Pici — Restaurant in Sha Tin District

The pappardelle beef cheeks are still some of the best pasta I've ever had in hong Kong. They put in the full 8 or so hours slowly cooking that ragu. The flavour and tenderness of it speaks to that effort.

That being said, the quality has steeply declined. I came in for a late lunch. Strike one, bad seating. The restaurant was near empty, but I was seated right next to where they bus dishes. With all the different seating options available, I fail to understand why I was put in arguably the worst seat in the place. While waiting to be served I get the watch servers bump into each other table settings. I consider it more of an annoyance than a floor show. Despite always being in line of sight of at least 3 different servers, my water was never refilled.

Strike two, bread. The bread was stale, burnt and inconsistently cut ranging from half a cm to 4 cm. There was no butter offered or option to upgrade to their truffle butter.

Strike three, dessert alternatives. I really enjoy their tiramisu and Panna Cotta. Creamy and always generously proportioned. However, being lactose intolerant, I can't enjoy these dishes without facing severe consequences involving violent diorera. I wasn't ready for the consequences that day. I was disappointed that they do not have any lactose free dessert options. I explained that I can't do dairy, milk, cream or cheese. I'm going to be losing out on desserts with their lunch set, but it would still just marginally be a better deal than ordering a la carte.

Coffee is extra during lunch. Only black tea is free.

I was literally writing this as I was waiting for my dishes to be served. Then the pasta arrived. Fragrant and distinct aroma of truffles. Fresh egg pasta. A warmed plate. A butter based sauce that was just shy of being too much butter. And a hint of lemon to cut through the fat. This pasta, like the beef cheeks is a grand slam.

I cannot decide whether this is a grand slam...

I've visited Pici in New Town Plaza twice, and each time it has been an enjoyable experience. The western food they serve is very delicious, and the drinks are also good.

The service and food presentation are both impressive. One thing I particularly enjoyed was the bread served as an appetizer, which came with olive oil and black vinegar - a simple but tasty start to the meal.

The salad was also excellent, featuring fresh greens and creamy burrata cheese. The combination of the soft, milky burrata and the acidity of the dressing made for a really balanced and satisfying dish.

The handmade pasta dishes were a highlight. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the sauces were full of flavor.

In addition to the pasta, the classic lasagna was also delicious, with an excellent cheese-to-pasta ratio and a nice crispy edge.

The meatball dish was another standout - the meatballs were perfectly seasoned and cooked, and paired wonderfully with the tomato sauce.

The tiramisu was a standout dessert - it had a wonderfully smooth and creamy texture. The panna cotta was also a highlight, topped with a tangy raspberry sauce.

However, I do find the prices at Pici to be quite expensive. The high-quality food and nice ambiance come at a premium cost. Things like the burrata salad, handmade pastas, lasagna, meatballs and the tiramisu were particularly indulgent splurges.

Overall, despite the higher price point, I've had two very pleasant dining experiences at Pici. The food quality is excellent, and the restaurant provides a nice, relaxing atmosphere. If you're looking for a reliable spot for Italian and Western cuisine in New Town Plaza and don't mind spending a bit more, I would recommend giving Pici a try. The memorable bread, drinks, salad, pastas, lasagna, meatballs and desserts are worth...

This place at first LOOKED pretty authentic at first. There was a beautiful tall western receptionist taking us to our table. Once you walk in, you see this huge open kitchen and what seemed to be Italian chef tossing pasta. Once we were seated another waiter came, super friendly and started offering us bread and olive oil and vinegar dipping. The menu, although minimalistic, still had quit a bit of options to choose from. We order a set of 3 and waited for our food.

Food came relatively quick, salads and appetizers came first. We ordered burrata and tomato and meatballs and it was good, not the best, but decent. Then the pasta came, we had lasagna, truffle pasta, and a mushroom ravioli. The lasagna was sitting in a pool of oil, the meat sauce had no tomato taste at all, the whole thing was REALLY flat and didnt hold its shape then cut into it. The pasta sheet was really good tho. The truffle pasta was pretty good. There was a gratuitous amount of shaved truffles on top, but the truffle flavor wasnt too overpowering, not sure if thats a good thing or bad thing. The last pasta was a complete mess. I liked the flavor, but the execution was done very poorly. There was a LOT of sauce for this dish, and the sauce was pretty watery which makes it pretty much impossible to enjoy since we only had fork and knives. Not to mention that there was a half cooked egg inside the ravioli so the yoke just ran everywhere. I almost wanted to pick up the bowl and drink the sauce as not to waste any food. Dessert was panna cotta and tiramisu which was fine. I quite enjoyed the tiramisu.

Probably wont come back to this place at this price since I know of another more authentic italian restaurant at a...