italian cuisine.

Awards
  • 3 Michelin stars
Recipes
8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana

8½ Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA

202, 2/F, Landmark Alexandra, 18 Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong

ottoemezzobombana.com


World’s best winner 2014     |     World’s best luxury lifestyle media brand 2022

About

|

Editions

|

Contact

|

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Four magazine

|

All Rights Reserved

About

|

Contact

|

Editions

|

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Four magazine

|

All Rights Reserved

four-magazine.com use cookies to deliver an optimised experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of all cookies used.
Cookie settingsaccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.

CookieDurationDescription
__cfduid1 monthThe cookie is used by cdn services like CloudFare to identify individual clients behind a shared IP address and apply security settings on a per-client basis. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information.
_abck1 yearThis cookie is used to detect and defend when a client attempt to replay a cookie.This cookie manages the interaction with online bots and takes the appropriate actions.
bm_sz4 hoursThis cookie is set by the provider Akamai Bot Manager. This cookie is used to manage the interaction with the online bots. It also helps in fraud preventions
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
ts3 yearsThis cookie is provided by the PayPal. It is used to support payment service in a website.
ts_c3 yearsThis cookie is provided by PayPal when a website is in association with PayPal payment function. This cookie is used to make safe payment through PayPal.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Functional

Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.

CookieDurationDescription
akavpau_ppsdsessionThis cookie is provided by Paypal. The cookie is used in context with transactions on the website.
nsidThis cookie is set by the provider PayPal. This cookie is used to enable the PayPal payment service in the website.
tsrce3 daysThis cookie is set by the provider PayPal. This cookie is used to enable the PayPal payment service in the website.
x-pp-ssessionThis cookie is set by the provider PayPal. This cookie is used to process payments from the site.

Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

CookieDurationDescription
YSCsessionThis cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos.

Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form.

Advertisement

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.

CookieDurationDescription
_fbp3 monthsThis cookie is set by Facebook to deliver advertisement when they are on Facebook or a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising after visiting this website.
fr3 monthsThe cookie is set by Facebook to show relevant advertisments to the users and measure and improve the advertisements. The cookie also tracks the behavior of the user across the web on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE1 year 24 daysUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
test_cookie15 minutesThis cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysThis cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website.

Others

Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.

CookieDurationDescription
_gat_gtag_UA_120081375_11 minuteThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_83740222_11 minuteThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_mcid1 yearNo description
ak_bmsc2 hoursNo description
CONSENT16 years 9 months 2 days 6 hoursNo description
ec_store_chameleon_fontsessionThis cookie is provided by Ecwid and it is used to save the font utilised in the website's online store.
enforce_policy1 yearNo description
l7_az30 minutesNo description
LANG9 hoursNo description
x-cdnThis cookie is provided by Paypal and is used in context with shopping transactions on the website's store.