夜上海 (尖沙咀)

夜上海( 尖沙咀) is one of the star restaurant at Marco Polo Hong Kong in Tsim Sha Tsui. The interior is inspired by the chin era of old Shanghai. It serves dishes that will always be in the Metropolis of Shanghai, which includes Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejinag. These famous regional emphasise braising, roasting, quick-frying and steaming with balanced flavour.

Cuisine: Chinese
Food rating: 6/10*
Service: 3/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Price: HK$210ax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars

小笼包 (6/10)
The wrapper was extremely thin; the broth was still hot when it was serving. The filling was rather tender and the broth was infused within. The vinegar was slightly sweeter than the usual Hong Kong standard, but it wasn’t bad with the bun.山煎包 (5/10)
The bun was soft and spongy; the bottom was fried nicely with the perfect crispiness. However the filling wasn’t the juicy style as I would expect.奶油津白 (6/10)
Great balance between the thickened cream and evaporated milk was use. It was rather rich, creamy and buttery. The Tianjin cabbage was cooked well with the sauce, more importantly, the cabbage was not over cooked, slight crispiness remained. 狮子头 (7/10)
This was a memorable dish, the meat ball, mushroom were nicely slow cooked with the broth and topped with pak choi after. The sauce was rich and delicate, it was perfect infused with all the ingredients. More importantly, the chef has kept the thickness of the broth at balance and the meat ball was marinated/mixed with the right balance of ingredients. The food quality is absolutely outstanding, but the services are horrendously poor, the waiters hardly notice the diners seeking for help, nor would they change your plates and refill the tea pot. This is absolutely not acceptable at this level/standard of Hotel restaurant.

Give me a thumbs up if you like it!

Vivo (中環)

Vivo is an Italian restaurant with modern décor, which is informal, intimate and innovative. The specially crafted lighting simulates the dramatic scenery of Hong Kong Island. This stylish restaurant sits at the heart of Soho and it also serves innovative Italian menu.

Cuisine: Italian
Food rating: 3/10*
Service: 5/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Price: HK$250ax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or 10/10 to three Michelin stars

Mussels in coconut broth (3/10)
The mussels were cooked with white wine, garlic and thyme. Then topped with coconut milk to complete the broth. The mussels were creamy and soft, very nicely made.Grilled Sea Trout. (3/10)
The sea trout steak was grilled nicely, but it lacked seasoning. If the chef has scout the sea trout and season it in between, if should bring the sea trout to another level (more flavour and crispy) Prawn Tortellini. (3/10)
The prawn was crunchy lightly season. The tortellini was boiled nicely in the broth and topped with lemon juice was very decent. The service was excellent, the bar manager was suggested the coffee is very good at Vivo and we gave it as shot and it was very decent. Definitely worth coming back in the future.

Give me a thumbs up if you like it!

View 62 by Paco Roncero (灣仔)

View 62 is located on the 62nd floor of Hopewell centre in Wan Chai. The restaurant will bring you the stunning view around Hong Kong along with your meal. The journey includes Victoria Harbour, The Peak and the Happy Valley. The cosy and elegant setting not only enhances your experience at View 62, together with the spectacular view, it brings you an unforgettable experience.

The staffs are very professional, not as the other reviews suggested on the internet. They know the food menu thoroughly and the wine guy would perfectly match your meal with the perfect wine. More importantly, it has over 100+ teas for you to choose from. I am sure this is the new top-notch top would earns Michline’s recognition next year.

Cuisine: Spanish
Food rating: 7/10*
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Price: HK$825pax

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or above to three Michelin stars

XXI Century Omelet (7/10)
The omelette was separated in 3 layers. The top was potato foam, then it was the egg foam, and at the bottom was a caramelised onion. You needed to spoon from the top to bottom and eat all 3 layers together. The flavour and texture was extraordinary, greatly seasoned, delicate, rich and foamy. Octopus Galizian style with potato puree and virgin olive oil (6/10)
This is one of the better potato puree I have tried, it reminded me the Joel Robuchon potato puree at London. The octopus was seasoned with paprika, slightly sweet, but the salt and pepper was not seasoned equally, some were rather tasteless, some were perfect. But the texture was outstanding; the chef got its timing right.Foie-Gras in Royal with stewed lentils and porcini (6/10)
The foie-gras was made in the puree state and place at the bottom and then topped with the lentils soup. All 3 ingredients have very strong flavour, the beginning it was rather difficult to get the foie-gras from the bottom; hence it was over powered but the lentils. Vice versa, toward the ends, each spoon of soup was full of foie-gras, hence it was dominated by the foie-gras. The innovation was great, but the results weren’t exactly perfect.Garoupa With Pisto a la minute, green sauce and cuttlefish noodles (7/10)
The garoupa was cooked in water bath and then pan-fired. The garoupa was perfectly seasoned, and was just slightly over cooked. Great presentation, and the green sauce and cuttlefish noodles was absolutely spectacular, full of flavours. Beef Cheek In civet with artichoke, French onion and stripes of smoked bacon (6/10)
The beef was some high quality stuff; it was full of the meaty flavour. It was accompany with a sweet and delicate onion sauce. The artichoke and the bacon was perfectly seasoned, that enhanced the comparison of the beef was not seasoned. If the Beef was well seasoned, this would have been my favourite dish. Tiramisu (8/10)
This has to be the best Tiramisu I have ate in my life so far. It was totally different with the conventional one. The mascarpone was unexceptionally smooth. I don’t know what else, I should comment, please try it out yourself. SnacksNo doubt the Chef is famous for his contribution to nouvelle cuisine and food innovation. It is highly emphasised on the taste, texture and its presentation. I am looking forward to revisit the restaurant, especially for Jake’s and Simon’s wonderful services. But certainly, one of the “manager graded” waiter – fat with glasses - was a total disgrace. Every time I asked him for something, he always looks for his junior, seriously, if you ask, why your boss hired you.

Give me a thumbs up if you like it!

南海一號 (尖沙咀)

南海一號 is one of the top restaurants at I-square, but definitely not my ideal preference. It is because the restaurant has consistently provided horrible services, and more importantly, there is always room for improvement in a negative way – it only goes downhill. The restaurant is a fusion Cantonese restaurant with modern décor. The high ceiling with the Victoria Harbour view is the best way to enjoy your dinner.

Today, is the first time ever I have made a reservation in a restaurant that we have to wait 40 minutes to be seated in a sister restaurant of 南海一號, you must be kidding. Moreover, we have ordered 5 dishes and 2 were sold out, and we made substitute, and it was sold out again. Jesus, it was not our fault that we were seated at 9:15pm when the reservation was at 8:30pm.
At least the food was up to Michelin standard, but it was certainly not the best dining experience. Austin, tell me what happened?
Cuisine: Nostalgic Cantonese Cuisine

Food rating: 6/10*
Service: 2/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Price: HK$260 (per head)

* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or above to three Michelin stars

Roasted duck
The flavour was brilliant. However, the skin wasn’t crispy and the meat wasn’t tender enough. Such as shame that Peking duck sold out.Poached Bitter Gourd with Ginko nuts and bean curd skin
We asked the kitchen to poach the bitter gourd softer than usual, nicely done. The broth was rich and delicate. The bean curd skin gave the dish some texture. More importantly, the bitter gourd and the bean curd skin have soaked the flavour of the broth, a mild dish go with a heavy night.Braised fried tofu with wild mushroom
This dish had a very strong body. Tofu was soft and the gravy was nicely balance, wasn’t over powered nor seasoned. Probably one of the best tofu dishes at 南海一號.Pan-fried black pork with soy
This was probably the best dish of the night, yet probably one of the simplest dishes! The quality of the pork spoke for itself, fresh and tender. Pan-fried it with the soy sauce, it was a dish to perfection. Cheese and Prawn pan-fried rice
It was such a shame that the龍蝦湯泡貴妃飯 was sold out too, hence we ordered 芝士大蝦煎飯 instead. The prawns were nicely sautéed with cheese, yet it wasn’t heavy at all. It was fried and then pan-fried. It was slight burnt on the outside and dry inside, very innovative. It wasn’t a bad substitute at all, wroth ordering. Despite the lovely service, the food is still worth trying. My advice is to visit the restaurant on a weekday, when it is not busy. Because the restaurant cannot handle a full house, unless you have the time and patient to tolerate the 5-stars service at 南海一號.

龍蝦吧餐廳 (金鐘)

I cannot picture where diners can enjoy fresh lobster in every single dish – steamed, boiled, grilled or raw - and I am sure that I am not alone. Lobster Bar and Grill at Island Shangri-la not only will do the job for you, and the savoury taste of this crustacean will linger around without your imagination. In addition, both the lunch and dinner services are accompanied by live music performance. For me, it was the perfect choice for a Easter Sunday lunch with my mother.

Cuisine: European
Food rating: 4/10*
Service: 9/10
Ambiance: 8/10
* Food Rating: 6/10 is equivalent to 1 Michelin star, 8/10 to two Michelin stars, and 9/10 or above to three Michelin stars

Avocado with green apple salad and lobster tarragon jus
The lobster was fresh and poached nicely. The avocado is slight sweet and buttery, the texture is smooth, definitely is a well ripe one. The apple brought the salad some freshness to the dish, it mixed well with the lobster sauce and avocado. It is very seasonal salad.Prawn and avocado salad
The prawn was fresh and presented beautifully. The avocado is slight sweet and buttery, the texture is smooth, definitely is a well ripe one. The dressing is the same as the lobster salad. I really didn’t see or taste the different between the salads, other than the prawn and lobster. Mushroom minestrone
The broth has a deep and rich flavour, together with the mushroom was brilliant. I don’t think you can stop after you started drinking. Lobster bisque
If you are not an alcoholic, please avoid the bisque. The soup is full of the lobster flavour. However, the chef has poured a bottle of brandy instead of a table spoon for a tiny bowl. As you can imagine, the alcohol has redefined who the boss is. The waitress (Karlina) has offered for a substitute, handled the situation very nicely.Risotto and morels
Like the other restaurants at Shangri-la, slightly overcooked. I believe it could be slightly creamier and season a wee bit more. The lobster claws were slightly bitter. Rather disappointed.Thermidor
One of the best Thermidor I ate in Hong Kong so far. Personally, I would have grilled the lobster a minute or 2 more with more parmesan on top. The sauce was well balanced between egg yolks, crème fraiche, mustard and cheese. It would be even better to serve with some chopped herbs, such as chives and chervil. Crepes Suzette
It was an exciting dish to order. It was cooked at the dining room, where you can see everything and the smell was lovely. It would be even better if they flame the alcohol and let it burn off; it would have intensify the flavour too. The crepes were spongy and buttery. The sauce was sweet and full of orange flavour, yet the orange zest gave a slight bitter. A well made crepes suzette!Exotic fruit salad flavoured with lemon grass, mango sherbet
The fruit was extremely sweet and fresh, especially the pineapple! For the fruit to go with the sherbet, it is a very healthy and light dessert for a spring lunch. I loved it. The waiters and manager were extremely attended to details and friendly. They have handled everything with care, Matthew definitely worth a mention. The only thing to catch is they don’t know much about their own menu (how does it cook or prepare). Nonetheless, on service itself, 56th Floor (Petrus) should be learning from the crew.