Fishsteria Seafood Place

Is it possible for Hong Kong to be over meat? I say this because it seems that several recent restaurant openings have switched the focus from meat to seafood. One of these is Fishsteria Seafood Place, which was recently opened by Chef Gianni Caprioli on Wan Chai’s Queen’s Road East.

Since Giando (another of Chef Gianni’s restaurants) is easily one of the best and most popular Italian restaurants in Hong Kong, I must admit I was surprised when we were able to get a table for four at brand new Fishsteria at short notice on a Saturday night. Mind you, the two-storey restaurant is huge, so that probably helps.

The downstairs bar area is very cool, with quirky artwork by Dutch artist Selwyn Senatori on every wall and a fun, casual vibe. It’s worth having a drink down here first and having a chat with Mario, the very friendly manager, before heading up for dinner. If you’re an oyster lover, the Oystertini is a good choice, whilst the Fishteria Spritz is light and refreshing. Upstairs, the restaurant is significantly more formal and less colourful, though there are some fun nautical touches dotted around.

As the name implies, Fishsteria specialises in all things seafood. We started our meal with an excellent Octopus Gallego. The octopus was cooked to a perfect texture, drizzled in flavoursome olive oil and sprinkled with paprika, on a bed of pureed potatoes.

The blue fin tuna tartare was unlike any other I’ve tried. The flavour of the tuna was intense, marinated in a tomato base as opposed to citrus, topped with slivered olives and capers. The flavours took me a little by surprise, but were pleasant once I got used to them.

Since we were in a sharing mood, the restaurant manager Matteo (also very friendly) recommended we try the lobster with giant macaroni. This was an exceptional dish – the lobster pre-cracked for ease of eating and absolutely delicious, whilst the pasta was beautifully al dente, perfect for carrying the light tomato sauce.

The whole sustainable salt-baked seabass was the real spectacle of the evening. Our lovely waitress, Vanessa, presented it and then carefully carved it up for us, tableside. The fish was cooked to absolute perfection and tasted divine, needing absolutely no condiments whatsoever. We ordered a side of fries, which were a little slow in arriving but well-worth the wait.

For dessert, the dark chocolate mousse had just the right balance of rich and sweet, whilst remaining nice and light, and came with an array of different textures of chocolate.

It was the Sgroppino, however, that truly stole the limelight. Made with Prosecco, vodka and lemon sorbet, this is one of our favourite Italian desserts, and they certainly do it well at Fishsteria, replacing the lemon sorbet with limoncello sorbet.

Service was excellent throughout the meal, with staff offering personal recommendations and adding their own personality to the experience. For a seriously filling meal for four, a cocktail each and two bottles of Pinot Noir, the bill came to $3500. Granted, that’s not a cheap meal, but for the quality of the food and the service, I’d say it was more than worth it. Fishsteria offered a very enjoyable and delicious evening and I will most definitely be back.

Fishsteria

G/F – 1/F, 109-111 Queen’s Road East
Wan Chai
Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2343 8111

www.fishsteria.hk