slau317's Profile

Love the madeleines and pourover. Little oasis amidst hustle and bustle of ho man tin. The decor was European and yet approachable. It has a feel good vibe especially when it was dog-friendly. They also make quiche which I’m keen to try in my next visit! Update: I went back for the quiche the next day and already returned another time for it. The filling has mushroom bacon and cooked onion and the quiche crust was buttery and flaky. It tells how fresh it is and you can taste that everything is made from scratch. Perfect portion for a light lunch or meal! Will for sure return! …Read More

The waiters and waitresses were quite hard sell and try to get you to try the more expensive menu. That was not an issue at all, but the problem was with the service and overall ambience and environment. For the price of $1300 per head, I would expect the service to be more attentive and cooking to be more professional. The food served were often times cold and the lobster was over cooked which was a shame. The most disappointing thing of the meal was that there was a group of 6 at the restaurant, who were apparently friends with the waitress/manager. They were obviously drunk and celebrating someone’s birthday. They were loud and rowdy and had no consideration for any other customers. The most disappointing thing of all was that the restaurant did nothing to stop them from disturbing the guests despite all the annoyance displayed from the rest of the customers. Unfortunately for the price of $1300 per head, it felt like you were in MK or Sham Shui Po restaurant. It was embarrassing and I wish I had went to “Godofteppanyaki” which had some of the best value for money teppanyaki sets… will not return ever again! …Read More

What a pleasant surprise! The pasta was cooked to perfection. They really know how to cook chicken, it was juicy and succulent. Love the clean and minimalist decor. Service was very friendly. Really enjoyable experience overall (esp when they play light jazz in the background!). Will return soon! …Read More

I was surprised by how soft and warm the baguette was when it arrived. The pâté, Vietnamese sausage and pickled vegetables complement each other well. The pickle juice, savory meat and the slight sweetness from the sauce were wrapped perfectly in a soft warm bun - it was divine! I’ll definitely order again! …Read More

We came here with my family on Saturday for lunch. Despite the restaurant being half full the waiter told us that we have to return the table in 1.5hr which we reluctantly agreed to. After we were seated, more people started to come in, most of them westerners. What we realized was, the waiters did not ask them to limit their dining time. We were disturbed by the preferential treatment esp when it seems to target local non-white customers. To make things worse, they mixed up our orders and we had to wait for 80min for our main course to show up. And when it eventually did, we were already starving. The salmon salad was fine but bland. You'd expect something more from a near $200 salad honestly. You could taste that the pesto was not fresh and most likely came straight out of a jar of premade (and uncooked!!!!) sauce. Interesting choice of "salad dressing" to start with. I left half of it untouched. My mom ordered the homemade pasta with truffle. It's as tasty as it looks - which was not, unfortunately. The should have stick with dry pasta. The pasta tastes slightly sour and you could tell that they didn't season their dough nor let it rest long enough, which leaves it an unappealing, curly, ramen-like appearance. My mom felt sick eating it midway through. We visit Lantau quite often. I would suggest everyone to visit Long Island next doors. Seriously. They serve fantastic food i generous portions, and you get much better and respectful treatment. …Read More

A few things you need to know about cafe idea: 1. Cafe idea might be an unseemly outlet as it is hidden in an old mall in hung hom. It's for those who appreciate food quality over decor and ambience. I find its lack of pretension is what adds to its charm!2. Lunch and dinner menus are totally different. Most reviews here seem to be based on lunch experiences which I think does not do it justice. At night, it transforms into a semi-fine dining restaurant that serves dinner sets at around hkd400 per head. 3. Food is fresh and handpicked by the chef everyday. (The chef Albert goes to the wet market 5am everyday to choose the seafood to be served!) 4. Portions are (overly-)generous! EXTREMELY generous.... Go with an empty stomach. You've been warned.5. Personal favorites include the fingerlicking crab cake with baked cheddar topping. The seafood platter never fails to wow. Iberico pork is cooked to perfection. The chef even added a freshly shaved slice of black truffle into the pasta! 6. It's starting to gain popularity among the locals, do make reservations in advance. I booked my next visit 3 weeks away from now! 7. Support local eateries and chefs. Cafe idea a family owned and run restaurant. It's a charming restaurant where food was cooked and served with love. …Read More

Went there for brunch twice and was disappointed by the food quality for the price charged. Ordered the scallops pasta which was served with overcooked pasta. For the price paid Hkd150 you would have expected higher quality food. In second visit I ordered the bolognese pasta, which was overseasoned (super salty) and with bits and pieces of unevenly chopped onions and carrots. I would have done a better job myself.I asked for the wifi password which one would consider to be a basic provision for every cafe, but was turned down by their blank faced waitress.Coffee is good but overpriced again hkd40 and an earl grey chiffon cake costs hkd70-80. I saw they had a hkd400 3-course dinner set menu... Apparently they're trying to positioning themselves on a high end tier.. Unless food quality improves... Otherwise good luck to that. Will never return again. …Read More

I visited The Bites two weeks ago with my parents. It's one of the few western cafes in the neighbourhood. It was Christmas and the restaurant was festively decorated. The restaurant was half full. My parents ordered the whole-day breakfast and I decided to take the risk of ordering a squid ink spaghetti. It was an average dining experience. Despite bragging about imported French croissant, we found it flat and soft, lacking the distinct light and airy texture that croissants should have. It tasted like an ordinary softroll, as if it's being reheated over and again. The scrambled eggs were overcooked and bland. The coffee redeemed itself though. My squid ink spaghetti was a bit better. Though the squid was a undercooked, the pasta was al dente and the portion was appropriate. But being charged $150+ for one pasta, I was wishing for more flavour and 'wow'. Service was so-so, waiters wore a blank face - probably the effect of working on Christmas day? Anyways, it was passable experience and I decided to give them the benefit of doubt. It wasn't on my list of places I'd vow not to return - yet.  I revisited The Bites on 1Jan15. There weren't a lot of choices of restaurants as it was a public holiday. Oh dear... there I saw the MK-looking waitress again. She gave us a cold stare when I walked through the door, didnt even bother to offer to seat us. I had to ask for a table for 5 adults + one kid. She said they're full. So I asked how long it'd take for a table - she gave a cynical smirk and said "I can't really tell?". Seeing that I was dissatisfied with her attitude, another more senior-looking waiter came along, and instead of apologizing or having the decency to politely reject us, he said with a blank face "你地等都唔會有枱，我地成朝都無枱！" ..... 認真巴閉! On hindsight, even if they did have a table, I wouldn't think twice before leaving immediately, to spare us all from a holiday morning ruined by a bunch of spiteful, unappreciative waiters. I'd strongly recommend everyone to think twice before visiting The Bites, which serves overcharged mediocre food with subpar service. Apparently, this isn't the first food review that complains about their poor service (or lack thereof), so take this as a credible piece of cautionary advice for you all discerning customers out there. Stay away from the Bites, and don't "get bitten".To The Bites: With this kind of service, good luck in surviving the competitive F&B industry in HK. Judging from this short encounter, I'm sure you'd definitely be gone with literally "no tables to serve" in no time!…Read More