Simpatico

Shop 19, 1/F Peak Galleria, The Peak
Visited 17th January 2008

With two of Naomi's sisters visiting we took a evening trip up the Peak to soak up Hong Kong's pretty lights and their smearing of pollution. While the Peak isn't rich in dinning options there're a couple of standard choices, unless of course there's an Australian icon in the house. Rock legend Jimmy Barnes was belting out his stuff at Cafe Deco and the Peak Lookout Cafe was packed with eager punters indulging in pre-gig beers. Starting to get desperate we stumbled across to Simpatico; a place I've never noticed before tucked away up on the first floor of the Peak Galleria. Though it doesn't have spectacular views it's a pleasant restaurant with smart white decor and a slick modern feel.

Simpatico serves Italian food stamped with authenticity. I ordered ossobuco; Naomi went with soup, 'Sister 1' with roasted spring chicken and 'Sister 2' with a 'pescatora' pizza. I enjoyed my ossobuco which was braised in a thick sauce and served with saffron risotto. Naomi's soup was OK and the sneaky slice of pizza I tried was pretty good with a crisp, thin base and simple topping of tomato and plump seafood. The chicken got a rave review and so did the roasted rosemary potatoes it came with. I sucked on a couple of glasses of decent Toscana Rosso; a tasty IGT wine from Tuscany.

Our experience of Simpatico was a positive one. The staff were friendly and tried hard to be efficient, while the atmosphere was lovely despite lacking the big views. The grub was good, though not particularly cheap; my ossobuco was $218, the pizza $136 and a glass of wine $75. The food was perhaps a little stock standard for a restaurant in that price range - while good, it wasn't overly exciting. Simpatico is definitely a option if you're looking for dinner up in Peak land; I just wish I was allowed to go and see Barnesy.