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2013-03-20
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A casual Monday evening dinner yielded a pleasant surprise, that promotions can actually be good in HK. So super mondays on Asia expat are the real deal for some restaurants and this one is definitely a shining example. After deciding on the spur of the moment that we would go out for dinner, we ended up choosing Olive, a restaurant that battles many a cuisine on the hotly contested turf of Elgin street.AmbianceNicely decorated, not too over the top, more functional than thematic but the small t
Ambiance
Nicely decorated, not too over the top, more functional than thematic but the small touches to the fittings were sufficient. Sufficiently lit, and the balloon fabrics on the ceiling help dampen the effects of it being a large room. Definitely suited to larger groups and the menu naturally leans itself towards this way as well, but a small group definitely would enjoy it too.
Food
We ordered Falafels, Lamb rack, Poisson in a Tangine, Baklava.
Granted I was craving some good middle eastern food, it was a nice surprise to have been served with such wholesome dishes. The ingredients were largely true to the cuisine (no cheeky substitution of ingredients here), servings generous and most importantly the food tasted delicious. I know most locals have a natural aversion to all things lamb but I would think it hard for even a local to dislike the awesome lamb rack. It is hard to go wrong with Falafel and it was good to see such a common dish was actually improved on. The combination of greek yoghurt with the traditional lebanese flavours of tabouli proved a good combination in the end. The poisson was succelent and the flavours well balanced. However the best choice by far was the rack of lamb. It was cooked to perfection (a rarity in HK it seems). The flavours had you coming back for more.
Wine
A nice selection of wines by the glass.
Service
Service was friendly, quick and very efficient. We were at least served by 3 different people who at each moment in time seemingly knew what stage of the meal we were at. The staff are definitely very experienced and I thank them for making it a very pleasant evening.
Overall
Very nice surprise given the level of competition on Elgin Street. Would highly recommend the lamb. I was further impressed at how much they were embracing the Super Monday promotion and they did not skimp on any part of what was promised. I guess good things can come from promotions after all. Irrespective of the promotion though, this is a restaurant that does not try to achieve too much and has appropriately priced its menu. For lovers of lamb or not and those willing to try some food from around the Mediterranean then this is a must try.
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