HK: Dinner #2 Motorino Pizza

Dinner #2 was supposed to be at Yardbird but when we got there the restaurant was closed for renovation. We took a cab to nearby SOHO to look for another place to eat.

There we were in the middle of the street just after the famous long escalators in the Mid-Levels wondering where to eat when I remembered to check my phone for my HK restaurant bucket list and saw Motorino Pizza listed.

Motorino Pizza hails from New York City where they have two branches. I haven’t had good pizza in Hong Kong so when authentic NY style Italian pizza is nearby I want to try that.

This was the only picture I was able to take while the escalator whizzed past the restaurant.

At 9:30 in the evening the small restaurant was full. We agreed to sit outside in the al fresco section otherwise we had to wait. Since I’m not a native of HK I don’t find queuing a national pastime.

Brick oven pizza check!

Italian pizza flour check!

Simple, straightforward one page menu check!

Our Filipina server recommended the Sopressata Picante which was their most popular variant. Sopressata or dry salami has replaced pepperoni in several pizzerias in the US.

“Cooking it [sopressata] really takes it to another level and brings out the spiciness, the saltiness, and the pork. The fat that renders in the heat cooks the garlic slivers that we place on top and makes it a flavor opera.” Mathieu Palombino, Motorino (source)

Motorino Pizza HK - sopressata picante pizza HK$148-001 — sopressata picante pizza HK$148

The pizza had lots of tomato sauce making it wetter than I’m used to.

The bottom of the crust was charred and blistered the way only cooking in high heat brick oven can accomplish.

To eat it NY style, fold the pizza and stuff your face. No fork and knife please. The pizza wasn’t crisp due to the sauce but I didn’t mind since I really like the thin, chewy texture of the crust. The best part was the awesome spicy sopressata which drew fire in my mouth. I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy food but I loved this pizza. Thank goodness for our ice cold beer which washed down the heat from the pizza and the humid weather.