Linguini Fini  

The place is cosy and seems always busy. Bookings are recommended. We went for a casual dinner with friends. The fried mozzarella cheese sticks are a must have. The cheese is fresh and chewy when you bite into them and the batter is crispy yet not oily. The meatballs were delicious with generously sprinkled parmesan cheese on top. The pasta was cooked perfecly and was al dente. The sichuan inspired pasta was interesting but too salty and wasnt completely satifying if one wanted more kick to the pasta. Happy hour was a good deal- buy one get one on all house and a selection of cocktails.

The waiters were friendly and attentive. I would go there for a casual meal after work. Sitting downstairs is much more relaxed and cosy than upstairs.

The atmosphere is busy and charming. The staff is warm. They have been trained to be nice, polite and smiling.
But....the food was bad. the pasta and steak too salty. The pasta is cooked american way, not al dente but that's ok.
The Tiramisu was absolutely tasteless and even the pinot noir wine we choose was not great.
and we end up paying 800 HKD for 2 for that (they must be paying a hefty rent)

got arrived around 120pm and luckily get table right away.

Set lunch $98 includes
bread (fresh baked, warm, well fit to olive oil and vinegar), starter (itlian soup- family flavor), main course (baked pasta full of cheese, heavy but good taste). Coffee- italian style (very strong espresso). No service charge but with good service. Will definitely come again.

According to Hong Kong's eater's heatmap, Linguini Fini is one of the hottest place to dine in at this moment. Since italian food is one of K's favourite cuisine, I had to bring him here to try it out. We made a reservation the day before and as promptly shown to our table when we reached. The restaurant takes up two floors, with the bar situated on ground. There was a DJ spinning music in the bar, making the atmosphere suitable for after work drinks and casual friends gathering. The booth seats available looked cosy too. The tables on the restaurant floor were quite close together (as are many restaurants in HK) and rather small. It seemed as though the owner was trying to fit in as many table as possible. K and I scanned through the menu and quickly decided on the Picante pizza and meatball spaghetti. I added an appetizer of baked tripe as well. The drinks and wine list looked extensive but we don't really drink, so did not bother to look through it.

The baked tripe at LF was unlike the one I had before. The slice tripe were baked in tomato sauce and topped with lots of mozzarella. Although the portion wasn't big, it was still rather filling. The Picante pizza was really good. I loved the spicy sausages topping the pizza as they were really flavorful, going well with the anchovies and olives. LF's version of meatball spaghetti consist of a giant meatball sitting on top of a bed of just cooked spaghetti. In fact, I felt that the spaghetti could have been cooked a couple of minutes longer. Then again, it is yet to be determined if LF prefers their pasta a little on the hard side or it was just my plate that night. The tomato sauce was good and tasted very fresh. It is interesting that they presented it as one giant meatball instead of several small ones. The meatball was well done, filled will lots of herbs and seasoning. K quickly devoured the whole lot. We only managed to finished half the pizza (there were 8 slices) and decided to doggy bag the remaining home for lunch the next day.

Too full for dessert, we will definitely be back the next time for their fantastic looking brunch menu. With a large selection of pizza, pasta and other mains, at such decent prices, LF is giving places like Piccolo a run for its money. Although Piccolo is a more chill out place, I wouldn't mind heading to the vibrant LF for its Picante again, anytime.

on the 22 of apr, i made a reservation for two at 20:30 on 23 apr, a lady took my call and help me made a booking. i arrived on the following day and the guy told me that i was not on the reservation list and made me wait at the bar for 15 mins and i left the restaurant due to his poor handling skills

I had invited my friend to try this new restaurant. We had made reservation but noone was reconfirm our visit. The environment and ambience was attractive and cozy. We were escorted to upstairs for dining and saw an open kitchen. The table layout was simple and the napkin like a cloth used in kitchen, I don't like this napkin. The service staff was friendly and attentive service. He was introduced and upsell the appetizer and soup course with a blackboard. We was not interested in this and studied the menu later.

We ordered as below:

Ceasar salad and 8 hours Tripe. The vegetables used was very fresh and the Ceasar sauce was very mild in taste, we can enjoy the freshness. The 8 hours Tripe was very hot from the oven. The tripes was very tender with other ingredients, I even don't think they had some pork. It was very tasty and goes well with some bread, but the bread was cool and very hard.

We order a Italian pizza (I forgot the name). The filling was cheese and herbs. It was light and great for share.

A classic linguini which was in small portion and salty but al dente.

At the last, we finished our meal with something sweet. We ordered Tiramisu and cinnamon gelato for share. The Tiramisu presented not as usual in other restaurant, but the ice-cream on top was nice with this dessert. The cinnamon gelato was not too sweet and I like this flavour. I think it was a homemade gelato.

The pace of service was fine at first, but later we think there were someone waiting for our table and the staff intended to push us to finished our meal asap. They even send us the bill quickly after they clear up our table. Finally, we still tips for good food but not the service.

I have been to Linguini Fini for dinner twice and quite like the place. I had been thinking about bringing my family over, but was held back because they didn't accept reservation before. Now that they do, I had to bring them there.

Linguini Fini extended to the ground floor where Cantopop was before, possibly due to the high demand at rush hour. The manager said they are still seeking a location for Cantopop. The reception also moved to the ground floor, so approach the receptionist on the ground floor for your table instead! (So you won't end up like me bringing my whole family into the lift and came back out since we did not have access to the floor. *blush)

I had been wanting to try this restaurant for some time but they didn't take reservations and I'm not one for waiting. On learning that they did now take reservations I went there last night with 3 friends. We enjoyed a pleasant pre-dinner drink in the bar downstairs and then headed upstairs for dinner. We then found out that we were supposed to check-in with reception downstairs. This is not clear as no one greets you when you enter the bar area. The waitress kindly went downstairs for us to confirm our reservation and shortly afterwards were seated. There were 4 of us on a square table that was clearly meant for 2 people so it was a tight squeeze. They have a long bar area upstairs which suits singles and 2 people so I don't know why they don't seat 2 people at those tables and put 2 of the square tables together for groups of 4. We shared the caprese salad and the homemade sausage for starters. The salad was tasty and a good portion. The homemade sausage was also good but overpowered by a too spicy mustard sauce and unnecessary garnish of grilled peppers. I had the linguini puttanesca - the pasta was overcooked and had clumped together but the sauce was good, just a shame there wasn't more to help separate the pasta strands. One of my friends had the ravioli which she enjoyed, another the giant meatball which wasn't so good but her pasta and sauce were, and one the salty egg which again was good. The wine list was OK but like most places in HK a bit over-priced bearing in mind that there is no tax on wine here. A house wine under $300 would be nice and might actually make me drink more over dinner. We didn't have any desserts as nothing sounded that appetising to risk the calories! The ambiance and service was good. I think I would go back to try the pizzas but there's no way 4 people could have a pizza each on the size of their little square tables!

A new italian restaurant in town, highly recommended by some readers, with the cold and rainy weather outside it's an ideal recipe to try out this restaurant.
After watching an entertaining movie we decided to try this new restaurant In the hope it could be an exciting sequel of the evening. Linguini Fini is nicely decorated. A good choice to spend a third or fourth date. It's a bit loud for a first date or you should be able to talk with your hands. The designer have paid attention to every detail of the restaurant. The servings and even the toilets have been decorated in the style of the restaurant, which has an european /american fusion style feel.

But i am not here to review the decoration of the toilets....so let me get to the point:

Linguini fini is an[b] italian[/b] restaurant....the emphasis here is on the word Italian. What are italians famous for?? the pasta's and pizza's

So we decided to try the pasta's

We also ordered A Rieseling wine, but the hostess was quickly to respond whether we know that Rieseling is Sweet?? in her defence she said many people didn't know that (?????) and we might be dressed like non wine drinkers? strike one...

Now to the Pasta, I skip the starters for now...in one word..A disgrace...how in the world can they claim to be Italian restaurant???

If you cannot cook pasta properly, if you don't know how much water you need to use or to time the cooking then please stop....If you don't even know the basics of cooking pasta than no review after this is required.....

who dared to serve this should be ashamed of him/herself to and should call him/herself a doctor, pilot, accountant or any other profession but not a chef..

I would seriously recommend the chef to go to taste, city super or any supermarket and buy the pasta package and follow the instructions. how long to cook it, when to cook the pasta and how much water and pasta is required. before mastering the basics please don't pretend to be an Italian restaurant. Go home and go practice cooking pasta and the staff need to learn what is called service from the heart...maybe they should all watch the training material of cathay pacific.

I do hope the real italians don't find this place before they learn the basics of cooking pasta otherwise a possible riot would take place....

Linguini fini is like the movie Cowboys and Aliens, high expectations but nor cowboys or Aliens are worth to watch.....and with every minute you would like the word FINI would appear...good try but failed on the very basics..

If you cannot even

Chose Linguini Fini for a work dinner and because there were 6 of us, we could book a table, hence no wait time. And I'm glad, because by 8pm, the whole place was packed - and this was a Monday night!
The environment and decor is very casual and feels very homey. There are way too many pretentious restaurants in Hong Kong so it was nice to find a place that is genuinely laidback and comfortable.

We had some flatbreads to share - rosemary, sea salt & garlic, and cherry tomatoes & mozzarella. Both were delicious. We also tried the caprese - the homemade mozzarella is to die for. SO good.
For mains, we all inevitably chose pasta. The portions look small when they arrive, but are very filling. I had the linguini with clams which I thought was perfectly balanced and rich in flavour.
The other choices -
"On Top of Spaghetti" (giant meatball & spaghetti)
"fazzoletti nose to tail bolo" (veal and oxtail ragu)
Roasted Garlic Linuini
Salt Cured Egg infused linguini (I didn't try this one, but am told it was delicious if you like the Chinese salted egg flavour!)
Vegetable Tortellini
All of the dishes tasted great, and the pasta was perfectly made and cooked.

For dessert, we tried some interesting flavoured gelato, including "cinnamon & camomile" and "strawberry & Basil"! Refreshing!

The service was excellent and we had a fantastic night. We thought it was pretty good value for money too (There is no service charge). The total bill was around HK$2100 for 6 of us and included wine as well.
I'll definitely be back.

The experience was excellent from start to finish.

The dining room was getting busy but we found a table for both of us. Extremely helpful and friendly staff. A bit pushy for the drinks but they were very helpful making suggestions about the menu.

The interior is nice, casual, modern, with character. The music may have been a little too loud. It feels very clean and functional.

We ordered:

Caprese: organic tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, balsamico 88HK$
Great Mozzarella - amongst the best ever.

Linguini fini: fragrant grass, goat cheese fonduta 88HK$
Flavors of lime and coconut and cheese - al dente to perfection.

Nonna Leslie's ravioli: 98HK$
Less surprising than the two above - but still very nice - the parmesan is grated above the plate - which is a guarantee of freshness, which is a big plus.

The basket of bread brought at the start was fresh and tasty.

Apple crostata: 48HK$.
Light and pleasant particularly the frozen yogurt on top. The fine slices of apple were very good too.

All along the service was very attentive and very fast.

190HK$ each felt like great value for what we had, and I left a generous tip.

We left the restaurant very happy and I will definitely return again soon.

I had dinner with a friend here last night. We had the cherry tomato,mozzarella, and garlic flatbread, and a Nonna Leslie's ravioli. Food was decent. The ravioli was nice, but not too hot. The serving is a little too small, only 5 pieces of ravioli. At first, we worried that it might not be enough, but once the flatbread arrived, the problem was solved. Flatbread is fairly large, and cut into 8 pieces, that we then thought that we might not be able to finish it all! The texture of the flatbread was quite good, and there was quite a bit of cheese. Yum!

Wait time was 0, because both of us agreed to sit at the bar table.

Our only complaint was that after our dinner, when we wanted to sit and chat for a bit, the waiter not so subtly gave us the bill without our asking for it. We got the hint, and left.

We arrived at around 7:45pm and it was apparent that this was their peak time. When we requested for a table for two, however, the waitress informed me that we would have to wait at least 30 minutes. I repeated to her with a shocked face “what?! Thirty minutes??” My friends all know that I’m not a very patient person in general, especially when it involves food. However, I’m glad I did not let my impatience get the best of me this time because as soon as we sat down at the bar and ordered a drink, we were told our table was available! The staff were very friendly, introducing popular items on the menu, and making sure that we were satisfied with our food

Contrary to what I said I’d do in my previous review (http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/commentdetail.htm?commentid=2192468), I did not manage to try any of their main courses as their pasta options were far too appealing – there are simply too many choices! Anyways, I’m a little annoyed I did not take any photos, but hopefully my descriptions will compensate.

1. Watermelon Basil Punch (Vodka, basil, fresh lemon)
Unlike your usual vodka mixers, there was no vodka aftertaste in this drink. Rather, it was refreshing and cool - a perfect summer drink. The basil was a good twist, adding sweetness to the otherwise slightly sour watermelon juice. However, little did I know, despite the lack of apparent vodka in the drink, it was actually fairly potent (I guess I’m a light-weight)! I only managed to drink half of the glass before beginning to feel the effects of alcohol - so ladies, be careful!

2. “Caprese” – Organic tomatoes , Pubblico mozzarella, basil, 30 year balsamico

We ordered this dish because the waiter highly recommended their homemade mozzarella. Being a big fan of CHEESE, I have to say, the mozzarella was truly amazing. It was fluffy and bouncy, every bite was soft with a balanced creamy taste to it. There is proof that the cheese is homemade as you will see blobs of fluffy white mozzarella balls fermenting by the kitchen. The tomatoes were definitely fresh and crunchy. Can’t say there was anything wrong with this dish!

3. Fried calamari

The calamari in this dish was covered in a dry and brittle coating, and so, whenever you took a bite, the whole crust would disintegrate in front of you, leaving an exposed piece of calamari on your fork. However, my dinner partner did point out that there were red peppers (that were somewhat spicy) and pairing it with the calamari gave it an exotic twist to the somewhat bland calamari.

4. Bucatini Amatriciana – Guanciale (bacon made from a pig’s cheek/neck), cherry tomatoes, chilli pepper

I had originally ordered something different. However, when I saw this dish being served on the next table I was just too tempted to try it. I enjoy eating pasta dishes that have generous ingredients and an abundant amount of sauce and this dish definitely satisfied my checklist. Guanciale bacon is typically stronger in flavour and more delicate than the typical bacon we eat, as it is cured in red peppers or black pepper. The dish was generously scattered with bacon and I was pleased to find that there was a good proportion of meat on the bacon relative to fat. The bacon was extremely crispy and the chilli tomato sauce added some spiciness to its texture as well. The sauce was also rich and the cherry tomatoes were soft but not overcooked. The only downside to this dish was the amount of chilli I found sitting at the bottom of the dish after I had finished.

5. Annas Straciatella – Pineapple cremoso, broken chocolate crème, granite

This was basically a little pineapple parfait sitting on top of a sponge cake. There was also a layer of pineapple puree wedged in between the two layers. Hm, what can I say about this dish? Well, it was rather boring to be honest, the parfait lacked a rich creamy texture and sponge cake was dry, and lacked any strong flavours in general. Thumbs down!

In general, I thoroughly enjoyed my dining experience here and it definitely worth its value for money. Besides our let-down on our dessert, it stands by its trademark dishes of homemade Italian pasta which is unforgettable, leaving me wanting more!

I had two Italian meals back to back, and unfortunately this place lost out. For a multitude of reasons: the service was haphazard, the menu was boring, the food was either bland or too salty, the music was too loud, the 2-seater tables were too small.... the only saving grace was the price - cheap (for this part of town), no service charge (they didn't deserve mine), and free tap water. I thought they were trying to create a vibe that kinda worked, but didn't for me. The service was actually annoying, you didn't have a specific waiter for your table, so you spend most of your time trying to flag down someone, or they would randomly sidle up to the table and ask if you want to order dessert when you've already done so 5 minutes ago with someone else. The waitresses seemed less than knowledgeable about the food, and often had to ask their fellow colleagues what this and that was to try and answer our questions. To their credit, at least they tried. And somehow they just didn't seem to understand what I was saying regardless of what language I used (or maybe the music was too loud), it was just frustrating the whole way through. And the most annoying part was, they kept trying to remove our plates before we're done with it. If only the kitchen could have paced the dishes a bit better so not all dishes arrived within 2 minutes of each other, then perhaps we would have had more time to clear off one dish before the next arrived.

If only the food was good, then at least I could forgive the glitches mentioned above. To be fair, perhaps we didn't order what was meant to be their signature dishes that best reflected the chefs' skills and the ingredients' flavour. But the menu was just a lot of carbs, carbs and more carbs. The mains were uninspiring so we thought, OK, this place is meant to be good for pasta, so let's hit it. We ended up with a classic linguini which was pesto with tomato and basil.... I could have done a better job at home (I didn't even bother taking a picture coz it would just be misleading - looks alright, tastes miserable). It was too oily and despite the massive amount of herb it somehow didn't translate to much intensity in flavour. We ordered a rosemary breadroll, which was just a large piece of ciabatta/pizza dough like thing. We could have ordered the eggplant bread roll, but they ran out of ?Eggplant?. We shouldn't have ordered it for 2 girls, as there was already a decent bread basket for free.The beef carpaccio was better, with tender slices of beef moistened by a creamy mayo-like sauce and livened up by a couple pieces of artichoke and cheese.My friend got so bored by the less-than-adequate variety and wanted to order something else to wake up the palate. Since we've been told there's no eggplant breadroll, we wondered if there would be just eggplant. And there was! Except it was waaaaay too salty and the cheese inside was chewy rather than melted and stringy. It looked and tasted like chewing gum.The coconut sorbet was OK, at least if it came out of a tub it's hard to screw up.
Seriously, I was disappointed given what the previous reviews have written. I'm not even tempted to come back despite the cheap price.