On a bit of a side note, Papi's back! The popular casual Italian eatery which used to be a stalwart at the Elements Shopping Mall made a recent comeback last month at Fashion Walk in Causeway Bay. Since, everybody wanted something different (other than Chinese food) for a change, so we decided to go there for our "new year celebration".
When we first arrived at the new Papi, we realized it's a lot smaller than what we expected.
But that was before we checked out the dining room on the mezzanine floor. I won't call the place huge but I like the way they have this place organized with a lot of spaces in between tables.
The food menu offers the same authentic Italian flavors which are meant to be shared among larger groups.
Papi Caesar salad ($98) - We didn't exactly start off on the right foot. It was a pretty disappointing Caesar salad with croutons that were not crispy and egg whites that were chopped into tiny bits and pieces. Not the best Caesar salad we have ever had. Not even close.
Pan fried crab cake ($118) - Very nice with a lot of crab meat in them. The garnish with red chili and honey was a little simple but it worked for me.
Pan fried Hokkaido sea scallop ($148) - Fairly delicious the way they pan-seared them with white wine and served them on a bed of fregola.
Four-cheese Pizza / Pizza with Italian sausage & button mushroom ($188) - The best thing about ordering pizza at Papi is that you have the option to get two different flavors in one single pizza. It's always good to have choices so we ended up having the four-cheese and the Italian sausage and button mushroom pizza together.
The four-cheese pizza (mascarpone, mozzarella, parmesan and gorgonzola) has always been my favorite type of pizza. The cheesiness was right on the money and I thought quite a bit better than the one we had at Spasso's last month. Less tasty was the one with Italian sausage and button mushroom. I have always had a soft spot for cheesy pizza so this one without cheese just felt a little weird for me.
Spaghetti carbonara ($168) - We ordered this for our little nugget and honestly, it didn't turn out as delicious as we thought. The sauce was very eggy (perhaps too eggy) and that's about all I remembered.
Homemade tagiatelle with French rabbit ragout and black olive tomato sauce ($168) - This was a lot better than the carbonara, which didn't surprise me considering it's a signature dish. The tagiatelle, in particular, was nicely done and good work on the black olive tomato sauce too, to tie things up.
Roasted suckling pig Italian style ($358) - The highlight of the meal. The dish was well portioned and the meat was really juicy and tender. I like the supporting cast of braised apple, cabbage and caramelized fig all playing their role perfectly to balance the oiliness of the pig.
We were supposed to get some desserts to share after all the savory dishes but someone suggested having dessert elsewhere. And why not, since we have tons of options in Causeway Bay anyways.
Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: 8 Cleveland Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2808-0820
Closest Metro Station: Causeway Bay
Website: www.papi-hk.com
Papi good casual Italian restaurant Hong Kong Causeway Bay Fashion Walk
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