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2013-12-31
9771 瀏覽
'Aqua Roma, Aqua Tokyo, Aqua Spirit'..The three names were slightly confusing at first, but a bit more research revealed that this was one venue occupying a double storey space on 29/F and 30/F of One Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.Aqua Roma and Aqua Tokyo refer to the Italian and Japanese cruise served in the main restaurant space, while Aqua Spirit refers to the mezzanine bar level above.I had the experience of planning a Christmas lunch for our small office at Aqua. In this review, I'll attempt t
The three names were slightly confusing at first, but a bit more research revealed that this was one venue occupying a double storey space on 29/F and 30/F of One Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.
Aqua Roma and Aqua Tokyo refer to the Italian and Japanese cruise served in the main restaurant space, while Aqua Spirit refers to the mezzanine bar level above.
I had the experience of planning a Christmas lunch for our small office at Aqua. In this review, I'll attempt to best describe our experience in terms of booking, setting, service and food, in a way that is helpful for anyone interested in visiting this restaurant.
Booking:Despite being almost Christmas, securing a table was fairly easy. After several confirmation emails with various typos and errors, we eventually had everything sorted. To their credit, the restaurant staff were very willing to provide us with their current food and drinks menus, so we had a good idea of what to expect before arriving.
Setting:
One of the factors that really drew us to Aqua was its outstanding location. Situated high above TST, the venue offers wide, unobstructed views out over the Cultural Centre towards Hong Kong Island. The double storey void and glass facade ensure plenty of natural lighting, and work to make the restaurant quite recognizable even from across the Habour.
Upon arriving at the spacious, simple, and elegant One Peking Road lobby with a similarly large glass facade, framing the adjacent historical Maritime Police Headquarters through a screen of inter-crossing giant bamboo, we were greeted by a helpful sign directing us to the lifts that would take us up to the restaurant.The restaurant lobby on the 29/F is somewhat colonial in its use of pattern, the pattern being the restaurant group's logo which is featured in the floor tiles, and in perforated metal screens mounted on the walls. In our opinion, their logo, or references to it seemed to be everywhere; from the lobby, to the use of circles in fixtures and fittings, to those on staffs' uniforms, to the point where it was slightly 'brainwashing'.. These observations aside, we were greeted by reception staff and seated within a couple of minutes.
Being in the middle of winter, Hong Kong is quite cold at the moment, but the first thing we noticed as we walked into the main restaurant space was that it was very warm! The slightly angled glass facade faces due south, producing a severe greenhouse effect; no doubt making the space very energy inefficient to cool during summer. In the place of blinds are slightly tacky tinted films that failed to keep the sun out of our eyes, which proved to be a nuisance for a large part of our stay.The interior itself was a bit 'heavy' for our tastes, with a monolithic blue and gold palette, and finishes that were overly reflective considering the abundance of glass in the facade, resulting in a slightly disorienting space. Despite these slight flaws, the interior design is modern, funky, and when coupled with the magnificent views, make this venue absolutely worth experiencing.
Practically, seating is arranged in three tiers to maximize views out, with private function rooms located towards the east and west. Selecting a seat towards the left should allow interesting views of helicopters landing on the Peninsula Hotel's helipad. We had about three land while we were there.Service:
The waitresses that served us were generally efficient, but didn't really smile and were a bit cold and unfriendly.
Food:
A weekday lunch at Aqua offers a choice between Italian Set Lunches (2 or 3 course), Japanese Set Lunches (bento box style or seafood sets), or an A La Carte menu. Wines were avaliable from an extensive drinks menu, but unfortunately no cocktails are not served until 4pm.
Entree:
- Maguro, Botan ebi, tai sashimi, spicy sake maki
- Soft shell crab and lettuce salad with garlic soy dressing
Mains:- Italian Menu > Natural search grass fed striploin of Angus beef served with roasted parsnips, oven baked honey beetroot, Parmiggiano and veal jus sauce ($288 for 3 course)
- Japanese Menu > Aqua Deluxe Bento Box: Sushi platter, Prawn and vegetable tempura, Pan fried foie gras and beef tenderloin, Seasame spinach with myoga ginger, Wagyu beef udon noodle, served with appetizer and pickles ($298)
- Japanese Menu > Vegetable Bento Box: Mixed Vegetable Bento Box: Mixed vegetable tempura, Sesame spinach with myoga ginger, Grilled tofu and winter melon truggle teriyaki, served with appertizer, pickles, miso soup and rice ($198)
Dessert (Italian Set Lunch only):
- Panettone parfait served with torrone sauce and wild berries
In general the food was good but not expectional. The sashimi was decently fresh, and likewise the soft shell crab; visualy impressive dishes and generous portions for an entree. Flavours in the Angus beef main didn't compliment too well, potatos were a bit bland and not creamy enough, but an enjoyable dish nevertheless. Dessert started off well but unfortunately turned out to be too sweet for me to finish..Closing Comments: exceptional location, funky interior and good food at a reasonable price make Aqua a restaurant well worth experiencing. Our bill came to around $560 per person which included two bottles of wine, a few mocktails, and coffes between the eight of us. I would recommend anyone to visit this restaurant at least once during the day, and again in the evening for dinner and drinks.
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