Liberty Exchange Kitchen & Bar  

One day Zinnamon said she wants fine dine lunch, we resisted as we spent pretty much on iphone 5 and christmas presents

Deemsum recommended a place at Exchange Square and said that place should be cheap, so we nodded and decided to give it a go.

The entrance was at the Forum, along the walkway to IFC. The waitress was polite and greeted us happily, it was very windy that day, so we went into the restaurant quickly.

There were two storeys in the restaurant and we were brought to the upper floor. Decor was stylish and modern. The waitress who served us was pretty but a bit cool , she wasn't smiling.

She passed us the lunch menu and it was a disaster, at least for zinnamon and me.

how-on-earth-could-we-afford-this

A selection of 3-course-set-lunch was served at an affordable price of around $180 per head +10%

Zinnamon and I were so shocked by the price and when we were asked to order, we could not say a single word.

Another waiter came by, saw us shivering, asked what water we would like, still or sparkle.

Since we were shaking badly, we thought still water could keep us still, but it didn't.

Warm bread was served, not so sure what bread that was, presumably deep fried, looked like a bagel with a piece of garlic placed in a middle. I liked it though. I ordered a Seafood Crab Cake for my appetiser and Maple Glazed Salmon for my main.

Seafood Crab CakeIt was a deep fried crab cake with some mango and butter beans.

The dish was served hot, perfect on a cold day, and the mango adds a bit of excitement to the dish.I am not a big fan of butter beans, and it was a bit bland, disappointing.

The chipotle mayo sauce that comes with the dish was great, it matched with the crab cake nicely. Well done.

Maple Glazed SalmonThe salmon tasted a bit sweet with the maple syrup on top, but not too sweet to overwhelm you. The virgin sauce worked well with the dish, a very refreshing dish on a weekday.

The salmon was slow cooked and broiled. It came out warm, I hoped it could be slightly hotter. Turned out to be slightly undercooked inside, timing of the dishes could be improved.Meatballs Spaghetti in Tomato SauceMy mate, Zinnamon also had Crab Cake but a daily pasta for her mains, which was a meatballs spaghetti in tomato sauce, she said she liked the meatballs.

Liberty Steak TartareDeemsum had a steak tartare and something else (which I forgot what it was). We had a scoop of the tartare and it tasted a bit sour, quite nice we think.

We weren't very pleased to see this piece of swissroll on our plate, especially Zinnamon and I were so shocked seeing that presented to us. So for peasanty-diners like us, you are reminded to order tap water (if they serve it). They charged us $65 for a bottle of still water.

I regretted for having this posh lunch, and I'm hoping my new merc would not be towed away from my carpark next week for failing to meet the next instalment.

Mercifully, we were given tea to calm ourselves a bit, just before the hectic week continues. It might seem a bit pricey for some, but its certainly worth the price

There was a time when I came here for lunch almost once a week but I took a three month hiatus and was pleasantly surprised to find that the quality of the food at LEX remained the same upon my recent return.

This time I ordered the steak tartare and veggie burger with parmesan fries. The steak tartare was delicious as usual and came with truffle mayo and soft boiled quail's egg, all of which went down well slathered on top of a piece of grilled foccacia. The veggie burger consisted of fried portabello and (again) truffle mayo, which was amazingly light. I interrupted bites of my burger with parmesan fries dipped in truffle mayo and ketchup.

I suppose LEX's killer weapon is their truffle mayo. I'll be back again soon.

I arrived on Friday in the lunch time. The owner was at the entrance welcoming people. Good point. I had a set lunch by the bar table, which is very comfortable, atmosphere is superb, tables are nicely set, u got enough space to feel good and intimate but you're still close enough to others to see and be seen. Service is good, very attentive.

To the food now. I had a set lunch, price is very reasonable, I ordered portobello pasta, mushroom taste is just perfect and excellent, pasta cooked perfectly. forgot to say about the starter, I had a Caesars salad, usually they will just give you a few pieces if you order set lunch in the other restaurant, but surprisingly the one from LEX is exactly the size I want, almost full size, home made Caesars dressing is fantastic, the whole combination is just amazing.

If I had to be super picky, I'd just mention the seats, just so comfortable that make me don't want to leave.

I'd definitely recommend it, the best set lunch, good atmosphere for happy hours, perfect venue for a dinner with a few friends.

I would say - LEX is the new landmark in the HK map.

When LEX first opened, Chef Ono's association with it (his private kitchen being liberty private works) assured great food, but he has since left. Despite this, Liberty Exchange's bar is packed every night. Promising drinks, food and great location why not? Tonight was a family reunification and heres what we had:

To start off - I don't know what possessed me - a strong drink:

"Chill Pill" ($95)
Listed under their LEX Signature Cocktails, it sounded intriguing on the menu (Patron Silver being my fave for shots) but it arrived looking no different to a normal margarita... a little disheartening. But because there was the additional Patron Citrus it became pretty (read: very) strong...The bread plate was a little sad, but it came with e.v.o.o and a cumin/sesame/salt mixture to dip which was quite interesting...

we then each nominated a dish to share: "Eight-hour French onion soup" ($72)
with blended gruyere and white cheddar
sweet from the lengthy hours of cooking, this soup was a thick and hearty soup from the abundance of caramelized onions with bread and melted cheese. our first one was a try-out but it was good so we had another. "Broiled Maso Black Cod" ($198)
maple syrup and miso marinade, ginger glazed bok choy and edamame croquette
In some ways, I'm predictable. Match a fatty fish with miso sauce or marinade and I'm sold. This piece of cod was perfectly cooked, and from the flakes you could tell the fish was a decent size. The miso and maple came through but neither overpowering. and the edamame croquette was brightly green on the inside albeit blended with mashed potatoes, crispy and yum.

"USDA Meyers Natural Striploin" ($275)
smoked onions, sauteed mushrooms, truffle butter and potato puree
no scent or taste of truffles were present, but the mushrooms were good albeit on the salty end. the steak was served medium, but hardly as tender as i hoped. perhaps the burger we saw so many others having would've been a better choice? ahhhh sous-vide steak, where are you? "Short Ribs" ($208)
red wine braised, LEX slaw, scallion horseradish potato salad, house made bbq sauce
okay, i picked this one too - but only because of L's recommendation. this is no longer served on the bone (like it did initially), but instead in three pieces which is more diner-friendly. The crispy meat on the outside was a nice contrast to the tender meat inside. the bbq sauce was sweet but not quite smokey as i hoped. nonetheless the meat was great with or without the sauce.

hmmm in conclusion, Liberty Exchange was overall good, but definitely could have more of a 'wow' factor in its food.

The bar is always full after work, and the restaurant is also full at lunch time.
The set lunch is too big. They made me ordered an apetizer plus a main course. So here's the appertizers:

We finished both dishes entirely.
Then came the main course:

Again, we wiped out the dishes. (There were too much salt on the chips though.)
The dessert looked cute, but nothing outstanding.

Lunch was a set menu, so you get a choice of entrée, a choice of main, dessert and tea or coffee. The price varies depending on what main course you choose.

Both D and I opted for the watermelon salad with feta cheese, balsamic reduction, pistachios and Cajun sauce. I was a little skeptical about ordering the watermelon salad, but I am glad I did. The salad was incredibly light and refreshing. The watermelon was served room temperate, however, the feta cheese, and salad was a little warmer, which was delicious. The watermelon was sweet, compensated by the bitterness of the rocket and the creamy-ness of the feta cheese, it was simply delightful. I enjoyed every single bite of this salad.

For main, I ordered the fish and chips, absolut stella artois battered, classic tartare sauce with malt vinegar pickled cucumber. The fish batter was light and not oily at all, the fish was fresh, tender and cooked to perfection. The chips were thin and crunchy and dipped in the classic tartare sauce, it was wonderful! I forgot how good fish and chips can be, and I have to admit, this was deliciously good!

D ordered the liberty burger with cheese on a cheese bun with onion marmalade. Apparently the beef patty is made actually with short rib. This looked absolutely delicious but I didn’t have any! I don’t think he offered me any! It was a HUGE serving, the burger was BIG, I don’t think the photo below did any justice! D did say that I was delicious and fantastic – will have to trust his words on this one.

Dessert was mango sorbet with shortbread. The mango was a little too sweet for my liking, the shortbread was delicious and a great compliment. The coffee was creamy and not bitter. It was surprisingly better than I have expected.

We sat upstairs which was a lot quieter, spacious and comfortable. I walked pass the downstairs bit and it looked a little cramped and noisy, due to its proximity to the bar. The service was good, waiter / waitress attentive and friendly. I certainly enjoyed my meal at Liberty Exchange.

Blog: http://gastronomous.wordpress.com

Convenient location right in Exchange Square. The french onion soup was rich and delicious, and I also had the pork chop which was cooked perfectly...tough to find here! After had a drink in the downstairs bar which was a bit more rowdy and fun. Will definitely be back for food and drinks.

So officially I've been to Liberty Exchange twice. Once for dinner about 2 weeks ago and also the other day for lunch. I specifically went back mainly because:

1) I liked their burger quite a lot
2) I didn't bring my camera last time

Environment: On both occasions I sat upstairs which was comfortable and spacious. I quite like their modern decor. I highly recommend sitting upstairs over sitting downstairs where it's more cramped, more dimly lit and also noisier due to its proximity to the bar.

Service: One thing that immediately noticed was the high number of Caucasian waitstaff at Liberty Exchange. That is definitely unusual for a Hong Kong restaurant. The strange thing is the contrast between the Caucasian staff and the other extremely local waitstaff. Either way, the waitstaff was attentive and friendly. Food came out quickly and there were no mixups.

For my dinner experience I shared the following with friends:

House-made sausage - The sausages came in hot Italian, herb and sweet andouille. My favorite of the 3 came was the hot Italian mainly because the taste was the most intense and reminded me of salami. The other 2 sausages tasted quite average. Portion size was a little on the small side for $98. Decent.

Mussels with Tomato and Basil Broth - This was quite nice. The mussels tasted quite fresh and the sweetness from the broth complimented it well. I can't tell you the number of overcooked mussels I have been served in Hong Kong so this was a nice change. The mussels came with a side order of fries (not sure what makes these 2 items go together) but the fries were good as well. Nothing fancy...just crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Nice.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich - This is a gourmet version is with foie gras. Portion size was very small relative to the other 2 appetizers. Basically it was a deconstruction of a PB&J by having a piece of foie gras sitting on top of a miniature french toast-like cube with reduced raspberry sauce drizzled around. When you eat everything together it gives you the flavor profile of a PB&J. Not bad but I didn't think this was good value for money.

Eight-hour French Onion Soup - I had read online beforehand that its consistency was like gravy which sounded quite interesting. Although at the restaurant I felt this was very similar to normal onion soup. It was pretty tasty but not really any different from the onion soups I could potentially get at Dan Ryans or some other American restaurant.

Liberty Burger With Mushroom and Cheese- Now this I liked! Flavor wise it was juicy and really beefy. The onion marmalade also provided a nice hint of sweetness. The use of sourdough bread was also a nice touch. I found out later the beef patty is actually made with short rib which probably explains why the texture/density felt kind of 'loose' and not as dense as a regular patty. Feels a little like eating a beef sandwich than a burger but this is a good burger.

BBQ Ribs - This was HUGE. As someone correctly described it online...it looked Fred Flintstone size...haha. Ribs overall were quite nice and tasty. Came off the bone quite easy (bone was close to the length of my forearm) which shows that they had been cooking it slowly for some time. If there's a minor criticism I can make of it is that the meat felt a little 'stringy'. Pretty good.

Pigs and Apples - Read a lot of good reviews about this but sadly ours was overcooked. The minute I put my knife into it I knew this was going to be on the tough side. Flavor profile wise this has potential with the caramelized apples. So sad this dish wasn't executed properly.

Chicken and Waffles - Another dish I looked forward too but was let down. The chicken was definitely on the dry side. Taste was decent but it's just so hard for this dish to recover once the chicken is overcooked. The waffles...were quite pancake-like and floppy which wasn't too my liking. If you want to get good chicken and waffles in Central I suggest giving Green Waffle Diner a go.

Granny Smith Crumble Tart - The crunchiness from the filo dough was nice and I also liked stewed apples inside the tart. Maybe a bit too sweet for my personal tastes but I thought this was a pretty decent dessert.

Charlie Brown - Highly simple but successful dessert in my opinion. The brownie was warm, 'chocolaty' and fudgy which was a nice contrast to the cold ice cream. Best dessert of the night.

Strawberry Shortcake - This came in a cone like cup. Not bad...just didn't really stand out per say. Shortcake provided a nice crunch against the strawberries and cream. Decent.

My opinion of dinner is there were a few standouts (mussels & burger) but I was expecting more with that kind of a price tag (we paid about $500 each). Honestly speaking, if they hadn't overcooked the pork and also the fried chicken this meal would have been a lot more enjoyable.

So after about 2 weeks I went back the other day for lunch since I didn't bring my camera last time. Here is what we ordered (both are set lunches):

Mussels With Creamy Fennel Vermouth Broth: Not bad. Flavor was quite subtle and light for a creamy based sauce. Mussels were nicely cooked but I personally preferred the tomato and basil pairing versus this one. The fries were nice but again I'm not sure why they paired mussels with fries.

Liberty Burger With Mushrooms and Cheese: I was quite disappointed. The burger felt a little overcook (a little dry) and also it didn't come out at optimal temperature. I understand I took about 20-30 seconds shooting photos but the burger should still be quite hot (which it was not). The burger still tasted pretty decent but the temperature kind of ruined it for me. The fries similar to last time was crunchy and tasty.

The set lunches also came with an appetizer and we picked the smoked salmon salad and also a grilled calamari with a chipotle sauce. The chipotle sauce was nice but the actual dishes were quite average and didn't stand out. The calamari was also a little on the tough side.

My lunch experience was disappointing and considering it costs us over $200 each I would say this further says to me that Liberty Exchange is overpriced for the food it puts out.

So my overall conclusion is if you go to Liberty Exchange go there for dinner. Get the burger, the mussels, the Charlie Brown and maybe the ribs. Expect to overpay but if they execute the food properly that night I still think it could be an enjoyable meal.

I had been to Liberty Works (the Private Kitchen) a few times and enjoyed the food there. When I heard that they were opening at Exchange Square, I was very excited but expected less as the food is usually compromised when private kitchens expand to restaurants.

I read that the mussels and apple crumble were very good so I knew what I was going to order before going. The waitress was prompt to tell us the daily soup but she waited until we were ordering to tell us that mussels were not available, which gave me a chance to roll my eyes

Everything on the menu sounded great, maybe since they mostly served my favorite kind of food. In the end I chose a citrus salmon salad and Mac n Cheese, taking advantage of the lunch set. My boyfriend ordered a prawn cocktail and steak and mash potato. The salad was ok, super bitter grapefruit as usual so the prawn cocktails with avocado salad was much better. My main of mac and cheese was good, especially with chorizo, but too filling for lunch. My boyfriend's steak and mash was absolutely declicious! I was bartering my mac n cheese with my boyfriend's steak and probably ate half of it (lunch portion not big).

The lunch set came with pear sorbet and cinnamon crumbs which looked amazing except the crumbs were quite tasteless and ruined the pear sorbet
I just had to order their apple crumble a la carte esp since I read that it was really good. Sad to say it was actually awful and basically ruined my meal leaving a bad aftertaste. The cooked apple cubes came in a sort of fried wonton dumpling crust which was pretty except they put in a cheese filling which I just couldn't understand. Perhaps they meant this to be a cheese crumble as it also came with a cup of cream cheese, quite disgusting. Just proves that some classic dishes just shouldnt be "fushioned" with.

Overall I think this place is nice, the starter and mains were good and I like comfort food- just don't order dessert. The decor is also nice and bright which I like, service is ok. Would come again.

Went here last week for dinner. Place was packed with world cup fans, but was pleased to be seated quickly and despite being crowded, service was attentive and efficient. I ordered the Liberty Burger; beef was excellent and various garnishes made for one great burger. My girlfriend had the prawns and loved their juiciness and the dash of shiso. My buddy had the Pig & Apples, meat was tender and apple sauce was great, also we all kept digging into his sweet potato mash which was delicious. Pricing is reasonable and décor is stylish, but relaxing. I work in IFC so very happy to have a new hangout with good food at my doorstep. Highly recommend.

Went here because it's a brand new restaurant.

Tried out the fish & chips set lunch ($178 plus service charge).

Turned out to be very disappointing. Nice salad, but there were far too many chips and too little fish. The fish didn't taste good either. To me, it was really a rip-off.

Anyway, wouldn't come here again as the portion of the dessert (sorbet) was far too small.

Plus, it's too expensive and the food quality isn't good.

Service is not that efficient either.