Pizza Milano

It is axiomatic to state that there are very few good outdoor dining options in Hong Kong.  I suppose this could have something to do with the heat, humidity, pollution, lack of sidewalk space, cockroaches, high floor area ratio and a general propensity of this city's residents to prefer air conditioned areas to the outdoors.  The relatively unknown Pizza Milano is one of the few rooftop restaurants in Central.  It doesn't really have a view per se, but there's nothing like that grand old Hong Kong feeling of being completely surrounded by hundreds of buildings to make up for the lack of view.  Am I right?

Thought so.  Now on to the pizza.  I'm delighted to say it was actually pretty good.  I might even come back for it even if they didn't have a rooftop beer garden.  The crust was thin but not too crunchy, and I'm a sucker for golden delicious air bubbles, as shown here:

As the toppings, sauce etc. were not particularly remarkable other than that there was an adequate amount of cheese which I appreciate, the only thing I have left to say about this place is that the service teetered ominously on the precipice of horrendous. [I should get a part time job writing high school vocabulary review worksheets, yes?]  At one point, we had to call the restaurant on a cell phone to ask them to deliver a San Miguel we ordered twenty minutes previously. It was delivered within 30 seconds after that, but still.  No one should have to go through that much effort for a beer as crappy as San Miguel.

Crust: 9

Sauce: 7

Toppings: 8

Ambiance:  7 (this is the average of a 9 for the rooftop beer garden and 5 for the spotty service)

VFM: 7

Overall: 8

Pizza Milano

9/F, Cheung Hing Commercial Building

No. 37-43 Cochrane Street (directly to the west of the Lyndhurst Terrace Pizza Express, next to 7-11. The entrance is on Gage Street)

Central

2581 2848

For more on rooftop terraces in the Kong, see here.

Black Sheep Cafe

I was planning on parking it on the couch with eighteen episodes of Gossip Girl and some melted cheese last Saturday but NO of course it had to be absolutely perfect beautiful sunny weather for the first time since December so I was forced to go outside and hike Dragon's Back to Shek-O. Luckily my unhealthy habits prevailed and I still ended up at a pizza place.  I will work on the Gossip Girl situation at a later date.  Such as during a typhoon.

I usually associate Shek-O with overpriced, mediocre Thai food.  I can tell you that you are going to have a hard time convincing me to go to one of those places again knowing what I know about the delicious 'za available.

Firstly and most importantly the crust.  The crust on the first two pizzas we ordered could have been cooked longer, therefore we didn't like it very much, as evidenced by the following:

Actually it was good, but we ordered a third pizza and the crust was nearing perfection.

We went with the margherita, magic mushroom and Planet Cheese (capitalized due to its status as a proper noun describing a particular place) pizzas.  The magic mushroom pizza had white sauce which was nastastic, but other than that the tomato sauce on the others was actually really good - not too thick, no tomato paste flavor and not too strong.

The Planet Cheese and margherita pizzas were virtually indistinguishable but that may have been our fault for nixing the anchovies on the latter.  Although since when do margherita pizzas have anchovies?  I would have gone with slightly more cheese here but its not a fatal flaw.  

The ambience is cozetastic and perfect for sitting outside if it's not too hot.  One thing that I don't understand is the back room which is filled with black lights and the accoutrements that usually accompany them...but I guess it goes with the magic mushroom pizza?  In any event, don't let that fool you into thinking you can come here on a college stoner's budget...the munchies to dollar spent ratio is a bit low.  

Crust: 9

Sauce: 9

Toppings: 7

Ambiance: 7

VFM: 6

Overall: 8...but I'm leaning towards a 9

Black Sheep Cafe

Somewhere on Shek O Road

2809 2021

Posto Pubblico

I don't think I've ever felt compelled to say this about a Hong Kong pizza before so allow me to say it now:

HOLY CAMOLY THAT WAS SOME GOOD EFFING PIZZA SAUCE.

I guess most Hong Kong pizza sauce is not THAT bad, it just tastes like tomato paste, is never present in sufficient quantity, is too salty, is all too often baked in to the crust and generally only detracts from rather than adds to almost every pizza I have ever had here.

But just look at this sauce glistening in the candlelight! Basking on top of the pizza in all of its tomatoey glory!!!

Posto Pubblico has one or two flavors per day that are featured on a chalkboard in the bar.  The above, Grandma's Pie, is their specialty and features homemade mozzarella and Sicilian-style pizza crust.  It comes by the slice (half of this) for HKD35.
Its a cute place with a nice ambiance but I have to say I don't appreciate being made to sit in the dark and the humidity on a "patio" which would be more aptly named the garbage dragging area when I had a reservation for a week.
Still, I really liked this pizza and so I would give this an 8, with a possible upgrade to a 9 pending my next visit.

Crust: 8
Sauce: 10
Toppings: 8
Ambiance: 7
VFM: 8
Overall: 8

Posto Pubblico

28 Elgin Street

2577 7160

Wagyu

There are two kinds of people in this world, my friends.  Those who go to Wagyu for steak, and those who go to Wagyu for pizza.  Last time I checked this blog was not called Best Steak in Hong Kong so hopefully that will inform your guess as to what kind of person I am.  The picture of a pizza on a table at Wagyu could also be a hint.

I have a friend who swears this is the best pizza in town.  And her last name is Slice so she does have 'za cred.  I have to say I think its pretty good but I'm not quite ready to throw it in the best of bin yet for a few reasons mainly related to the fact that this pizza tasted like it came straight from the Morton's salt test kitchen. That and the crust was a little soggy in the middle.  If you can't take the toppings get out of the kitchen, ya know what I mean?  That said, the toppings are fresh and delicious and its a fun atmosphere...especially if you have your party shoes on and are headed out to the join the masses on the mean streets of Wyndham later on...as a corollary to this observation I should also note that its probably not the best place to take your grandma for a heart-to-heart debate on the virtues of crochet vs. knitting.  Try the steak pizza (not pictured). Its a keeper.

Crust:6

Sauce: 7

Toppings: 8

Ambiance: 9

VFM: 6

Overall: 8

Wagyu

G/F, the Centrium

60 Wyndham Street

2525-8805