Restaurant review: La Piola in Wan Chai – Italian dishes are a mixed bag of hits and misses
The meal got off to a bad start with key ingredients letting dishes down, but the main courses were much better and the desserts were delicious
I never visited La Piola at its original location on Lyndhurst Terrace, although I’d heard good things about it. So when the Italian restaurant reopened – this time in Wan Chai – I was eager to try it.
The new space – in the same building that houses The Pawn – is great, with chandeliers hanging from the high beamed ceilings, and the bar area separated from the dining room by an arched doorway. It had a nice buzz, and the restaurant was almost full on the night we visited.
The meal was mixed. A caprese salad is a success or failure depending on its two main ingredients: tomatoes and mozzarella. The version here (HK$138) was let down by the tomatoes, which were hard and almost tasteless.
The home-made tajarin (ribbon) pasta with Italian luganica sausage, leeks and stracciatella di burrata cheese (HK$195) was dry and disappointing, and the tiny bits of sausage didn’t have much flavour.
