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2010-12-10
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If you're looking for great and authentic Italian food in HK, chances are dinner is going to be a black tie affair. OK, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little bit, but I seriously think that good Italian retaurants here take themselves too seriously and as a result make for a way too serious meal. So when I'm not feeling so serious, but I'm in the mood for a seriously great Italian meal, I hit the seriously cosy Osteria. Seriously! OK, let's get serious. Osteria is the home of good ol' fashion
OK, let's get serious. Osteria is the home of good ol' fashion home-cooked Italian comfort food. With it's wooden decor accentuated by warm colours, it certainly lives up to its name as an Italian-style eatery that is both casual and cozy, not unlike a tavern. Blah blah blah, to cut to the chase, I'm saying this place is chill. Word.
So, yesterday I decided to take my father out to Osteria for his birthday. As it's quite the effort to get the old man out of the house, I needed somewhere good so he would feel like his efforts were rewarded. I also needed somewhere affordable...because I'm cheap. Anyway, as I've been several times already, I knew Osteria would not disappoint.
Right after we were led to our table, and before we even sat down, I ordered the Margherita pizza. Upon sitting down, the waiter mentioned that they had in stock "parma nero" which in my infinte wisdom, I knew to be very tasty and limited in availability. From what I've heard, parma nero is from a special breed of pigs, limited to couple of thousand...a year? You know what, I have no idea. I just know it's damn good so if it's available, get it. So instead of the Margherita, I changed my order to the Prosciutto di Parma Pizza but with the "black ham".
...And more about the pizza: I have to say it's probably the best in HK. It's like the whole thing was couriered straight from Naples! The dough was baked just right with the crust a bit crispy, and the base baked long enough so that it was firm enough to hold the toppings and not soggy. It's hard but not TOO hard; a flaccid pizza is never a good thing. The tomato sauce is arguably what makes the pizza so great. The sauce is refreshing and subtly sweet and a bit tangy too. The parma nero adds another dimension to the pizza as it thinly layers the pizza with good ol' saltiness. Needless to say the flavour of the ham is especially heavy simply because it is parma nero. To top it all off, the pizza was blanketed with rocket salad and parmesan cheese shavings. While the cheese adds much flavour and texture to the pizza, the rocket salad helps to balance out the overall combination of tastes with its subtle bitterness. Anyhoo, I have to insist that should you ever dine at Osteria, it's imperative that pizza is a part of your meal, regardless of the flavour. And remember, upgrading the cheese to Buffalo Mozzarella is a must as it changes the pizza from excellent to eccellente!
As for my main, I chose the roast baby rooster. Sounds cruel, but oh-so-good. The skin of the cooked bird is roasted to a nice dark brown colour, and while the flavour is concentrated in the not-so-crispy skin, the meat itself is tender and juicy. While cutting up this baby, I found that most of the meat just came off quite easily. As for my favourite parts, the meat on the drumstick and tiny wings were most savoury. As if what I just described wasn't succulent enough, the birdie was lightly drizzled with gravy which only made the dead thing more tasty and thereby less guilty to eat. Oh, and before I forget, Rudy the Rooster- I like naming my pets- came with awesome French...I mean Italian Fries! What a treat! They were pretty sweet...literally. I suspect they were made of sweet potatoes and they tasted so so good with the gravy. Normally, cock on a menu to me is like a last resort item- if i don't know what to get, I order chicken. This is definitely not the case here...I highly recommend it. In fact, I still have that fowl taste in my head and mouth, and in my opinion, nothing beats cock-breath.
As for my father, he ordered a special sausage fettucine. By special, I mean it was on the special menu. I suppose the fact that the fettucine was green in colour also made it pretty special. If I remember correctly it had: green fettucine, sausages, tomatoes and broccoli. Aside from the pasta, everything else was cut in tiny bite size pieces which made the dish easier to eat. Another good thing about the small pieces was that they easily absorbed the flavours of the dish, which I can't really describe because I don't know how it was made. I mean sure it tasted like the sausages, tomatoes and pasta combined but something else was in there too; it wasn't a sauce because there was no sauce...it was magic. Anyway, get it while it lasts.
So, we were ready to pay the bill when we got a very cool surprise...a birthday cupcake! Actually, it wasn't really a cupcake but a chocolate lava cake! With a lonesome little candle burning in the centre! Hurrah! My dad has finally turned one!!! Anyway, the little cake was very tasty and when we cut it in half the molten chocolate burst forth with the fury of St. Helens. Actually, it leaked out like something not-so-pretty. But it was very good. While the chocolate cake was very well made, it was the gesture that really put a tear in my eye. I mean, I only casually mentioned to the waiter that it was my father's birthday and here he was with a complimentary cake singing his heart out to the Happy Birthday Song. I couldn't help but join in and sing harmony. We rocked it
Anyway, if you made it this far down the review, basically I just wanted to say that Osteria is great and if you're craving for good and simple Italian fare, make your way to Osteria.
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