Synapse Duo's Profile

Passed by several times but never got a chance to try... tonight we finally tried it but it was our regret that we have tried it.:( To our disappointment, the restaurant is a typical HK-style Japanese restaurant but charges like an authentic Japanese restaurant. First, HKD20 per person for the green tea was a bit overpriced, in our opinion. As for food, their spicy tuna roll was small (size of my toe ) and not authentic, neither was their Miso Ramen (with Chinese pak choy and the soup was more like shoyu soup rather than miso soup). However, the grilled chicken soft bone was not bad. Their service was also good, given that other than us, there were only two more customers and so they had plenty of time to serve us.…Read More

Went there for lunch on a Sunday morning. We could smell the grease at the bottom of the stairs! We strongly believe that they should invest in good commercial kitchen exhaust/fume ventilation system. We did not have that kind of experience in other smaller burger joints. The taste of the burger is ok but felt that GBU is overpriced, especially the soft drinks! It would also be nice if they provided paper napkin / serviettes since eating a burger with lots of tomato purée can get quite messy!…Read More

We thought that things have changed in Hong Kong but Chinese are still being discriminated! 　We got to the restaurant around 7pm and it was empty but the Chinese waiter showed us to the bar. We asked if we could sit at one of the empty tables and he said 'NO' as they were all reserved. After 30 minutes (the restaurant was still empty), a Caucasian man and an Asian lady came in and were shown to the bar too. The Caucasian dude said that he wanted to sit at one of the empty tables instead and they were seated at the table immediately! 　Did he think we were deaf or blind? It is pathetic when you discriminate against your own race!The same waiter was not familiar with their own menu. We ordered a gizzard dish which is on their menu and he said it was sold out. We asked how that could be since we were the only customers there. He kept saying that it was sold out. A more senior staff then came over to explain that they have not been ordering gizzards ever since the outbreak of the bird flu... There were also some recommendations on their wall. One of them read, in Chinese, 雞骨腸 (direct translation: chicken bone sausage) and in English, they wrote PORK. So we asked him if it is Chicken or Pork and he brushed us off impatiently by saying “If it is 雞骨腸, then it must be chicken!” We ordered it and it turned out to be a pork sausage wrapped around a chicken bone! After more than an hour, there was still an outstanding order of grilled rice ball. We asked the waiter for it. He explained that he took it to another table but since they did not order it, they canceled the order. He did not even bother to check who ordered the dish! He said that if we really wanted it, it would take another 10-15 minutes. We were not going to give him any more reasons to make us upset so we asked for the bill.It is a pity that the service is so bad as the food was actually not bad :(　…Read More

We went there on a Sunday night and it was pretty crowded. Initially we wanted to order 2 tapas; crab cakes and beef tenderloins, and the salmon, shrimp, caviar and sour cream pizza. We were told by the waitress that they were changing the recipe for the crab cakes so it was not available. We figured that we would order the beef tenderloins and pizza first and see what we felt like having after.When the beef tenderloins were served, we could tell that it would not be good. It was a plate of poached beef covered with mustard sauce and garnished with tomato bits. You could tell if just from its appearance! True enough, the beef had no taste whatsoever and we were almost certain that the sauce (which actually tastes good) was added after the beef was cooked in water. The pizza? Salmon, shrimps, caviar and sour cream piled on a baguette. The shrimp was cold while the bread was warm so it was a strange mixture of cold and warm food in your mouth. We were totally disappointed. Ricos up the street still has the best tapas. After the two disappointing dishes, we decided to have dessert some place else. The bill came up to more than HK$ 200; definitely overpriced. We should have stuck with what they pride themselves with: bread……Read More

Heard about this new Canadian restaurant in SOHO and decided to give it a try. We only ordered two main courses as we were not hungry. Mixed Grill (lamb chops and Salmon steak) and Salmon with Lobster sauce and shrimps. The Salmon with Lobster sauce was pretty tasty but the lamb chops and salmon steak from the Mixed Grill were rather dry. After dinner, we noticed other tables were being served interesting bread sticks and wondered why we didn’t get any. The only conclusion was perhaps we only ordered two main courses on a SuperMondays night… There were bread sticks for the table that has been there before us and for the table after us who were still deciding on what to order.We also had to remove the “Customer Copy” of the credit card slip ourselves as they left the bill and credit card slip on the table and disappeared… and only when we stood up to leave did the waitress come back for the bill.Overall, the food was ok but could someone tell us what one should expect from “Canadian” food?…Read More

Elements seems to lack good restaurants as fellow Open Rice readers (including us) have had bad experiences there. We decided to try our luck and went to Stormies for a casual dinner. The waiters were very friendly and attentive. Given that it was more of a bar than a restaurant, the selections on their menu were limited. However, the portions were just right and were not too heavy. We wrapped up dinner with the Mango Pana Cotta and Chocolate Tarte which were rather good:). Not a bad place for catching up with friends.…Read More

After a filling Italian dinner the night before, we thought of having some Japanese food for dinner on Saturday. The restaurant was rather empty and we were quite disappointed as they have re-branded and changed the menu to “Japanese-styled” Italian Cuisine which served pasta, risotto and pizzas (which we had the night before). Nonetheless, we ordered the Salmon and Spinach Fettuccine (HK$ 90) and the baked Uni Risotto (HK$ 120).The nice warm selection of breads they used to serve was no long available. The Fettuccine was served first. It was pretty good but the portion was small. The Risotto only came after we finished sharing the Fettuccine. Given that they only had a few guests that night, this was quite unacceptable. The risotto was quite filling and there were several pieces of uni baked on top of the rice.We asked the waiter about their new menu and he admitted that both their new lunch and dinner selections have not been well received since they were introduced in April. They will most probably be changing their menus again to include more Japanese dishes. Their strategy may work well in Japan but not in Hong Kong, as most people would expect Japanese food when they go to a Japanese restaurant.…Read More

Saw the good reviews and dragged a bunch of colleagues to go give it a try. Not many of them were enthusiastic about vegan food so had to entice them with the buy 3 get 1 free lunch coupon.The set lunch was "SET". You can only choose the gravy (beet root or tomato) and you have a choice between spaghetti and rice. The broccoli soup was quite bland and the main course felt really healthy but for omnivores like us, we were just in the wrong place. I do believe the vegan philosophy is good for the body but this was too much (or too little) for us to handle on a Monday afternoon.The set lunch came with a drink and when we asked what was available, we were offered a choice of 'coffee' (which was actually a herb drink that has an aroma like coffee) and a healthy fruit shake (that was free of ice cream and sugar). Some of us had the shake which was pretty good. But when the bill came, we found out that we had to pay an additional $20 for each fruit shake we ordered . When questioned, the waitress explained that a separate order of the shake would have cost $35. We were rather upset that this was not explained earlier. It is not a matter of price but we would have appreciated it if they explained the prices of the drinks.…Read More

Saw this restaurant while dining at Good Luck Thai some time ago and decided to give it a try. The restaurant has a nice ambiance and is a comfortable alternative to Central's lunch crowd. All 5 of us started with the the abalone Caesar Salad which was light yet delicious. The colleagues who had the fish chowder commented that the chowder was creamy and they like the sizable chunks of fish which were tender and tasty. The minestrone I had was pretty good too. For the main course, we ordered the salmon fillet and the sirloin. The Salmon has good reviews but all 3 servings of the sirloin were not satisfactory. We requested for the steaks to be cooked medium rare, medium and well done. Unfortunately, all 3 servings of the sirloin steak had parts which were medium and parts that were well done Fortunately, the ice coffee we had at the end of the meal was aromatic and palatable. Given the small incident with the steak, the $148 (plus 10% service charge) charged for the lunch set was a little pricey. …Read More

We walked past Droplet while looking for a place for dinner the other night. We both ordered the Beef Burger without cheese or mushrooms (which would have cost an extra of HK$ 10 for each topping) and watched the only staff in the shop fry our beef patties. The burger buns were heated up in a pot while the pan only had capacity to fry one beef patty at one time. It was kinda lucky that we were the only customers at that time or else it would have been quite a wait. The burger came with two pieces of lettuce and a slice of tomato. The minced carrots found in the beef patties gave it a personal touch. Even without any condiments, the burger was juicy (slightly on the oily side) and savory. My husband commented that the there is a home cooked feel to the burgers. If it cost HK$50 to have the burger with cheese, Cul-De-Sac seems like a better choice for the Central area. Overall, it was slightly overpriced.…Read More

Due to my frustration, I sent an email detailing our experience to Megu. On the following day, the Assistant General Manager of Megu Hong Kong called me to apologize for the bad experience we had in their restaurant and invited us back for a complimentary dinner. He explained that they have just soft opened (for less than 2 weeks) and were still trying to iron out all the wrinkles to run the restaurant smoothly. He said that they have improved their selection of food and have a new menu which they would like us to try.We were slightly apprehensive but decided to give Megu a second chance. Their staff greeted us courteously when we arrived and were very polite throughout the meal. They asked if we had any preference but we left it to them to decide our dinner menu. While we waited, we glanced through the menu and found that the price of many of their dishes in their ‘new’menu (same dishes) had surprisingly increased. They started us off with a cocktail. Upon enquiring, we were told that it was champagne and orange juice. We were then served a bowl of Eda-mame (枝豆). This was quickly followed by their signature crispy asparagus dish and a selection of 5 types of sashimi. The sashimi was much better than the ones we had the last time, both in the quality and the choice of sashimi. We had Chu-toro, Uni, Mekajiki, Akagai and Hamachi, instead of the Maguro, salmon and some other selections of sashimi we had the last time. This better selection of sashimi does come at a higher price of HK$400 (instead of HK$300 we paid 5 days ago). We didn’t mention it the last time but their hand-grated wasabi was prepared way in advance so it lost its spiciness. This time, they did it right by grating the wasabi at our table when they served the sashimi.After we finished the above dishes (which was done in less than 30 minutes), the waiter asked if we had enough and suggested that we try their signature Australian waygu sirloin steak served on a piece of hot stone. To be fair, the sirloin steak was rather juicy. The Assistant General Manager then came back to ask if we wanted to try their sushi but we settled for an order of Japanese organic asparagus and tomato served with a dip made of salad dressing, cod fish roe and mentaiko (明太子). Last of all, they offered dessert so we politely requested for something small as it was not our intention to take advantage of their kind gesture. To our surprise, they came singing “Happy Birthday”as they presented us with their Sweet 5 dessert platter with a candle. Although my husband’s birthday was 5 days ago, we do appreciate their sincere effort to make things right. The Assistant General Manager, the Japanese-speaking Managing Director and another gentleman then came to our table to thank us for our comments and once again apologized for our unhappy experience earlier this week. It is comforting to know that they do value their customers’feedback and do attempt to make amends. …Read More

It was my husband's birthday and I wanted to bring him to a nice restaurant to celebrate. I was really looking forward to trying Megu as the Megu in New York City was a hot spot that was raved and has a lot of great reviews. I was told that the Megu in NYC was even more expensive than Nobu. When I made the reservation, the lady on the phone asked if I had any special requests. I told her that it was my husband’s birthday and she said that she would arrange for a candle to be on whichever dessert we ordered. She assured me that it would be well taken care of. That set me up for a very big disappointment.The rather simple menu offered in Megu Hong Kong was nothing like that in New York. The waitress tried to be helpful by making recommendations. Unfortunately, she was not much help as she was really green and just read from the menu. The uncommon terms remained unexplained while she tried our patience as we politely waited for her to recite the menu. We decided to begin with a 5 types sashimi plate, an order of vegetable tempura and a 4-flavored Waygu beef cubes. The waiter suggested their flaming beef steak (served on a hot stone) but we explained that we would like to try the 4 different styles of cooking the Wagyu beef. The 10 piece sashimi cost HK$ 300 but the quality of fish was only mediocre. We could have much better sashimi at lower prices elsewhere. After the sashimi, we waited for more than half an hour for the vegetable tempura while the table next to us had to keep asking the waiter to hold their order as they have not finished their first two dishes. When the vegetable tempura finally came, it was a great disappointment. They just threw the pieces together on a long plate without arranging them and the sweet potato tempura tasted like those fried snacks you buy from the supermarket in Thailand for souvenirs. Then to our shock, they served 4 fried meatballs (which we thought were the $320 Waygu beef cubes). We didn’t know what to expect so we just ate them. The sauce covering the meatballs was so strong and overpowering that it took away any taste the meatballs had.By this time, we were utterly disappointed and did not want to try any more food. I thought I would be able to make it up to my husband with the little dessert surprise. So I ordered the Sweet 5 dessert platter (HK$150) which was nothing spectacular. To my frustration, they FORGOT the candle!!! I was crestfallen when they left the dessert platter on the table and walked off. It would not have been as bad if they did not suggest it in the first place! The overpriced mediocre food, bad service and empty promise totally ruined the birthday celebration. The only consolation was that they actually served us a 4 beef croquette (HK$ 128) instead of the $320 Waygu beef cubes which most probably would not be worth the price either. …Read More

Today is my husband's birthday and since the skies were clear, it would have been perfect to have dinner at the Peak. I called Pearl At The Peak around 12 noon but only got their recorded message instructing me to leave my name and number if I wanted a reservation. In addition to the information they requested, I specifically added that I would like a table at 8pm tonight and requested that they call me back to confirm.I waited till 6pm for them to confirm the reservation but the call never came. So I called and the girl on the phone went "oh! the restaurant is fully booked tonight! We have a big party today. Would you like to make a reservation for another day?" They did not have the simple decency to let me know that the restaurant is full. What if we went all the way to the Peak only to find out that we have wasted a trip there? Are they not capable at returning phone calls? They almost ruined my husband's birthday!!…Read More

We were looking for dinner and came across the food display at the Korean food stall. Their food must have looked very delicious as Mr. 小強was also savoring the plastic food models... very appetizing...…Read More

We came across this restaurant on Caine Road and saw Mr. Choi Lan's (蔡瀾) photo at the entrance and thought that we should give it a try.We ordered the mutton soup noodles (羊肉搶湯麺) and the sweet and sour fish rice (糖醋魚片飯). The noodles were bland and the soup was tasteless. To be fair, there was a lot of noodles. The sweet and sour fish rice tasted ok but there was a mysterious curly hair in the rice that was not long enough to be from the head or short enough to be from the nose, eyebrows, eye lashes or limbs. It was a mystery why it was there and we do not even want to imagine how it got there. It ruined our appetite instantaneously when it peeked out of the rice.One of the employees collected money and went straight back to removing cooked buns with her bare unwashed hands. While another employee who was making dumplings took a break to 'mine' her nose in clear view of the customers. And yet another employee dropped a tray of marinated chicken drumsticks. One drumstick flew onto the kitchen floor and was quickly thrown back into the tray filled with other chicken pieces. We were once told that Mr. Choi Lan remarked that his photos are placed in many restaurants but the only ones that he recommends are the ones with him smiling in the photos. We vaguely remembered that he was not smiling in the photo shown in this restaurant...…Read More