Italy meets Germany at Mitte bar and eatery in Sheung Wan

The latest eatery to open on Upper Station Street off Hollywood Road, Mitte is the city's first "osteria Berlinese". The owners are Italian and German, and met in the German capital - so the vibe is artsy Berlin with Italian drinks and fare.

Some diners might wonder whether this quaint corner location is a bar or an eatery. It is both, and it also displays art and has a corner DJ booth. There is an open kitchen and bar near the entrance with high seats for diners and drinkers.

We sit at one of the few tables to try the Italian fare. The menu is small, but the dishes are delightful. We start with a negroni sbagliato (HK$108) and a perfect plate of olives, bruchetta and other breads. This was followed by the polpo antipasti of octopus, celery, potato, parsley and lemon (HK$142), in which the deliciously tender octopus is perched on a bed of potatoes with thinly sliced celery on top. The Alice pasta followed, with simple linguine, anchovy juice, tomato and parsley (HK$148). The home-made linguine is as good as it gets. For mains, the Costolette fritte (HK$220), deep-fried lamb chops, caramelised onions and green chilli pepper were superb.

We were too full for dessert, but the nutellina (HK$78) - fried pizza dough covered in Nutella sauce and garnished with strawberries and crushed nuts - is already a legend. 

Mitte
1A Upper Station Street, Sheung Wan tel: 2803 7080
www.mitte.com.hk