Avanti Pizzeria    意廊    

This pizzeria is situated in the Regal Riverside Hotel in Shatin, quite a remote location for practically anybody in Hong Kong. It's a good 10-min walk from City One along the Ma On Shan Line. This place is really a hidden gem in the city with its nice ambience and delicious food. I have been living in the States for 10 years and have tried all sorts of pizza coz it's one of my favorites. This Avanti Pizzeria is really the best in town. My wife and I are more into the New York style thin hand-tossed crust, which you can find the finest-made here. The overall setting is nice, with the right amount of lighting, decor and tiny bit of live music from a nearby bar. I find the olive oil bottle quite funny looking. The cold cut platter really blew our mind. It's huge, delicious and has variety! The crossing bread with pesto sauce is awesome, a very good choice of bread to go with the cold cuts. I have to admit that the meat quality is not the best as compared with other high-end German places. But it's good enough for a 80-something-dollar dish. I am really fascinated by the bread.Mandarin duck pizza is so unbeatable! I promise you will never visit Pizza Hut or any other chain pizza places after tasting this one. The crust is definitely tossed by hand (you can literally see several chefs working like crazy in the semi open kitchen). It's steaming hot, of the right size and right thickness, crunchy, good mix with fresh topping. The dough and topping are really made for each other and supplement the savor and feeling. I bet everybody has been to pizza places where 50% of topping fell off while lifting. Avanti's pizza is way too good. Ravioli is something I can't resist. Avanti offers arguably the best ravioli in town again. I like the creamy white sauce, juicy mushroom, well-packed ravioli just with the right amount of cheese and stuffing. It's much fulfilling to have such a big ravioli. Another big thumb up!