I'm going to start this post with a super clichéd sentence which must have been used by everybody, in probably more than 943,349 posts. Here we go...
I've heard so many good things about this place, I finally went ahead to try it.
Heheheh.
The place felt young and chic, we were the only customers arriving at 12 for lunch, (we always eat early) and I was surprised that the place stayed empty throughout our meal. I was even more surprised to find out that having the whole restaurant to ourselves didn't feel so comfortable/intimate/romantic/pleasant at all. I felt too...conspicuous. It felt weird.
Anyway...here's the food.
The bread...baguette and foccacia. They arrived warm, served with butter or olive oil/balsamic vinegar.
The foccacia was fluffy and soft, almost bun-like...and I didn't realize this when I was there, but now, looking at the photograph, the shape of the two bread is cracking me up.
Oppps.
Ha ha ha!
The tuna tartar with sesame, soya and cambridge sauce was...hmm...ok. Subtly flavored, presumably to showcase the succulence of the tuna. An OK, not a wow.
Maybe because I was also having this...
...poached egg with serrano, mushroom and shaoxing wine. This is like a slap on the face. A good slap. Bold and rich savory flavors to go with the perfectly poached egg. I like my things
The roasted lamb rumb with white beans and tomato ragout was...disappointing? The lamb was undercooked (?) to the point where I was struggling hard trying to cut some tendony bits, I've failed to enjoy this dish.
The grilled angus beef strip loin with potato wedges and Bearnaise sauce was again...ok. Served medium rare (we weren't asked how we wanted it done, maybe fearing that some customer would say "very well done" or "burnt to oblivion"?), it was ok, not particularly well seasoned, but the sauce saved it, it was creamy and flavorful. The potato wedges were too crunchy for me, I like mine crispy on the outside but soft on the inside (maybe I should go to fast food restaurants?).
I started to wonder why was I disappointed? Have I started being too picky? Am I not able to appreciate good food? Do I fancy playing food critic who slams down perfectly good dishes? Trust me, I do not want that. I never claim that I am a food expert or anything, I know nothing about food really, I just want to enjoy them.
Hmm, maybe I just ordered all the wrong dishes? I dunno, but if it's on the menu, it's gotta be good, right?
Anyway, after our main course, this thing was presented to us, and we could sense our server's pride when they placed this on our table...
...and we could understand why. This toothpick holder is really a show stopper. Push the metal guy down, and a tiny compartment would open, he'd grab a toothpick with precision before gingerly lifting it up in the air for your convenient usage...in public. Heh? Yep, Hong Kong is China's SAR, thus people pick their teeth in public, under a napkin, hopefully.
Heheh.
For dessert...
...I picked pineapple sorbet, and I was, again, absolutely disappointed. Our server failed to inform me that I could pick three different flavors of sorbet, so I ended up with this tall pile of pineapple sorbet, which was a bit too sour for my taste. Having this sorbet in winter just felt...unsuitable, but I guess I could only blame myself for ordering it T_T
The panna cotta with strawberry compote was, again, OK. Smooth, creamy, but nothing memorable. It was ordinary.
I know you're sick of seeing the word "OK" already, but the coffee was...OK ^_^'
The petit four served with the coffee though, was really nice.
I love the cream puff (second from left) in particular, sweet and crunchy on the outside, with creamy delicious custard in it. That, and the poached egg were my favorite from the lunch.
The three course lunch set was priced at HK$218 + service charge, very reasonable.
Since I was so disappointed, I might go back again to try their other dishes, just in case it was just my problem.
Whisk
5/F, The Mira, 118 Nathan Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2315 5999
Sorry for the lackluster meal Rita! But the petit fours are absolutely cute!!!
ReplyDeleteYour comment about the bread made me LOL! :D Maybe there is a reason why this place is empty through out your meal.
ReplyDeleteAck. I'm sorry this was so disappointing. I hate it when that happens.
ReplyDeleteThe lamb looks bloody "red" indeed!
ReplyDeleteOh what a shame that it was so disappointing, Rita! But y'know, sometimes things just aren't worth the hype. That's how I felt about Nobu Berkeley Square, and that's consistently ranked as one of the best restaurants in London!
ReplyDeleteBetter luck next restaurant ;)
Jax x
Hi Rita! I follow your blog for quite a while and I like your photos! And again here in this post your photos are very talented and skillful!
ReplyDeleteBut I cannot follow why you was soo disappointed...
ok, lamb was not good, looks also not perfect at the pics...
sorbet was not your taste
both could be avoided...did you tell them about the undercooked lamb??
atmosphere was not so comfortable, service seems to be not perfect. ok....
but the rest seems very fine with me...
come on, for $218, what do you expect???
bread, appetizer, mains, dessert, petit four + coffee, incl.. tuna tartare and angus... presentation looks also fine!
I mean what they had to do, to avoid this feelings to you? was it just because of the lamb and inattentive service (sorbet)?
can we really expect always to be wowed? I think this is every time more difficult, we have seen finally so many things already...
I have been recently to spoon, cafe grey and zuma, I had nice meals and paid a nice bill - but none of them impressed me... it was just nice, but to be fair I was not disappointed....
maybe I would go there again very soon because here in HK you can try soo many things first, but thats a different story....
cheers with a nice day
Lars
I really don't know what you mean about the bread. Really don't.
ReplyDeleteOh wait..
Now i do. OH MY GOSH, Ritaaaa.
{faints}
thanks for the comments guys ;)
ReplyDeletelars, i was wondering too...as i wrote in my post. i guess maybe because i've heared soooo much goood things about this place, my expectation shot up real high ;)
or maybe i've just become a picky pain in the ass. heheh :)