L’Osteria (Salzburg, AUSTRIA) ★★★☆☆

With the rain pouring harder and harder, we decided we should find a quick lunch spot rather than leaving Salzburg for Augsburg immediately. Luckily, L’Osteria was conveniently located close to where we parked our car.

Ideally located in the city centre of Salzburg, L’Osteria is a casual Italian restaurant and bar, best known for its exceptional large, thin-crust pizzas and freshly made pasta. This place is huge.

Their wood-fired pizzas are obviously the calling card, and there were plenty coming out of the kitchen.

Beef orecchiette with lemon (€15.9) — The al dente orecchiette pasta came with beef fillet strips, sweet peppers, and rocket leaves. I love the firm, slightly chewy texture of the pasta, and the extra kick from the sauce was a great match.

Degli Artisti pizza (€16.5) — A deluxe wood-fired pizza topped with fresh mushrooms, cheese, ham, salami, pepperoni, peppers, and more. Watching closely at our neighbors’ pizzas right out of the kitchen, I could already tell what was coming — and just how generous the portions would be. No wonder our server told us that one pasta and one pizza would be more than enough for the three of us.

Little nugget was trying to measure how big it was with his arm!

The dough was probably a little too soft for me, especially in the middle where all the toppings were sitting, but it wasn’t bad at all.

I have to admit, it was a real jaw-dropper when the pizza landed in front of us. I didn’t think we could finish it even with empty stomachs — and in the end, we didn’t.

Food Rating: 5.9/10

Price: €€

Address: Dreifaltigkeitsgasse 10, 5020 Salzburg, Austria

Tel: +43 662 8706-5810

Website: http://www.losteria.at/

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 11:00pm (Sun - Wed), 11:00am - 12:00am (Thu - Sat)

Brenner (Munich, GERMANY) ★★★★☆

After a few subpar meals in Munich, we were hoping for a better dining experience tonight and according to Jelloman’s long-lost friends who have spent the last seven years in the city, our dinner venue is one with a good reputation.

Located in a historic, columned hall on Maximilianstraße, Munich’s luxury shopping street, Brenner is an upscale Italian restaurant and bar, offering both al fresco and indoor seating.

What really stood out to me while researching for this trip was the restaurant’s setting. It’s housed in a protected, historic 19th-century building that originally served as the royal stables (Marstall) for the Munich Residenz palace.

Inside, guests dine underneath majestic vaulted ceilings supported by rows of dramatic Doric and historic stone columns which created an incredibly grand, airy, and cathedral-like atmosphere.

Tomato gazpacho (€10.5) — We elected to start with a bowl of chilled tomato soup enhanced with watermelon, burrata, and basil leaves. It was perfect for summer. Just loved the fresh, minty notes from the basil.

Red prawn carpaccio (€17.5) — I expected the prawns to be served raw, but they arrived almost fully cooked.

The carpaccio was matched with umami-rich sea urchin, salmon roes, fresh seaweed, and pickled grapefruit. This wasn’t bad but a bit more acidity would have brought out the sweetness of the prawns even more.

Scampi risotto (€21.5) — The risotto was cooked with saffron, cheese, fennel, and dill, and finished off with a touch of white wine. There was a subtle lemony brightness that made it more appetizing.

Grilled octopus with marinated tomatoes (€29) — Another dish we were all excited about. The octopus came with really nice, soft texture. It was pretty delicious, but I thought just a little heavy-handed with the salt. That was our only complaint.

We didn’t have room for dessert, and since we needed to wake up early tomorrow to pick up our rental car, we decided to head back to the hotel and crash early.

We definitely wished we had more time in Munich but for now, it’s time to drive down to Austria tomorrow. Little nugget couldn’t wait for his new adventure ahead…

Food Rating: 6.6/10

Price: €€€

Address: Maximilianstraße 15, 80539 Munich, Germany

Closest Metro Station: Marienplatz

Tel: +49 89 452-2880

Website: https://www.brennergrill.de/

Opening Hours: 8:30am - 12:00am (Mon - Thu), 8:30am - 1:00am (Fri - Sat), 12:00pm - 9:00pm (Sun)

Rocco Riviera (Munich, GERMANY) ★☆☆☆☆

Our dinner venue was right next to quiet Wittelsbacherplatz, just a few steps from bustling Hofgarten (皇家花園). We thought it would be a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of Old Town but this meal turned out to be much busier than we all expected (more on that later).

Rocco Riviera is a hugely popular Italian restaurant and bar. Judging by the crowd there even before 6pm, you could tell it was a crowd favorite. We decided to join the atmosphere by grabbing a table just outside the restaurant, but that choice turned into a nightmare. 

Constant disturbances from flies, wasps, and bees made it impossible to enjoy the meal. We had no choice but to move inside before our dishes arrived, and the restaurant staff was kind enough to accommodate our request.

Vitello tonnato (€19) — The veal fillet was a little on the rough side, but the tuna sauce was a decent touch. There was plenty of rocket leaves, which added a good freshness and mouthfeel.

As newcomers to Munich’s dining scene, we’re definitely not experts, but this first dish reminded me how truly blessed we are as Hongkongers — we have so many great vitello tonnato options in Hong Kong. This one simply didn’t measure up.

Primavera Riviera salad (€16) — This was a sharing-style salad with garden greens, pickled artichokes, carrots, and olives — basically everything you’d expect in a classic primavera. For me, though, the dressing had a little too much acidity.

By this point, the flies and bees had clearly noticed our move inside and decided to follow. It made dinner really uncomfortable. With constant effort to fend off our “enemies”, we found it hard to relax and enjoy the meal.

Seafood spaghetti (€31) — There was an abundance of seafood — at least one piece each of prawn, scallop, octopus, clams, and mussels.

The al dente spaghetti itself wasn't bad but again, there are plenty of excellent Italian restaurants in Hong Kong that can do a much better seafood spaghetti than this.

Whole charcoal grilled seabass (€42) — The sea bass was served with gremolata sauce on the side.

The texture of the seabass was a little dry and rough, and for someone who isn’t a big fish lover, the number of small bones was also a problem.

In the end, it was a pretty forgettable experience. We were constantly attacked by flies, wasps and bees throughout the night. Little nugget was obviously upset, and while Jelloman and I tried to enjoy the meal, our attention kept being pulled away by the constant need to rebuff our new friends. The food was also somewhat disappointing — aside from the spaghetti dish (which was decent), the rest of the dishes just didn’t work.

So yes, “forgettable” is an understatement.

Food Rating: 5.2/10

Price: €€€

Address: Wittelsbacher Platz 2, 80333 Munich, Germany

Closest Metro Station: Odeonsplatz

Tel: +49 89 2872-4421

Website: http://www.roccariviera.com/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm (Tue - Fri), 6:00pm - 12:00am (Mon - Sat)

Pici Pasta Bar Lai Chi Kok x Napoli Matfia (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My team is off to a school event tonight leaving yours truly without an itinerary since early afternoon. As the adverse weather has been wreaking havoc all day (and all week), I stayed home most of the day until early evening. Finally, I decided to head out for supper and the destination was Pici, my neighborhood pasta bar who's currently celebrating its 10th anniversary.

To commemorate the occasion, the casual Italian spot has invited "Culinary Class Wars" winner Napoli Matfia to curate a special limited-time-only menu running from July 1 to July 31. I didn’t personally get to watch the popular Korean culinary show on Netflix, but I’ve definitely been aware of the hype it created and the ripple effect it’s had on the local dining scene. So I was curious how his limited-time dishes would stack up against some of Pici’s old classics from the regular menu. Tonight is the night, let’s find out.

Tagliolini Sicilian Prawn Tartare e Bottarga ($180) — I decided to order all three limited-time dishes to get the full experience, and kicking things off was this tagliolini Sicilian Prawn Tartare e Bottarga.

The fresh, house-made tagliolini tossed in a rich, velvety emulsion, was topped nicely with a layer of Sicilian pink prawn tartare, finished off with grated bottarga on top. I thought the slightly lemony sauce really brought out the natural sweetness of the buttery prawn tartare. Not bad.

Pici White Poultry Ragu & Truffle ($160) — The handmade pasta was cooked perfectly al dente (though, personally, I felt it might’ve been a touch too al dente) but it didn’t seem to mesh well with the poultry ragu, made with a rich blend of duck, chicken, guinea fowl, and turkey. The generous portion of shaved fresh truffle also didn’t quite bring everything together like I thought it would.

Chestnut tiramisu ($70) — An elevated version of the very same mocha-soaked creation the chef made in the famous “convenience store challenge” on Culinary Class Wars. I was expecting the chestnut flavors to be front and centre, but they weren’t quite as prominent as I’d hoped.

That said, it was still a more-than-serviceable sweet treat: a sumptuous mascarpone base, mocha-soaked ladyfingers, and silky chestnut purée beautifully topped with an espresso–marron glacés sauce and chopped chestnuts for a crunchy finish. 

This was a pretty big meal for someone who wasn't hungry at all! Last September, while we were in Seoul, we tried to get a table at Napoli Matfia’s highly acclaimed Via Toledo Pasta Bar but sadly, we learned that it had stopped taking reservations. Later, we found out he had shut it down for his new project — a massive new five-story culinary space in Seoul.

So, this limited-time menu ended up being a great consolation prize — more than 10 months later.

Food Rating: 6/10
Price: $$$
Address: Shop G03, G/F, D2 Place TWO, 15 Cheung Shun Street, Lai Chi Kok, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Lai Chi Kok
Tel: +852 2557-7227
Website: www.pici.hk

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 5:00pm - 10:00pm daily

Cova Pasticceria & Confetteria Festival Walk 又一城店 (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

Mom’s birthday falls on a public holiday this year, so we can finally give her a proper celebration on her special day. She’s a total sucker for anything with chestnut so the plan was to get her a chestnut cake. But summer is not really chestnut season making this a bit of a challenge.

With only a handful of cake shops offering chestnut birthday cakes these days, the choices were pretty slim. In the end, I decided to go with the Chestnut Harvest Cake from Cova Pasticceria & Confetteria.

This came with chestnut purée and fresh cream layered into three sponge-cake layers, then finished with chestnut cream, Italian imported marrons glacés, and little pistachio bites on top. It turned out to be a bit sweeter than I expected. But I thought different layers of the cake comes together beautifully and gives a satisfying, well-balanced mouthfeel that’s made everyone very happy.

Little nugget got his first taste of the longevity peach (壽包) this month. This was his second crack at it this week and he couldn’t be happier! 

Food Rating: 6.1/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop LG1-10-11, LG1/F, Festival Walk, 80 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Kowloon Tong

Tel: +852 2265-8678

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 8:30pm daily

Zozzona (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

It was supposed to be a relaxing night out to close out on the last day of our long weekend. But the adverse weather changed all that, and we ended up arriving at Zozzona soaky wet from the heavy rain.

Zozzona is a hugely popular, casual Japanese-Italian pasta bar on hilly Hillwood Road in Hong Kong’s Jordan district. Led by Japanese chef Takayuki Kumai, the restaurant blends Tokyo’s neighborhood pasta-bar culture with freshly handmade pasta utilizing some of the freshest Japanese ingredients. I thought this guy would enjoy dining here, given his passion for artisanal pasta dishes.

Zozzona is a hugely popular, casual Japanese-Italian pasta bar on hilly Hillwood Road in Jordan district of Hong Kong. Led by Japanese chef Takayuki Kumai, the restaurant combines Tokyo's neighborhood pasta bar culture, freshly handmade pasta with Japanese ingredients. I thought this guy would enjoy dining here with his passion of artisanal pasta dishes.

Kagoshima hiramasa crudo ($148) — Thin slices of raw kingfish marinated with mint, lemon oil, and radish were pretty tasty, but I imagine it would be even more delicious if it were thick-cut.

Akami tuna tataki ($158) — Topped with Sicilian pistachio, Calabrian chili, and orange, the lightly cooked tuna tataki was missing that ultra-thin, perfectly seared outer crust to match the cold, buttery, and completely raw centre.

Linguine al frutti di mare ($198) — In a perfect world, I would’ve ordered the house specialty, the tagliolini “freddie,” featuring marinated squid in a homemade shiso and walnut pesto. But little nugget doesn’t eat nuts.

So instead, we had linguine tossed with local clams, mussels, and squid—finished with kombu dashi and a dusting of bottarga powder. The linguine had a really strong al dente bite, but in my opinion, the savory sauce could have benefited from more depth and a bit more thickness.

Spaghetti carbonara ($158) — Another simple pasta dish. The carbonara featured guanciale and jidori egg yolk, finished with a nice sprinkle of black pepper and shavings of parmesan on top. Again, pretty decent but I found the sauce a little too eggy for me.

Tiramisu ($78) — A classic preparation with a generous proportion of rich Marsala sabayon and creamy mascarpone.

It was balanced by a lighter ratio of ladyfinger biscuits. This was very, very good except that the ladyfinger was a little too moist. That was the only downside, but otherwise, the proportions were nearly perfect.

Little one had mixed feelings about tonight’s dinner and kept telling me that the pasta dishes at Pici were a little better. In fact, he went as far as to say they were the best in the planet. That was hilarious. 😋😆

Food Rating: 6.4/10

Price: $$$

Address: Flat A, G/F 29-31 Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Jordan

Tel: +852 7073-8825

Website: https://www.zozzona.com/

Opening Hours: 5:00pm - 10:00pm daily

Gentle Pasta PAFC Mall 黑手制面 平安金融中心店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I’m heading back to Gentle Pasta (黑手制面) at PAFC (平安金融中心) for an early supper before heading home.

What I love most about dining here is their fusion take on Italian pasta, and the prices are always pretty reasonable. They also seem to roll out new dishes every month, which keeps things exciting.

Cream of mushroom soup (蘑菇奶油濃湯) — The soup was genuinely creamy, with a subtle hint of black truffle (maybe truffle oil?).

Caesar salad (凱撒沙律) — I always enjoy Caesar salad in Shenzhen because the lettuce is consistently fresh and crisp. I also liked that the dressing was served on the side, so I didn’t have to worry about it overpowering the greens.

Pasta with roasted chicken in aromatic ginger sauce (霸王沙薑烤雞意麵) (¥88 per set) — This is a new item on the menu, and it’s another fusion dish.

Overall, it was okay, but not as impressive as some of the other items on the menu. The spaghetti had a nice bite, which is always a good sign. The roasted chicken was decent too, but if I’m being picky, the aromatic ginger sauce was far too sweet, and the ginger didn’t come through with enough heat to make the flavors truly stand out.

The pasta I had tonight wasn’t my favorite compared with other dishes here, but I appreciate that they are willing to experiment and bring new ideas to the table. From what I’ve seen, that’s pretty common across Shenzhen — restaurants, cafés, and even bakeries constantly adding something new to keep our dining experience interesting. It’s something I feel Hong Kong is missing more these days: many places just stick to the old recipes and don’t bother to innovate.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: ¥¥

Address: Shop 110, Level 1 South Tower, 5033 Yitian Road, Futian, Shenzhen, China

深圳市福田区福田街道福安社区益田路5033号平安金融中心南塔L1层110号铺

Closest Metro Station: Shopping Park (購物公園)

Tel: +86 13543918357

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 2:00pm, 5:00pm - 9:30pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/3d/bEdM

Armani Caffè (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

I didn't have much planned on my birthday this year other than work, work and more work. But I did have time for a decent lunch before my meeting so I recruited mom as my partner in crime.

Our lunch venue was Armani Caffè at Pacific Place, a restaurant mom has never had the pleasure of visiting before. It's not a stone's throw away but it was pretty close to my meeting in the afternoon.

We got to enjoy some homemade bread before our starter. The focaccia and grissini were pretty tasty.

Tonno — Japanese bluefin tuna tartare with citrus gel and Mediterranean spices.

I thought the pleasant acidity from the two types of citrusy gels did a great job of bringing out the sweetness of the bluefin tuna. Not bad.

Cavatelli Ricci e Mandorle — The homemade cavatelli pasta was pretty fresh and if they went with something simple to complement it, it would easily have been a plus dish. But then they decided to pair it with uni tongues, Sicilian almond, lemon leaf oil, and an intense sauce made with Japanese sea urchin. The whole thing was just a step away from going totally sideways. While it wasn’t a disaster, the complex mix of flavors was a little strong and overpowering for me.

I didn’t have time for dessert, but I was okay with it. My sweet tooth had been busy all week, and it was likely going to be busy again with a rumored birthday cake from my favorite cake shop in town (that was gossip from my son). I’ll find out more about it tonight.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$$

Address: Shop 301, 3/F, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Admiralty

Tel: +852 2599-2388

Website: https://www.armani.com/en-hk/armani-restaurant/experience/armani-caffe-hong-kong/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 10:00pm daily