Shop Info:
The News Room
33 Tong Chong Street, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
http://www.thenewsroom.hk/
25 February 2012, Dinner (Restaurant Week HK)
$475 per head
For the last two meals of the Restaurant Week, Locust Tunghok and I decided to shell out a bit more and go for dinner - which typically are better than lunch despite also being pricier. On Saturday, then, we decided to go for The News Room in Quarry Bay. Located right next to Taikoo Place and a mere minute's walk from the MTR, the restaurant is easily accessible yet separated from the business of King's Road, especially on this Saturday evening when the Taikoo Place was essentially empty.
What interested us soon after ordering was the water, which is the same as the one from The Pawn, as shown in the background of the photo above. However, this not being a "British pub", we found it strange to find bottled water from Oxfordshire sitting on the table. Now, though, having subscribed to the News Room newsletter and received their e-business card, the reason is clear. They're from the same group!
Anyway, the bread was mediocre. A bit too dry and as our wine (which I know nothing about...) arrived we didn't really give it much attention.
U.S. Nebraska Beef Carpaccio served with wild rocket, Parmesan shavings & white truffle dressing.
U.S. Nebraska Beef Hanger Steak
Served with fries!
The steak was amongst the best I have had for the Restaurant Week, although being slightly overcooked wasn't as well executed as the one I've had at their sister shop The Pawn. My focus was definitely on the fries though. These were very nicely cooked, and whilst they are not fat fries, the outer crust was very crispy, almost glassy, and the center was moist and soft. Reminds me of what Heston Blumenthal keeps going on about the perfect fries. This might actually be one of the best fries I've ever had in Hong Kong!
Pan-roasted Corn-fed Chicken served with asparagus, leeks, black truffles & thyme
Instead of the steak, Locust Tunghok ordered this pan-roasted chickn for main and boy it was good. Execution was excellent. I've only tried a little bite of the drumstick and despite the normal-roasted-chicken look the inside was very tender and moist. I've been told that the breast wasn't as good (because it's breast...) but still very juicy. The star though, was the veg beneath, which were perfectly cooked and their natural sweetness has been brought out. (Actually, execution was better for the chicken, but for the fries alone, I'd go for the steak!)
Classic Pear Tarte Tatin with Cinnamon Ice Cream
Dessert was a pear tarte tatin, a "dessert item" which I've long heard and read about but never got to taste. The pastry was a bit hard and sticky but the pear was succulent and sweet but with the characteristic freshness of the pear which cuts through the sweetness to balance it out. I didn't like the cinnamon ice-cream tough, altough it seemed to be nicely made.
Like The Pawn, who forgot to charge us for the water, the News Room forgot to charge us for the wines... which I didn't notice until after signing the bill. The amount per head would be closer to $600 had those been considered. And guess what they did? After checking with some other staff, the waitress came back and told us "forget about it, we'd take care of that"!
A very nice dinner all considered. Liked the carpaccio, liked the steak, liked the fries, liked the chicken and liked the tarte tatin. Nothing much to complain about (that's rare)!
Summary (rated 1-5):
Food: (4.5/5)
Service: (4/5)
Environment: (4/5)
Big Locust's Recommendation: (4/5) Worth travelling all the way to Quarry Bay to dine here!
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