To see all the Food Photos, please visit Babedolphin's "Supplementary, A-Picture-Is-Worth-A-Thousand Boring Words Photos Site " at : http:\\babedolphin.blogspot.com

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After fraternising at our rendezvous spot, the remaining 3 decides its prime to do an impromtu dinner as an afterthought rather than based on prior solitary planning! The revivification of the upstairs private-kitchens movement was randomly brought up during that conversation and we decided it could prove just the stimulus we needed, that will settle us into the groove and propel us into the second, climatic stage of the evening! Or so we'd hoped! As we temporarily lost vision re-adjusting eyesight to that darkly lit, very narrow and almost-too-steep a staircase whilst passing by the furniture store level, I did not detect aberrations in our unity of thoughts - we remain poised and on track to push open the door now looming ahead. For once, it almost made me feel proud to be a determined foodie!

On that November night there was no classy Vestibule or grand entrances, only a frail wooden door awaits, studded with barely recognisable letters reading 'members only'... the latter tends to wreak havoc on the soldiers' minds, it making us feel more important than we really are, or they really are! Pausing for breath momentarily, mental images suddenly turn white-washed as I finally came to my senses that as we treaded closer to the truth, any pre-formed anticipation of that realm which we'll be entering into will ultimately prove futile. Afterall, none of us have set foot inside ever. As soon as we enter that unforeseen room beyond the very dark doorway, it'll be as good as anyone's guess.... And that's why Private Kitchens do hold an appeal afterall, as it is serendipitous in nature! Chez Moi in French translates literally as 'My Place' and so fittingly there will be experiments of food tonite from that private little kitchen ! Aware of competing kitchens also serving similar food in Causeway Bay, consensually we agreed upon Chez Moi since none of us have eaten there but apparently there was good feedback from others before us. Add to that, a mid-$350 pricing here for a 5 Course Dinner without service charges isn't outrageous and its a gamble us pundits were willing to take, the odds certainly favours the Diners should it turn out to unravel a pleasant experience worth revisiting, but if that one night of close encounter does not work out right, there's damage limitation in place - so tonight let us: Jin, Jason and I give this kitchen team a chance to prove their worthiness in the business...

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GARLIC & HERBS BREAD -
Toasted soft bread with a bit of dried herbs and garlic butter was acceptable. SCORE: 3.8/5

SAUTEED FRENCH LIVE MUSSEL with WHITE WINE GARLIC SAUCE -
The blue mussels surprisingly resembled the Northern France variety, so using this type of high end mussels as an ingredient shows heart from the shop. Ultimately however this dish proved disappointing! The mussels didn't taste alive or plump, they were without mussel sweetness and too many broken shells were detected with the meat inside, putting the customer at risk of swallowing dangerously sharp shell shards. Either that or the meat was already detached and sunk before it learned to swim in that very thin broth beneath. This sauce was 1 dimensional, lacking the mussel's sweetness, the all important White wine influence nor fresh herbs contribution - all of which should have taken centre-stage. Too annoyingly watery thin - a bit more creme fraiche or even flour wouldn't hurt for both thickness and flavouring. SCORE: 2.0/5

PAN SEARED GOOSE LIVER & SLICED CARAMEL APPLE with PORT WINE SAUCE -
The slicing of the Foie Gras d'oie lobe is quite thick. From the chef's angle, its because they'd wanted to smother our palate with a melting liver experience rather than repeating the usual, thinly grilled versions. Unfortunately serving it in this guise requires meticulous attention to 'de-veining', otherwise the weakness can stick out like a sore thumb. Certain bites for me became an intertwined sensation between unchewable veins and barely cooked 'gras', it became unpleasant after a while as I tried the hardest to swallow but it got overbearingly uncomfortable, bits ended up being spit-out in the end. I shall apologize about my table manners seeing I sat opposite Jason!

And that wasn't the end of our woes. You see, initially when we bit in on the liver, there was a thick & artificially, almost 'bubbly' crunch on the surface, which reminds of popping candy... At that stage in my head I tried to decipher the type of weird flour-coating they had sprinkled onto the surface deliberately, possibly along the line of Sticky Rice Flour as Asians love using it when fellow diner Jin - who despite her lovely and humble appearance knows a lot and should never be underestimated , said its possibly Potato Flour, which makes more sense as it has a large starch granule size. Anyway, from this incident one really sees two sides to the story of how this restaurant operates: from 1 angle, one sees that the kitchen came up with an ingenius idea of using a special starch coating plus thickly cut foie gras, in order to give out a more crunchy exterior without over cooking the soft inner molten centre. At least that was the aim. At the end of the day, it carried flaws in the formula, plus the liver quality really wasn't 'foie gras' enough as it doesn't have enough melty, goose livery essence, definitely not upto tout venant nor restauaration grade. The Port Wine reduction sauce meanwhile was done well, the apple could have been softer. SCORE: 3.0/5

FISHERMEN'S SEAFOOD SOUP -
This carried the usual tomato paste base, but surprisingly the seafood taste manifested itself nicely - from memory, the slightly minced seafood included prawns, more than 2 types of fishes, clams as well as items as exclusive as sea snails. There was a long fish bone in my soup though, which normally shouldn't have been in my soup bowl seeing how all the seafood bits were finely diced, the bone was 5 times the length of anything else within. Nevertheless, enjoyable soup. SCORE: 4.0/5

HOME MADE SHERBET -
Given to be a Palate Cleanser - but I encountered several problems. First of all, I'm not sure its a great idea to introduce it after the soup but before the meat courses, esp. a fishy seafood soup, as it clashed in flavours. 2ndly, this green apple Sherbet should actually be a Sorbet, as sherbets are usually candies but as an ice cream it wouldn't work as a cleanser. Its the 'Jar of Water' or 'Canele' phenomenon recurring all over again, but no one pays attention to! 3rdly, this sorbet's quite densely packed and too sugary sweet, cleansers should be slightly more icy, fluffy and lightly sour to serve its purpose! So whilst having a posh Cleanser calculated as part of your 5 Course Dinner Meal might sound like a novel marketing idea - the way this 'Sherbet' was served was off the mark and might have been more successful served at the end of the meal, as a 2nd dessert instead! SCORE: 1.5/5

PAN FRIED COD FISH with TRUFFLED CREAM SAUCE -
The truffle flavour was scanty and not aromatic, and not surprisingly based on truffle paste which really isn't exactly truffles - nevertheless, its still enjoyable and buttery. The Cod Fish itself was slightly over-cooked and on the verge of flaky, sacrificing the meat quality though the skin was slightly crispy. The pumpkin mash was perfectly seasoned and moist, the side bundle of chinese green beans wrapped by bacon strip was a nice additional touch which again highlights our observation throughout the night that this restaurant really does put in additional thoughts to try improve the dining experience, at least this time it worked. The Grilled-Tomato however was very sour for some reason! SCORE: 3.5/5

AUSTRALIAN WAGYU RIB-EYE with RED WINE SAUCE (ADD $30) -
Ordered Medium-Rare instead of Rare Plus, it came out about right by international standards but others might judge it as slightly over-grilled as its pink without red jus. It had a charry browned surface, with some aroma from the maillaird reaction. The Beef had both beef and also marbled-fat taste together, its definitely a cross-bred Wagyu so sometimes being a cheaper wagyu has its benefits! The sauce was based on commercialised demi-glace stock, just like most other places, but the side vegetables and a different french bean to the above dish were surprisingly ok. SCORE: 4.0/5

US LAMB T-BONE STEAK with MASHED VEGETABLE -
After trying the Beef above, this was a big let down and received universal cussing. A bit tough and unwilling to part way with the attached bone - the meat quality was questionable and it had a gamey taste of the unpleasant variety rather than enjoyable type! This really was below par but then again, one needs to think about how this restaurant ditches the usual lamb racks and experiments with a T-Bone version. Vegies basically same as in fish dish, so it was never designed from the outset to complement and enhance the central scheme, but only there for a sake of having some greens. Nevertheless, local multi-starred Michelin restaurants serves the same - so at this price point its fair. SCORE: 1.5/5

BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING with ICE CREAM -
This seemed crustily dry and doesn't have much butter or eggy taste, it was the non-custard type version. The Ice-Cream wasn't very vanilla like, but the cream sauce under the pudding had some vanilla essence. Not a very good pudding and not finished. SCORE: 2.0/5

JAPANESE PUMKIN CHEESE CAKE -
Mispelling here spotted on the menu, like sherbet above! Although not explained to us, this was meant to be eaten as an ice-cream cake version with partially frozen layers. No cream-cheese taste was detected but the pumpkin layer fared better. No one seemed to enjoy this dessert much except me, it really wasn't that bad... It also comes with a miniature Red Apple on the side, most likely sourced from Japan, as well as some fresh berries. Simple dessert done ok-well. SCORE: 3.8/5

REGULAR COFFEE -
Coffee was acridly and honestly quite terrible, its not even aromatic. However it came with pre-warmed creamy milk on the side, another nice touch and pouring in some of this salvaged a ridiculous coffee into something at least drinkable! SCORE: 2.0/5
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SUMMARY - Our table became vocally critical of many dishes, it turned out to be another Quasi-French experience rather than a real deal, the executions in some dishes far from hitting the home run! The only consolation is that the dining space had a romantic air to the setting, its really great for a friendly gathering or for a first date (unless you take Jin here, then you won't see her again since she knows food too well and so naturally, carries higher expectations! ). Service here is faultless & warm, good wine glasses are provided at one's disposal without corkaging fees, plus the myriad of invisible things that we uncovered during the night as highlighted above became positive traits - there was ample evidence from the way they tried reinventing the wheel with many things! The kitchen at least tried to inject into their dishes some heart and additional thoughfulness, unlike the lackadaisical attempts by other similar businesses. Pity some ideas needed more tweaks. Already in anticipation of writing this pending future review my mind was lacking lucidity and in gamut mode, as we discussed and debated over what scores or emoticon to award to them eventually. It duly deserves applause in a way, or at least another chance, despite poor showings here and there. As for the verdict? A languid, provisional Smile for now...

1) For all Food Photos, please visit Babedolphin's "Supplementary Photos Site" at : http:\\babedolphin.blogspot.com

2) For More Information and an Alternative View, please visit Jason's Blog at : http://jason-bonvivant.blogspot.com/2009/12/chez-moi.html

A bit surprised that this Private Kitchen restaurant hasn't had a lot of reviews, because apparently they can be quite full on certain nights! This dining experience was from a few months ago, probably around the tail end of 2008, but surprisingly I'd forgotten about writing a review.
1st of all, there is no corkage for Bring Your Own wine. I support this idea or even a fairer rate by the bottle ($50/bottle is ok, but not when its $100 or $300), especially with the poor selection of wines in Chinese restaurants within Hong Kong. From memory, we had the following dishes but its been a while, so take it as indicative only please!

Some Dishes:

Smoked Duck with Honey Glaze and Caeser Salad - Surprised to see this American + Italian fusion dish here. Unlike most places serving smoked duck in Hong Kong, this wasn't the pre-smoked frozen packs from supermarkets. Having said that the duck was a bit tough but had a strong 'wood derived' smokey, yet slightly sour flavour in the meat. I could not detect much honeyed taste though. The salad wasn't too bad at all. Not sure of its appropriateness for being part of the greater TASTING MENU, however.
Stir Fried Eggs with Bean Sprouts and 'Fake' Shark Fin - This was a vegetarian dish. I am not entirely a big fan of shark fin but for the price per person of roughly $500, I surely expected better than 'fake' vegetarian fins. This dish was slightly too dry.
Chinese Wine 花調 steamed Crab - I've had this a lot of times in Hong Kong in the past, this version was actually really good. Part but not all of the alcohol has been burnt off leaving mainly the aromatic smell and sweet, fruity taste. I wouldn't think this is a dish that any restaurant can make wrong, but many do - here it was pretty spot on.
Smoked Chicken in Sweetened Soya Sauce - This seems to be a dish that cycles in and out of popularity, I thought it was becoming popular again lately in Hong Kong during this time I re-entered HK..., I guess its nearly identical to good old 太爺雞 but disguised under another dish name. Not smoked with wood this time but with tea leafs, the aroma penetrated into the soy-soaked skin but perhaps not much into the chicken meat. I thought the chicken meat wasn't tough but wasn't tender enough either, it was somewhere in between. It certainly needed the sauce to act as an lubricant.
I remember trying really good interpretations of this dish in the past but can't recall where and when. That night's one wasn't bad at all. Overall acceptable.
San Choi Bao - I frankly cannot remember which type of Lettuce rolled San Choi Bao we had on that night, but I distinctly remember it being below-par, especially the ingredients not standing out at all.... perhaps that last reason is the explanation for this dish leaving absolutely no trace of its constituted parts in my head except that it wouldn't even satisfy the Gwai Lo's that adore this dish.
Fried 伊麵 - No surprises, perhaps a bit bland.
Some other fried vermicelli noodles, vegetables, and probably dishes I'd forgotten about, etc, that were so-so to good.
陳皮蓮子茶 - From memory, I thought this isn't as good as I'd come to expect, due to a very weak 陳皮 influence, but the Red Dates and Longan fruits' sweetness made it slightly 1 dimensional. Lots of dessert shops make better ones.

ALL IN ALL, I thought it was indeed impressive that a single lady chef was able to cook food of such high quality and on time, for roughly 25-30 people in 2 separate rooms - and still have spare capacity to come out smiling to the customers and asked for our feedbacks in her slightly non-Hong Kong Cantonese voice.
We were told that the dishes change seasonally and the menu can be altered to suit. She gave me the impression that she cares about the customers - even though we're paying through the roof for some rather ordinary dishes and ingredients.
At that instant - my mental score was a high '3'. In hindsight, I guess I should give her a low-mid '4' but don't expect too much either!

I finally managed to try Pro-Burger, having watched over it since its renovating period.
I am completely at loss as to why people think this is great - this wasn't even a hamburger, but a HONG KONG-nised interpretation of a burger. Just like 時新 in 紅磡.
Ordered the ANGUS 180g Cheese Burger Meal, $41 from memory:
1) So called Angus Beef pattie - Mine 80% cooked, so wasnt over-done. Hilariously bad nevertheless. It was like overly minced beef mixed with too much soggy bread, meaning the pattie textue was more like wet bread than a real meat pattie - this is definitely Asianised (even Japanese does this). The so called Angus Beef had no beef taste whatsoever - all there was is a too powerful taste of THYME herbs, Bread , and salt and pepper. The texture was gritty, not juicy at all, it was very 'fake'. What Angus beef?
2) Cheese from Australia - one niggardly portioned cheese with zero taste. Supermarket Australian cheeses aren't actually too good usually for burgers (exceptions are artisinal Aussie cheeses), so stick to American cheddar/monterey jack varieties in my opinion.
3) Sesame Bread wasn't toasted enough. The bun is the same as Gourmet Burger Union's just up the road from memory, so its nothing unique - except the NZ beef pattie from there is slightly better with more taste despite being more dry, albeit more than double the price for a set.
4) Sauce in Burger - to go with pattie, iceberg lettuce, tomato. Mainly eggy mayonnaise. I don't know why most burgers in HK are served only with Mayonnaise, as are Pizzas here. Its very Asianised and doesn't compliment the pattie, but only the salads. Needs another 2nd sauce in my opinion.
5) Wedges were ok, not too over-seasoned from factory. Around 7-8 pieces max. Comes with additional Chili Sauce and Chili Powdered mixed Mayo on request for FREE. GOOD.
5) Cokes - comes with free lemon upon request. GOOD.

Overall, I thought the burger meal here wasn't too expensive, but it was not doing justice to the over-hyped ANGUS BEEF BURGER name. I won't state that I will never vist again since shops sometimes improve over time, if they listen to criticism - in fact I will at least come back another time in case I got a dud burger, knowing how difficult it actually is to make a good burger. But THIS REVIEW, FOR THIS BURGER, was accurate as far as I'm concerned. A low '3'.
Still seeking a good but so far 'elusive' proper Burger. Only around 3 shops to try out now.

Attracted by its sticker on the door, which says "Standard Chartered Bank holders - discounts all year round", we entered this once famed resturant.

The food was tasty enough - enough to make you feel thirsty, that is. And when you ask for a glass of water, they'll invite you to consume the bottle of VITTAL (not even EVIAN) that was set on every table by default. They neither tell you the price, nor is that bottle of water a selection on the menu.

When I asked for the bill and enquired about the SCB credit card offer, I was then told that the offer is valid only from MON - THUR. So much for "ALL YEAR ROUND".

When the bill came, sure enough, the bottle of water was charged without your consent - a good $38 plus 10% service charge. That makes it $41.8!

It's not the matter of 40 bucks at the end of the day, but a matter of principle, and business ethics. I will never go there again, and will advise all those I know not to go there.

Not surprisingly, that place is only half full on a Saturday night!