With a red neon sign, red bricks and red wood-framed windows offering a glimpse inside through half-open shutters, Alvy’s looks like it belongs to Greenwich Village in Manhattan. The theme continues inside, with
black-and-white pictures of the Big Apple, the chequered tile floor, big bar counter, wooden tables, leather banquettes and menus written on mirrors.

You might notice the recorded monologues of Woody Allen playing in the bathroom. The menu is divided into “noshes”, “pizza”, “something green” and “something sweet”. We tried two of the specials on the mirror pizza menu (HK$128 each). One turned out to be more a nosh: salmon tartare with fresh citrus juice, capers and onion served with toasted bagel chips. The freshness, richness and sweetness of the fish was emphasised by the light but tangy dressing.

Pepperoni with roasted garlic, pickles and shallots on the pizza crust was refined and balanced in flavour. The latkes (HK$78) served with diced char siu, sour cream and geung yeong (a Chinese ginger mash), were slightly crusty outside and cottony inside, and the meatballs in Sunday sauce (HK$108) were tender and hearty, with the right umami kick. If we weren’t full, we would have tried the divine-sounding Zeppoles (salted manjari chocolate (HK$58), too. The whimsical vibe was also great: the miniature dinosaurs put smiles on our faces.