Russia-born Johana Pulat is the executive chef at Coffeelin, a Milanese-style cafe chain that is now offering dinner service from Thursday to Saturday at its Fortress Hill flagship location. She recently moved to Hong Kong after living and training in Italy. She spoke to Andrew Sun.I grew up in Russia, but lived in Italy for 10 years. I went to culinary school in the Emilia-Romagna region. But even at home in Russia, we always ate different things. For example, one of my favourite breakfasts is Middle Eastern: eggs with za’atar.I really love the vegetables in Italy. For me, a good tomato with just olive oil and a little salt is the best thing. Also, I only want seasonal food. If it is winter, I will never make Parmigiana di melanzane because there is no aubergine.I am pretty new to Hong Kong, but I try to eat in different places. I have been to several Cantonese fine dining restaurants like Duddell’s (3/F & 4/F, 1 Duddell Street, Central. Tel: 2525 9191), which are good but I think I still prefer cha chaan teng and street food. At Duddell’s I had bird’s nest, and the signature char siu was very nice.I just found a place around the corner from Coffeelin for roast goose and char siu called Mister Roast Goose (256B Electric Road, Fortress Hill. Tel: 3596 3107) and it is so good. So far, it is the best one for me.I have visited different Italian restaurants here. So far, maybe the best is Trattoria Felino (1-7 Ship Street, Wan Chai. Tel: 5697 4477). I really love the vibe and the food. In Italy, these kinds of places are everywhere. I really appreciate their work in team building. The food is modern, not just classic Italian cuisine. The cannolo di tonno (tuna) was amazing. The cannolo was wonderful. The pane and pomodoro – bread and tomato – with rosemary was great. It is a place I would bring friends to.A selection of weekend brunch dishes at Trattoria Felino in Wan Chai. Photo: courtesy of Trattoria Felino