Reviews

• 

  Delicious pasta

  Karina | Aug 3 2010

  A bunch of us came for dinner last week. Ordered a lot of food but we were all impressed by the pasta dishes. The handmade bigoli with duck ragout was outstanding - the texture of the pasta was perfect and the ragout was delicious. The tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms was simple but great. We also had ravioli but I cannot remember what was inside. Very good too. Overall very happy with dinner. Will come back very soon to try the pizzas (other friends told us they are good too)

  • How much did you spend?
    350
  • Overall Rating
    Good
  • Food 7
  • Service 7
  • Ambiance 6
  • Price 3

• 

  A great addition to Wanchai

  James | Mar 19 2010

  Not great looking from the street, but walk into the back restaurant area and be suprised.
  How often do you get a suggestion for an apertif as soon as you sit down in HK? The service was great and attentive, but not overly so. The food selection is very unique with dishes not found on other Italian menus. I had the polenta and pork cheek apetizer which was excellent. The chef is young, energetic and produces fantastic dishes. The wine list was full of good value wines and the front house staff knows their stuff. The owner runs a wine shop around the corner and has access to a wide selection of small vineyard wines. We look forward to going back.

  • How much did you spend?
    About $400 per person.
  • Overall Rating
    Good
  • Food 8
  • Service 9
  • Ambiance 7
  • Price 3

• 

  A place with potential

  Juliet London | Mar 3 2010

  Viewed from the outside, La Baita seems cavernous and uninviting, not at all what you’d hope for from an Italian eatery. I’ve never seen anyone sitting on the stools parked right up against the front window: in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever noticed anyone in there at all.
  
  However, enter through the sliding front door and these impressions are immediately proven wrong. The reason for the apparent lack of clientele is that the dining area is located at the back of the restaurant: on a Monday night, it was quite full and people without bookings were being turned away.
  
  In stark contrast to my expectations, inside it’s actually very nicely designed. The low lighting – unusual for Hong Kong – interesting art (much of it for sale) and nicely laid tables all make for a very warm and welcoming ambience. The magazines in the women's toilet stalls are a nice touch, though if you stop too long to read them they might cause queues and/or some irritated dinner companions.
  
  The menu at La Baita is classic Italian, which can cause problems for Italophiles who may want to order it all. The food itself is moderately satisfying, though perhaps slightly lacking in flavour. While beef carpaccio is supposed to be all about the quality of the meat (no complaints), the accompanying rocket was distinctly without spice. A rigatoni pasta with pancetta and egg was fine, but not overwhelming/to die for in the way that you hope a simple pasta might be; tuna with a pepper crust was perfectly cooked, though again the sauce was a little lacking in flavour.
  
  We didn't drink any wine: the list is almost entirely Italian and looks very comprehensive. The sparkling water though was delicious and it makes for a pleasant change to drink something which has been specifically selected, as opposed to one of the run-of-the-mill multinational brands you'll find in most restaurants.
  
  The service is welcoming and very professional and adds to a sense that this is a restaurant which wants to make a mark, something it could do if the food was just stepped up a notch or two.

  • How much did you spend?
    $500
  • Overall Rating
    Good
  • Food 6
  • Service 9
  • Ambiance 8
  • Price 3

• 

  Tasting at La Baita

  davinia | Mar 2 2010

  The sautéed baby squid with spicy tomato sauce was delicious, had a good kick.
  
  The polenta was served in a small bowl, it would have been easier to eat if we were given a matching spoon.
  
  The homemade tortelloni stuffed with porcini and cheese could have been slightly softer, it was on the hard rather than firm side.
  
  I'm not sure what the name of the dessert was, but it tasted of honey and vanilla, really yummy.

  • How much did you spend?
    $900 for three
  • Overall Rating
    Good
  • Food 7
  • Service 8
  • Ambiance 7
  • Price 5

• 

  great homemade pastas

  Peech | Feb 19 2010

  It's a pretty new Italian place, and we set up a tasting menu with the chef that was very reasonably priced. Everything was actually taken off the a la carte menu.
  
  We had a sampler of 3 starters:
  
  Soft polenta with smoked ricotta cheese and sautéed pork cheek - the polenta was basically in liquid form...not creamy, but I really liked the grainy texture. The pork cheek was crispy like bacon with a great smoky flavor, and the ricotta shavings provided the final touch. Yummy!
  Cherry mozzarella wrapped with Parma ham and wild mushrooms - the mozzarella/Parma ham combo was pretty nice.
  Sautéed baby squid with spicy tomato sauce - spicier than I expected, but nice.
  
  Then 6 pastas which were hand/homemade...
  
  Homemade black ink tagliolini with shrimps, scallop and zucchini - the tagliolini was pretty nice and al dente, the scallop was overcooked but the shrimp was nice, and the full ink flavor was complemented by the combination of cherry tomatoes and olives giving it that Mediterranean profile. A very good start.
  
  Handmade gnocchi with fresh cherry tomato and mozzarella - the gnocchi was tiny, a little sweet from the potato but somehow tasting of dough... pretty good.
  
  Homemade ravioli stuffed with porcini, Taleggio cheese fondue - very good stuff. The cheese was pretty strong and creamy, and the wonderful flavor of porcini was highlighted with the addition of rosemary. I normally dislike rosemary as a spice, but this combination was just about perfect as everything else was equally powerful.
  
  Homemade tagliatelle with sausage, green peas and scamorza - the smoky nose of the cheese hits you as soon as the plate arrived. I joked that in the dim lighting at the table, my first thought upon looking at the piece of scamorza affumicata was that it was a piece of pan-seared foie gras, then my thoughts turned to... SPAM?! But gotta love that cheese! The sweet Italian sausage had the usual fennel seeds to lend their fragrance, plus a sprinkle of parsley. A pity that frozen peas were used...
  
  Handmade bigoli with duck ragout - we actually went into the kitchen to see the contraption used to make bigoli by squeezing dough through a copper tube. Lots of bite. The ragout wasn't heavy in terms of duck flavor, and again highlighted with parsley. The only pasta to have been made with duck eggs.
  
  Homemade tortelloni stuffed with veal shank, nebbiolo and juniper sauce - the first thought that came to mind was "餃子?!" The veal shank stuffing was nice - the strands of muscle were clearly visible - with a creamy vegetarian mash to hold it together. The presence of grapes was detectable in the nose but not heavy on the palate.
  
  The portions for the pasta were not full size, but after 6 of these... I was pretty full, and we all passed on dessert. All the pastas were very well-made, and I'd be happy to come here again for just about any one of them.
  
  original blogpost with pics: http://chi-he-wan-le.blogspot.com/2010/02/pasta-orgy.html

  • How much did you spend?
    $450
  • Overall Rating
    Good
  • Food 8
  • Service 7
  • Ambiance 7
  • Price 4