My wife and I decided to eat at CircleClub to celebrate the end of the semester. We'd never been there before, and didn't know what to expect-- but it was well-rated on Open Rice, so we thought it was worth a try.

First of all, it's not located very conveniently. It's about a 25-30 minute walk from the Tsuen Wan West MTR. There are probably buses that run out there, but whatever. We decided to walk.

The walk was pleasant at first, but the humidity eventually overwhelmed us and we were quite sweaty by the end. I obviously can't blame CircleClub for the humidity, but I will say that there isn't much of their touted 180-degree sea view when all the windows in the restaurant are fogged up. We had a seat right by the window, but I never got to see out of it.

The restaurant was completely empty. Other reviewers have suggested it's always this way. CircleClub is on the ground floor of The Bay Bridge, which is a serviced apartment complex-- meaning, I guess, that it's more like an amenity than something that needs to pay its own overhead. That doesn't bode well for the food quality, but hey, the food wasn't bad. The interior of the place reminded me of the tacky wedding halls they have in New Jersey. If you don't know what I'm talking about, count yourself lucky.

Oddly enough, there was no bread. Maybe it's not worth their trouble to bake bread given that no one ever shows up, but at a semi-classy Western-style restaurant, I expect bread with my meal, just as I expect chips and salsa at a taqueria.

Anyway, here's what we ordered: a Caesar salad (to split), the angel hair pasta with smoked salmon and pesto, and the linguine with chicken fillet and spinach cream sauce. And a bottle of the house white, Le Choix De Edmond Sauvignon Blanc, which as far as I can tell (by googling) is a French wine that principally gets exported to Hong Kong. Meal review:

The Caesar salad was decent. It came with anchovies, which made it relatively more fishy than the standard Caesar salads made with just a little Worcestershire sauce. The lettuce I thought was a little limp. 6/10

My wife got the angel hair with smoked salmon. I found it a little too "smoky" for me (I have a low tolerance for smokiness), but she liked it well enough. She gives it an 8/10

I got the chicken fillet with spinach cream sauce. It wasn't quite what I was expecting. I assumed the chicken would be grilled in one piece and then sliced afterward for the pasta... sort of like the way grilled chicken comes on a Caesar salad. Instead, the pasta contained tiny, very tender (but certainly not grilled), pieces of dark-meat chicken (Lord knows why I thought beforehand it would be white-meat chicken). Tasty, but not robust. I guess what I mean is that it would have been nice if the chicken provided a texture contrast to the noodles, whereas it did not. I also thought the dish was a little bland-- but that's sort of the peril of ordering cream sauce. I will say that my pasta was not overcooked, in the way Hong Kongers are so fond of for some reason. 6/10

The white wine, for a house wine, was totally drinkable, and even a little bit good. $248, which wouldn't be bad in the states, though it seems a little high for Tsuen Wan. 8/10

At the end it came out under $600 for the two of us, with wine. We probably won't go back-- not because the food was all that bad, but because the location was inconvenient, the ambiance was tacky, and it just felt very morose being alone in this dark, empty restaurant. 6/10

The restaurant is always empty, so you never need to wait for a table.
Quite a few dishes listed on the menu were unavailable - so we opted for some simple snacks. WARNING: The portions are very small and priced more than restaurants in Central. For example; a small portion of steak fries was $50 (smaller than a small fries in McDonalds!).

Aside from this, the staff were very friendly and efficient. A wide selection of drinks & cocktails are available from the bar (which is also more expensive than Lan Kwai Fong).

Conclusion: If you have too much money and want to spend. Choose Circle Club

Having dinner with my wife at the restaurant inside the Bay Bridge Service Apartment tonight

1. Environment is cozy, 180 degree sea view, renovation is new with classy setting -- Best for romantic dinners, evening drinks with friends or just a leisure afternoon coffee.

2. All food are good -- hot bread, pumpkin soup, salmon salad, rib-eye steak, mushroom pasta, blueberry cheese cake and our free red wine (Thanks for the generous restaurant owner) and coffee

3. Services are excellent and personal -- just we have no chance to meet the cook.

The most important thing is, my wife love the environment here. We enjoyed a leisure walk around the restaurant and along the seaside after dinner. Will consider going back with my family and friends.