This was my first, and probably only, visit to this restaurant. This is probably the Italian restaurant with the worst service I have ever been to.

We (3 of us) arrived at aboit 1:30pm to find the upper level closed. There were only 4 guests in total dining then. There were nobody greeting us or taking us to the table. The staff were cold and answered us with an unwelcoming tone. Anything we ask, they replied "wait". Even when we only waved to signal for service, the staff replied "wait".

There was no issue with the food. We ordered pizza, penne and a beef sirloin, which were all from the set lunch menus. However, when we were finishing off the food, the waitress came over to tell us that they had given us the pizza of an "a la carte" size by mistake. I noticed one of the tables with two foreigners ordered two pizzas and they were the same size as ours. Another table of local Chinese guests who arrived later than us, got a smaller pizza than ours. What did she mean by that -- charging us extra ? Well, she did not but that was very rude of her.

If not for its poor, pathetic service, this restaurant should have been a success given its highly acclaimed chef and its location. Would its management consider removing their existing staff ? I mean all the two waitresses we met exhibited the same cold, impolite manners and their English were poor. Is the management planning to manage this restaurant in a more up-market manner or downgrade it to the same level as a local teahouse ? Mind you, the service at a local teahouse are already much better than here.

Let's be frank : it is not easy to run a restaurant these days with high rent and food prices, yearning to satisfy the critical taste buds of demanding customers. Seeing that the management of Buono Italiano is combating competition by localising its menu, and being a frequent customer, I feel obliged to write to commend this restaurant and to encourage its management to stick to its aspiration.

We went for early dinner last Sunday at ~6pm; and of course, no other customers were there besides us. We ordered 3 set dinners :
Soups : Minestrone X3

Starters :
Caviar on tomatoe and salad X2
Greens with slice of pig's knuckle in jelly X1

Mains : (excuse my overly simplied description as I have not photographed the menu :-( )
1) Salmon and prawn with fried angel hair
2) Duck's breast on a pan-fried starch vege cake
3) Scallop linguine

Starter : we were particularly impressed with the caviar on tomatoe & salad. As we tucked into the tomatoe, we discovered avocado salad stuffed inside the tomatoe dome ! What a nice surprise !

Mains : the salmon and prawn were fresh and very tasty. It was my first encounter with fried angel hair - a bit like chinese stir-fried noodles; crispy on the outside/edge of the cake of noodles. And I especially like the spinach placed underneath.

I never like duck's breast much, but this duck's breast dish was cooked just right - tender and juice, and no "fowlly" smell. The starchy vege cake (forgot what vegetable it was made up of) was also a nice try. I remember I had something like this in Italy, made with corn. By the taste of this one, it should contain less corn but more on sweet potatoe or yam.

The scallop linguine was also nice (Buono Italiano handles pasta well) - not that it was not good but out of the 3 this dish gave the least surprise.

Overall, it was value for money. One note : the service was a bit slow. We had waited more than 30 minutes between starter and mains. When we left the restaurant at about 7.30pm, there were about 5 -6 customers.

For the many times I have been there for lunch and dinner, I have only seen foreigners looking at the menu and asking questions but not going in. I wonder why Buono Italiano, being the most "western style" restaurant in the Lady's Market, is not able to attract tourists. Should more training be given to the staff on greeting customers and explaining the meu and the restaurant ?

An additional note to restaurant management : I would prefer a former menu in November. I wonder if the management will consider putting it on again ?

I happened to pass this part of Elgin Street (about 2 months ago) and was already impressed by the design of this building - being turned around from an old block into a neo-modern design. Finally, I had the opportunity to dine here after a bit of an adventure finding the place. Yes, it was not easy to find if you walked from Elgin or Staunton Street, especially under this heat. One should walk from Hollywood Road instead.

The ground floor of the building was a bar. Dining area was on first floor. The restaurant's interior was nicely decorated, smelt cool and fresh; pity it had so few guests. There were only 5 tables of about 10 guests when we arrived at around 1pm. I was particularly impressed by the decor of its toilette, too. BTW, there were tables set at sofas sitting 5-6 people, and a long table for 12 people, catering for various profile and groups of guests.

My friend and I ordered escargots as starters, wild mushroon risotto, mixed grill, and a chocolate pudding in vanilla cream sauce as dessert. All were very nice, in taste and in presentation. Frist came the escargots, each serving had six and came in shells. I particularly liked them marinated in olive oil and herbs, reminded me of the way they served in Paris. The mixed grill came with a lamb chop, a piece of tenderloin and a sauage. The tenderloin, which we ordered well done and which was served with a piece of herbal butter, was juicy and tender. The lamb chop was one of the best I had recently : rightly spiced and very tender and juicy. I did not try the sauage. Don't be fooled by the presentation of the risotto : it might look small portion but very creamy and filling.

As the portions of the mains were quite big, we ordered only one dessert. I am a chocolate lover and like almost anything made with chocolate. There were two choices but we picked this chocolate cake (both tasted and looked like a brownie) with vanilla cream. The other one was almond criossant which we were not interested in. However, in hindsight, we probably had made the wrong decision.

Coffee was very nice too. A fine note to sign off the lunch.

The chef did come out and look around the restraurant but did not have the time to chat with guests. To me, that was enough to show his care for his guests' enjoyment of his food. I mean, not many chef would do this these days unless you were a VIP or paying VIP prices, right ?

At this price, I would definitely bring friends there again and do some serious word-of-mouth promotion for it. Keep up the good work.

Late lunch (at 5.30pm). If not for my friend bringing me there, I would not be looking for a western restaurant in Mongkok. The restaurant is new for less than a month. Show window scouted by a leg of Parma Ham - you won't miss it.

Set Lunch (under $50) came with soup, salad, main dish (4 choices, with rice, spaghetti or french fries) and coffee or tea. Food was satisfying and tasty. The dressing of the salad (greens with shredded chicken) was made with mango (I could taste that), not the off-the-can type. Soup (cream of carrots) was homemade. Mains (pan-fried fish fillet with tomato salsa and chicken a-la-king) were satisfactory in taste and presentation - seasoned just right. And the coffee - I reckon it is best in Mongkok restaurants. BTW, set lunch is available till 6pm !

We checked their dinner menu (set dinners ranging from $100 to $210, choices included Black Truffle Risotto, Baramundi fillet, US Angus sirloin), and there are exotic Italian dishes that you do not easily find in HK, like Risotto Nero. Yes, this is what I will try next time because I miss it since our last encounter in Milan, Italy. With this kind of menu, they could charge double in a fine dining restaurant in a more upmarket district.

It was really quiet as we walked in (we were the only guests); well, lunch at 5.30pm ! And later at around 6pm, 2 couples came in for dinner. Renovation is basic, but not bad. There is party room upstairs enough for 20-30 people. Staff are friendly but needs some more training. They were polite but "green" and lacking confidence in introduing the menu to guests. After reading their menu, we asked if their chef was trained oversea or in a 5-star hotel/Italian reataurant, and the waiter said "don't know". Oh, am I asking for too much again, in a restaurant in Mongkok ? I just think that waiting staff should match with the kind of menu that their chef is confident enough to offer.

It is definitely value for money. No complain. I just hope that quality will not be compromised or "localised" later.

Enough has been written by others about its food quality and their gastronomic experience. I would like to write about my dining experience on its service and its ambience in general.

To me, Hugo of present has lost its past lustre, and it is no different than any western fine-dining restaurants. Firstly, its environment and ambience : I had not expected there to be that many guests and the tables were so closely positioned. The entree cart could just pass through between tables. We booked a table in advance, and were greeted with politely and were taken to a seat at the window. We could still hear the chatting from other tables, though. Had we been sitting in the middle of the hall, we could be hearing the conversation of the neighbouring tables. I cannot blame them for a full house for Monday lunch, and the high rent in Hong Kong.

Secondly, its service : when my friend booked the table via phone, she was greeted politely and staff proactively asked if she would like a portion of roast beef be reserved. When we arrived, we were greeted warmly and a magazine was given to my waiting friend. The overall service, however, was just average in my opinion. Although staff were diligent and polite, individual staff did not show any smile or emotion on their face. They did not even say thank you when taking the bill to us.

Thirdly, its menu : its not French anymore. Staff did not even bother to explain the main courses as they were taken to our table.

Have I been too picky ? Well, I am just comparing to my prior dining experience at restaurants overseas or locally in 5-star hotels, or even some fine dining restaurants at Soho, Central. Or was I having too high expectations for Hugo ?

Just happen to be in Causeway Bay, so I decided to try this restaurant.

I came in much earlier than the crowd, basically the only one in the restaurant. As I had finished and was ready to go, there were only 2 additional customers.

I ordered Sashimi rice bowl and was told to wait for an additional 10 minutes (probably the rice was not prepared yet). And, what I see is not what I get ! Although there were about 10 slices of sashimi they were not the types according to the photo on the menu - no uni, less roe,and worse cut. Anyways, at $88 + 10%, and as I was dining alone, I would not complain.

The miso soup did impress me though, because it was made with a fish soup base instead of the salty miso.

Service : the staff was not ready yet, besides the sushi rice. They were altogether courteous and polite though.

The restaurant is having a promotion for its first anniversay : buy 4 get 1 free for lunch. I will want to come again to try its crab congee. For its price (lunch specials of highest price only $88), I will recommend it for the budget conscious. Certainly, there are much better Japanese restaurants in Causeway Bay.

Need to write about this restaurant again !

Since my last post, I went there twice. The first time was with 3 other freinds. The most impressive dish of that night were : the bread that went with the soup (dark rye with walnuts), and the spaghetti with clams (came in a pot with white wine sauce).

As with our visit last night, I went with 2 friends. We had booked a table before hand and reserved two sets of braised ox knuckle (we checked with the restaurant when they will offer this dish again before booking the table.)

The soups : french onion and quail consomme (not many restaurants, even French restaurants, are making this soup). I highly recommend this quail soup because of it rich soup base wth the taste of vege added with roasted foi gras. Excellent. This soup came with garlic toast stripes.

Main courses : braised ox knuckle (I couldn't help and finished the whole dish, literally !!) and baked chicken in herbs, new potatoes and mushroom in a foil pocket. Both tasted very good. The chicken was more chicken-tasty than many chinese or even hainan chicken in my opinion.

Dessert : home-made cheese cake

When my friend asked to pack the leftovers of her chicken, the waiter asked politely if there was anything wrong with the food. No, it was only because she could not finish it but did not want to give it up for its good taste.

At this price, you cannot find any better. We are planning to come again in 2 weeks time.

We asked why they moved from Central, where they could charge much higher price (could charge double !) and cater for a much more elite clientele, to Mongkok. They said it was the owner's personal decision (a personal reason). They even told us they were planning for a lamb knuckle dish, to be out soon.

One recommendation - the toilet area needs improvement.

The restaurant area is clean (4) but because of its toilet area, I marked it down.

Actually, I owe this teahouse this message, because I have been eating here many times over the past years (breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner).

I had a yang-chou fried rice for afternoon tea (till 6.30pm, which is good for budget-conscience people like me) and costs only $25. Lunch/dinners are around $33-$40.

This place is relatively clean, compare to the other teahouses in the same street, and its staff are friendly and efficient. It food is not surprisingly impressive, but standards have been stable (you know what you will get, no surprises.) At their prices, what do you expect ?

Bought a cheese stick (bread) for $9, and decided not to come again.
1) Sales ladies called out loudly - not really greeting or addressing you. More like hawkers in wet markets.
2) Variety and appearance is similar to any local bakery.
3) sales lady squashed my bread when you put it in the plastic bag (one issue common with locals is that they do not know bread should not be squashed. Even when I buy bread at supermarkets, the ladies at the counter will "push" it into my shopping bag, and the bread will be deformed when I get home.)
4) the the bread itself is not "bouncy", meaning either its flour is not premium or the knead is not raised sufficiently (i.e. the chef's skill).

This cheese stick (bread) is the same as any that you can get at a local bakery at a cheaper price (taste of maynnaise).

One sales lady keep recommending me this "dark rye look-alike" roll but I have no interest in trying (I need to try one item to confirm its standard on use of ingredient first, otherwise, there is no point trying a dark-rye roll which really is dependent on its choice of rye flour.)

No wonder it has no customer when I went in and Yamazaki had a full house !! (I saw two guy staff from Ueno walked over to Yamazaki and check them out. They should learn from them.)

BTW, the same cheese stick (bread) costs only $8 at Yamazaki. Yamazaki is better value by comparison. There are a few items at Yamazaki which make me keep going back to them.

P.s. their "bread cupboards" are not very "customer-friendly" in design.

After several years, La Brasserie has not let me down. With its service and good food, my friend and I had a very enjoyable reunion cum birthday lunch. I tried Alaskan crabs, prawns, smoked salmon and salad for entree, and seared scallops for main, to wash them down with a glass of white wine. I had not tried its pumkin soup but my friend said it was good. Frog legs did not impress me much, though, but the chef's decision in putting it out would worth mentioning. For desset, I had pavlova (twice), chocolate mousse (twice), and a aloe vera jelly.

It is a good place to treat guests and get together with friends, with its excellent service and ambience. I will definitely go there again and recommend to friends.