In case you didn't already know, Italian food festival Gusto Italiano kicked off this week, and tickets are selling like hot gnocchi.

Biggies like Garibaldi, OSO Ristorante and inITALY are taking part, and there are special runs by award-winning and Michelin-starred guest chefs like Enrico Bartolini and Gennaro Esposito. The month-long Italian extravaganza is set to end Oct 10, but hurry and book those slots as seats fill up quickly.

For a light-handed Mediterranean feast, book Ferrari Spumantes' dinner (Sep 9) featuring dishes like red beetroot ravioli with vanilla sauce, mascarpone cream, red berries and roasted almonds, as well as barley soup with smoked eel, caramelized pears and pomegranate. Adventurous types should go for the Michelin-starred Enrico Bartolini dinner (Sep 23) with six courses of dishes like foie gras terrine with chicken jelly, roasted lemon and Sicialian almonds; chestnut-smoked roasted beef tenderloin with white truffle potato; and soft potato, porcini mushrooms and fresh herb pesto. But the big blowout is the Best of Italy gala dinner (Sep 24) that brings five chefs from Singapore's best Italian restaurants to concoct one course each. While chef Lino Sauro of Gattopardo whips up 63-degree egg with truffled sweet potatoes, seaweed salt and Italian caviar, Garibaldi's Roberto Galetti pushes out a plate of Hokkaido scallops with white truffle infusion and artichoke puree. 

Here are our picks for Gusto Italiano dinners:

• The Flavours of Autumn (Sep 10)
• The Cuisine of Masterchef Gennaro Esposito (Sep 11) 
• 10 ANNI-versary (Oct 10)

There's a full list of events here. Oh, and use your HSBC credit card if you have one. There's a 20% discount if you do.