Osteria Marzia

营业中

休息中

Item: Osteria Marzia
Rating: 4
Author: eatwai

97 食记

味道

环境

服务

卫生

抵食

23459

湾仔

$801以上

意大利菜西式海鲜

eatwai

等级4

188

[ Osteria Marzia | 湾仔 ]

I never knew there was a hotel in this rustic and industrial part of Wanchai, or that there was an elegant southern Italian seafood-centric restaurant on the ground floor! And it’s part of the Black Sheep group.

The hotel is quite hard to spot if you don’t know what your looking for so as they close the blinds when they are not operating so watch out the the huge ‘The Fleming’ printed on the side of the hotel.

The entrance is very elegant and you are first greeted by a selection of fresh fishes and seafood on display. Surrounding this display is the bar table filled with a plethora of alcoholic delights, great place for photos too. On the left you have a view of the gorgeous and grand open kitchen where you can see the chefs work. On the right you will be guided to the dining room. Their dining room is intentionally designed to imitate a ship to bring you on a maritime odyssey. The big sphere imitates the moon and a sense of peace is washed over you when they dim the lights and prepare you for dinner.

I cannot go to a BS restaurant and not mention the service, was that is where a large percentage of my money is going towards. The staff are attentive and friendly so that you can easily initiate a conversation with any of them and they will make you feel welcome and comfortable.

The plate ware they use might be familiar as it is the same design as the ones in Carbone, but uses more style from Southern Italy and it’s mass produced in a factory instead of individually handcrafted. The bowls and plates makes you feel like you’ve been transported to Italy where all the cooking is from someone’s nonna.

They will first serve you with some bread. The bread is a sourdough (not made in house) which is grilled so you get a great crunch and a beautiful aroma when it is plated. The inside is still fluffy though so it won’t scratch the roof of your mouth! They serve this with come anchovies and butter. I personally love anchovies and the saltiness they provide. The bread is the perfect vessel for the saltiness but I would recommend spreading some butter first as a medium between the two, it will also help lubricate the bread and prevent it from tasting too salty.

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Polpo $268
Spanish octopus, caponata, capers, basil

This dish is quite unique as it uses caper berries, which is sweeter and less intense, instead of the commonly seen capers which can be too briny and sour for some people. They also use the leaves of the caper berries which is slightly more tart but nonetheless flavourful. I really appreciate them using parts of the whole ingredient as it really tied the whole dish together and allows for layers to be developed. The sweetness of the caper berries works wonders with the savoury and rich caponata. I especially love the peeled, plump tomatoes that bursts with sweetness which paired beautifully with the crispy, charred octopus.

The octopus itself is extremely tender but has an excellent bite to it too. The outside is charred very well thus there is a slight crunch but the inside is soft and warm. I really love eating this with the tangy and sour capanota that has been made into a purée.

4 plump pieces are given, 2 each is not a bad portion but the price is quite steep.

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Burrata $268
Date tomato, momotaro tomato

A pretty basic dish that I wouldn’t have ordered but my guest really wanted to try it as she loves burrata.

The burrata is creamy and milky, as one would expect. But it wasn’t as rich and thick as the other ones I’ve had. Still better than Carbone’s though. I especially love eating it on their bread and with some anchovies too for a more dimensional bite. But they do have some toasted croutons to make this a ‘panzenella’ (Italian bread salad).

They used 2 kinds of tomatoes but they pretty much taste the same. The only difference is their size.

Portion wise it is quite large as the burrata is given as the whole ball so a good dish to share between 2-4 along with other dishes.

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Spaghetti $268
Bronte pistachio, Sicilian anchovy

Their signature pasta!!

By using only 2 ingredients as their main ingredients and flavour points, there is a harsher spotlight on the quality of said ingredients and also techniques used to execute this dish.

The pasta is very al-dente. Some (my guest) might even say it is too firm and hard to bite but the chef says that this is one of the unique selling points of their southern Italian pasta. But thank god it is not starchy and dry.

The highlight is definitely the sauce, given generously so all the spaghetti gets beautifully coated by the luscious sauce and there are even some leftover for scarpetta! (Using bread to mop up leftover sauce on the plate). It is simply pistachios and anchovies, but both are sourced from the highest quality of ingredients. Both of them originates from Sicily which makes the dish even more cozy and regional. The pistachio taste doesn’t overpower the dish (obviously) and you might not even notice it if it wasn’t for the vibrant green it creates. However, texture-wise you can definitely feel the grit and crunch of the nuts, adding a great texture to each bite. The anchovies are smashed into a paste and incorporated into the sauce, thus the strongest flavour is the salty fish. Surprisingly, the saltiness is not unpleasant or too intense, just the right amount. But do beware that it is more salty than your regular pasta so don’t expect nothing. They also blend the sauce with some fish and clam stock which brings out the ocean-ness even more. I really like the whole pieces of anchovies as well which adds a great texture as it melts in your mouth whilst still being chewy.

The amount of oil left or even on the pasta can be shocking but it definitely is not greasy nor will it make your mouth slick. I mopped up all that delicious oil with some bread and it was divine.

The portion is perfect for a 1 person lunch with 1 starter or can be shared between 2 just fine with another pasta.

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Calamarata $328
Calamarata pasta, brown butter, smoked oyster ragu, sweet garlic

This is another signature pasta that the chef recommended. The shape is inspired by calamari (squid rings) which it imitates.

Smoked oyster is quite rare in HK (although it is becoming more ‘trendy’ nowadays) and I was intrigued by this. The result was delicious. They dice them up into small pieces for a rage and each is like a tiny parcel of cream made in the sea. They burst in your mouth and creates another layer of salty, sweet and copper-like sauce that just pairs amazingly well with the hard pasta. The brown butter acts as the backup singers in a concert whose role is to support the main performer (the oyster) and increase their effect without overpowering them.

The pasta is a fun, short tube pasta that allows the packages of oyster-goodness hide inside so in each bite you get the accumulation of flavour and texture.

The portion may seem less compared to the spaghetti but the individual calamarata is quite filling too. Thus, good portion for sharing or for solo.

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Semifreddo

This desert is actually from their Plated menu but we wanted to try it and the staff was kind enough to let us try a smaller portion of it.

Semifreddo means half frozen in Italian and it is basically a mousse like gelato filled with nougat and nuts which is frozen.

They make the nougat and gelato themselves. The nougat is crunchy and nutty without being sticky and sweet. The gelato is made from Hokkaido milk thus it is very creamy and rich. The crunchy nuts and nougat is great with the smooth gelato. There is also some candied orange and a orange and thyme syrup that helps balance it out with some zest but I couldn’t really taste the thyme.

A great dessert that on one hand, doesn’t melt fast, but on the other, it collapse and melts the moment you try to spoon it.

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推介 🙆🏻‍♀️

💬 Overall, a lovely seafood feast. I hope to try their whole fishes next time and I’m definitely coming back for the Spaghetti. I would say that the prices are very high in comparison to other restaurants in Wan Chai but bear in mind that they are located in a hotel and it is run by BS… I wouldn’t recommend this place for people that don’t like seafood (obviously) or cannot handle extreme flavours such as anchovies (used in many dishes) and oysters. Basically, those who don’t like the ‘fishy’ taste and smell.

🗓 Revisit? ✅ ⭕️/ ❎