What happens when you try to convince two Italian chefs from New York that spaghetti came from China via Marco Polo?

Well, they won't believe you.

At least, that's how it turned out with Mark Ladner and Cesare Casella, in Hong Kong last week for the 2010 Italian Cuisine World Summit, which was hosted by 15 Italian restaurants in Hong Kong, Macau and Shenzhen.

The chefs admit, however, that the two cuisines share similarities.

'For years, I've wanted to do an Italian-Chinese restaurant in New York,' says Mr. Casella, owner of Salumeria Rosi and dean of Italian Studies at the International Culinary Institute. 'They are both ingredient-focused cuisines that can be served family-style in somewhat casualsettings. I asked myself: Why can't you do a stir-fry dish with olive oil? And why not make pasta in a wok?'

Mr. Ladner, chef of Del Posto (which just won a rare four-star review from The New York Times), likewise spots the parallels now that he's had a taste of 'real' Chinese food, and not what he calls 'Americanized, fast-food versions.'

'The simplicity, but also refinement of some of the Cantonese dishes [a simple garlic-steamed broccoli, for example] is an essential part of Italian cooking as well,' he says.

The shared traits could explain why Italian food is a popular Western cuisine in the city. The WOM guide online lists 153 Italian restaurants