SoHo Italian bar-restaurant Stazione Novella is on right track

Hongkongers love to hate their hectic lifestyles, so it's curious that there aren't more little bars or eateries like the new Stazione Novella that accommodate our non-stop, day-to-night schedules.

"Stazione Novella is a neighbourhood bar in the Italian sense of the tradition; it's a local hang-out that services the bustling SoHo community throughout the day. We took cues from the busy bars found around the Florence train station [Santa Maria Novella] — you can pop in for a coffee, grab a panino and a glass of wine or settle in for cocktails after a long day," says Christopher Mark, co-founder and culinary director at Black Sheep Restaurants.

In true Italian style, the bar also offers an all-day menu of snacks; the kitchen doesn't shut until the bar closes. The bread, made in-house and requiring 48 hours to prove, features heavily.

Mark says: "Our bruschetta menu features a range of toppings served on toasted bread. My top choice is the gorgonzola with fig," adding if it's that time of day, he would pair it with a glass of Tasca d'Almerita Lamuri Nero d'Avola from Sicily.

Another favourite of his is the soppressata, fontina and arugula panino. Mark says: "We get our soppressata from Calabria where food is a little spicier than in Tuscany." He suggests washing down it with an Aperol spritz.

Stazione Novella, 52-56 Staunton Street, SoHo, tel: 2559 0559. Open: 9am until late