Choosing Pivo for the easy access and the credit card discount as our monthly gathering dinner place, we were delighted like before by their upbeat ambience and proactive staff. Our appetizers were the octopus salad and the ox tongue; the former was fresh though a little light in taste while the latter was tender and well marinated. The duck leg brown rice was fair as I expected it to be richer and more cheesy. The sausage platter was extremely fulfilling and meaty. The pork knuckle was a classic with crispy skin and delicious seasoned meat. The crowning dishes were the Dutch babies which were crepes with ice cream - not too heavy, not too sweet and just right for desserts. This cost $275 per person and we would be certainly be visiting again.

Wanted to try something new so chose this bar-and-restaurant in Civic Square. Service was appalling; staff flatly refused to change plates when asked to (note the stains) and insisted “all the plates are the same” - I could only show the rubbed off stains to demonstrate the hygienic state. The prawn fettuccine was at best half cooked and the pasta was hard to swallow. The shrimps were not fresh and the tomato sauce was bland. The presentation of the duck breast (we were first told there was no duck breast and only confit but apparently that was a piece of misinformation) was worse than amateurish - at least have the decency to spread out the duck breast slices and the apple garnish. This was well cooked but too much so to the point of being tough. The wagyu beef was divided into two plates; again an awful attempt at display (or perhaps they didn’t attempt at all). The sweet potato chips was the first acceptable item; crispy fat chips which was warm and starchy inside coming in two colours. The wagyu beef was passable as a roadside steak but a wastage if it was indeed a score 7 as the menu claimed - the natural taste was completely masked by the smoky bbq flavour. Really hard to find a staff member even to ask for the bill. This dinner cost $ 1086 which was outrageously overpriced even with a discount from open rice - we are definitely not returning.

Chose to have a quick dinner with a friend in this little bistro; the staff were assiduous and efficient. We both chose the Australian sirloin steak. The portions were quite generous and the thick-cut steak was juicy and tender. I didn’t like the side salad as it was soaked in vinaigrette and mayonnaise, and would have liked my chips to be crispier. The dessert was free on the house as an online booking benefit. We chose the citron cake which turned out to be a very proper specimen of the classic delicious fresh cream topped cakes - akin to the carrot cake genre. The bill amounted to $141 per head - very satisfying indeed.

Felt this diner wouldn’t let us down on a weekday in spite of the recent turmoils - still in the course of trying out its new menu. The prawn panzanella was fresh and zesty, the fact that it had more greens than bread was pleasing to us. Our favourite smoked salmon and avocado crostini remained a rich and creamy experience on crispy bruschetta. The wagyu burger came in a surprising black bun (we were not sure if that was squid ink or charcoal) but the burger was juicy and succulent all the same, the thick cut fries were slightly too dry - likely kept a bit too long after being deep fried. Staff were attentive. The dinner cost $240 for the two of us, and was unrivaled in this mall for price and quality.

Chose this German eatery with credit card discounts - decided to try the slow cooked pig knuckle instead of its crispy and oily counterpart. The meat was so tender that it practically melted in my mouth and was perfect with the coleslaw; we had a number of sauces to choose from, we liked the fruity one best. The sole fillet was unexpectedly generous in portion - lightly pan fried to a golden yellow and was crunchy and fresh. The chips and mashed potatoes were of the usual quality - good enough I guess. The staff were attentive and dishes served quickly. A mega bargain at $245 for two, definitely worth a revisit.

We visited this restaurant a few times since it reopened next to the cinema and were lucky to find it open tonight when most other shops and eateries closed at 7pm due to traffic issues. The menu had been revised and we were still working our way through it. The pumpkin risotto with pork belly meat was well liked; the risotto wasn’t too buttery or heavy - the pumpkin (diced and added into the risotto) lightened the pasta. The pork belly was succulent and guilt-inducingly pleasing. The angus steak with fries was satisfactory; the steak was juicy and tender, the grilled tomatoes were a nice touch though the fries were slightly on the dry side. All in all, an economical choice (with credit card discount) at $263 for a dinner for two.

Saw on Open Rice that this eatery is doing 50% off for dinner so went after work as unfortunately this is usually an ominous sign for any restaurant in Hong Kong. Brunch lovers should know this place well - its sister shop in Causeway Bay has been the beloved weekend canteen of expats and bourgeoisie alike. After climbing the steep steps to the terrace in Peel Street and drenched in heat, I understood why with such an attractive discount the place was still empty. The mushroom lamb burger was quite succulent and the mushrooms were nicely grilled; the potato wedges would be nicer if they were more crispy. The egg Benedict on Parma ham was excellent - if not for the muffin, the ham and egg might have been a little salty, but if one arranged the egg-ham-muffin ratio it was delightful. The mini hash brown and salad were so-so. The lemon cake had been warmed and it was spongy inside with just enough sugar atop to be sweet with a tinge of zest. A rare bargain at $75 per head - I hope the place could make it through.

After numerous dinners here, there are still delicious dishes to be discovered. Was quite hungry so ordered a small “don” (rice) set with their famous pork in teriyaki sauce and grilled salmon. The pork was tasty as usual - the glistening rinds of fat would melt with the tender meat in your mouth in a guilty bite - this went very well with quality rice. The sheer size of the salmon was a pleasant surprise, the taste was an even bigger one with crispy skin covering creamy fresh salmon cooked to perfection - that is, thoroughly cooked but still retaining the springy texture which reminded one of sashimi. An ideal pick-me-up choice for a moderately priced dinner at $212.3.

Trying out the Christmas features - snowball mocha and red velvet cheesecake. Really too sweet for my taste. Even with a customized “skimmed milk, no whipped cream, reduced syrup, extra shot” version, the mocha tasted basically like a hot chocolate. The cheesecake was simply a New York cheesecake with a deceiving new red jacket: the dollop of cream and strawberry did nothing to subtract from the heaviness. Not really a choice for the weight and health conscious.

Came for tea with friends - a bit surprised as the cafe appeared smaller than what we recalled from memory - found it funny some staff members weren’t aware of the association of the signature pink ribbon of the featured tea set with the hotel supporting the fight against breast cancer (as advertised on the website). The pink mocktail tasted just like grapefruit juice; interestingly the tea set was not presented in the usual multi-storey rack but on a platter - the savory bite-sized finger foods were satisfactory except the chicken vol du vente was a bit on the dry side. The sweet desserts were much prettier - the guava one was very good with the fresh guava fruit and cream with ladies’ fingers, the rose and lychee tart was not to be outdone though the textile of the tart base could be a little more crisp - I couldn’t discern any difference in the raspberry yogurt, the baba berry or the strawberry vanilla cream as the sweetness of the pink-colored white chocolate crowded out my uneducated palate - the coffee was good though I am more used to richer roasts, the Ritz-Carlton signature chocolate was, however, reported to be too sweet and viscous. In spite of the warm service, I would still consider this a mite overpriced - the lack of an à la carte menu reflects a lack of flexibility - the tea set may be better balanced if there were more savory items. But yes you can’t deny that it was an aesthetically pleasing experience and an excellent place for meeting friends, not to mention the million-dollar’s worth of views.