Enoteca

4-​stars for the brunch as it is relatively good bang for the buck. Apparently lunch and dinner on weekdays are more expensive.
This is what our party ordered this time:
Smoked salmon rosti — good
Salad with Greek yogurt — yogurt was fine, salad ok
Fish in beer batter — ok, a little salty but chips were nice.
We were here on Sunday 1pm and it was relatively empty. Starts filling up from 2.30pm again.
In the past we have tried various pizza, and those were generally good. Will be back to try the paella, which the next table seems to be happily feasting on — and which smells really fragrant.
Service is reasonably good and service staff helpful.

Location location location.
In Hong Kong, where you are determines who you are. Enoteca is located smack in the middle of Taikoo place, which is the largest office area of Hong Kong east. So being there usually automatically defines a venue as a 1) lunch spot, 2) happy hour place or a 3) café. Enoteca is 1) and 2).
It is in such a prime spot you cannot ignore it. It has indoor and outdoor seating. The Island East fair is held in its outdoor area, which is actually a wonderful place to be in during cooler seasons. If you work in Taikoo place, chances are this is the first place you see when you come down to lunch. But because it is pricier than most other neighboring eateries, charging around Hkd 130 — 200 for a lunch set, chances are there are usually walk in seats too.
Lunch food is not spectacular, the steak is usually mediocre — my companion did not finish hers today because it was «too chewy», and this was her second time trying the same dish. I have the ahi tuna usually, which I think is decent, even though they give you a strange spicy Mediterranean dip.
Happy hour though, that’s when things change. This is when you actually need to fight for a table. The place becomes a bustling, wondrous place of tired or exuberant office workers, looking to unwind, gossip or complain. The vibe is great and the wine is decent — «Enoteca» does mean wine store after all.
They have brunch and special deals on weekends, like their 178 for a pitcher of beer and a pizza. Very good deal, tells you how much (little) business there is on non working days.
So come for drinks, but don’t go out of your way to visit. You can’t miss it if you’re in the neighborhood anyway.

My friends and I were walking around in Quarry Bay when we decided that we were getting tired and wanted to sit down for a drink. Since it was around 5pm, the same idea popped into everybody’s heads — happy hour!
We decided to go to Enoteca opposite Taikoo Place. It’s really easy to find — if you know where the Island East Markets are on Sunday, that’s exactly where it is. I like how Enoteca spills out and has tables and chairs outside, so you can choose to dine alfresco. Since it’s away from the main road, the air’s pretty clean (or as clean as it can get in HK…) so your food and drinks aren’t sucking up all that pollution.
Between the four of us, we ordered three drinks — a cosmopolitan, Strongbow cider and Coopers sparkling ale — and some potato wedges to share. The drinks were quite reasonably priced, and they came almost immediately. And they were good — nothing like some refreshing beer on a hot summer day!
Our potato wedges took its time to come, but we weren’t in any hurry so it was fine. The wedges were really, really good — they came out steaming hot and golden fried, and I couldn’t eat them for the first minute or so because they were so hot! And the dip that it came with was really nice too — paprika and coriander dip — surprising because I normally dislike coriander.
The service here was great and one of them, I assume is probably a manager, was hilarious. One of my friends is not a keen drinker and didn’t order anything (she was going to get just juice but then decided not to). He saw her without anything to drink and asked him if she would like some cold water ‘on the rocks’ — we all laughed, and she agreed. Seconds later, he was back with a glass of ice water with a straw, and he told her ‘careful, don’t drink too much!’ Unfortunately, we never caught his name, but you will recognize him as the one with the really jolly voice.
Overall, I’m glad we decided to come to Enoteca. The food, the drinks and the service were all great and not too expensive. Since this is located near the office area, expect it to get pretty filled if you come by at around 6pm with people headed for their after-​work drinks!