Hong Kong restaurants 2008-9

The standards of Hong Kong restaurants seem to have slipped in the past few years. Poor and unprofessional service is a problem but so is the food quality. Not sure why meat and vegetables no longer taste fresh, is it because everything is being transported from China these days?? In the past few years, I have not been to a restaurant that blew me away. People don't seem to cook with their hearts anymore, it's so hard to find a place that serves sincere and honest food! What is going on with this 'Food Paradise?' I am not a fussy eater, but I have been let down continuously so now I would rather stick to the regular joints to avoid disappointments. It's a shame because I am usually an adventurous eater. Sadly, the restaurant scene in Hong Kong no longer excites me anymore. I spent quite a few months jetting in and out of HK in the past year, so here are some of my recent culinary experiences. Some reviews might be quite harsh, but I am angry about the slip in the overall standards esp. when I used to enjoy many many memorable meals here.

Thumbs down experiences:

Armani - High prices but food was so-so! Mixed up food and bills with neighbouring tables implied slack service as well. A let-down!

La Bouteille (FRENCH) - A friend took me to this odd place inside a Central commercial building for lunch without a reservation. We arrived before the lunch hour but only got seated after a long and serious discussion between the boss/manager and the waitress. OK, I understand that lunch hour is their busiest but we didn't need someone to come over every 2 seconds to ask if we were ready to order. Besides the rude and pushy service, everything we ordered was sloppily done, no attention was paid on the execution nor presentation. Why bother opening a restaurant when they couldn't care less about their customers? If rushing to get the food out was their main priority, then they should have opened a fast food joint rather than a French restaurant where people are supposed to take time to enjoy their meal!

Dan Ryan (AMERICAN), Festive Walk - I can't remember the last time I ate here, it must have been about 10 years ago... and maybe there is a reason why I haven't returned! Salad was too cold and everything else was soaked in some BBQ sauce. Noisy and not very clean... a terrible place!

House of Canton (CANTONESE/ DIM SUM) – A typical HK restaurant with poor and inattentive service. Some of the dim sum was ok, some we had to send back because they were either cold or too greasy. Not sure why people would queue to get a table here except for its location (Festive Walk). Pricey and not worth it.

Lippo Chiuchow restaurant - So hard to find authentic Chiu Chow food these days, and this is definitely NOT the place to come if you want to sample good Chiu Chow dishes. The manager took no notice of us because he was too busy serving our neighbouring table, some Mainland Chinese who ordered shark-fin soup and other delicacies. Food was average and the fact that they didn't even serve us the famous strong tea made me wonder about their authenticity!

Myung Ga (KOREAN) - Bad service, expensive and small portions. Again, why do people queue to get in here? Is it for the view? No idea.

Pho Tai - Is this a joke? This is supposed to be a pho specialist but they didn't even give me any herbs/ bean sprouts/ lime for my beef pho. When I asked for these condiments, the waitress told me that they ran out of everything! Then a few minutes later, she came out with a small slice of lime and some not-so-fresh looking bean sprouts! Simply unbelievable!

Robuchon's bakery - Poor and patronising service! I haven't encountered such arrogant and bad service for a long long time!! The middle-age woman behind the cashier is a rude Bxxch!

Roka (JAPANESE) - Perhaps we came too soon - just after they opened and it was really awful. They ran out of udon and made us order the yakisoba which arrived in seconds...sadly the noodles was soggy and lukewarm. (did they microwave it?) The service was beyond bad... after a few complaints to the manager, we were offered free desserts and the yakisoba taken off our bill. But it was too late already... another problem: the air-con was too cold, so our hot food turned cold very quickly. Definitely will not come back again!

Sevva (INTERNATIONAL) - The view is great and the decor tasteful but nothing else was up to scratch! Unprofessional service combined with bad, overpriced food & drinks, just how bad can you get? Joyce cafe used to have a similar menu but it was so much better!! I have heard nothing but negative reviews about this place from different friends, it makes me wonder how long this place can survive esp. in this current economic climate?!

Superstar seafood restaurant (CANTONESE/ DIM SUM) - Too many overpriced fancy dim sum, waitresses were constantly selling expensive items not on the menu. A rip-off joint!


Disappointing food:

Cova, Central - Lunch was expensive and not that great. My pasta was bland and tasteless, my friend's tiramisu basically had only mascarpone with a bit of cocoa on top. Did they forget the savoiardi?!

Nahm, Elements - Huge portions but very hit/miss, sadly, it was a 'miss' for us! The nouveau Thai cuisine just didn't work for us, though service was efficient and professional.

Viceroy - This famous Indian restaurant has been around for a long time, but the lunch buffet was not so special, not as good as Excelsior's curry lunch buffet!

Xi yan tastes (FUSION) - I have never been to the original Xi Yan, but lunch at this particular branch inside G.O.D. was disappointing. The food was quite tasteless, very different from his cook books. Perhaps he has become the Gordon Ramsey of HK? Expanding too quickly but unable to control the quality?! Not a good sign.

Over-hyped:

Fusion - Many people might disagree with me but I didn't find the food here amazing. OK, I'm not a fusion cuisine fan but the dishes here were neither innovative nor special. Brunch is good value because it includes a glass of champagne, an antipasti buffet, a main and another dessert buffet. The antipasti buffet was fine with lots of Mediterranean-style grilled vegs. and oysters... though the tripe was kinda odd amongst other dishes. My risotto with foie gras was a disappointment... the rice was way overcooked, the texture was almost like congee! Perhaps the chef caters to suit the locals' tastes, but I found his food 'neither here nor there'. Perhaps this is his way of interpreting 'fusion', but personally, I believe in order to do fusion well, the chef needs to be braver and much more creative with the combination of ingredients.

Yin Yang (CHINESE) - Interesting location & space but according to my friends, the standards have slipped since its move. We had to pre-order the food/ menu days before, so my anticipation was high. The food arrived very slowly and the description sounded better than the taste. Apparently the chef grows most of her own veggies in the N.T., but sadly the freshness and flavours didn't really come through in the cooking. The famous roast chicken was quite good, but not memorable. Dessert was a sloppy red bean soup, maybe the chef has had a bad day, but I am not that convinced.

Nice surprises:

EN - This Okinawan bar/restaurant in Lan Kwai Fong turned out to be surprisingly good! I don't know too much about Okinawan food, but everything we had was tasty and interesting (in a good way). There were also lots of sake to choose from, ours went very well with our snack-like dishes. The place was quite empty that evening, we sat outside on the balcony for the meal and then moved inside for drinks. This place made us feel like we were in a small Tokyo bar/restaurant, we almost forgot that we were in HK until we got out of the building and back onto the loud & rowdy D'Aguilar St!

Il Bel Paese (ITALIAN DELI) - We almost missed this deli in Happy Valley but luckily we didn't. We walked in out of curiosity, not knowing that you can buy your food at the counter and eat it upstairs. Everything we had tasted fresh and the bread was delicious. My friend and I were both tempted to buy everything home. This is a real gem in the city!

OVO (CHINESE) - It's usually quite rare to find a restaurant with the combination of tasteful decor and good food. Most of the time, it's either one or the other, but Ovo actually lives up to its hype. The decor and food reminded me of Hutong but I enjoyed my meal here more. Probably less pretentious, and the attentive service made us feel quite comfy here. The portion sizes were just right and the food was delicious. The spicy food also went exceptionally well with our wine, it was an enjoyable meal!

San Xi Lou (SICHUAN) – The location is probably not the most convenient, but the food here was tasty and quite authentic. It’s hard to find good Sichuan restaurants in HK, Xiao Nan Guo used to serve some good Sichuan dishes but standards have slipped recently, so this was a good find. Clean and professional service, a very good restaurant overall.

Sabatini - It has probably been 15 years since i last came but everything seems to look the same. Brunch here is good-value with lots of antipasti and a good range of mains and desserts to choose from. The food was not outstanding but quality was overall high. We liked the warm service and the nostalgic factor, probably a sign of us aging...

Tonkichi - Probably serves the best Japanese style pork katsu in town! Friendly service, clean and efficient, hence, this place is always full! Best come before or after the busy lunch hour! Unlimited cabbage is fab and the oysters are fat and juicy too! I really recommend this place!

Other restaurants:

American restaurant (PEKINGESE) - Came with a bunch of expats and we all enjoyed our meal here in this ANCIENT restaurant in Wai Chai. Don't expect great service, fancy decor or presentation, but portions are big and food is decent. Yes, it is noisy, a bit rude but it's also very 'Hong Kong'.

Bacar wine brasserie (PIZZA, TAPAS) - I was pleasantly surprised by this bar/ restaurant by the escalator! We only came in here because it was late and there was nowhere else to go for a meal! Staff here was friendly and attentive, and food arrived very quickly. The tapas dishes were tasty and pizza was thin and crispy... not a destination restaurant but a good place for late night snacks.

Bee Japanese curry shop – Japanese style curry is one of my favourite comfort food! The katsu curry I had here was quite good and the portion size was decent too. Would come back again whenever I get a Japanese curry craving.

Cafe Graham (INTERNATIONAL) - friends' favourite haunt in Central. Good comfort food with decent prices. Tiramisu is much better than Cova's. Honestly, who needs fancy decor?!

Chiu Chow Garden - Sorry to say this but this place is for expats and foreign visitors who are not familiar with Chiu Chow cuisine. The fancy tableware, presentation and decor = high prices! Personally, I would rather eat downstair at Shanghai Garden (both owned by Maxim) which I think is less fancy and serves better food.

Cucina (CHINESE/ ITALIAN) - Nice setting with a good view of the harbour and skyline of HK. We were expecting fusion food but instead we were given 2 menus - one Chinese and one Italian. Food was pretty good and service was friendly. Best for birthday celebrations or group dinners!

Dickens bar - not sure about their Western food but the lunch curry buffet is a bargain! Much better than Viceroy!

Domon Sapporo ramen - Small ramen place in TST recommended by a friend. We got there after the lunch hour so there were plenty of seats to choose from. My friend didn't like her soup broth nor the texture of noodles, while I was ok with mine and thought the gyoza was quite good. Obviously this place is not as good as the real deal, but it's not too bad esp. when you have a ramen craving.

Farm House (CANTONESE/ DIM SUM) – Dim sum here was fine and a bit pricey. Not a bad choice for this area.

Fringe Club - Brunch here was quite good and inexpensive, if it's not too hot/ humid, it can be quite nice to sit outside on the roof-top. We tried, but gave up and went inside after about 5 mins!

Frites (BEGIAN) - We got what we wanted: moules, frites et biere + a very noisy crowd! Not a place to chat, so eat, drink and leave!

Fu Sing seafood restaurant (CANTONESE/ DIM SUM)- Dim sum here was good, though don't expect much service, very typical HK style service esp. during the busy lunch hour!

Gold Medal Hotpot (A direct translation, not sure what it’s English name is) - I haven’t been to a hotpot place for ages, so I was quite looking forward to this even though it’s in Jordan. The place is surprisingly modern looking for a hot pot place, the carriage-style seating was not so comfy, but we managed to squeezed in. We had 2 broth, a spicy one and a clear one, as well as lots of beef, tripe, fish & meat balls, tofu and veggies. The quality of the food was quite good, we ate continuously for hours and washed down with champagne (brought by a friend). The bill was very reasonable, so we all left satisfied and went for desserts across the street!

I Caramba! (MEXICAN) - A narrow and small restaurant in Soho serving Tex-Mex food. Hearty portions, not exactly gourmet food but it's probably what you need after a few happy hour cocktails.

Jimmy's Kitchen (INTERNATIONAL) - a regular haunt for my parents since I was a kid. Nothing much has changed over the years in this Central branch... My favourite is their curry dishes!

JJs, Grand Hyatt - Very good Thai food, maybe not THAT authentic, but everything was tasty and full of flavours, no complaints from us!

Kaetsu, Grand Hyatt - Two tables on a Sat night? A bad sign for this Japanese restaurant! Probably due to this reason, the standard of food was better than usual. We had a very good meal here!

Kiku - I have not been here for years, not sure if it's me or has the prices dropped? Standard Japanese fare but dinner was relatively quiet, so not a bad choice if you want to stay away from Lan Kwai Fong and Soho.

Mos burger - very Japanese burger joint! Small tasty burgers, though not as good as my first Mos burger in Tokyo years ago, salmon with seaweed and brown rice... yummy.

Mrs Jones (ITALIAN) - We had lunch here one afternoon and the food turned out to be pleasant but nothing special. There was sand in the Linguine alle Vongole and it was probably a bit too spicy (I think they used too much bird's eye chilli). The tuna nicoise was ok, again, nothing special. Overall, it was a fine lunch with laid back service and relaxed atmosphere.

Ngau Kee Food Café (HK STYLE) – Small but very busy local restaurant with TV on the wall and communal round tables. We were told that the scrambled eggs with prawns here is excellent, and so we had high hopes. Thankfully, the eggs were not overcooked and it came with many decent-size prawns, but the rose chicken on the otherhand was just ok. Not knowing the sizes of the dishes, we ended up ordering too much! But the biggest problem we had was the timing, we had to wait about 10-15 mins for each dish to arrive, it was like having a 3 course meal with one dish after the other!

O Sip Hah (THAI) - From the outside, this restaurant looks very European, but actually it serves modern Thai cuisine. Some of dishes we had were very good but some were just average, slightly inconsistent. Overall, we liked the ambience and enjoyed our meal, the weak point was probably the service... it was just a bit too clinical.

The Pawn - Never dined here but came here for drinks twice. Not so sure about the mix and match British pub-like decor... it doesn't seem to go with the building itself. Drinks are not cheap and the TV really put me off.

Peak cafe, Soho (INTERNATIONAL) - Convenient location makes this a popular bar in Soho. Cocktails are pretty good with many Asian and Western snacks available. Less noisy at the back.

Post 97 (INTERNATIONAL) - Good value lunch menu with decent food. The 90s decor also bring back old memories...

Rei sushi, IFC - Came here twice and I have mixed feelings about this place. I thought the standard of food was quite good but I wasn't sure about the price tag. Like many other restaurants in IFC, it's a bit overpriced.

Rice paper, TST - If you strip away the fancy decor, you are left with an ordinary Asian style restaurant serving average and not so authentic food at inflated prices. Their trick? Being in high-traffic locations/ malls.

Ruby Tuesday, (AMERICAN) CWB - My experience here was horrid, but not in terms of food, I was simply appalled by their customers! Sitting by the salad bar was a revelation... I have never seen so many greedy, selfish and shameless people all in one room! In very typical HK style, these customers would spend on average 20 mins trying to pile as much as possible into a small salad bowl, despite everything spilling over onto the floor at the same time. There was no regards for other customers and staff (the bar soon turned into a real mess), and they looked so proud of their achievements! The poor waitress had to sweep the floor continuously because there were tomatoes, lettuce & croutons everywhere! I don't want to sound like a snob, but I would be embarrassed to bring foreign visitors here! This all reminds me of 'Spirited Away' when Chihiro's parents turned into pigs by the food stall... scary!

Sanpachi Ramen - My friend's recent discovery was this ramen place in the busy Causeway Bay. The texture of the noodles was quite good, but my broth was not hot enough... a bit disappointing. Will probably give it another try in the future.

Sen-ryo - not a bad place for a quick meal if you can get a seat! The lack of cheapish places in IFC makes this a very popular joint. My favourite is the grilled eel sushi!

Shiro, Pacific place - Sushi was quite fresh, with some unusual dishes on the menu. But I wasn't not so fond of like the environment, I just didn't feel comfortable there.

Simply Thai, Time Square – Cocktails were good here but the food was only so so. Not very authentic, just another average Thai restaurant.

Soho soho - Hardly anyone here during the busy lunch hour... service was friendly and food was quite good in this modern British restaurant, though not particularly memorable.

Tasty congee & noodle wonton shop - I have been here a few times and I find the congee ok but not fantastic. The fried dough cheung fun was a bit disappointing. It’s ok if you just want a quick lunch in the IFC, but I would rather walk further and go to a more local congee shop.

Thai Empress chicken (direct translation), Wai Chai - A friend took me to this small busy restaurant that specialises in Thai style Hainanese chicken. Cramped tables and uncomfortable seats make you want to spend very little time here. We picked a set menu for 2 which was very good value and the portions were huge. The food was tasty but this is definitely not a place to linger!

Very Good restaurant (CANTONESE) - Despite the amusing name, this place actually turned out to be better than I expected! My Korean friends were in town and they wanted to have some typical Cantonese food in Kowloon, where I go once in a blue moon. Then I found this on the internet, thanks to the many restaurant review blogs! I encouraged my friends to try the roast pigeons and they were pleasantly surprised. Portions were huge, reasonably priced and very tasty, though I suspected that we probably gulped down tonnes of MSG as well!

Wa San Mai (JAPANESE) - Nice view and comfortable seating. We came during lunch and didn't have the teppanyaki. My stone pot rice with crab and sea urchin set was good value and included many side dishes. Overall, not a bad choice for lunch in CWB.

Xiao Nan Guo (SHANGHAINESE/ SIUCHUAN) - Used to be better a few years ago, food standard and service have both slipped. The 'wow' factor has gone, but their cold tofu with 1000 year old eggs dish is still better than Ye Shanghai's.

Ye Shanghai - not bad but not as good as Shanghai Garden.

Yee Tung Heen (CANTONESE/ DIM SUM) - Standards have definitely slipped... dim sum was not as good as before, and the fried dishes were too greasy.

Zest (INTERNATIONAL)- Bright and airy Mediterranean-style decor made us feel like we were in Europe. Brunch was pretty good, no surprises, but a good place to relax on a Sat/Sun afternoon.

Zhong Guo Song (HK STYLE)) – An odd Chinese home-style cooking restaurant in Lan Kwai Fong. Its down to earth style is a contrast to many of the pretentious restaurants nearby. I can’t say the food was fab. but it’s not bad if you want a substantial meal at a decent price.

Michelin guide (Hong Kong)

The new Hong Kong and Macau Michelin guide has caused quite a stir in Hong Kong. Some people are thrilled, others are skeptical. In general, Cantonese/Hong Kong people prefer affordable local dishes such as wonton noodles and fish ball ho fan, high-end Chinese cuisine is quite out of reach for many locals. However, many restaurants on the list are inside 4/5 star-hotels, and they are all pretty pricey. Many skeptics don't trust the French's judgments on Chinese cuisine and I don't blame them. But then again, Michelin never judges on just the food, usually service, ambience and wine lists are all taken into considerations. Whether we agree or not, we have to admire Michelin's marketing skills, since many diners around the world still treat their guides as bibles (just look at their fans in Japan). Chefs have committed suicide when their Michelin stars were taken away, so Michelin is still very influential in the restaurant world today.

I don't reside in Hong Kong anymore, but I do visit regularly and would try out different restaurants each time. Looking at the H.K. list, I was shocked to see Lung King Heen being awarded three stars. I tried the restaurant with some friends about 2 years ago but didn't find it particularly special.

Others that I have been to are: 2 stars- Summer Palace, Shang Palace and T'ang Court (it's actually quite good). 1 star - Fook Lam Moon, Hutong (I prefer their original and cheaper branch, Water Margin, but I guess this has better views and ambience), Shanghai Garden (my mum's favourite) and Yung Kee (has been my dad's canteen for about 20 years). I am surprised not to see any Italian nor Japanese on the list, and it seems that most Chinese restaurants on the list are Cantonese except for 2.

I don't think we should take this list too seriously, accurate or not, Michelin has already caused enough publicity. I doubt most H.K. people would agree on their choices of restaurants, but as long as it can boost the economy and tourism, I am sure they are not going to be too upset after all.