FARE Italian comfort food. AMBIENCE The dining area is spacious with brick, wood and cast-iron décor – probably going for a rustic Tuscan charm. COST Budget-friendly, with appetisers starting from HK$158. WHO TO BRING Friends, family or a casual dinner date. TURN-ONS There is a friendly vibe at Mercato. It has a variety of specials running through the week, from free-flow happy hour packages to Sunday night specials for the family. We started off with a chargrilled octopus, caper garlic dressing, warm potato salad and green olives, one of the restaurant’s signatures. We enjoyed the tender texture of mollusc, and the sides of potatoes with the caper dressing provided a fine interspersion of flavours. The burrata cheese with heirloom tomatoes was exceptionally fresh, with an incredibly creamy centre. Wood-oven pizzas are a mainstay at Jean-Georges Mercato restaurants, so we opted for the black truffle, three cheese and farm egg pizza. The pie arrived at the table wafting of black truffle, and the fresh egg provided a gorgeous gooey texture to the cheese base. This gorgeous topping, combined with the crispy dough, makes ordering pizza here a must. The salted caramel sundae with candied peanuts, popcorn and fudge could bring out your inner child. TURN-OFFS The staff knew little about the food and had to refer our menu questions to the manager or chef. DRINKS A good range of wines and spirits, and the bartender does not skimp on the cocktails.