The Quarry Bay branch does not look as inviting, lacking the cosy welcoming bar area of Pacific Place. However, it's a different story once inside - with its blond wood, mosaic-inspired walls and lots of natural light.

What a shame therefore that it is spoilt by that all too familiar irritant - exasperatingly close tables. This is Quarry Bay, after all, where commercial space is cheaper.

Praise be that my lunch companion was in top form, with a stream of juicy gossip which helped drown out the next table's drone.

Cracking open a large bottle of San Pellegrino water - priced at a not unreasonable $37 - we swiftly got down to business.

For starters we chose the prosciutto with mixed fresh apples ($95) and tomato and mozzarella salad ($70).

Both arrived promptly. The first comprised four strips of Parma ham coated with a red wine poppy seed vinaigrette.

A red cabbage leaf was filled with finely chopped red and green apples. The fruit and vinaigrette made a pleasantly tart contrast to the ham which was wafer-thin, as it should be.

My guest's tomato and mozzarella salad looked delicious. The tomatoes, so often soggy mulch in Hong Kong, were ripe and tasty, while the large slabs of cheese were without fault.

It was a pity that a heavy-handed serving of dressing and the large sprigs of rosemary and arugula spoilt the presentation. Also, because the portions were so large, we were unable to finish more than half.

For the main courses there was a lengthy and enticing selection of pastas and pizzas.

My guest, who is vegetarian, had several choices open to her and plumped for the pizza topped with spring vegetables.

Visually, it was perhaps the most ambitious pizza we had laid eyes on. We lost track of the number of vegetables, but they included broccoli, onions, string beans, cauliflower, mushrooms, carrots and orange and yellow peppers. Although we appreciated the effort that had gone into it, it was more than a little overpowering. The crust was substantial, but thin and crisp.

The other main course was less of a success. Although the pappardelle - wide ribbons of pasta - was cooked al dente, the tomato-based sauce was tasteless, as were the slices of tender chicken.

We left half the dish, and to the staff's credit they asked what was wrong with it and whether we would like to try another offering on the menu.

Initially, we were impressed by this interest, having lost track of the number of times dishes have been sent back in Hong Kong, with not one inquiry being made about why they had been left unfinished.

Then one member of staff indicated that they had spotted us scribbling down a few notes and the cynic in us wondered whether the same effort would have been made in different circumstances. We would certainly hope so.

The tiramisu ($49), as befitting its English translation, was a timely pick-me-up, generously laced with mascarpone cheese and nicely moist.

The bill, including a coffee, two glasses of crisp house white wine and service, came to $578.

We would have liked to have seen a daily set menu offering a good-value three-course lunch. We noticed halfway through the meal that there was a chef's recommendation for the day - in this case, swordfish - but no mention of it was made at the time of ordering, nor was there a card on our table indicating its availability.

The service was always attentive. Full marks though to the waitress who persevered with our request to find out what the mysteriously sounding scarmozza was in the pizza - it is, in fact, smoked mozzarella.

Grappa's Millennio, G/F, Lincoln House, Tong Chong Street, Quarry Bay, Tel: 2219-0288, Open: 9am-11.30pm daily