I enjoy shopping at IFC. Despite the fact that I cannot afford to buy from >90% of the shops, the concentric strolls are quite relaxing. And IFC has its own special scent. I insist that it's not floor wax. It isn't detergent either. What is it..?

Environment:
The entrance to the agnes b. enclave is adjacent to Dymocks. You feel like you've entered an aviary, or a greenhouse. It is quite peaceful. There is a lot of light, and foliage. Flora. Greenery. Sets the right mood for a nice lunch. There is nobody at the reception desk. You wait for a bit and check out the menu. Ah, service. Service:
Professional and non-intervening. Felt like we were in good hands.

Food:Quite a number of choices i think. A rather diverse menu but really a bit expensive for lunch.

Bread basketI cannot name them all but they're all baguette-like. As in, a rather hard exterior, and a delightfully doughy center. One of them had olives. Delicious with melting butter. Yum yum! We split all 4.

Mushroom soupHmm. Not very fragrant but it tasted alright. I appreciated how it wasn't piping hot when served else I wouldn't be able to taste it at all. It was hot enough to elicit a contented 'aaah' from my stomach, for it was a rather cool day, and nice hot soup was good for the soul. The mushroom flavour came through when it hit the palate but I guess they could've given it a drizzle of truffle oil. Just a small drizzle. One's food experience is i-don't-know-what-% olfactory. It was quite creamy and filling, quite smooth. I didn't finish it because I -needtodetox-.

Seared trout with peppers and a bit of risottoThis dish was far more interesting and enjoyable that I had expected. E cautioned me against the texture of trout, which is very different from that of cod (which I like) and mackerel (which I also like, curious!). Because E didn't like trout. Turns out that I'm quite okay with it. It's texture is quite unoffensive. Just a solid chunk of fish with little fat and not much flavour. It was seared with a bit of butter and was lightly salted and peppered. Not too bad. And I liked the accompanying grilled veg (love the colors ), and the small ladle of risotto, portion size just right. The mushroom cream sauce was well seasoned and had just the right consistency - not too creamy, but thick enough to lightly coat the fish. I was happy.

Apple flan with coffee ice cream (a la carte)Amazingly thin and crisp flan - not the least bit soggy, moderately sweet. Not a filling dessert at all which I suppose is a good thing. The strong coffee ice cream complemented it nicely - so that there's a bit of wetness to the flan, and it's not all just flakes in the mouth. The melted ice cream sort of binds it all together, like concrete, or glue. Okay bad analogy. It took around 25 minutes to make but time passes quickly when you are in good company. Would want to try the other desserts though. Might not come back again for this because I'm not really a huge fan of flan....prefer chocolate or cheese hehee.

Buttery oatmeal raisin cookies to go with tea/coffeeMehhh the oatmeal raisin cookies were tooo buttery. Didn't like them. Too sweet as well. And brittle. Meh. I ate half a cookie. E didn't touch them.

Conclusion:
Hope someone brings me here soon, because I am a pauper, and am still living off dad and mom heh. Can't afford. But...this is a nice place to treat someone important, or if you want good conversation in a relatively quiet, relaxing environment with minimal disturbance and good lighting. And nice decor. All the little things that add up and make a meal extra special.

The upside of working in Central is that you are spoiled for choice when it comes to finding a restaurant for lunch. The downside is that a lot of these restaurants are wincingly overpriced, and you will have to walk a bit further in order to find more reasonably priced eateries.

Agnès b. le pain grillé at La Loggia is tucked away inside Lane Crawford on the third floor in IFC. Going through an inconspicuous entrance brings you to an intimate, sophisticated restaurant that overlooks a beautiful harbour view. La Loggia is the name of Agnes b.’s grandmother’s holiday home in the south of France, and the restaurant’s decor displays a sense of elegance and style that is reminiscent of Agnes b.‘s fashion designs.

Despite the brand's accolade in the fashion world, however, the restaurant fails to deliver the same level of inspiration when it comes to food. The restaurant serves a 2-course lunch menu for $248-$358 (+10%), depending on which main course you order. Lunch comes with a coffee or tea, and you can add $38 for a dessert. I’m not complaining about the prices per se, as it is after all a perceptibly high-end restaurant located in the plush IFC environs, but for this amount paid for lunch I was after something more delicious and satisfying to help me carry through the day.

A smart basket of baguettes made its way to our table shortly after we sat down.(1) We started off with the Daily Soup, which was a Pumpkin Soup. It was naturally flavoured by the pumpkin, and had a thick, soothing texture.(2) The appetiser, Marinated Tuna with Crab Meat, Capsicum & Herb Salad, was deliciously comforting. Even though the piece of marinated tuna looked rather lonely on its own, its taste was mellow and delicate. The crab meat, which was coated in a mayonnaise-like dressing, was full of fresh flavours.(3) The Madeira Wine Jelly in Duck Foie Gras Terrine was creamy and indulgent. It paired well with a piece of crunchy toasted brioche, and the rhubarb compote gave this appetiser sweetness.(4) The Duck Breast Salad, however, certainly did not win me over. Small cubes of duck breast lounged on top of a pile of green salad; the duck skin was thick and not properly grilled, which made the salad rather greasy and lacking in flavours. (5) As much as I love pasta of any sort, the Shrimp Tagliolini Pasta served with Julienne Vegetables, Cherry Tomatoes & Garlic in White Wine Sauce did not lift my spirits. Not only was it a tad predictable in appearance, the taste was just equally unexciting – it was in want of more sauce and more vibrant flavours.(6) On other days I would have been up for a piece of cake as a nice way to end my meal, but after the disheartening main courses, all I wanted was a cup of Cafe au Lait. Fortunately, it was a decent cup of coffee, with a bitter but fine, aromatic taste.

The St. Valentine's Day is held on Tuesday this year. Since it’s not an official public holiday, we’re more willing to have the ‘pre-vday’ dinner in weekend than the exact day. We started planning since early Feb. I didn’t expect it would be such difficult. My ideal restaurants were either fully booked or only provided vday menu on the exact day (which means no ‘pre vday menu’). Finally, I came up with Agnès b. Unlike the others, Agnès b provided the celebrating menu ($1680+10% service charge for two persons) from February 6th to 14th. We decided to go on Sat evening.

Oh my… I was bewitched by its beautiful decoration of the entrance when we arrived the Agnès b. le pain grillé. Embracing by the shining plants on both sides, Agnès b brings out the strong Parisian romantic atmosphere; it reminds me the avenue des Champs-Élysées (The most beautiful avenue in Paris).We settled in a nice corner with the view of the HK skyline. We first received our ‘welcome cocktails’ before the dinner started. The cocktail was mixed up by Gin, Mint and Milk. My partner said it tasted fine but I didn’t really fancy it, simply I dislike milk mixed with gin… it’s Vday celebration, I was hoping the ‘welcome cocktails’ would be somewhat like cosmopolitan, rose wine, sparkling champagne, etc. A bit disappointed at this point indeed.

The appetizerz arrived, actually both of them adopted similar ingredients but presented differentiatedly. I chose this one for mine, they twisted the salmon marinated into rose shape, served with red beetroot, crab meat, blinis, dill sour cream. Tasted pale but looked so delicate. The other one is the salmon & crab meat tartlet with capsicum & lemon, which seasoned with lobster mayonnaise. Well, simply like the tartlet tasted fabulous and nice decoration with flower on a side. Following dishes were about smoked duck breast & duck foie gras. The one terrine on warm green lentil salad looked absolutely adorable with its heart shape. The poached salted duck breast marinated stuffed with foie gras were served with four spice, tasted differently according to different layers, nice! Afterwards the turn of seafood flavors~ Poached lobster & scallop salad served with tomato, cucumber, baby leek & spring onion in lemon vinaigrette tasted absolutely refreshing! Lobster meat was very juicy! The grilled lobster & scallop with lemon braised fennel, comfit lemon, spring onion & sweet chili tasted better, simply like its sweet and sour flavors at the same time!The main course of meat steak with truffle came accordingly. The beef wellington with truffle, served with parsnip gratin looked nice! Not over cooked while soft in the ‘heart’, thumb up! The roasted capon roulade with truffle, served with crisp potato millefeuille & celeriac mousseline tasted so-so. Not really impressive and I didn’t really enjoy the crisp potato millefeuille. The dessert was the soul of the night! I was so looking forward to trying the signature Coeur de champagne (cake of champagne) from Agnès b. The jelly top was made by Taittinger champagne, tasted fragrantly sweet. The body was made by champagne mousse, white peach mousse and vanilla sponge cake. The sponge cake with champagne moose tasted soft and smooth. It was placed on a plate with the decorating chocolate words ‘Happy Anniversary’ and served with mixed berries. The chef also used strawberry jam to draw a heart shape on the plate! I was like ‘Wow’ when I first saw the dessert. Very beautiful and touching! I would never forget this taste of L.O.V.E.Well, if you want to go for a romantic dinner, it’s one of the choices you can think about within the IFC area. Simply adore its Parisian design and atmosphere. Especially the corridor in front of the entrance, you must not miss it. Apart from it, I appreciate the nice and thoughtful service from the staffs here. Very professional and friendly.

Came here to dine with my girlfriend because we had the 20% off coupon from taking business class in cx.
The deocr is very nice and romantic, esp with a floral shop and a cafe outside the restaurant. Also had seaview so we thought it was going to be a good dining experience.

We got there almost at last order, the waiters and waitresses clearly couldnt wait to get off.
We wanted to ask them a little bit abt the steaks they had, they didnt bother explaining anything to us.

The food was also very bad. With the price they charge i expected smth a lot more than they had to offer.

When we ordered dessert, you could tell they were pissed off because it was already closing time.

Not going back anymore. Could have had much better food and service with that price.

Have the crave for french mussle, Agnes B is always my top of the list for mussle. Unfortunately the waiter said french mussle is not in season and they may not supply that until around Sep. A disappointing night.

Their bread used to be very crispy on the outside and soft inside, but somehow the bread wasn't as good as before, still crewy though but not crispy at all. They even stopped offering that roll with the B character on top. Good that they still served it warm together with high quality butter.

After the waiter heard our disappointment about mussle, he offered complimentary Cream of Mushroom soup served in a small cup, full favour of mushroom, very creamy and the thickness is just right. But it was served a bit too hot, that could be due to the type of serving bowl though.

Ordered the Linguine with Lobster, it's a pretty light dish, very generous in the lobster, their kind of linguine is bit finer than the general linguine, pretty good though. It would be even better if they can make it al dente, but it is probably not what they pursue in a French Restaurant.

Also tried the Duck meat ball stuffed with Foie Gras, the presentation was bit plain, lacking the green touch as everything was in dark brown including the carnish. The meat ball was like a big snow ball as big as a female fist in the centre served with a round carrot that has been soaked in red wine. Can't quite taste the Foie Gras eventhough it was cut into small dice size. Could feel Foie Gras texture but the taste was overwhelmed by the gamy favour of the duck meat. It's probably the most gamy duck dish I have ever eaten. It's a waste to have the Foie Gras stuffed. Believe Foie Gras always tastes the best when pan fried, good combination of crispiness and softness. Another disppointment is balsalmic vinegar reduction served with it that both the vinegar and the meat ball were too strong, lacking something to lighten the taste.

Had the Iced Chocolate, very strong chocolate favour, not too sweet, well balanced with the sweetened whip cream on top. Yummy!

Believe I will only go back again when the french mussle season comes in.

Someone summed it up perfectly below: this restaurant is like a beautiful but vapid princess. With an attitude.

It reminds me a little of French Window, which is equally overpriced except French Window has marginally better food, and people there were much more gracious.

I tried to reserve a table for 7 for lunch, having phoned in 4 days in advance. However, apparently this place needs business so much that it requires a $500 deposit for lunch bookings of 6 people and above. I have never heard of such nonsense from any self-respecting restaurant in Central - if you are doing well, you would already have people waiting in line at lunch hour, and if not, then I suppose the restaurant is not worth a deposit anyway. 7 people is not a big party, and restaurants shouldn't trouble guests to walk over and hand them cash unless its Valentines or Christmas. Anyway, I decided I wouldn't have any of it, a booked 2 separate tables to be put adjacently.

So despite this little hitch, I was very much looking forward to lunch. Walking in, the restaurant was gorgeous, I'll give them that. However, it went downhill from there.

First for water. "Do you normally drink still or sparkling?" I drink ice water normally, thanks. Fine, that can be interpreted to mean still or sparkling with ice, but what it really means is "tap" as you would say in the UK or elsewhere, but nobody really does tap in Hong Kong. Anyway, what I ended up with was still with NO ice. This is a major pet peeve of mine. I do not like to be "still or sparklinged" and deceived into drinking water that I did not order. I understand this is what high end restaurants like to do, but all other places worth their salt, like Conrad, 8 ½, Amber, etc will not force water upon you once you've indicated your preference.

The menu was unimaginative and overpriced. 276 for a mushroom soup and a ham and salmon pasta. 328 for the same starter/soup and a filet. Starbucks does the mushroom soup better than they do. The steak, while perfectly tender and not overcooked, totally lacked juice and flavour. There was no dessert included. They also got my drink order wrong. To be fair I would give the food a 3/5, but it is definitely not worth the price. You could eat at H One next door for that price, and their food is much better. Another alternative is Steik in K11 – 228 or so for their much better dry-aged steak. Yum.

So the bill finally comes to $380 for mediocre food, poor service and incredible attitude in a beautiful environment. Worth it? Your call.

Agnes B Cafe has always been a place touted for great ambiance, making it perfect for dating and celebrating of occasions but most often than not, their food is not up to a safistactory standard. On this particular night, we were gathered at their IFC establishment for dinner.
We arrived sharply at 6:30pm but there were already a few tables of customers having dinner. Right upon our arrival, our server immediately introduced their monthly special, which they were promoting the red mediterranean shrimp and different dishes made with tomato.
French onion Soup (Grade: 3/5)
This 'version' of the french onion soup was probably from a very traditional recipe. Super heavy flavour of beef stock with cheese topping was especially good for our stomach on this cool night.
Tomato salad with goat cheese (Grade: 3/5)
This dish was very nicely presented as layers of tomato, goat cheese and vegetables were stacked together like a sandwich. Full marks for presentation but average marks for taste.
Red mediterranean shrimp wrapped scallops (Grade: 2/5)
It was supposed to be the highlight of the night but did not turn out the way it should. Three different types of shrimps were used in this dish, normal prawns, red mediterranean shrimp and scampi. Honestly, the scallops did taste better than any of the three.
After we finished our main courses, our server came to check on us. She specifically asked if I felt the red mediterranean shrimp tasted best but I frankly told her that I could not taste the difference.
Roasted quail with fig (Grade: 2.5/5)
Quail and fig were a surprisingly good combination but that's about all we could praise about this dish. The texture of the quail gave us the impression that it's been braised rather than roasted. It lacked the crispiness on the outside, which was very disappointing. For the same dish, restaurants such as L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Domani and Cafe gray Deluxe could have offered so much more.
Despite giving very low marks for their food, we did enjoy the atmosphere of this restaurant very much. Yes, we were a bit crammed but the nice decor gave us a glimpse of life in Europe with their lovely little restaurants. Just a small advice here, if you ever decide to visit this place, you would be much better off ordering something less sophisticated such as steamed mussels or beef.

My legs cramp after walking in heels for an hour in IFC between meetings....let me sit down in a nice place
This is not the first time I visited this place, but first time alone....sitting by the windows and can see my friends work place as well, Jardine house, waving


Tea set was rather heavy and I ordered a cake called Chloe, pretty name and tea of casablanca. Spent an hour resting there with not many people, enjoy the quietness a while in busy Central was indeed a good feeling. Be frank, I'm not a dessert fan so what I buy there is the comfortable feeling rather than the food. For sure, the quality there is not bad. If you feel tired and have an hour to chill out in Central, it's a good choice.

It was a wonderful night and environment for the dinner.

The food was nice, especially the mussels. (Should have taken the 200g, full in half way.)

Overall, it worths for the food with someone that you could have a little chat with. It was just wonderful.

Just the waiters started losing their patience when we were just the only people left in the restaurant. They even shut down the air-con, and seem forcing us to leave the place. which was disappointing.

The salad of the day (crab meat salad) was refreshing. Well dressed and not too heavy.

The presentation of the dishes are all very beautiful. All the side dishes are also of decent portion and delicious.

I have to say their service is pretty good. There was miss-communication and something came in that wasn't what we ordered but they just cancelled it for me, no black face or any hesitation or questions.

The desserts were alright. I am not sure if the mini pastry warrants the prices. The Chloe was only OK, but didn't taste too fresh.

The setting is comfortable, can't really hear the other tables and the view's not bad. Overall a decent experience.

(I had coffee outside before, decaf latte, delicious!)