New Hong Kong restaurant Twist Pasta Bar puts a casual local spin on Italian favourites

“Hong Kong is a melting pot of different cultures and cuisines, and I don’t think you have to be confined to following the traditions all the way through,” says co-founder Matthew Richardson.

“There are incredible ingredients and flavours within the city which would never find their way to Italy, but finding a way to amalgamate them in one, I think, is a nice touch that you could probably only do in places such as Hong Kong and maybe Japan.”

Veteran Australian chef Ben Sears, who only relocated to Hong Kong from Australia a few months ago, brings a fresh perspective to Twist and has cooked up some solid tributes to Hong Kong’s culinary heritage.

To start with, the “not pasta” section of the menu lists a range of appetisers and small plates, among which some of the more locally influenced are the endive salad with salted egg yolk and pickled Korean pear, and the stracciatella, a cheese appetiser seasoned with Hong Kong’s Pat Chun sweetened vinegar instead of the classic balsamic.