Pici

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Let me throw some numbers at you19, 26, 31, 43, 45, 65 & 80These numbers represent some of the best restaurants in the world; in fact, they are the number ranking of restaurants on the San Pellegrino list that I've visited in the last six weeks.I've been chasing that elusive high, the perfect meal and while I've had some amazing food recently; I've been left feeling a little hollow....  Like I've been missing out on something.It wasn't until I visited a tiny little new restaurant just around the corner from my Wanchai apartment that I realised what I'd been missing.Tucked away in the back streets of Wanchai is perhaps the hottest new restaurant in Hong Kong.  You may not have heard about it; the place doesn't take reservations and it's popularity is driven largely by word of mouth.  But let me tell you; if you haven't heard about Pici, then that is about to change!We didn't really know what to expect, other than if we didn't arrive early, we could be in for a very long wait; and in a city like Hong Kong, where waiting is normal, that is saying something.  It was no problem for us though, we love eating early and arrived around 5:45 (about 15 minutes before it's opening time) but were still greeted with a smallish queue.Standing there for 15 minutes was no problem, we just watched the preparation work from the Pici team; which was easy to do given the large window areas that doubled as a dining table.  That may sound strange, but it added to the charm of the tiny little dining room, where every available space was used for diners; and let me say there were some interesting little nooks & crannies used to full effect and ensured there was enough room inside for around 50 diners.A few minutes prior to opening and with a queue that had built considerably, Pici's manager made his way outside; and like a circus ringmaster explaining the fun and festivities to be had, explained that we'd be let into the dining room in small groups of ten.  The idea to allow the kitchen to process our orders and ensure that they were not over run.This worked well for the girl and I; we were number nine and ten in the list.  We did hear grumbling in the queue behind us and I guess I would too have been grumpy to have queued, only to be told that the wait would be longer!From there, it was a bit of a production line.  We were shown to our bar-top table seat and given a very simple one-page menu; with a suggestion that we order a starter to allow the kitchen time to get our pasta just right.  We initially asked for the meatball starter, but were informed that it wasn't available, then settled for the chef's selection of cold cuts.  We then set about scouring the pasta only main courses, trying to decide which of the amazing choices we'd be consuming for dinner.Choices made and our breadboard of cold cuts arrived.  Vibrant colours greeted us, the bright reds and pinks of the salami and parma ham contrasting against the yellow of chunks of parmesan and taleggio cheese.  We'd noticed the ferrari red meat slicer (brand unknown) churning out the fresh slices of meat and were impressed with the strong and sweet flavours of the ham and salami.  The huge lumps of cheese were equally well appreciated, there is nothing like fresh parmesan cheese to whet your appetite for pasta.Fresh crusty bread that had been delivered with the cold cuts had quickly disappeared and were just as quickly replaced by our waitress.  The peppery olive oil the perfect accompaniment for the fresh bread; but we had to stop after two helpings, fearing that we would fill up on bread.We'd been unable to decide on our pasta mains, so ended up getting three plates of pasta to share; a typical approach in tradition Italian meals.  Our first plate was the Pappardelle, the perfectly al dente thick slices of pasta immersed in a sauce of slow cooked veal shank ragu.  The eight hour cooking process had rendered the veal incredibly tender, but I personally didn't like the flavour, which was too much like a braised meat dish for my liking.  The girl found the dish much more to her palate and raved about the strong flavour.While I didn't love the first plate, I had to admit that it was wonderfully cooked; however, there were no such issues with our second plate of pasta, the Orecchiette. The fresh pasta that had clearly been freshly prepared was simply delicious; small chunks of Italian sausage dotted the plate, the spicy  n'duja sauce was balanced with halves of crushed cherry tomato.  It was such a delicately balanced dish; the spices quite mild and very sweet, were perfectly matched to the pasta.  If put under only a little pressure, I would have to concede that the dish was the best plate of pasta I'd ever had.However, it would come with some trepidation and internal debate because our next dish of pasta may have taken that mantle.  Informed that the Ravioli was also not available; the dish was replaced by a thin spaghetti and a truffle sauce (resplendent with plenty of freshly shaved black perigord truffle.  It was a case of minimum ingredients used to maximum effect, giving us a pasta dish that was simply out of this world.  The earthy umami of the truffle and the freshness of the pasta could not have been more perfect.We were on a high, and by the look and sound of the restaurant, we weren't the only ones. There were looks of ecstasy and pure joy on the faces of diners, looks I'm sure were identical plastered over the girl's and my face!With only two options for dessert, we decided to try one each and this was perhaps the only blight on the dinner.  The desserts were all pre-prepared, obviously to save time in the very busy restaurant.  The girl's Tiramisù and my Raspberry panna cotta both came in glasses, which made eating easier in some respects but also hid a cardinal sin.  My panna cotta was mostly liquid, it hadn't set and there was definitely no wobble on display.  The sweet concoction was more like a custard, and while it tasted OK, it really wasn't a panna cotta.  Thankfully, upon comment, the team at Pici removed the dessert from our bill.There was no such problem with the girl's Tiramisù, it had set and was quite lovely.One of the things that I noticed about Pici was the way the mains were served; we didn't get all three of our plates at one time, but as they came out of the kitchen.  It looked as if they were doing batches of different types of pasta; we could see the same dishes being delivered to different tables at the same time.  It wasn't really a problem throughout the night, although our pappardelle pasta was a little on the cool side when delivered.Considering the hustle and bustle of the tiny little dining room, and the approach to piling customers into the restaurant in groups of ten, service was excellent and at times entertaining.  I was pretty happy to be informed that our unset panna cotta would be removed from the bill, so the staff were pretty attentive too.What I loved most though, and something that I'd found missing when visiting some of the best restaurants in the world, was the heart of the place.  There was a beat to Pici that was instantly comforting; it enveloped us and made us feel part of a living organism.I have to say with absolute certainty; I felt much more connected to Pici than I've felt to a restaurant in a long while.Lucky me, as my neighborhood pasta joint, I can visit anytime FoodMeUpScotty continue reading

Pasta. It's simple, right? But sadly, so many places in Hong Kong do it so wrong. There is always something  wrong. Either it's not al dente, the sauce is not that great or it just costs an arm and a leg. Whenever I order pasta, I just eat it and say ... yeah, it's ok. But nothing that I would remember afterwards.That was until I came across Pici.From the people that brought us Pirata, is this casual pasta bar. There are no reservations so you need to queue up. I didn't think much of it but when I saw expats queuing to eat, I paused. This place must be good. The restaurant isn't very big. Some people were sitting at the window sill. Boyfriend and I got there early (that's a tip .. go before 7 PM) and we sat at the bar. It's quite noisy and a bit cramped. But it had a lively atmosphere so it made it not so noticable.The pasta was freshly prepared all evening. If they can't make something in time, they will run out. They ran out of two types of pasta when we were there.Menu is in English only. It's also pretty simple. Just pasta. A few starters and dessert. Add a drink and that's all you need. Prices are not expensive. All items under $200. They also expect you to share and it is enough to do so.While waiting for our order, we were given  a bread basket of nice chewy bread. Neglected to take a photo but it was good.Vitelo Tonnato  ($80). We ordered this as the starter. This was thinly sliced veal with a spread of tuna mayonnaise and topped with Sicilian capers. The veal was moist and tender. The capers were salty and combined with the tartness of the tuna mayo, it went really well together. Boyfriend remarked it tasted like how I like to mix a can of tuna with Kewpie mayo and spread it on crackers. I nodded as I love that and this reminded me of that. We still had some bread and soaked the rest of the sauce with it.Orecchiette ($110). I've never had this pasta fresh before so we chose this. A simple pasta with Italian sausage, spicy n'duja and tart cherry tomatoes. This was in all ways perfect. The pasta was al dente. The sauce was creamy but not too creamy that it made you feel too full. It also had a slight bit of heat to give it a kick but not too spicy that it wasn't edible. A generous topping of Parmesan made this complete.Papparadelle ($130). This is my favorite off all Italian pastas so I chose this. Topped with an 8 hour slow cooked veal shank ragu, it was rich and hearty. The sauce clung to the pasta well. The meat was soft and tender.The food was a bit on the salty side but boyfriend it perfectly seasoned. I found that in Italy, the dishes were all on the salty side so this really reminded me of the food I had there. Food that was rich and strong in flavor. Where everything was ka-pow. And this place served food that was exactly that. We will be back for more next time. Next time we'll order the truffle ravioli because I saw it pass by me. They don't use truffle paste or truffle oil here! YAY! continue reading

近日身邊實在太多親友推介小肥一嚐灣仔區內一家隱蔽意粉店「Pici」，週五終於忍唔住要同甜心兒及其閨中密友一齊去試吓究竟有幾堅！因深知餐店不設電話訂座，小肥收咗工就立即趕往，四周影完相後就好自然地去攞位，接待處位肥哥哥卻毫不友善地告知要人齊先可入座。小肥對此例並不陌生，只係眼見全店只有兩大位食客，自己行到滿頭大汗，一同進食o既朋友亦快將抵步，心諗店員態度都可以溫婉啲，又或者係俾細佬等緊時睇住餐牌先。。。果然不出所料，集齊三人後店內o既食客人數都未有增加。。。埋位後，送上餐牌及清水o既外籍女服務生同接待處嗰位肥哥哥一樣為黑面神代表，唔通我地三人o既外表咁惹人生厭咩？！當問及餐牌上最後一項是日意粉係咩黎時，黑面女神即指向牆上o既反光玻璃板並讀出大家都唔係好睇到o既菜式名稱；XO仔自認意大利文唔叻所以就問多兩句啦，真係估唔到佢敷衍答一答都咁辛苦囉。。。點好食物，黑面姐姐就呈上麵包一袋。Tagliatelle – Porcini mushroom, butter, parmesan（$140）：第一道上o既蘑菇意粉麵條粗厚彈牙，菇味清淡輕巧，無奈溫度卻只屬微暖，感覺唔夠新鮮熱辣辣。Tagliolini – Shallot, white truffle paste, fresh shaved black truffle（$160）：此道松露意粉味道係就係好清香，個人只係嫌麵條過腍同過濕。Pasta of the Day – Gnocchetti sardi, sausageragu（$140）：我地其實只係叫咗一客是日意粉，單都係咁打，服務生卻誤傳來咗兩客，而原本點嗰客「Liquid parmesan ravioloni」就冇出現過。兩碟外觀不同o既意粉相信出自不同廚師手筆，質感就好夠煙韌，但係兩者o既調味就偏咗少少咸。Classic lasagna – Beef ragu, béchamel, parmesan（$120）：菜式不單同是日意粉一樣偏咸，三人最不滿就係千層麵有陣燶味，實在叫人失望！Pappardelle – 8 hours slow cooked beef cheek ragu, onion, carrot celery（$140）：粗厚o既意粉同牛肉o既口感均較硬同乾，味道都係嗰個字「咸」！Roman ravioli – Italian sausage, pork cheek, tomato sauce, pecorino cheese and black pepper（$150）：唔知廚房師傅係咪一邊煮一邊飲呢？！意粉一碟比一碟咸，意大利雲吞直頭咸到我地三個從不浪費食物o既為食貓都頂唔順，最終更食剩，絕對可以用驚嚇黎形容！「Pici」半開揚式o既間隔令室內空調不甚足夠，加上座位狹窄，XO仔o既汗水簡直係流個不停。唔知係咪大廚放假呢，意粉菜式實在咸得過火，好少親友介紹o既餐廳出品會咁有問題囉，加上當晚遇著黑面神服務生們，三人由到步到離開都未有一刻覺得享受過，不受歡迎o既程度實難令人回頭！ continue reading

With the ever-changing dining scene in Hong Kong, local restaurateurs are often on the lookout for fresh ideas to be injected into their business. That was exactly what the Pirata Group was thinking when they converted the old space that used to be a hole-in-the-wall French restaurant called Le Fleur into their new pasta bar, Pici.Tucked away on the quaint Saint Francis Yard, Pici Pasta Bar is the newest venture by the Pirata Group who also owns Pirata, The Optimist and the recently opened Tokyolima. The decor of the two-storey space boasts a modern and intimate vibe which is perfect for its casual Italian theme.The food menu is going to be a very simple one that features an affordable array of pastas all freshly handmade daily by the team.Vitello tonnato - Help to kick things off for me was this classic Italian starter of cold, sliced veal covered with a creamy, mayonnaise-like sauce made with tuna. A very nice and well portioned dish that managed to put a smile on my face.Tagliatelle, Italian sausage, spicy nduja, cherry tomato - I was all set to take on their papperdelle until I saw the words "lamb ragout" right next to it so I went with their homemade tagliatelle instead. I had very high expectations for this and thankfully they delivered.I really enjoyed the perfect bite of the al dente tagliatelle which was nicely matched with some spicy Italian sausage, arugula and cherry tomato sauce. With this little portion, I thought I could very easily have two of these on my own.Traditional tiramisu - Finding a good tiramisu in Hong Kong could be a little challenging at times. Trust me, I have been down that road before.But I thought Pici has a really nice one here with a good balance of coffee, mascarpone cream and liqueur (masala?). The mix of sweetness, bitterness and creaminess was perfect. Maybe I should add this to my top ten list! Nothing flashy, just some good old hearty Italian fare using some of the freshest ingredients from the market to go with the freshly handmade pasta. Would I come back to this little pasta bar? You bet I will! continue reading

Dining has got to be more than the food served. In this case, the service is unfortunately quite lacking. The booking policy forces customers to stand and wait, which is a terrible way to treat customers. the problem is, the staff are completely unapologetic about this situation.Terrible policy setting causing completely disgruntled would be customers, many of which become annoyed and turned away. Pasta, while good is unsettled if the overall experience is negatively received, and tends to spoil the night. This has happened on two occasions already. I'm unlikely to go back because I'd rather not spoil my night - no pasta is that good. continue reading