The Biggest in Hong Kong

Last Tuesday night, my husband had a craving like he was some pregnant woman. What he was craving for was not that hard to find though—just pizza. There are actually lots of Pizza Huts all over HK but we’ve agreed that their taste is not as Italian because their pizzas are more like Chinese-y. Anyway, he said he saw something in openrice.com (like he refers to it now as the food bible) that he wanted to try and it’s just a walk away.

Since it was our first time to be trying it, getting there took us almost an hour. Well, the place was in 9 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central and we’ve never heard of it. We took the walkalators up and down the Mid-levels, went back and forth along Hollywood Drive and still we didn’t find it. We almost gave up and about to settle for Te (Quick Pasta & Herb Tea) in 37 Cochrane St. Sadly, they don’t serve pizzas, just pastas. We walked away tired yet still convinced that Paisano’s might be worth every step in the end.

Minutes after looking left and right, we found the place.

There in the glass displays were the humongous pizzas. If you were to pass by the street, you won’t miss their place because the pizzas will smack you right in your face.

Looking at them, I know it’s as big as the ones from Pizza Niro in BF Paranque but seeing something like that here got me so excited.

Again, it took me a long time to decide what to order. Ordering actually becomes an ordeal for me as I stare at all those inviting sets. I already salivate by looking at them. It happens to me all the time. I would prefer fewer choices but of course it’s the purpose of it—offers you variety.

The price per slice starts from HK25 with HK5 per additional toppings. Choices include cheese, pepperoni, margherita, Hawaiian, Manhattan, vegan, “The Godfather”, and their self-titled Paisano’s Pizza which are all available in slices.

I couldn’t say if their price is reasonable or not but converting it to peso and benchmarking it to a slice in Yellow Cab made me say yes it actually is not a bad base price for a very big slice of cheesy tomato pizza.

Not only do they serve pizzas for one’s quick fix, they also serve pastas, calzones, Stromboli, fresh salads and sub sandwiches. For our dinner, we got a slice of cheese and pepperoni. As usual, I didn’t pass the opportunity to try one of their pastas, so we had their Al’s Famous Lasagna (HK 75) which was basically meat sauce and 4 cheeses.

As to the lasagna, it was a quite expensive since there are other restaurants that price it lower. In Pizza Hut, it is just HK 52. In Tsuen Wan, there’s this Japanese-Italian Restaurant that serves pastas and pizzas. Their pastas start from HK 25. Comparing it to Paisano’s, I could say they are higher. However, some say you get what you paid for. And that lasagna I still had to put to test.

Meanwhile, the thing that turned me off is their small dining area. In the basement, as I recall now, there were just 5 or 6 tables which were already packed with customers when we came in. We had to sit by the sofa facing the wash rooms and kitchen while we wait. Our pizzas came in on paper plates and to our hunger, we started biting exchanging looks at how satisfying it is. Yet, we realized we had to close the door of the wash room to enjoy bit of it. Then our lasagna was served and we didn’t have a table still. We had to ask the lady to put it on a stack of stools for a while.

Finally, the two white guys we were waiting for to finish decided to put their leftover pizza in a box and continue their nonstop chatting outside. Honesty, I don’t know if it’s the customer’s “responsibility” to be sensitive to others who are going around the dining area, looking out for people who might be about to leave. Should we take it against them if they don’t leave as soon as they finish though they see you standing by the side with a tray of food? I have no idea.

At last, we were able to sit and eat properly. We got to appreciate the food more then on. As a matter of fact, we ate quietly with a few nods and smiles and bites with eyes closed. Halfway through the slice, I was already full. But I had to taste the lasagna. I felt there was still “space” in my growing tummy so I had the courage (over guilt) to take some. It tasted real good with all the tomatoes and cheeses fighting over in my mouth. Though I still had to sprinkle salt to add more flavor. But if you aren’t a salty person, then it should be good enough. I don’t know if it’s their style, but I noticed that the lasagna sheets were already torn apart that it looked like I was just eating lots and lots of mozzarella and tomatoes. Even then, it tasted worthy. If it cost me another HK 5 then I wouldn’t have liked it at all and be telling otherwise.

After burping and sipping Sprite, we went out happy and satisfied. Truly, getting there was worth it.

P.S. Now I have more reason to go to Napoli, Italy--to try their authentic pastas and pizzas and have a real benchmark in this kind of food.

Paisano's website: http://www.paisanos.com.hk/menu.html