Assaggio Trattoria Italiana Wanchai (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Another colleague is leaving the lair next month and a couple of guys who's been working closely together decided to throw him a small party. As usual, I was the one who's picking the place to eat and Assaggio Trattoria Italiana at the Hong Kong Arts Centre was the obvious choice since it's close for everybody. Well, sort of close.

I last visited this Assaggio almost four years ago when it first opened and former Executive Chef Marco Furlan was still at the helm. Always love their risotto with saffron. In recent years, I have visited their Tsim Sha Tsui branch but eventually stopped going there after realizing that the food wasn't what it used to be (comparing to Wanchai branch).



The venue here has always been fabulous. An open pasta station, two separate dining rooms, a private room that comfortably seats up to 12 guests and an inviting outdoor terrace area overlooking the Victoria Harbour make up this big, swanky space on the 6th floor of the Hong Kong Arts Centre. There are artworks hanging on the walls with simple rustic furniture and wooden tables providing a vibrant atmosphere for anyone who enjoys a casual Italian fare. 




Assaggio salad ($108), 3.5/10
We got our first taste of the trattoria-style fare with the Assaggio salad. Salami, cherry tomatoes, cannellini beans, goat cheese and mix greens rounded out this refreshing yet unspectacular dish.

Spicy spinosini with garlic and crab ($148), 5/10
Chef de Cuisine of Assaggio, Francesco Gava, is a native of Piedmont in northern Italy and is especially good with authentic Italian food such as fresh homemade pasta. With that reason alone, we had to try his spicy spinosini with garlic, cherry tomato and crab.

Spinosini, a spaghettini-type of thin pasta was tossed in a lightly spicy sauce with fresh crab meat and cherry tomatoes. Very nicely textured indeed but perhaps we took too much time taking photos and by the time we were done, most of the sauce was already absorbed.


 
Margherita pizza ($138), 5/10
I love pizza with a lot of cheese. This one had just enough buffalo mozzarella on top while cherry tomatoes, basil leaves and tomato sauce filled out the rest of the topping. This is very crisp and tasty but could have been a little more cheesy.



Grilled spring chicken with spicy marinade ($198), 5/10
It came as four pretty reasonably sized pieces of chicken. Very meaty and tender which was a little surprising to me. I like the mildly spicy seasoning and touch of lemongrass. This is perfect for sharing. Not bad.


 
Tiramisu ($88), 7/10
I thought dessert was outstanding. This is a perfectly executed tiramisu - soft but not too foamy. Rich but not too sweet and just the right touch of liquor.  



Rum Chocolate pudding with red berries ($88), 7/10
My departing colleague picked the rum chocolate pudding with mixed berries. At first, I thought the chocolate flavors would be too rich but no, it was perfect. As a matter of fact, it felt like we were eating a chocolate flavored panna cotta but with a slightly firmer texture. And the rum was the key, giving it a very exciting kick.



Now I saw the difference between the Wanchai and Tsim Sha Tsui branch. I will continue not going to the TST one but this one is back in good terms with me.


Food Rating: 5/10

Price: $$$

Address: 6/F Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road Wanchai, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Wanchai
Tel: +852 2877-3999
Website: www.miradining.com/assaggio-wanchai