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2011-02-07
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I brought my parents here on a visit to HK after reading good reviews on Open Rice and liking their menu (on-line).The hotel lobby is visually impressive, as are many 'top end' hotels in HK, but I guess it is usually the service that sets them apart. The wait staff were excellent during our meal, advising me when I had ordered enough dishes which saved us both from indigestion and waste. Their attention was discrete and efficient, despite the restaurant being very full.I liked the room, which wa
The hotel lobby is visually impressive, as are many 'top end' hotels in HK, but I guess it is usually the service that sets them apart. The wait staff were excellent during our meal, advising me when I had ordered enough dishes which saved us both from indigestion and waste. Their attention was discrete and efficient, despite the restaurant being very full.
I liked the room, which was spacious with the tables set quite far apart. This and the carpets lent a quiet tranquility to our lunch.
We had:
"Sauteed prawn with crab roe and golden fried meat and crab puffs" (a dish that had won a Gold award in 2001!?). That the prawns were crisp and fresh was no surprise, but the 'crab puffs' had what I believed to be the fat from Chinese air-dried ham inside were wonderful. I thought it was quite funny that, when we complemented the cooking, the waiter hesitated before saying that there was *gasp of horror* fatty meat inside the puffs! I guess that with so many diners who are very health conscious nowadays it may have put some people off? But we all know deep inside that fat is where the flavour is, don't we?!
My father loves baked crab & their version was full to the brim with white crab meat. The breaded crust was both thin and wonderfully crisp.
"Baked oyster with port wine". Huge, plump individual oysters that had been lightly battered/ deep fried and then a port reduction glaze placed over them. Despite having a glaze over the oyster, the crispiness of the batter was still discernible! A wonderful dish; it may have been the best oyster I have ever eaten!?
"Crispy fried sliced eel with chili and honey sauce". This was the least liked dish of the meal. The batter on the outside was a little too hard and I felt that the sweetness almost completely masked the eel. There was not much hint of the chili present?
There was also a vegetable dish, of which I remember very little, only that it was fresh and crunchy... just like most veg...good for you, but not very memorable...The only lowlight to the meal was being turned away from the restaurant when I arrived 10min early (they weren't quite open). I was asked to wait downstairs in their busy lobby where there is insufficient seating. I can't help but think that a truly top-tier hotel, like for example the Mandarin Oriental, would have either seated a diner, or found a seat for them whilst they waited.
I will go again to try more of their delicious cooking, and take more guests next time so that we can try more dishes!
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