Wineshark HK Restaurant Review - Pirata

This Italian restaurant is located in Wanchai, occupying the top two floors of a commercial building, with the 29th floor serving as the dining area while the 30th floor a bar and chill-out space. It prides itself on offering honest, authentic Italian taste with the attention and care for customers as if they are part of the family. The decor exhibits modern cozy ambiance with soft lighting, and apparently the restaurant is very popular with many customers on a normal weekday.

After having a Cosmopolitan cocktail ($120) to start, we ordered the Tasting Menu ($480 each) and there were three antipasto, the traditional first course of a formal Italian dinner. The first was Vitello Tonnato, which according to the manager was a form of Italian surf and turf, with thin slices of veal, coated with a nice paste of prepared from tuna, capers and mayonnaise, with a few Sicilian caper berries on top. The veal was flavorful, greatly complementary in terms of taste with the paste, a very nice marriage indeed.

The second antipasto was MMM, or My Mamma's Meatballs. This is a family recipe from the chef, with the meatball made from a mixture of beef and pork, added with egg and then stewed in a nice tomato sauce with basil and extra virgin olive oil. The meatballs are tender and the blend of the two types of meat giving the right balance of fat and lean, very nice on the texture. I also found the tomato sauce very delicious, with intense tomato flavors and a nice touch of basil fragrance. Another great dish.

The third antipasto was Asparagus Flan, having a nice taste, not being vegetal but with clear delicate asparagus notes. With a cream sauce to create a smooth palate, as well as a piece of crunchy Parmesan cheese on the side. Nice also.

Next came the pasta, and we were served Tagliatelle with Black Truffle, with the homemade tagliatelle prepared with white truffle paste, shallot and butter, then having generous amount of shaved black truffle on top. I like the texture of the tagliatelle very much, with the perfect chewiness, mixed with impeccable amount of sauce. I always found restaurants cooking the pasta with too much sauce but Pirata got that just right in my opinion. The black truffle obviously added flavors and premium enjoyment for the diners. The dish made me wonder how the other pastas taste and made me anxious to come again and try those out.

Then it was secondi, or the meat dish. With a choice we opted for the Whole Italian Seabass Mediterranean Style ($38 per person supplement). The fish is cooked with Mediterranean potatoes, Taggiasca olives, cherry tomatoes, white wine and extra virgin olive oil. The waitress kindly helped us to remove the bones from the fish before serving, with the fish meat tender and juicy. But I found it was the potatoes, the olives and tomatoes which were more flavorful, absorbing the essence from the fish during the baking process. All in all a nice dish.

For the side dish of the secondi, I ordered the Roasted New Potatoes, prepared with rosemary, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. You might wonder why I ordered this despite the secondi also having potatoes. The simple reason was that I overlooked, and ended up having too many of them. The potatoes tasted good with the herbs and garlic added complexity to the simple profile of the new potatoes, and honestly it would be a better side for the other secondi, a steak, instead of the fish.

There were two desserts, with the first Tiramisu, prepared using traditional style with coffee, mascarpone and Marsala wine. Not overly sweet, I like the proportion of mascarpone and marsala wine balancing the sweetness and bitterness, with the alcohol not overpowering. But still it could not compare with some of the best Tiramisu I had tasted in other restaurants in town.

The other dessert was a Panna Cotta, with homemade raspberry coulis and fresh raspberry. The pudding was silky smooth and rich. The raspberry coulis has an interesting contrast on acidity, so giving a refreshing, cleansing effect on the palate. A nice conclusion of the meal and we all enjoyed the dishes.

The bill was $1,211 including the cocktail and bottled water. On the tasting menu alone I think it is very high in value, and the portion also appropriate to fill us up without overly stuffy. Services are also quite good with the staff came to explain each dish, and overall they are friendly and attentive. Overall I feel very satisfied with the meal and no wonder the restaurant was so popular.