Madam Sixty Ate  

My friend and I decided to stop by Madam Sixty Ate for their restaurant week special dinner menu.

The restaurant ambiance was nice and quiet but with a twist of modern decor to it. We sat on a long couch with pillows which made it very relaxing and comfortable.

The pre-fixe menu did not come with a drink but you can add extra money to add a drink. I believe it was around $40-$70 depending if you want a cocktail or a mocktail. I went with a mocktail which was like a strawberry lemonade drink with a fizz to it. It was light and refreshing. My friend went with a white wine from their drink menu.

Appetizers:

Creamed sunchoke soup, foie gras, chestnut mousse, bitter choclate When you see the ingredients, the first you think about is how interesting all these flavors would incorporate. But when I had a couple scoops..all I taste was that strong foie gras flavor which I think covered everything else that was in the soup. The soup was also very creamy, almost too overpowering to finish the whole bowl for one person.

ocean trout, picked knotroot, the season's first peas in many forms, thyme and marfaram from madam's garden This appetizer is one of the more interesting presentation out of the whole meal. As the name suggested, it really reminds you of a pot in a garden. There's basically different type of steamed vegetables inside with a cream type of sauce. It's light and the vegetables were very soft and sweet.

Main course:

Top sirloins of Wagyu beef, winter carrots in technicolors, smoked parsnips, foie gras and pumpernickel croque madamI really like the presentation of the the dish. The wagyu beef was cooked medium rare, so it was really pink. The meat was juicy and flavored nicely with a chargrilled flavor. But the meat was a little on the chewy side even though it claimed to be wagyu beef that they use. The vegetables on the dish was very bland to me so nothing else stood out from the dish.

Roasted pigeon, blackberry gel, fromage fraix, picked hazelnut This was my friend's entree choice. I had a bite of the pigeon meat and it was a lot better than my wagyu beef dish. The meat was cooked perfectly that the meat was tender and lots of flavor. The blackberry gel was a good pairing with the pigeon meat as well.

Dessert:

Amaretto caramel espuma, almond bavarotts, blood orange praline citrus sorbet, shaved coffee shortbread The only thing that really stood out to me was the refreshing orange sorbet. It's light and citrusy for someone that wants a light dessert. The shaved coffee shortbread also gets stuck to the sorbet as you scoop it up, but I didn't like the combination of the two. I thought the coffee shortbread actually takes away to fresh and light flavors that the sorbet gives to the taste bud. The crispy caramel espuma and almond bavarotts also didn't contribute much to the dish either because it didn't really go well with the sorbet.

Chocolate rocks, apricot sorbet, milk meringue, apple brulee, choc glass The apricot sorbet was on the bottom, then the chocolate rocks, and then apple brulee and milk meringue were sprinkled on top. The presentation was nice as usual with the other dishes. But, the dessert was so small that you really dont get a good taste of all the ingredients in there. I also thought there were too much different ingredients in there that clouds your palate into distinguishing anything from the dish. The chocolate rocks were good on its own though, very crispy and very rich chocolate flavor. The apricot sorbet was also good on it's own since the flavor was fresh and the sorbet was very smooth.

Lastly, we ordered chocolate lollipops with raspberry ice cream filling because we heard they are a specialty here. The lollipops did not disappoint, it was crunchy on the outside and the cold ice cream on the inside really make a great combination. They always have different flavours, so definitely can come back and try out other flavors. The set also came with coffee or tea at the end of the meal to wash down everything. Overall, I had a great experience in seeing all the innovative plating and also different ingredients put together. But I think madam sixty ate still can improve on not just throwing too much flavors in one dish. I will definitely come back to try their regular tasting menu and maybe try the afternoon set.

Christmas came early for our taste buds last night. We had heard good reviews of this restaurant and it so lived up to its name. Staff were extremely attentative. We were served what seemed like recently baked bread with the most delicious smoked butter (Not sure how they did it but it was really good.) Bread was complimentary and we were offered seconds wihtou having to ask.

We started with the The Merguez (tunisian sausage) and the Pork Belly. The sausage was very spicy and so very tasty. The pork belly was even better. Sometime you get it where it is soft all the way through even the skin but this was spot on -crispy on th outside and so moist on the inside. It worked wonders with the marinated plums and panna cotta.

For the mains we ordered the Wagyu and the head to tail lamb. My wife asked for the Wagyu to be well done as she is pregnant and to our delightful surprise the chef had advised that if they did that to that type of meat it would not be nice at all. He provided an alternative to replace the Wagyu in the same dish and they adjusted the price of their own accord.

Once again the mains could not be faulted. They were delicious the flavours were extraordinary on the head to tail. My wife had similar comments on her meal as well. We finished with the passion fruit dessert to share. It was wonderful conclusion to the meal.

We finished with drinks on the terrace.

There weren't many people there when we were there for dinner so it maybe a different story when it is packed but through out the whole meal the staff were attentive and paid particular attention to explain each item on the plates although our waiter did come very close to the food as he was pointing out each item. Tables were well placed so that you were not so close to the next table you felt like you were dining with them as is the case with many places in Hong Kong. Without doubt I would recommend this to anyone.

This is a pricey restaurant. Appetizer prices range $100+. Main course prices range $300+. So we did have some expectations. We specially reserved this for our Anniversary.

Among all things, first, their services are good.

We like variety, and we don't eat a lot; so we ordered 3 appetizers and 1 main dish. As a result, we found all 4 items unsatisfactory/ nerve-stinging. The menu was misleading and the food were oddly tasted.

The for items are:

1. Appetizer--"Oyster Soup" $80

-- we ordered the 1-oyster one. The content of this "soup" is "innovative"- basically it tasted like one cup-serving of cold fruit yogurt over a RAW oyster with some foam. It was served in a glass container that resembles those fist-size candlelight holder (picture below), even smaller than a tennis ball. Have to give them credit for the creativity. But the portion is exceptionally small and the taste, maybe to us, is very odd. This is not our idea of "soup" and never will be.2. Appetizer-- (we don't remember the full name) the artichoke soup with goie gras ~$120

-- First we were served with a goie gras that's overly burned (literally black covering 80% of the surface). They gladly reflected our preference to the kitchen and recooked it for us with an additional piece of foie gras in return. The foie gras was okay, but didn't come with enough condiments. So it's a bit dry eating it alone.

This soup is more of our idea of a soup. It's hot and in regular portion. But, the taste is very very distasteful. It was SO sour and salty to the point that it gives a bitter aftertaste. Both of us, never before, uncontrollably frowned due to the sharp taste while drinking it. Later when we asked about the yucky taste, they said they put a little too much lemon juice into the soup???? Never heard of lemon juice are used to complement artichoke.???? So this is also a disaster!!!

3. Appetizer - Scallop..with chicken wings + corn $100+

--This dish is pathetic in a way that it resembles those KFC combination. The 3 scallops were okay. But in a big plate, you can't image there was only ONE chicken wing (I think the menu said wings?) cut into two halves. And the corn was similar to what I used to make for my sandwich (tasted like microscopic tuna crumbs mixed with corn) spreading over the place. Not much taste.

4. Main-- "Whole Suckling Pig" --as printed in the menu $300++

--We were told it's supposed to be the "WHOLE" suckling pig's meat being compacted and covered by the crusty rosted pig skin. When it came, this so-called "WHOLE" pig masterpiece was only the size of 4 fingers together. No kidding, and no exaggerating. It came in a retangular prism of about 10cm X 3cm X3cm. THAT'S ALL! Yes, a WHOLE suckling pig!!

Well, the pig's meat was soggy and very salty. The problem is: all the meat was shredded AND soggy. It tasted like the leftover of leftover for a few days. For sure, it's totally not fresh at all!!

What's worse is that, maybe in attempt to cover the remaining big empty area of the plate, they put two big slices of pineapple on the side. There were ONLY these two big slices of things filling up the empty space of the plate. It's not like we had any other choice of veggie; that was the only thing, so we had to eat it....especially since the pig meat were so salty....CRASH!!!!!!! The pineapple was so so so sour that made our salty tongue ever worse....this strong salty-sourness sting strict into all nerves.

Then we found out it was actually pickled pineapple! With such salty flavor of the pig meat , how can one complement it with ONLY sour ingredients without any veggie?????

It's us or they have to re-learn their cookery skills. They compensated us with some dessert. But we are not too crazy about dessert, so no comment on that.

After the meal, we had to eat again to fill out tummies. Such a bummer!

Oh, also, they did credit us $60 for ths terrible soup!

House made pate with shallot, pear chutney and cumin crispbread
This one already costed $200, luckily this dinner was free

Congrats to Madam Sixty Ate for its excellent food and venue with a difference! We booked a large table for lunch to celebrate a baby shower for a friend and the staff were the first who really understood our needs. We chose a combination of items from a good value set menu, plus I chose off the ala carte. I had the madams salad - crunchy romaine lettuce hazelnuts avocado and sliced red onion with lemon vinaigrette was light and lovely served in a long plate. perfect for cleansing the palate and as a starter. The chicken consume was lovely - inclusive of a delicate piece of poached chicken and then a side garnish of lemon creme with crispy skin. The consume was clear and lovely! Several took the option of the wine paring but I tried the juice delish which was just the refreshing thing for a hot day - fresh grapefruit with a touch of grenadine elegantly served with a slice of fresh pink grapefruit on the side of the glass. Our other guests were very enamoured with the ravioli and the duck from the set menu as highlights. Hmm's and ahhs are always a good sign when eating out! The charcuterie menu tempted several of the other diners in our group and the ice-cream and the other deserts were delicious. Elegant portions yes, but it was done beautifully and was enough to satisfy our group. Must say the service was excellent from taking the booking to the table side. Water glasses were always refilled food arrived promptly and we felt very looked after. We tried to book at some other venues and really were put off. Some for not taking bookings nor letting us bring decorations for the table. All in all the Staff at Madam Sixty ate know how to cook great food with great service in a great setting!

My wife and I were looking forward to Saturday brunch at Madam Sixty Ate after heaing good things. Here's how it went;

ENVIRONMENT & DECOR
Nice contemporary design and good natural light from big windows makes a nice daytime dining atmosphere

SERVICE
* First impressions were not good - I asked the waitress if she could do a skim cappucino and she frowned and looked as if it was a tiresome and unreasonable request
* My cappucino took about 20 minutes to arrive - diappointing as I always order one before ordering food so I can enjoy it while I wait for the food (it should only take 5-10 mins to come)
* When the cappucino arrived the teaspoon was dirty with some dried material stuck to it - I asked the waitress for a clean spoon and she said nothing (no aknowledgment or apology) and simply replaced the spoon. I guess this happens but waiting staff should at least apologise to the customer, if nothing else to re-assure them this is a rare case and it doesn't usually happen...

FOOD
* The food took a long time to arrive (perhaps 30 mins or more)
* My eggs benedict with pork belly was a nice concept as a variation on tradiional eggs benedict. The pork belly was tasty and eggs were well cooked (still runny). It did have some strange deep-fried ball thing filled with garlic butter which burst and sprayed my shirt when I cut into it - the taste and consistency where quite strange
* My wife ordered some home cooked sausages - they looked nice and the flavours was quite complex, however the texture was very "mushy" and strange - were were worried that they may not be cooked properly

The restaurant has a lot going for it with nice atmosphere and some creative food concepts but it was let down by some details in the execution of the food and most importantly the service - in that kind of place or that price I really expect at least basic service and rudeness is really inexcusable. I should say, I don't think the waitress meant to be rude but she seemed unaware of diners expectations and did not communicate well.

It’s actually one of the restaurants on my list which I would like to pay a visit for loooong. I appreciate and admire the contemporary French cuisine. It was quite comfy that I paid my first visit here for brunch during weekend. I had chosen the seats close to the window.

If I was asked to guess what Madam Sixty Ate’s brand essence was, I would venture that they were trying to put the fun back in “serious” food. From the pun name to the whimsical artwork to the menu to the presentation of the dishes, a sense of cheeriness permeates. What really gives the place its upbeat vibe though are the friendly staff and quirky team of chefs. However, just because it’s fun doesn’t mean they don’t take the food seriously, as a tasting of the food shows.

The first inkling to the good stuff to come was the bread and butter, especially the butter. It had a tasty bacony flavour to it, which I later found to be smoked. It managed to tempt this slightly gluten-averse customer to want more bread, just for the butter.

So many dishes I wanted to try, but limited stomach capacity… In the end, we settled for Scallop Bourguignon (as the bone marrow dumpling sounded very intriguing), and the Smoked duck ham with melon terrine.

The seared scallops, wagyu/mushroom/onion ragout and dumpling came in a “kayak” of ox bone – cute but precarious. The scallops were fresh and flavourful, the ragout was tasty and went really well with the scallops. The dumpling was a letdown as I couldn’t taste the marrow at all. The filling was gooey and not undelicious but given that I ordered the dish because of the marrow, you can imagine the disappointment.
The duck ham and melon terrine with the polka dots of puree/sauce was a competent dish in their own right, but the addition of quail eggs and mustard sauce just brought an otherwise ordinary dish to the next level.For main course, we ordered “A day in Persia” and the roast veal. “A day in Persia” was spectacular. Slightly red pigeon breast and a sculptural pigeon leg in pastry on a plate with a bold dark red brush stroke of sauce. The pigeon breast was tender and succulent (though perhaps alarmingly red for some people); the crispy leg was crispy but a little dry and bony. A contemporary dish that skilfully weaved in references to its Persian root with vine leaf parcel of liver, bed of couscous, pomegranate bits and a dollop of pink sheep’s milk yoghurt that reminded me of taramosalata. Very memorable day in Persia indeed.The roast veal with glazed sweetbread was by comparison less dramatic visually but no less spectacular in taste. The veal was tender as it should be; the coffee risotto was subtly fragrant and did not overpower the delicate taste of the veal or the sweetbread. Oh, the sweetbread, so sweet and airy and creamy and silky smooth. It raised the bar for all sweetbreads to come!

Being a lollipop freak, I naturally did not pass on the chance to try the chocolate ice-cream lollipop in addition to dessert. The chocolate was good but they should have stuck to ice-cream inside instead of using sorbet, it was just not substantial enough. And at $30 a pop, it needs to have substance.

As for proper dessert, the poet in me was tempted by “The temptress’ redemption” which was watermelon, compressed melon in a melon consommé with basil granita. I hated this dessert – I couldn’t find anything I liked about it - the melon was not sweet, the granita was too sweet, and there were 2 blobs of pink foam that tasted weird, unpleasant weirdness. I can only advise: Stay away from the temptress!

The cinnamon parfait was on the contrary very good, and I was grateful to have a few mouthfuls to take away the taste of my melon dessert. This turned out to be the redemption I was looking for….Throughout the dinner, the service was prompt, friendly and cheerful. Despite some imperfections, it was a lovely dinner.

Booked a table for two a few days earlier to try out this new place for dinner. When we turned up at the restaurant tonite, all tables for two were so packed together that we felt very uncomfortable being assigned one.

Then we asked for the menu and requested the waiter to recommend some good dishes well known in this restaurant. She did not actually gave us a specific answer. She kept saying that depending on what we liked, all types of food were good at this restaurant. Since her answer was so general, we kept repeating the same questions. BTW, I did not know who designed the menu, but it was full of letters cramped around each dish, i mean each dish had more or less 4 to 5 long lines cluttered around it, and with the light of the restaurant some dim, you could hardly see them yourself. She finally answered that we should try the set menu which consisted of all the signature dishes. The set menu costed around HK$740+10%. per person. We asked to order one set and shared, and the rest we ordered from the main menu. We were surprised to hear that we must order two sets as they did not allow customers to order one set. This is the most ridicious thing that I have ever experienced when dining in HK. The restaurant completely spoiled our evening, so we left right away without even trying out their food. Mine you, with that kind of price they charge, we should expect to have some decent services. Having good food as rated by others is just not good enough

It's a lighthearted subject line for a restaurant that is obviously serious about their food. But, hey, they're Australian.

Simple menu, check. Idiosyncratic decor, check. Straightforward ingredients, check. Wine list without bankruptcy court filing papers attached, check. Spotlessly clean interior and settings, well you guessed it. Check.

Mondays are always a good day to sneak in below radar and have a nice table without reservations or fuss. We took the set lunch and found nothing to disappoint and everything to appreciate.

The tomatoes particularly impressed alongside the hamachi appetizer. Fresh fresh fresh.

Roast beef main was properly done and the fritterization of hollandaise sauce was a neat twist.

Personal highlight was the homemade bread and butter. Not sure if they had some anchovy oil in the butter but it was certainly salted and kicked butt. The bread was excellent. That was my dessert.

Go here and enjoy it heartily. They are nice folks serving up tasty food in a stylish and properly cared-for setting. Balcony seating is of course a seasonal plus. As for moans and groans about the service, we had none so I presume whatever it was that exorcised other reviewers has been worked out since.

A very disappointing experience especially with the service... The whole evening was being ruinedNeed to wait for more than 30min for cocktail without any apologyNo offer of bread / snacks despite sitting for 45 -50minMain course was finished for 20min and plates were cleared... However the whole table was not offered for desert ...The attitude of Manager was poor... As he refused to come to the table initially for explanation despite the fact that both his staff and the restaurant website had lead us to believe that the restaurant participated in the festival of restaurants for both lunch and dinner...No apology was given No offer on any

I came across the Festival of Restaurants campaign organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board while surfing the web. It is part of HKTB's Hong Kong's Wine and Dine Month, and features an array of fine dining and casual restaurants which offer set lunches or dinners at a fixed price.

Running throughout the week of 7-13 November, you can reserve a table through the Festival of Restaurants website. I was eager to try out a Michelin-starred establishment for lunch, but by the time I knew about it, the booking was already full! (As expected...) Luckily there was Plan B: Madam Sixty Ate which had also been on my wish list for quite some time already. And within a few clicks I reserved the place for my mid-week lunch adventure.

Due to a previous commitment I had to go for a late lunch, the last time slot of the day at 1:30. When the lift door opened I was greeted by the painting of

The food was excellent. One reviewer mentioned getting bread with his terrine - I received none, which I thought was odd. Wine service was enthusiastic but slow - by the time our second bottle of white wine arrived, we were ready for the red so we sent the white back. They perhaps need more serving staff The waiter overfilled the wine glasses. Check the bill - we were charged for a cocktail we had not ordered. The toilet did not flush - how embarrassing. The restaurant is on the noisy side but not oppressively so. In nicer weather, a balcony table is a quieter option. But I'm nitpicking The food and ambience were excellent, and the wine list was fulsome and well chosen.

A very very dainty restaurant situated in Wan Chai. Right when I saw previous commentaries and cute pictures of paintings hung up in the restaurant, I very much decided I needed to visit this place.

When the lift door opened and I stepped into the hotel, my attention was drawn to the paintings! For a second, yes just for a second, I thought I had left Hong Kong and was transferred to a foreign land. Culinary was well picked from Europe and there was an open kitchen that you could look at the chefs while they were busily preparing for your meal. I was intrigued with the menu presentation. It appeared that a two-way communication did exist between the diner and the menu that it made you think while you were reading. They named appetizer as 'Savour to start' and 'Chacuterie with Madam, 'Centrepiece of the feast' as in the main and 'sweet cravings' with an implication of my all-time favourite, the desserts.

Thought it would be nice to try it out one Sunday early afternoon. All i can say is this place is just totally adorable!

Once the elevator door opens, a little lounge starts off the restaurant. the setting is just like a living room. Reminds me of the small hang out places in London. Then a bunch of large paintings with imaginary animals. The menus later tell the stories of these animals (you might have to ask for different menus as each one has only 2 stories in it).Food is very European here. Fresh ingredients, simple presentations and tastes. Since it has a small kitchen crew, food are served very slowly. Each dish could be better if they were a bit hotter in temperature. Still. Ain't complaining. Definitely a nice place to have brunch or get together with friends (girl friends especially, in flowery dresses).My favorite painting - Sophie - the smallest rabbits ever in peapods