You know, all of us have one or a few makan hangouts hideouts which is known among our kakis and not much other people. I share one of these with you - HQ Italia at the roof top of Oxley Bizhub 2 in Kampong Ubi.
HQ Italia is located at a rather unlikely place - at the roof top of Oxley Bizhub 2 in Kampong Ubi. To get to the restaurant, take the lift at the foyer pickup point to level 11 and head towards unit #19. (Photo courtesy of flickr.)
There's even a roof top swimming pool. Not bad hor?
There's outdoor seating at HQ Italia, so it is like pool side dining, if you choose to sit outside.
Inside, it is a bar set up with retro disco lights and all. There are bench seats at the side (where we usually are).
This is the regular menu from which I tried a few items before - their steak, spaghetti and pizza are good ๐ click
HQ Italia regulars actually get to try their eclectic off menu dishes occasionally. Now, they have decided to announce these on their Facebook page, so everyone can look out for it too.
Last night, five of us went down to HQ Italia because they just got a shipment of fresh seafood from Sabah (East Malaysia).
Our first dish was pork belly stewed in soy sauce - already said we are not going for the usual menu this evening ๐ But even so, I wasn't expecting this ๐
The pork was tender and juicy, especially the fat and smooth skin. The pork tasted sweet savoury, I mean more sweet than savoury and at just the right intensity for me. I had to try really hard to hold myself back from eating too much of this ๐
Then came this freshly baked bread. Yeah, we were having a wild party - I mean, we just eat whatever we fancy without rhyme, reason or logic.
But, this bread was really nice. It was slightly crisp outside and inside it was slightly fluffy and tenderly chewy. It had a tasty mild savoury salty flavour. Love this bread. I don't have the name but you can show the staff this picture, if you like to try it. It's really nice.
Yeah, one of us dunked some this good bread into the pork belly sauce and thought it was a brilliant idea ๐ ๐คฆ What a waste of excellent bread ๐ก
Clams cooked with fermented black bean.
The clam meat was tender, juicy, with a mix of soft and chewy bits. It tasted ocean fresh with a bit of briny sea flavour. But, the delicate taste of the clams were somewhat overpowered by the saltiness of the fermented black beans.
I am told that that is about right for beer food ๐บ ๐ค
Grilled grouper fish with pesto sauce.
The fish meat was soft tender, juicy and sweet. It went very well with the "Chinese pesto" of coriander, spring onion, basil, etc., held together with olive oil.
Haha, the much anticipated mantis prawns. The six inch long crustaceans were simply rubbed with salt and grilled. They looked like giant termites ๐จ
I don't have pictures of the meat as I needed all my fingers to rip the shell off ๐ The thick flesh was tender-soft and moist. It tasted subtly sweet with a bit briny-saltiness from the salt. The texture was closer to crayfish than prawn.
Pizza topped with cheese, lady finger and green chili pepper. This pizza is off menu but just ask for it.
I love this pizza and ate two large slices. The crust was crisp and chewy with a nice savoury taste with subtle sweetness. The topping was a blend of umami-savouriness from the cheese, sweetness from the soft-crunchy lady finger and a bit of spicy heat from the green chili. Together, it was uniquely delicious. The lady finger was sliced thin, so there wasn't any of the slimy sap which gets absorbed into the pizza. Must try!
Then came this stewed pork belly in pita bread pockets.
If you like to try the HQ Italian experience, follow their Facebook for announcements.
Today's dinner costs $300, not including drinks. Prices are seasonal, so check before ordering.
Written by Tony Boey on 18 Sep 2021
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