Italian cuisine is always popular in Hong Kong. Some of the signature
dishes are simply everywhere in the town. Tiramisu is one of those dishes. Despite its ubiquity, however, you need some luck to have a good one in Hong Kong.
I was really fortunate to have a pretty impressive one in Assaggio.
With warm lighting and cosy wooden furniture,
I found the new branch of Assaggio an ideal place for gathering and causal dinning.
I came here twice in two months. The first time I came, I started
with the cold cut and antipasti that was followed by a grilled Tomino cheese. I was glad to have Italian artichoke. No cheese lover could
resist the rich and creamy grilled goat cheese melting
over your palate. This was
definitely a good appetizer for me.
With such a good start, I did not expect the Clean Beef Broth with Poached Egg
and Parmesan Crouton to be so disappointing. Before following
the chef’s recommendation to mix everything up, I tried the broth and it was really tasty. However, the egg yolk and parmesan
overwhelmed the beefy taste. It became way too savoury and heavy. Really, I would rather have a simple beef broth.
Parmigiana di Melanzane was my favourite
appetizer on the menu. Unlike many chain Italian restaurants, this was cheesy
but not oily. The eggplant was freshly baked, with a soft but not paste-like texture. I had no doubt on quality
of the tomato paste
and cheese used here.
Without proper brick ovens, Italian restaurants
in Hong Kong always failed to deliver
authenticate pizzas. However, Assaggio’s pizzas
were really good.
Assaggio’s Pizza was thin and crispy. A healthy amount of
bubbles in the crust would bring it to another level.
The first time I came, I had a Quattro
Formaggi (four cheese)
pizza which included Scarmoza, Gorgonzola, Mozzarella and Taleggio. It was so satisfying!
I had a Calzone the second time I came. Both the
pastry and fillings were rather bland. The biggest problem was the texture of the fillings. It was
too crunchy. To provide a soft and cheesy texture and
consistent taste, fillings of Calzone are usually cheese with spinach, ham, or mushroom, etc. I was
surprised by the crunchy vegetable fillings
including broccoli, bell
peppers, and
string beans. Even the egg could hardly help apart from making it visually more
attractive. Perhaps the veggie should be cooked longer before
they were filled into the Calzone, or the whole thing could be baked a little
longer?
Pasta is another must-try item in any Italian restaurant. Frankly
I was not entirely happy with the pasta at Assaggio, though it was certainly
better than the average Italian restaurants around. I tried the Handmade Potato Gnocchi with Pork and Porcini
Mushrooms Ragu and the Spinosini with tomato and basil. The texture
of the Gnocchi was too soft instead of chewy. Spinosinii was far better. There were not many places offering Spinosini, a famous brand of pasta, and we did not hesitate picking this when we saw it on the menu. Spinosini used more eggs than usual and a simple tomato sauce would be a smart matching. Both the tomato base and porcini were awesome.
Although i was not fully satisfied with the pasta, I was really delighted with the
meaty main courses. The Stewed Duck with Wild Mushrooms and Saucy Braised Beef Cheek
with Polenta were worth
trying. The duck
leg was so tender that its meat fell off the bone. The sauce was full of duck
and mushroom flavour and I could finish off a whole bowl of rice with this sauce. Instead
of potato mash, the beef cheek came with polenta. Polenta was actually corn
meal mash, a healthier replacement of carbohydrates. Beef cheek was one of my favourite
beef dishes. I liked its tender and slightly-sticky texture. A little longer cooking would be
even better.
One of the advantages of dinning with a group of
friends is that we can try all the desserts on the menu. However, there were only three kinds of desserts
available that night. We had apple and Pear Strudel Tarte with cinnamon
ice-cream, hazelnut gelato Tartufo served with hot espresso coffee, and tiramisu.
I shall start with the least
impressive one. As I have mentioned elsewhere, apple strudel was different from apple pie. The dough
should be thin and slightly chewy. Assaggio did it right but it lacked butter flavour. The pear and apple fillings were
quite balanced in terms of
sweetness and sourness. However, the fruitiness was not apparent. Even the
cinnamon flavour of the ice-cream was not strong enough.
The second one was a
modified version of afogato. The hazelnut gelato could
probably be sweeter to
balance the bitterness of espresso. I still preferred the traditional afogato.
Tiramisu was the best. I could not help indulging in the smooth and aromatic
mascarpone and the moist
ladyfinger. I always like the addition of egg yolk to the mascarpone. Stronger
coffee and Liquor flavour would bring it to perfection. I had it
twice and the quality was happily consistent. This was worth every penny of it.
Although some fine tunings
are needed here and there, it was generally above
average. This has been
added to my list of gathering venue. I do hope they will offer better pasta and
more choices in the
menu.
Assaggio Trattoria Italiana
2/F, Mira Mall, 118 Nathan Road,
Tsim Sha Tsui
Food: wwwwwww
Service:wwwwwwww
Environment:
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