Having recently been to Michael White’s Marea, the acclaimed Italian seafood restaurant in New York, also the winner of the James Beard Foundation New Restaurant Award, I was a little anxious before my dinner at Al Molo. I had the most mind-blowing pasta at Marea (it was fusilli with red-wine braised octopus and bone marrow) and I was afraid my expectation was too high.

To say that the location is a tourist spot is an understatement. In fact, before walking into the restaurant, my dining companion and I saw three tour buses zooming past the harbour-front entrance. Therefore, despite the temptation of al fresco dining and the wonderful view of Victoria harbour, I strongly recommend getting a table in the casual dining room. Once inside, you can try getting a table by the window if you insist on a harbour view, or a booth table by the open kitchen. Opposite the open kitchen are the bar and the pizza ovens.

The menu features oysters, sliced raw fish and shellfish, cured sliced meats, and side dishes on the left hand column. A list of antipasti, pasta and risotto, and main courses take up the rest of the space on the one-page menu. There is a small pizza menu and it was not given to us until we asked for it.

The first dish that got my attention on the antipasti list was the fior di zucca - squash flower fritters, buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomato passata ($118) Squash flowers or zucchini blossoms are rare in Hong Kong and they are not easy to work with as they are very delicate. With these squash flower fritters, the crunchy saltiness of the crisp batter should complement the sweetness of the flower without overshadowing its delicate flavour. Although risky, I ordered them anyway.

When the fritters arrived, we knew it was a mistake. Firstly, the chef decided to use tempura batter instead of a regular one. It was so much more than a coating on the delicate blossoms; it was a jacket. Secondly, the batter lack seasoning and the coating itself turned soggy too quickly. Thirdly, the buffalo mozzarella stuffed inside was gummy and tasteless. Fortunately the slithers of anchovies hidden alongside the mozzarella added a hint of saltiness that was much needed. On the other hand, the fresh tomato sauce was simple and tasty. With no garlic or onion, the sweetness came from just the tomatoes and it was very nice even on its own.

The other antipasto was polipo - grilled Meditterranean octopus, fregola sarda, spicy salame, black olive vinaigrette ($158). The octopus was cut into large pieces, poached and then grilled. By pre-cooking them, the octopus becomes tender on the inside but we could still taste the char on the outside. The richness of the octopus is reduced by the tartness of the fregola, a type of pasta from Sardinia, and the intense flavour of the black olive vinaigrette really brought out the natural sweetness of the octopus.

After the antipasti, we shared a pizza. Among eight pizzas on the menu and the manager suggested the quattro stagioni, meaning four seasons in Italian. Divided into four quarters, each one has a different filling: artichoke, porcini mushroom, octopus, and prosciutto. We felt that the base was too doughy and dense, not the Italian nor the New York style. Also while the crust edge was evenly browned, the underside was undercooked. However, what this pizza lacked was made up for by the filling on top. Both the artichoke and porcini were tasty and juicy, while the thin layer of cheese on top of the prosciutto kept it moist. The only disappointment was the octopus quarter; the octopus was overcooked and mushy.

 All the pasta at Al Molo are made daily in house. With my wonderful experience at Marea, I was eager to sample the pasta dishes here. There are eleven pasta on the menu and we were recommended creste - cockscomb pasta, shrimp, taggia olives, broccoli rabe pesto ($178) and agnolotti - piemontese meat ravioli, sage, red wine sauce ($178) Surprisingly, neither of these are signature dishes of the restaurant.

Creste pasta is a short, curved pasta tube with a ruffled edge that runs along the length of the outside curve. Think the crest on a rooster’s head. It was interesting to see broccoli rabe on the menu. Broccoli rabe is a bitter green, very popular in southern Italy. The taste and texture resembles a slightly bitter choy sum that has been blanched. Unfortunately the dish did not quite work for us: the pasta was too soft and the pesto a little grassy. The shrimps were quite fresh but failed to shine through, while the olives and the diced zucchini didn’t do much at all.

The agnolotti, on the other hand, was a winner. The ravioli were al dente and of the perfect thickness. The meat ragu inside was a mixture of veal and beef that has been roasted with carrot, onion and celery, before being minced and then flavoured with nutmeg and salt. The smoothness of the ragu and the firmness of the pasta form the perfect marriage. If I were being picky, I would say the sauce was a little bit too salty but honestly, it wasn’t a big concern.

For main course, we decided to share the osso buco – braised veal shank, bone marrow, saffron risotto, sautéed spinach ($258) This is Michael White’s interpretation of the Milanese classic; gone are the gremolata and the bone that gives the dish its name. We were horrified to see two discs of dry-looking meat sitting on a bed of watery risotto Milanese. At Al Molo, the bone is carefully removed from the meat and the marrow is extracted from the bone and placed in the meat before rolling it into the shape of a disc. Both the presentation and taste of osso buco differ from what we are used to, but the meat was actually nicely caramelised and quite moist, and the bone marrow silky as expected. The saffron risotto was bland and a little mushy. As long as you are not expecting a traditional osso buco, this is fine.

We noticed that the two pasta and the risotto were of different firmness. This is very common in Hong Kong, and the manager explained that they have been struggling to strike a balance. A softer pasta that would be considered overcooked in Italy is easier on the local palate, whereas diners who want a true Italian experience would send it back to the kitchen. As a result, they encourage diners to speak up. It is refreshing to see a chef and his team so willing to introduce the real taste of Italian cuisine but at the same time willing to accommodate the diners’ requests.

To finish off our meal, we ordered the tiramisu ($88) and the tartaletta ($88). While neither of these was outstanding, the latter was not the regular overly-sweet chocolate tart. It combines a buttery crust, a crunchy layer of pralines and a pool of smooth gianduja chocolate, with a hazelnut crunch gelato served on the side.

Next time I will tuck into a plate of agnolotti and finish with the tartaletta!