Great pizza but even better creative sandwiches at Homeslice in Sai Ying Pun

At Homeslice, we expected the pizza to be good. And after trying three of them, we can say it is.

But it was the sandwich that stole the show.

On the menu, it’s called a katsu sando (HK$95). So far, so ordinary; made from a breaded and fried pork or beef cutlet, it’s something you can find at many a casual Japanese izakaya (as well as more upscale places: check out the HK$1,000 version at Wagyumafia).

The version at Homeslice used a thick slice of mortadella that had been breaded, fried and put between two pieces of soft sandwich bread, along with pickled cabbage and sriracha mayo. It was a delicious, creative, Italian twist on a Japanese sandwich.

We also loved the ninja bombas. They usually come three to a serving (HK$95) but we asked if they could make it an order of four (and we’d pay more) so everyone in our group could have one. Good move, because I wasn’t willing to give up mine. The small fritters, with an assertive filling of nduja, scamorza and potato had a delicate crust, and were served on a thick puddle of aioli (garlic mayonnaise).

Fried squid with lemon and tonka bean mayo (HK$135) had surprisingly large tentacles, still attached to the body. The tentacles were tender and tasted fresh.

We could not detect the “px” (Pedro Ximenez) in the heaping pile of padron peppers with ricotta and chorizo crumbs (HK$85) but the peppers – blistered and tender – with the mild, moist cheese was a nice combination.

On to the pizza. The first one served – prosciutto and rucola (HK$165) – had plenty of toppings, but the crust was a little too pale, so we asked that the others be cooked longer. The crust here isn’t of the puffy, chewy type with a blistered edge that takes a minute or less to cook in a blazing hot oven.

The Homeslice pizzas took about three minutes (we were sitting in front of the ovens, so were able to time it), but we still enjoyed them, especially when the chef cooked them more, giving them a darker crust.

The diavola – strong and spicy with salami, chilli and basil (HK$160) was our favourite, but we also liked the sweet-savoury flavours of the gorgonzola pizza with pear, walnut and honey (HK$165).

Homeslice, 321 Des Voeux Road West, Sai Ying Pun, tel: 3619 4026. About HK$225 per person without drinks or the service charge

While you’re in the area:

Top-notch food, friendly owners at Pete’s Place in Sai Ying Pun

Krua Walaiphan in Sai Ying Pun – tasty Thai food