Finally returning to the world of food after settling my study!

Start writing with the most recent one: tonight's dinner at the Press Room. Already the nth time visiting the venue, yet the first after the renovation ...

Um ... nothing much change? Lemme try: more blackboard? comfortable drink area? The most obvious for me is that they might install the sound proofing walls, less crowded even there are more ppl in.

We had that menu 250, i.e. main course was the roasted pigeon and chose crepe Suzette as dessert from the options of soup/salads/dessert, also our favorite lobster risotto and fries*as usual*

Came first was the bread ... I prefer softer bread ... and warm butter

Roasted pigeon was a surprisingly nice! The pigeon was very meaty and tender. The sauce matched well, so as the side veggie. The sweet potato was very soft!

Lobster risotto was always good, luckily. The risotto was well-cooked and every bite was filled with the heavy lobster favor. Yummy. One flaw: the lobster was a little over-cooked? The bite was not spongy enough, could identify the risotto and lobster when chewing

Fries was also our usual choice and was up to standard, crispy and taste just right for us, no need adding salt at least *that I did all the time*

Crepe Suzette would be better if they perform the cooking in front of us. However, the whole dish was nice even I was not an orange lover. The rum filled the whole crepe and the texture was just right. In addition with the vanilla ice cream, the dessert was the best when you were almost full.

Overall speaking, the menu 250 was really reasonable. And nothing much change even the favor is maintained *thanks god*. So ... is just merely a face lift, as my boss did to the showroom recently as no one really recognize the big change lol

因六點後冇eggs benedict（聽講），所以揀星期六下晝三點去。

紅酒：佢介紹紐西蘭嘅Pinot Noir，係唔錯嘅，不過就薄咗Ｄ，我都係鍾意厚Ｄ嘅。

湯：磨菇湯淡咗Ｄ，洋蔥湯好鹹。

Eggs Benedict：可能都係早餐嘢，太嘈嘅環境係不利享受呢種食物。

Sea Bass：新鮮，冇骨，伴菜亦新鮮，仲有薯蓉。

薯條：真係好脆，同麥當勞一樣幼身但內外皆脆。

環境似中價嘅New York或Sydney downtown餐廳，專俾office友食晏及聚腳嗰Ｄ，仲有個好「英偉」吓嘅老板用占士邦式站姿昅實，相當娛樂性。

Visited this restaurant with a friend to catch up. He ordered mushroom soup ($66) with Prawns ($2xx) and I ordered Asparagus ($1xx) and the Seabass ($205)

Our appetisers came within a reasonable amount of time, considering the restaurant was full by the time we had sat down. My asparagus was well seasoned and perfecting cooked, but the poached egg hollandaise that came with it did not please. Firstly, the egg was fully cooked. Who liked their yolk cooked nowadays? this meant that the white was way too solid... the hollandaise sauce on top was acceptable, but because it was torched/broiled it had a crunchy texture? I thought hollandaise is meant to be thick and creamy!

Our mains arrived and I instantly regretted, and should have ordered the whole roast fish of the day.... My seabass came with mashed potato under, and on top sat three tiny pieces of fish. I have to say, for $205 you can buy 2 or 3 fillets of seabass from citysuper!. The potato mash was alright, since i don't really enjoy potatoes i left them behind. The roasted vegetables scattered around it was alright as well but nothing exciting....

My friend however, enjoyed his soup and prawns. Maybe he ordered well!

I would like to come back and try the plateaux des fruits de mer with lobster and maybe the prawns, I just wouldn't recommend the asparagus with egg nor the seabass!

I never really enjoyed having a one-day holiday in the middle of the week because the feeling is more devastating than weekends. Within 24 hours, one has to return to work, the feeling is definitely worst than a normal 48 hours weekend, which is already not enough! It was 1 Oct 2009, and the best activity to cheer myself on such a holiday was to find something comforting for brunch. I have been to the Brunch Club a bit too often lately so I opted for The Press Room for a nice and relaxing brunch with a friend.

To my surprise, The Press Room looked slightly different, especially the entrance and the previous seafood bar area. After an apparent renovation, a new seafood bar has been constructed at the entrance with its old location replaced by a beverages / alcohol bar. It is obvious that they want to push their seafood items and one of their new offerings include freshly baked / prepared whole fish which can be selected from the seafood bar. Grilled Whole Red Snapper sounds good to me !! The red snapper is for another night, for brunch on this gloomy afternoon, we went for something more suited for this time of day.

(1) Blueberries Pancakes
Pancake? It should be named Fat Pancake or Over-sized Pancake because of its thickness. It was so thick but for a reason I suppose. Only with this thickness can the chunks of blueberries be able to hide inside the pancake. Also, the texture of the pancake was more like a slice of loaf cake, rather firm and dry. It really tasted like slice of loaf cake if it weren't for the syrup. A disappointing dish. (o yes, the bacon was alright, crisp and dry, not greasy as well.)

(2) Corned Beef Hash with poached egg
A highly recommended dish by my friend and it was definitely worth trying. The poached egg was prepared just right with plenty of egg yolk flooding out when the poach was punctured. It really looked like a little poach. As for the hash itself, the texture was starchy with a crisp but firm outer layer. The beef flavor was rich and the diced potatoes and minced carrots inside gave the hash an added variation of flavors on every bite. I think there were traces or slight hints of tomato (and its skin) in the hash but I wasn't certain. Overall a wonderful brunch item.

(3) Press Room Fries
How can one visit The Press Room without ordering its fries, it is a must in my opinion. I have talked about its fries over and over again in many of my reviews and I will never get tired of mentioning it again because it is one of best I tried so far in Hong Kong. The one we ordered was freshly fried and it was crispy with a relatively hollow center and it was not too greasy with a slightly chewy outer layer to it. Thumbs up again! My friend and I were literally fighting over the last piece !!

Likes:

* Fries, Fries and more Fries
* Slightly renovated but maintained the relaxing atmosphere and bistro decor from before.
* Corned Beef Hash - very starchy and rich in beef flavor, a very decent dish

Dislikes:

* Pancake - taste like loaf cake, too thick and dry
* Can be quite noisy when full house

Avg Spending: HKD 100 - 200 per person

I have been talking about this place for a long while, especially its French fries. On this Monday night, it was my day off and after watching the movie UP (what a great movie), my friend and I decided to come here for a relaxing dinner. This place brings back many memories, actually not so pleasant memories now that I think about it. It has nothing to do with food quality, it was something personal. One should look forward into the future instead of circling in the past asking why continuous. Anyhow, enough with the personal reflection here. We arrived at around 8:30pm but it was almost full, on a Monday night! I was surprised but it is a good thing I guess. (O yeah, a note worth mentioning, they are having a Free Flowing Wine Night every Monday!)

On the way to the main dinning area, one would pass by the little oyster bar at the corner. Again I was still shocked at the number of people here on a Monday night! The atmosphere is soft and mild but it was rather noisy that night; then again, this place is called the Press Room which is suppose to be noisy right? While ordering, I asked for some free flowing wine to start it off.

(1) Oysters Selection
With the little oyster bar hiding in the corner, I cannot help myself but to order a few to try. On the menu there was a oyster platter selection but BEWARE, the selection of oysters under the platter option was very limited. To stay away from the limited choices (which we both dislike), we ordered 2 other kinds, a la carte style. We order Angel from Scotland and Fine de Claire from France. The Angel was very salty, way more salty than our expectation especially form a Scottish oyster. Fine de Claire, on the other hand, was way better. It was salty but not in the same sense as Angel because it was rich in oyster flavor to start off with and slowly brought out the sweet and bitter aftertaste. We both liked the Fine de Claire better.

(2) Baked Sea Snails
I liked the presentation very much, simple while elegant. The snails were placed on top of a pile of sea salt. (I wonder why it is called Sea Snails because it looked like Sea Whelk to me.) The flavor was good especially with "a bit" of the sea salt. I said "a bit" because if you tip the balance and got yourself a spoonful of the sea salt in your mouth, prepare to drink a lot of water because the sea salt used was very salty that it can dehydrate soon after. However, with the right amount, it went really well with the sea snails.

(3) Baby Chicken
I am not sure if I mention it before but in my opinion, chicken is a very difficult dish to master or to prepare in a restaurant because it is very easy to overcook it. The ability to prepare a good chicken dish, be it roasted or grilled, gives you a fair idea of the skills of the chef in that restaurant. I would not give the dish being served a thumbs up review not because the chicken quality was bad, it was actually tender throughout and relatively juicy even for the breast area; but it was the flavor of the herbs and spices used that I was rather disappointed. Most of the flavors were on the skin layer so if you are not a "chicken skin eater", you would not get much of a taste out of this dish. I eat chicken skin, so by ensuring my every bite of chicken has a small piece of skin to go along with it, it was a very decent dish.

(4) Daube De Boeuf (with Wagyu Beef Cheek)
Based on my understanding, it is a very difficult French dish to prepare because it requires long cooking time and skills. (at least that is my understanding) It was because of the difficulties in preparing this dish that I insisted on ordering it. The sauce was great, very rich but tasty in my opinion. The mash potatoes were good as well with strong butter flavor. While the Waygu Beef Cheek was very tender and soft that it almost required no chewing at all. (of course not to the point of melting in your mouth like some A5 Grade Wagyu steak but very soft indeed) However, while it was soft and tender, there seemed to be no beef taste to it at all. Is that how the beef cheek tastes like or lacked of it? humm ...

(5) French Fries
We ordered two sets because one was just not enough!!! The fries at this place is so far one of the best I have tried in Hong Kong. They remained crisp even after leaving it at room temperature for 10 or 15 minutes. The texture of the fries is one of the key elements I like to mention because although individual fries were sliced up from one single potato, they were not overly filling with a relative hallow interior. Flavor wise, only traces of salt was found, letting the rich potato flavor for my taste bud to enjoy. Thumbs up!

Likes:

* Great decor, atmosphere and ambiance
* French Fries
* Baked Sea Snails

Dislikes:

* A bit noisy (+ slight echoing effect when full house)
* Limited selection of oyster for the platter option
* lack of beef taste from the Wagyu beef cheek (is it suppose to taste like this? humm)

Original blog: http://jason-bonvivant.blogspot.com/2009/08/press-room.html

jul 12, 09,4人嚟dinner,叫咗 :

1) still water (hk$60)
-原來有水供應,早知問聲先啦~~~hahaha

2) 麵包 (免費)
-太肚餓了,先來1片,塗上軟軟的牛油
-足夠頂住先

3) menu @250 (hk$250)
-只需要喺餐牌揀任何1款starter/ soup/ dessert,配5選1嘅主菜,就可以用優惠價$250,都好抵
-友人真喺好眼力
i) baked sea snails, garlic & parsley butter
-散叫呢個要$95
-好特別的以鹽堆墊底,非1般的薯蓉
-有6隻,我就食咗2隻,hehe,肚餓嘛
-小熱嘅溶牛油+香草浸住田螺,螺肉結實帶彈,清清的自然螺味
-第2隻就肥嘟嘟,正

ii) grilled sea bass, ratatouille provencal
-散叫呢個要$198
-呢個實際喺食完意粉先上,安排做最後1道嘅主菜
-個皮的確煎到香脆
-3塊魚,每塊背後都墊有薯蓉,都幾大碟吓
-肉也沒有乾,不過就偶意食到有魚骨,要扣分
-底下就喺好多唔同種類嘅蔬菜粒

4) wild mushroom soup black truffle cream (hk$66)
-磨菇湯上枱後,侍應才為我們+上truffle cream
-只喺暖暖哋,非大熱
-質地小"杰",creamy,啖啖有菇蓉的質感,菇味亦溫溫的,非濃郁嗰種類
-但也不錯呢

5) lobster risotto (大-hk$195)
-濕濕的,小黏,飯有小煙韌,都可以叫有咬口,但如果可以硬多少少,就更佳
-有好明顥嘅蝦鮮味,也混有龍蝦肉,彈彈的
-很不錯

6) spaghetti carbonara (大-hk$145)
-意粉唔腍,但可以硬d
-汁緊緊包/將住意粉,但個人嫌唔夠cream cheese味不夠
-材料好簡單,只有番芫茜碎,同炸煙肉+炒煙肉
-所以覺得味道不夠豐富

7) pomme dauphinoise (hk$37)
-經1問之下,是1片片薄薯"踏"到好似1000層糕咁,每片中間就有d cheese
-呢個薯磚(我自己作嘅),我以前只食過1次,覺得好好味,做得又有心機/heart
-好高興今次知道佢高姓大名,又可重遇
-面舖咗芝士去焗,薯薄片腍度適中,好味

8) crepes suzette, vanilla ice cream (hk$75)
-記得以前食過很好味嘅crepes suzette喺soho嘅elgin街........好可惜執咗好耐
-以後都幾難碰上有crepe suzette供應嘅地方,我知louis stexx有,不過牛我唔太熱衷,所以久未安排到
-會現場喺餐廳嘅吉位煮,包括起火嘅1刻
-1碟3片,面舖鮮橙片
-pancake薄軟,索盡橙酒,牛油/cream,但略嫌牛油味唔夠,重手d就更正
-都有幾濃縮橙嘅香甜味,讚

9) baked chocolate, vanilla cream, cherries (hk$78)
-好軟身,似"杰"身嘅朱古力mousse泥
-cherry只嘅小酸,因有浸過,
-好濃朱古力味,但味道近尾就嚐到微酸
-所以未能好滿足

* 星期日嘅晚上,少人d,所厶唔多覺嘈

* 亦可能人少,所以服務超好,又快,又attentive。不過佢哋嘅態度/心態好好,知道我哋share食時,有同我商量想點上菜法.........也按我要求1道道咁上..........上邊樣先我就比佢揸主意

* 好難得佢哋每道菜完咗之後,即刻又收嘢,又速再為各人派過新碟同刀叉+公刀叉...........沒有甩過/懶過.............餐廳明顯對自己點serve客人好有要求

* 還有再嚟嘅必要,因仲有好多樣嘢想試,eg roast pork belly, poached sole,洋蔥湯,松露野菇tagliatelle............不過我都會揀番sunday nite

Met up with some girlfriends for brunch at the Press Room. The restaurant was very busy around 1pm and any empty tables were immediately filled. The place had a nice buzz to it but it was loud and the tables were set very close together. My friends were late so I ordered a bowl of latte to start. I liked the coffee the restaurant served and think it's thoughtful for them to serve different size coffees.

I shared the Frisee Aux Lardons salad, Eggs Florentine, fries and a waffle with a girlfriend. We were hungry!! : ) But to be honest, the portion at Press Room is a bit on the small side and the dishes doesn't come with any sides/salads. Eggs Florentine were just 2 eggs served with spinach on English Muffin with nothing else! Think it would be nice if the eggs were served with a side of potatoes and some greens. The Frisee Aus Lardons is a very tasty salad because it's served with crispy smoked bacon and poached egg. It's a simple salad but the ingredients work so well together. But again, the portion is very small… so it was perfect with an egg dish. We ordered waffles at the end as we wanted something sweet to finish the meal but the waffles were a disappointment. I was really looking forward to a golden waffle that's crispy on the outside and fluffy inside but we were served with a plate of soggy mess. The waffles also tasted of baking soda. Have to say this was a very poor attempt of a waffle.

I used to have dinner at night and it was always too dark to take pictures, plus I dun want my flashlights disturbing others ... and finally I am here for a weekend brunch

Lucky that we made a reservation, even it is 2.30pm ... the tables are so full when we arrived and the turnover is quite high throughout our meal.

We had Macaroni Gratin, Burger with Bacon and Cappuccino.

As a baked cheese lover, I adore the macaroni. There is so much cheese and serve hot in a pan. Though it is quite heavy with the full cheese-filled macaroni, I just cant resist since it is not going to be good when it is getting cold. And I recognize I am very full when I stepped out of PR.

Burger with Bacon, with fries as side dish. The burger is awesome with the well-baked crispy bread. The pattie is not that juicy, yet the BBQ flavor is heavy. And the bite is easier and not that messy. The fries is not disappointing and served hot, crispy. Just that it is a bit salty.

My cappuccino, no doubt. A regular coffee and kinda milky that suits my cup. Add a little sugar is sweet enough.

Another recommendations are the lobster risotto and onion soup - they are my usual night orders. The risotto is well-cooked with heavy flavor of lobster, plus filled with the meat. Whilst for the onion soup, the pastry topping is cheesy and sticky, and the soup is of onion-filled. Just try to finish the bowl when it is still hot. If not, it will become very rich and heavy.

The food is good ... just that dun expect service there. It always misses sth in our order every time ... today, we did order extra cheese in the burger and it turned out to be a regular one ...

一直與Miffy 想試試此店的Sunday brunch, 尤其是egg benedict, 但未能成事. 今次雖不是brunch, 而是dinner, 但總算一償心願.

二人行, 點了: (由於已是數星期前, 正式英文菜單已忘了, 請見諒)
1. 帶子薯蓉批: 味道不錯, 但感覺一般. 相信為食貓自家製的更好.. keke.
2. 雜菌松露油意粉: 充滿松露好香, 意粉亦al dente, 好味.
3. 燒豬配蘋果汁: 晚市才會供應. 似中式燒肉,皮極脆,又比西班牙式的好. 與蘋果配搭,出奇地好. 連本身不吃任何熟水果的我也一塊燒豬配一塊熟蘋果的一口接一口吃不停.
4. Crepe Flamingo: 其實等於crepe suzette. 經理會在你面前即煮. 不太甜不太重酒味, 剛好. 相信有不少食客覺得impressive, 因為我發現之後有其他客人亦同樣點了.

+ house red x2

無論店址與餐廳格調均予人身處外國的感覺,燈光柔和,侍應招呼親切適中,有bistro feel. 客人亦以外國人為多,剎那間還以為自己在度假中. 特別喜歡那巨型黑板,與Miffy笑說若然家中廚房有一塊大黑板也不錯,可以塗塗鴉,可以寫寫是日家中餐單及給對方甜蜜叮嚀,頗有生活情趣.

有機會的話,會再訪試試egg benedict 及 seafood platter.

多謝兔兔請客,大概$900-1000.

Date: February 22nd, 2009 / Sunday
Table for 2

Been passing through The Press Room many times when I walked to SoHo from Sheung Wan ... and tonite, I'm finally here!

If you are looking for a romantic nite with your love one ... or a relaxing catch up with a group of friends ... here's a good choice for you ... =)

1) Food portion is small-average but absolutely tasty
2) Environment and atmosphere are great
3) Service to be improved especially I do think all of the diners deserved a "Thank you" after they signed off the bill
4) The decoration ... U can find a mix of "vintage" and "new world"

What we ordered?
1. Escargots ($95)
2. Lobster Risotto (L - $185)
3. Daube Boeue ($245)
4. Still Water (L - $60)

No wine or dessert for tonite as I'm sick. But I'll definitely try the dessert next time!

Dinner: $644 Nett for 2 people

Finally went to Press Room with a friend for Brunch this past Saturday after hearing all the buzz about it.

The restaurant decor was very laid-back, bistro-style. Loved the high ceilings and floor length windows letting the sunlight in. Just the perfect atmosphere for a nice brunch to catch up with friends.

On to the drinks/food, my friend and I both ordered coffee. I had a hot cappuccino and she had an iced coffee. They serve up a hearty portion of coffee in the large teacup, but unfortunately, the food came very quickly and my cappuccino got cold very quickly.

For starters, we shared the French Onion Soup. The layer of cheese melted on top of the bowl was thick and scrumptious when eaten with the soup and onions. The bread inside the bowl, soaked with the flavorful soup, was delicious as well. I usually don't enjoy soggy bread, but this I did not mind because it tasted so good with the soup. Because there was so much cheese and bread, the soup is already really filling on its own, especially since it comes in a big bowl.

Next came the egg benedict. The ingredients on top of the english muffin were fresh and moist, and the hollandaise sauce adds the perfect acidity to complement the rest of the dish. I liked PR's egg benedict, however, I think for any established restaurant, you can't really do any wrong with egg benedict. It is just a classic dish you need to make well.

Finally came the fettuccine with mushrooms and truffles. We were so stuffed by the time we moved on to eating this. It had arrived at the table along with the egg benedict, so the cream sauce was already cooling down and getting thick. We tried to take several bites out of the dish just to try it, but we were just too full. My friend packed the rest of it home. To be honest, this dish did not wow me, and it is simply too heavy for my liking, though I do love the mushrooms. And another note, unless you're a BIG eater, the small plate option will be ample amount as a main course. I can't imagine how much the large plate would carry.

At the end to cap off, I ordered an earl grey tea. This, unlike my cappuccino, was hot and stayed hot. Maybe I should pace my orders next time so everything does not come at once! Nonetheless, I enjoyed my brunch at the PR. Will definitely be back again next time for the delicious French Onion Soup and to try other dishes!

I've only been to this restaurant for brunch and tea, and while brunch is OK, the service is a bit haphazard and the restaurant is too crowded for my liking on weekend mornings.

I much preferred the high tea. There are fewer people, and it's more relaxed. You can sip your coffee and chat with friends, read a newspaper, etc.

The open-air raised balcony style of the dining room is great, you can look out onto Hollywood Road. I love the blackboard menu on the walls and the decoration is pretty cool.

Decoration-wise, it's very New York Nolita/Soho feel. In fact, it reminds me of a very good restaurant I had brunch in a couple of years ago (and still remember!) -- PUBLIC (http://www.public-nyc.com/). However, Press Room's service, food, and value-for-money is a pale imitation of PUBLIC, but since we can't fly to New York every weekend, Press Room is not a bad choice.

However, as other reviewers have noted, the prices are not really worth it, food-wise.

I would recommend this restaurant for tea and brunch rather than a full meal. It's best for a nice drink and some people-watching.

Brunch at the Press Room today. It's been a while since I was last there, so I was eager to see how things have changed since I was last there.

I was debating whether to order my usual - Croque Monsieur - when something caught my eye. They serve H&H bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese! I am a big fan of H&H Bagels from Manhattan's Upper West Side, and I was determined to finally have a decent bagel in Hong Kong!

Given that the weather was still a bit warm, I decided to start with the leek and potato Vichyssoise. When it arrived, I was surprised (and a little annoyed) to find out that this version was warm. While the chef had the nice touch of adding some black truffles, fact remains that Vichyssoise is meant to be cold. If it's hot then it should be called something else - a simple potato and leek soup, for example.

But I'm happy to say that redemption was achieved via the bagel. While it would have been nice to have a choice of bagels (instead of just plain), it was fantastic to finally be able to have a real bagel in Hong Kong. Almost all the bagels you find here are fake - they're actually bread, not bagels. Here you've got the real McCoy, flown in from New York. While my friend complained about not having enough smoked salmon, I thought there was a reasonable amount of it considering the price. It would have been more perfect to have the bagel served with lox and not smoked salmon (yes, there is a difference...), I suppose that smoked salmon is probably more common here.

original blogpost with wine notes: http://chi-he-wan-le.blogspot.com/2008/11/h-bagels-in-hong-kong.html

i have been visiting this restaurant for dinner and brunch since they opened and have also noticed the standard of quality decline steadily whilst the price has increased.

at first, i went to Press Room for the burger and the lamb sandwich. that was what kept me going back. sadly, they have now abandoned the lamb sandwich. the quality of the burger remains unchanged and is one of the best burgers around.

my biggest complaint is about the steak & eggs. it is just that: 2 eggs and one small piece of steak. no fries, no potatoes, no toast, no nothing. for this they charged $85. if you want toast, you can order a side order of toast for $30. for your $30, you get 1 piece of bread cut in half giving you "2 pieces" of toast. i didn't mind initially because the steak was quite tasty.

fast forward to current times... the steak and egg now costs $105. while the price has increased, the size of the steak has shrunk by about 1/3. i know that inflation has driven up food costs, but let's be fair here.

onto other dishes... a relatively new menu item is the corned beef hash. don't even think about ordering it. it comes in a pile resembling canned dog food and the taste is about the same.

steak tartare, again, don't even go there. while i understand that it is raw beef, i have never had steak tartar which was sitting in a small pool of blood. on top of that, all of the ingredients came on the side of the plate. it was a DIY steak tartare. for the price Press Room charges, i expected more than a steak tartare DIY kit.

other notes... as mentioned by other reviewers, the service is horrible. it takes ages to get something as simple as a glass of water. every time i order something, i wonder if the server will get it right.

for the price point that Press Room targets, the quality of food and service fall far short of the target. some of the dishes are good, but they are not worth the price charged.

Have been to its restaurant right next to the cafe, was a disastrous experience, yet do try its coffee, well made and its hot choco was another nice treat, best accompanied with its lemon cake with melted cream on top, don't let its spongy texture deterred you from trying, please do and with a dip of the cream, the lightly lemon aroma blended pretty well with the drinks.

Took a seat there while having a light warm chat with friends, or spread the newspaper on its exceptionally big wooden table while watching people passed by, wat a nice relaxing pastime one would have.