Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini Hong Kong

Ah, the famous Peak. It’s one of the most popular places for tourists to visit in Hong Kong, and deservedly so, in my opinion. The views from the Peak are stunning, and the tram ride up is really fun. Pre-Covid, lines for riding the Peak tram on weekends could easily take 1-2 hours. Now, the Peak Tram is undergoing a huge upgrade (It closed starting TODAY!) for a 6-month renovation project)。 When it re-opens it will be able to handle a lot more people.

The Peak includes restaurants, shopping, and a special viewing area. The mall that’s up there is admittedly a bit touristy, and in the past, food was a bit wanting up at the Peak.

More recently, some new shops and restaurants have appeared, including a mini satellite of Japan’s famous Don Don Donki and Fiamma, a new Italian restaurant by Michelin-starred chef Enrico Bartolini. This is Chef Bartolini’s second restaurant in Hong Kong, with SPIGA in Central as his first endeavor here.

VIctoria Peak Hong Kong — Frankly, we hadn’t been to the Peak since the “Before Times”, but in the past we have always enjoyed going This time was no different. We arrived at the Peak right around sunset, and we were able to enjoy stunning views of Hong Kong island’s south side before heading into the restaurant for our dinner.

Although you can’t sit at Fiamma and enjoy the Peak’s stunning views, it’s still very conveniently located right on the 1st floor opposite of the Peak Galleria Mall. The restaurants has a decent sized and very pleasant outdoor patio, which is great for those who are still feeling a bit nervous about eating indoors.

Starters

Fassona Beef tartare at Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini Hong Kong — We started with one of their signature dishes, a beautifully presented and tasty Fassona Beef tartare topped with shaved black truffle, a creamy buffalo mozzarella sauce, quail egg yolk and focaccia crumble. The server mixed everything together for us table-side (after I snapped the photo, of course!).

Isalata Fiamma at Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini Hong Kong — The Isalata Fiamma (vegetarian) was simple, solid, and fine, though not particularly memorable. This version included mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, grand Padano cheese, red radish, olives, focaccia croutons, and balsamic vinegar.

Pasta

Fusilli with bread crumbs, egg, and black truffles at Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini Hong Kong — The pasta, fusilli with bread crumbs, egg, and black truffles, was executed properly (nice, al dente pasta), though the overall flavors didn’t stand out to me in any particular way. There are plenty of excellent Italian pasta dishes served all over Hong Kong. This one was solid, but doesn’t rank close to my favorite pastas in this city.

Main Course

Merluzzo Nero Alla Livornese at Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini Hong Kong — For our main course we decided to try their Merluzzo Nero Alla Livornese, a baked black cod served in a cherry tomato, taggiasca olives, potatoes and capers stew. Similar to the other dishes, it was fine, but just didn’t blow me away. If it wasn’t at The Peak, it would have a much harder time competing with the plethora of excellent Italian restaurants on Hong Kong Island.

Dessert

Cannoli at Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini Hong Kong — We’re from Boston, where Italian food reigns supreme and authentic Italian bakeries make traditional favorites such as cannoli, ricotta pie, and a horn shaped cream filled “Lobster Tail” pastry. With that background, as soon as Bryan saw the cannoli on the dessert menu he HAD to get it. The cannoli at Fiamma are freshly piped and include three types: Cannoli with dark chocolate chips, pistachio, and candied orange. They were pretty good and definitely brought back nostalgic memories for us.

General Thoughts – Fiamma by Enrico Bartolini

If you’re at the Peak, Fiamma is a pleasant place to enjoy a solid Italian meal. The dishes aren’t particularly exciting from a culinary perspective, but the food is solidly executed and the overall experience is pleasant. The service was warm and friendly, and the overall ambiance of the outdoor patio was really quite pleasant.

Now that the Peak Tram is closed, we’ll have to find other ways to getting up there. There are buses, minibuses, and taxis that regularly go up to the Peak. You can even hike it (I’ve done it several times – it’s fun as long as it’s not too hot out!).

You do want to be mindful of watching bus schedules. We were having such a good time at dinner that we didn’t notice we stayed past the last Peak Tram. After 10:30PM there are a lot fewer taxis up there, and buses are fewer and far between. We had trouble booking an Uber, so we finally found a bus that at least went down the Peak, even though it didn’t go to our neighborhood!

Next time, we’ll watch the bus or minibus schedule a bit more carefully, or maybe not stay as late!