Hong Kong has no shortage of Italian restaurants scattered throughout the city. However, if you’re looking for truly authentic dining experience, that may prove to be more difficult to find. Thankfully, Gia Trattoria Italiana is here to provide Hong Kong’s Italian food-lovers with truly authentic, home-cooked, large-portioned Italian dishes that will leave you oh-so satisfied.
Vibe At Gia Trattoria Italiana
Despite being located in a very obscure location between Wanchai and Admiralty on Fenwick Pier, the trek to Gia is completely worth it. The interior is very simple and classic, with a touch of rustic, and would offer great views of the Hong Kong harbour if it wasn’t for the current construction. An hour into dinner (around 8:30 pm), tables of Italian customers came in; a true testament to the restaurant’s authenticity.
Starters
Calamari (HK$188)
Pizza Trifola (HK$268)
To begin our Italian feast, we had the Calamari (HK$188), which consisted of deep fried baby Sicilian calamari, pink shrimp, prawn, and paprika mayo. The batter was light, allowing the fresh natural flavours of the seafood to shine through. That is until I dunked each piece into the delicious paprika mayo. Since it’s summer truffle season, we couldn’t say no to Gia’s Pizza Trifola (HK$268) with black truffle paste, mixed green leaves, mascarpone, mozzarella, and a good portion of shaved summer black truffle on top. Gia’s thin crust pizza has an airy mix of ingredients that balance each other out beautifully and won’t sit heavy in your stomach afterwards.
Mains
Spaghetti with Summer Black Truffle Pesto, Bottarga, Asparagus
Australian Black Angus Grilled Prime Rib (HK$968)
One of our favourite pasta dishes of the evening was the Spaghetti with Summer Black Truffle Pesto, Bottarga, Asparagus on Gia’s Summer Truffle Menu. The spaghetti was perfectly coated in a rich truffle pesto and the bottarga (cured fish roe) added a layer of refined saltiness that complimented the truffle exceptionally well. We couldn’t resist trying the impressive Australian Black Angus Grilled Prime Rib (HK$968), which was cooked to a beautiful medium rare. The quality of the natural grain-fed prime rib (all 1 kg of it!) was unmistakable and was the perfect sharing dish at our table.
Dessert
Homemade Fresh Milk Ice Cream (HK$88 for 3 scoops)
Because saying no to homemade gelato is just unacceptable, we ordered a massive sharing jar to go around the table, which was one of the best decisions of the night. Gia’s Homemade Fresh Milk Ice Cream (HK$88 for 3 scoops) was blow-your-mind delicious, and I loved that we were able to choose which toppings to add (my personal favourite being the strawberry sauce – completely real to taste and not processed at all).
Verdict
If high-quality, authentic Italian food is what you’re after, Gia Trattoria Italiana’s got it – you’ll feel like you’re dining in Italy. While I have come across numerous good American Italian restaurants in Hong Kong, none can quite compare to Gia.
If brunch is what you’re after, check out Gia’s sister restaurant Giando for an incredibly indulgent and great value weekend feast!
Gia Trattoria Italiana
1/F Fleet Arcade, Fenwick Pier
1 Lung King Road
Wan Chai
Hong Kong
Tel: 2511 8081
