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Romantic Italian fare for a great date night out
District: Wan Chai
Cuisine: Italian
How much: Mains range from $138 to $588 (sharing plates)
The Best For: Date night or special occasion
Must Order: Trifola Pizza, Strozzapreti con Prosciutto, Funghi e Tartufo, Linguine all’ Aragosta
If you’re looking for a date night where you can enjoy a really tasty meal, nice bottles of wine (go big or go home) and a great atmosphere, don’t wait to book at Gia Trattoria Italiana. The restaurant may be in an odd location and a bit difficult to get to, but if you’re driving or being dropped off, it shouldn’t be an issue. There’s even free parking if spaces are available. But trust us when we say, it’s worth the effort to get there.
We were lucky to try out the seasonal menu by the gregarious and affable new Head Chef Omar Agostini and it was one of those dinners where we couldn’t decide which dish we loved best. We were given fair warning that we’re going to share with you: Go hungry.
We started off with the fantastic Burrata e Pomodori ($188), a plate of melt-in-your-mouth Puglia burrata cheese, fresh yellow and red cherry tomatoes, basil and olive oil. The fragrance hit our senses long before we took a bite, and both did not disappoint. The plates at Gia Trattoria Italiana are meant to be shared, which means we weren’t presented with a tiny piece of cheese to split. Instead, we were easily able to split a very large piece of burrata and have enough to spare.
No Italian meal is complete without pizza, and we were super happy when the Trifola Pizza ($238) showed up. It was a delicate blend of black truffle paste, mixed green leaves, mascarpone and mozzarella. We loved how the fresh, crisp leaves mixed with the crunchy, warm crust in each bite. Heaven.
We tried a couple of pastas as well, the standout being the Strozzapreti con Prosciutto, Funghi e Tartufo ($188). Rich, creamy, delicious, served by Chef Omar himself with freshly shaved seasonal truffle on top. Our mouths are watering just thinking of it. If you’re a lobster fan, you must try the Linguine all’ Aragosta, which is linguine with lobster and fresh tomato ($588, suitable for sharing). This decadent dish would satisfy any seafood lover.
We said to go hungry, right? So it will come as no surprise how many mains we tested out (#diditforsassymama). The dishes on offer all sounded incredible, and after the starters, pizza and pasta, we had high hopes that, thankfully, weren’t dashed. We especially loved the Agnello alla Scottadito ($328), which was tender, chargrilled lamb chops cooked to perfection and served with grilled vegetables and roasted potatoes; the Cotoletta ala Milanese ($288), a large portion of breaded Milanese-style boneless veal cutlets served with rocket salad and sweet tomato; and finally (we couldn’t decide!), the sea bass ($388), which we choose salt baked (you can choose between salt baked or grilled lightly breaded with herbs). The fish was incredibly meaty and deliciously seasoned.
Because the spacing between each dish was perfectly timed to give us enough time to digest a bit between courses (but not too much that we were waiting anxiously), we decided to tuck into some of that good old fashioned Italian dessert. So, when the Mini Cannoli alla Siciliana (mini Sicilian cannoli stuffed with ricotta cheese and candied fruit), Il Tiramisu’ di Gianni ($98) and Gelati della Casa ($88) arrived, we definitely took more than a few bites of each! (The tiramisu was our fave of the three.)
Sassy Mama Tip: Gia Trattoria Italiana is a really pleasant space for a great meal. However, we recommend sitting a little further away from the window as there is a bit of construction going on below, and the equipment under the window tarnishes the view slightly.
Gia Trattoria Italiana, 1/F, Fleet Arcade, Fenwick Pier, 1 Lung King Street, Wan Chai, 2511 8081 www.giatrattoriaitaliana.com
