Sunday, May 22, 2011

Pizzeria Italia

Located on Mosque Street, Pizzeria Italia is the kind of crappy-looking Hong Kong pizza joint that sort of makes me want to cry.  Therefore, I had never been there in over 2.5 years of mid-levels living.  But, I take a friend's recommendation very seriously, so when my friend Joy and fellow tycoon (or, at least, Tycoon Court neighbor) recommended it, I knew I had to try it out. Also, I had no food in my apartment and I was walking home in a hungry and lazy mood with time to kill on a random Tuesday so I thought I'd give it a shot.
I was impressed! First of all, the crust is tasty. I am going to have to walk back there and check out the oven because it made delicious crispy/charred on the outside, doughy on the inside crust. Booyah? Indeed.
In the spirit of simplicity, I ordered the margherita (aka, plain cheese), and truth be told, the cheese could have been higher quality and the sauce slightly less sweet, but I think there is definite promise here. I can't wait to go back and try some more flavors.
Further, if you don't happen to walk past Mosque Street on your way home, never fear.  Pizzeria Italia appears to have their own driver (my numero uno criteria for delivery food in HK) like my other fave non-pizza HK delivery place Indian Village (also, conveniently located on Mosque Street...why I need food to get delivered 3 blocks is another story entirely) so your pizza *might* actually arrive hot! He sits on an orange leather lounge chair in a doorway right next to the restaurant, so basically he is your main man.  Here is the driver from fellow Mosque-street pizzeria Zafferano having a chat with your main man at his post on the lounge chair.
I also have to give a special shout out to the VFM factor on this one.  I think you can get at least twice the pizza for the same price over Pizza Express. Just sayin...

Pizzeria Italia
1-9 Mosque Street
2525.2519

Crust: 9
Sauce: 6
VFM: 9
Ambiance: N/A (No dine-in area)
Toppings: 5
Overall: 7

Note: during my sojourn on Mosque Street I had a fabulous realization: Mosque Street is the pizza boomtown of Hong Kong!  There is not just one but three (or four...depending on if you count Pizza Hut) pizza places in one tiny block.  I have never been to any of them because they all look like the aforementioned crappy-Hong Kong kind of pizza places that make me want to cry, but I've now realized that you can't judge a Mosque Street pizzeria by its cover.  As such, you can consider this part one of my series on Mosque Street Pizza. Fun!