FALCONE IFC — Restaurant in Hong Kong Island

Blacksheep's latest addition to the family, Falcone, services "Neo-Neapolitan" (say that 3 times fast) pizza and pasta.

THE AMBIENCE The venue is just as beautiful as we have come to expect from Blacksheep. The restaurant, which occupies the space previously used by Greyhound Cafe at IFC, has been decked out in lush, deep colours. I especially love all the beautiful serving dishes. It decidedly does not feel like a "mall restaurant".

Pro tip: ask for a table in the section closer to the bar and kitchen to enjoy the comfy armchairs available in that area.

THE FOOD

Highlights include the pasta: having almost 30 years experience as a pasta connoisseur, I can confidently say that Falcone's pasta is some of the best there is. The texture is perfectly satisfying and chewy and the sauces are simply delicious. Go for the Genovese if you love onions, or the Nerano if you want to be surprised by how delicious zucchini can be.

the meatball starter Chef Fabio's signature meatballs are super soft and flavourful, with a perfect dose of fennel. This is a must order.

the white anchovy pizza Falcone serves a mix of traditional (pepperoni) and inventive (sausage and Japanese pumpkin) pizzas. My personal favourite was the white anchovy, which is topped with cherry tomatoes and thick, fleshy white anchovies.

the chocolate nemesis dessert I've been two Falcone twice, and each time I was so full pre dessert that I thought I didnt want any. Both times I ended up splitting a chocolate nemesis, a kind of mousse-y flourless chocolate cake, with cream and gelato on the side. It's the perfect dessert for sharing, a few sweet bites to finish up the meal. If you're lucky, Chef Fabio may come by with a digestif at this point, so you don't have to roll out of the restaurant.

THE SERVICE Expectations for service at a Blacksheep restaurant are high, and Falcone's team does not disappoint. Familiar and friendly, they will make sure you are taken care of during your meal. We love William, who will guide you through the evening, and Luc, who quietly makes sure your glasses are always topped up and is very knowledgeable on the dishes.

WHEN SHOULD I GO TO FALCONE? if you want to have dinner with a group of friends, this is the place to go. It's affordable (we paid around 800pp including drinks), everybody will find something they like on the menu, and it's fun. Your photos will look great. while Falcone won't be open for lunch until mid-May, I think it will be a great stop for a family lunches...

Caught off-guard by sheer interest from a red logo plastered on the wall, I approached and stepped into what felt like a Wes Anderson movie set (think Royal Tenenbaums, but in Italy ha). Seriously impressed by the level of detail that went into the finessing of interiors here! And they serve pizza? Damn right you can count me in...So my partner and I went over following a film at the cinema for a dinner. William took care of us from the get-go, and small talk alone made us feel right at ease like we're part of the scene at play here. Fantastic lad by the way 👍 Got the menus, and no doubt we're thinking wine. So we get reading, and we nearly start wetting ourselves! The descriptions were hilarious, and no doubt Isa and I appreciated the non-pretentious approach to grape drink based solely on the staff experience. LOVE it. Carafe of De Vinosalvo it was 🍷.

We went all-in for an antipasti, paste, and pizze here (clearly the popcorn didn't do nothing from earlier sigh), and while hungrily awaiting, we started contemplating where we're "supposed to be". The Black Sheep familia always have their concepts on par, so given the quaint memorabilia of past Italian icons /legends on the wall, the bright colourful accents in trim lines, and the decadent textures and patterns working harmoniously together, we got the gist that we're at Nonna's (grandma's) home! And what a perfect place to be to enjoy authentic quality comfort food with your loved one, friends, or family. A night we surely won't forget as everything was just like a perfect drama movie to sit back on and take in full.

L'amore di uno, squadra Falcone 🤌 Grazie ragazzi! ~ PS best Neo-Neapolitan pizza in town. mark that down and find out for...

Having just visited Naples last December, we had Falcone on our to-go list since they opened a few months ago. We just happened to be in IFC today and naturally decided to drop by and give it a try. I've seen comments detailing the subpar service that they received at Falcone before visiting and I've simply brushed them off as unintentional lapses in service quality and one-off incidents. After all, we've received nothing but hospitality when we were in Naples and how can a restaurant, claiming that they are offering the authentic experience of Naples, tarnish the city's name by offering subpar service to their guests?

I was quickly proved wrong when the staff who received us looking utterly disinterested to the point that he almost didn't want us there. He made sure that we are aware of the 1hr dining time and then led us to a corner seat all the way at the back, despite clearly having seats available closer to the entrance. After we placed our orders I went over to a staff and asked if they have hand sanitizer. The staff didn't even look at me and just simply gave me some wet wipes and sent me my way. We've also noticed that throughout our meal the staff asked everyone, except us, how was their meal while completely ignoring us. I assumed this was because we were not "properly" dressed and wore sporty outfits, but nonetheless this is completely unacceptable and a far cry from the usual service standard at a Black Sheep establishment.

The food was good, and I would go so far to say that this is the best pizza we had in HK, but it's extremely overpriced - a pizza and pasta ran us $545. Long story short, this is the only Black Sheep establishment that I will probably never...