Piccolo is Les Amis Group’s latest Hong Kong project, and is the first of its two branches to conquer the bubbling pizza market.

The façade here is all “neighborhood eatery,” with laid-back furniture, high tables near the front and a wine bar in the middle, all finished off with warm lights and tiled floors. There’s a massive two-ton gas pizza oven in the kitchen at the back of the restaurant, which diners can view through a glass wall.

The menu is very simple: it’s pretty much either Lazio-style thin crust pizza, pasta and a handful of starters to go along. One of the restaurant’s signature pizzas is the Bianca, or the “white pizza,” topped with slow-cooked onions, crème fraiche and pancetta—but as we were dining with a carnivore that night, we went with a prosciutto di parma instead.

The pizza came out just as we’d hoped: the crust was light, crispy and thin, with a hint of wood-smoked flavor ‘round the edges. A healthy dose of arugula, parmesan shavings and thin but generous slices of parma over a refreshing tomato-sauce base made for an explosion of opposing characters—with the strong, savory cheese and ham brought back to earth by the zesty sauce and pungent arugula leaves.

We were also head over heels for the pasta aglio e olio—really, there’s no simpler or better concoction than this unpretentious spaghetti with roasted garlic, chili pepper and olive oil. The garlic bits were melt-in-your-mouth; the al dente spaghetti was just the right amount of moist; the peppers were sharp but not overwhelming.

The staff were also attentive, clearing our tables and filling our water glasses at just the right times. We daresay Piccolo’s the best restaurant of its kind in K-Town.