This perpetually busy Italian restaurant on Wyndham Street is split into two levels: the bottom floor is mainly occupied by a long bar that teems with after-work drinkers and caters to a particularly Euro crowd. The first floor is where the main dining room is and it is done in shades of orange and rust, giving the restaurant a warm yet modern ambience. There is also a petite alfresco terrace for when the weather turns cool.

The menu at Goccia offers both the fresh seafood from the south of Italy, as well as the heartier dishes from the north. Sauteed clams served in a Le Creuset pot is one of the more impressive dishes from the south. The generous portion of sweetly-flavoured Italian clams come in a white wine and parsley sauce, that while delicious when sopped up with bread, is not too buttery or heavy, allowing it to be a light appetiser to kick off the meal. Another seafood appetiser is a smoked swordfish carpaccio with fennel salad and mini ratatouille. We like how the smokiness of the fish is complemented by the slight aniseed flavour of the fennel, but the dish could have benefited from just a dash of lemon to give it some zest. Also from the south is a traditional Neapolitan pasta of ravioli stuffed with eggplant and buffalo mozzarella, served in a tomato fondue. These ingredients are a classic combination and never fail to please. From the northern region of Piedmont is another pasta, agnoletti with braised beef cheeks, Barolo wine and black truffles. Taken from the chef’s grandmother’s recipe, the beef is unbelievably tender, cooked with white cabbage and ricotta and the jus leftover from cooking the beef is drizzled over the pasta. While extremely satisfying, this pasta shares the same flaws as the tomato one. Both the ravioli and agnoletti are on the slightly thick side, perhaps as a tribute to the rustic origins of the dishes, and both could also have more of the respective delicious sauces. For dessert, you can’t go wrong with the classic tiramisu, its light ladyfingers is soaked in just the right amount of coffee and served with a generous amount of cream.

Goccia has an impressive wine list that naturally have a focus on Italian wines, with wines from anywhere between Veneto and Sardinia available by the bottle. Wines by the glass are also plentiful and the 2006 Chardonnay from Masserie d’Feudo is particularly good with seafood, while the 2004 Barolo from Cascina Chicco is delightful with heartier meat dishes. The staff are helpful with wine-pairing recommendations and know what they’re talking about.

The waiters at Goccia are friendly and efficient. They know their menu well and are adept at explaining unfamiliar terms or recommending dishes. Friendly executive chef Fabrizio Napolitano also routinely makes the rounds of his dining room, chatting to loyal customers and first-timers alike.

A three-course meal for two with wine will come to less than HK$1,400. Considering the fresh quality of the produce, the extremely generous portions and the central location of the restaurant, this is good value for money.