W28: So bad that it was funny.

Shop info:

W28

9/F, QRE Plaza, 202 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai

11 August 2012, lunch

$150 per head

If you take trying restaurants you haven't been to as a habit, you'll experience a wide range of emotions in the process - the pleasure of running across good meals, the excitement of finding decent meals at good price, the annoyance of dealing with waiters who don't give a damn, the pain of paying for overpriced meals at sub-par restaurants.

This place, though, has taken it to another level.  This place has left me so shocked that it was funny.  More about that later…

THE ENVIRONMENT

Located on the 9th floor of QRE Plaza in company of other restaurants such as La Cucina Italiana on 21/F, Akita Teppanyaki on 8/F and Zummer on 23/F.  The first impression exiting the lift was that of an elegant, somewhat hip dining room.  Once the staff lead you into the inner parts though, with booth seats and sofas the inner section of the restaurant feels surprisingly crowded.  The booth seats have a strange, unclean feel to it which made me squirm.  Air conditioning was weak.

THE SERVICE

The waitstaff were obviously more interested in their own chit-chat than in serving their customer.  When we walked in nobody was at the door and we had to find a waiter to get a table.  By the time we wanted the bill they were so absorbed in their own cocktail party at the bar that we almost had to dance on our seat to get their attention!  On our way out, they were so excited in their discussion that they didn't even bother to turn around to say goodbye…

Their introduction of the soup of the day, of course, was incomprehensible and the waitress didn't even bother to tell us about the "daily dessert" until we asked.  And then, her mumbling was so quite that I didn't catch much of what she said.

THE FOOD

Seems shocking enough?  The food was definitely more "interesting".  Here goes…

The bread came in an interesting arrangement of dark / light / dark / light.  Normal and whole wheat baguettes, of course.  These came warmed and with a slice of flavourless butter that had a striking resemblance of a slice off an Anchor butter block.  The bread was worse than the butter.  The dehydrated outer layer shouts that it's a few days old, just like those little mermaid baguettes which you'd buy, leave on the dining table and forgot about.  The bread was so dry-aged that the cut surfaces are slightly caved in.  Reheating such a piece of bread, of course, makes no difference - it's still going to be horrid.

Something cream soup, according to the waitress.  This tasted suspiciously like the "white soup" of the "red / white soup" at Hong Kong style "western" restaurants.  A bit more potato-ey and without the typical canned corn and carrot bits.  Quite smooth, but really, that flavour only reminds me of the  soup of the $30 lunch I used to get when in secondary school!

Grilled fillet of sole "Meuniere" with Angel Hair

The fillet of sole was fine.  Still quite HK-western restaurants but the succulent fish went well with the lemon butter sauce (of course, that's a fail safe combination!).  The peripherals, however, were complete failures.  The angel hair was cooked with no seasoning whatsoever.  Bland and tasteless are the only descriptions that I can think of.  It was so bad that it tasted of the starchy leftover water from cooking that angel hair.  I'd even hazard to guess that the water was hardly salted.  Mixing in the lemon butter didn't help much, as after that it tasted of starchy leftover water that has gone sour.  Nicht gute.

The carrots and broccoli weren't any better.  These were simply blanched in boiling water, again without no seasoning and were utterly bland.  Furthermore, the broccoli was in one big lump that you'd have to chop it up yourself.  Frankly, the chef who did these should be sent to wash dishes instead.

As a result, the angel hair, the carrots and the broccoli… were left largely untouched and I left the restaurant still hungry.  It was that bad.

This was almost the sourest and bitterest cup of coffee I've even been served in such a setting.  Way too hot as well.  Thumbs down.

CONCLUSION

Even now, I find it difficult to properly understand this meal.  The setting of the place was that of a mid-to-high-priced restaurant.  Price wasn't cheap, as my fillet of sole lunch costed $118+10%.  Quality was that of a cheap HK-western restaurant (a.k.a. 港式西餐廳).  Service was non-existent.  These were enough strikingly contrasting elements that it takes it beyond annoying or infuriating, and instead made it funny.

This lunch, therefore, was a complete joke.  FML.

My recommendation, therefore, is to avoid this place.  I'm so glad that we didn't try the a la carte "recommended" dishes costing >$300 per dish.  

Oh, by the way, "奶茶咖啡檸茶檸水… 仲有檸蜜".  That's what she said.

Summary (rated 1-5):

FOOD:  (2/5)  Don't expect anything.

SERVICE:  (2/5)  Waitresses don't give a damn.  But at least they didn't pour the coffee on us. 

ENVIRONMENT:  (3/5)  Dirty seats… hmm… 

BIG LOCUST'S RECOMMENDATION:  (2/5)  Don't bother.

DiVino Patio: Nope. They aren't quite ready yet.

Shop Info:
DiVino Patio
Brim 28, 28 Harbour Road, Wan Chai


29 July 2012, Dinner
$100 per head

I've recently received an invitation from Divino Group's PR Miss I to try their newly opened Divino Patio (thanks Miss I!).  Whilst I could not take her generous offer, I decided to give the restaurant a try with my fellow locust (Locusttunghok's review HERE) as well as Mr. and Mrs. C.  A booking for four was made in the morning and we arrived soon after traffic returned to normal after the demonstration.


THE ENVIRONMENT
Located at the newly renovated Brim 28 (previously Sanlitun, on podium of Causeway Centre), the design and layout of the dining area looked decent and welcoming.  True to its name there is an extensive outdoor dining area well enclosed by glass screens and planters, as is typical of stores at Brim 28.  Unfortunately the combination of wide-open full-height partition-doors and a lack of a proper weak wind curtain meant that the “indoor” dining room was quite warm even after the sun has set.  Tables seemed to be reasonably spaced although some may desire better separation.  Lucky for us the booth seats were sufficiently spacious and comfortable.


One of the inner walls of the dining room was designed as a display wine cellar, which along with the draguht beer fonts were purely ornamational as the waiter explained that the premise has yet to obtain their liquor license (perhaps the white-wine-sipping pair sitting outdoors brought their own bottle) and therefore cannot sell any wine, spirits, cocktails or beer.  The drinks list was accordingly and understandbly dismal, featuring only mocktails, juices, smoothies, coffee & tea as well as... cigars.  


THE SERVICE
The lack of a liquor license was the beginning of the problems.  The staff were under-trained and not ready for proper opening.  Despite having booked a table for four no table was actually “reserved” – perhaps on their reservation book but as the waitress dropped the menus (the drinks list was only shown to us upon request), supposedly for us, on a table for two right by those full-height doors without even glancing at the book, we were pretty certain none was held and it was for sheer luck that we managed to occupy the last of the three booths.


The other waiter wasn’t much better trained – not only did he attempted to pour our bottled water for Mr. & Mrs. C who has yet to arrive, quite a bit of clatter was made pouring water for us locusts, an exercise which most wait-staff at restaurants of this pricing would manage without much problem.  After Mr. & Mrs. C arrived, however, none of the wait-staff bothered to pour water for them – or none noticed.


To add to such under-preparedness, none of the staff every told us what the dishes were when they served it.  Of course at a casual dining establishment one wouldn’t expect an extended speech on the composition and construction of the carpaccio, yet I believe recognizing the dish and telling the diners what is being served or at least telling the diners to “enjoy” would be preferred over simply dumping the plate on the table.


The manager was friendly and helpful, but he probably need better trained staff.


THE FOOD
Akin to most such restaurants, DiVino Patio serves a bread basket, or actually a bread “bag” with its name printed.  I can only note that the grissini were obviously the packaged variety and that the grissini and the thin crisps were moist – like they’ve been left in the open for hours.  And they were.  When the manager later came to “add” to the bread bag, he simply took it away and took us another one from a table near the entrance.  It may be too harsh to ask a $250-per-head restaurant to make their own grissini, but why couldn’t they at least store their bread properly?

Understanding that we might be in for a rather disappointing dinner, we held back on our planned pizza / pasta / roast piglet order and only asked for some bruschetta and antipasti, which proved to be a wise choice as after those we still had stomach space to go for some mussels at the neighbouring Frites.

Assorted Sauteed Mushrooms Bruschetta

Bruschetta ai funghi assortiti

The only satisfactory dish of the three ordered.  A pile of sautéed mushroom on a piece of toasted bread can’t really be bad.  Unless the mushroom are sour.  This is the only dish we all liked.

Deep-Fried Calamari with Tartar sauce

Calamaretti fritti in pastella croccante, salsa tartara

Overcooked and over-battered

The calamaretti fritti was a disappointment.  The “crispy batter” crust, although not too oily, was under-seasoned and for some pieces completely separated from the calamari.  Some pieces were over-battered too.  The calamari inside was overcooked and quite chewy.  The sub-par and overly sour tartar sauce became the saving grace as it at least added some flavour to the calamari fritti.  The calamari fritti served at Doppio Zero as a part of their set lunch (!!) is leagues above this version.

Divino’s Beef Carpaccio

Carpaccio di manzo con rucola, parmigiano reggiano e carciofini

Way too thick and dry on one side

Swimming in olive oil on the other side

Carpaccio are usually meat or fish that is thinly sliced or pounded thin before serving.  Not this one.  This was by far the thickest carpaccio I’ve ever eaten and probably as a result of that the meat was really quite chewy.  The olive oil dressing was not even with one side of the dish pretty dry and the other side swimming in olive oil.  The “parmigiano reggiano” were thick rubbery slices.  No, I think the generic term “parmesan” (i.e. non DOP imitation of parmigiano reggiano) may be more suitable.  Even those modestly priced parmigiano reggiano I used to get from Tesco were better in terms of both flavour and texture.  I'd expect much better execution for a dish bearing the restaurant's name!


CONCLUSION
As I said in the title of the post, this place is not ready for opening yet.  The staff were not ready, the liquor license was not ready (for a casual drinking / dining establishment?  Come on) and from the quality of the food it seems the kitchen wasn’t quite ready either.  I’m very tempted to just put this place in my “never return” list and bugger off, yet its menu is giving me pause – their choice of pasta and pizza screams confidence, and I definitely want to try their roasted piglet and the D.O.P. burrata.  Probably not the “choice” grade tenderloin though…


So, there is really no conclusion.  It's still early days for DiVino Patio, and when we return in maybe a month or two for their roasted piglet and that pizza with buffalo mozzarella, I hope they will be better geared.  For the main course of this dinner last Saturday, though, we went for a kilo of house mussels with a pint of Stella / Leffe Blonde at Frites instead.

Summary (rated 1-5):
FOOD:  (3/5) 
SERVICE:  (3/5)  The manager was friendly and helpful, yet the wait-staff in general were under-trained.
ENVIRONMENT:  (3/5)  Comfortable and casual dining environment.  Would have been a four but it was way too hot.
BIG LOCUST'S RECOMMENDATION:  (3/5)  I'd still give this place a re-visit for its promising menu.

The Pawn: Lunch with Me and Myself

Shop Info:
The Pawn
2-3/F, 62 Johnston Road, Wan Chai
http://www.thepawn.com.hk/

21 February 2012, Lunch (Restaurant Week HK)
~$290

Being true to this Locusts' crazy eating week, I booked lunch at The Pawn for myself so this is my turn to have a lunch with Me and Myself!  A quick tram ride away from office, this is a superb spot for a decent lunch during a busy day.  Frankly, I did not pay much attention to what the waitress was asking when she called to confirm the table - except that I wanted a table on the balcony.  And balcony it is.  I would argue that she gave me one of the best table on the premise.  Seated right at the corner of the 2/F balcony, I was close to yet away from the busy traffic below (and surprisingly not very noisy thanks to the glass balustrades) and had a very open view.

Better still, perhaps because not many people are willing to sit outdoor on this (still) rather cold day, I had my little section to myself for the whole lunch!  So nice...

This being a British pub, guess what bottled water they serve?  Nothing French of course!  This is "drawn from the aquifer within Blenheim Park (Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire)".  That might well be as British as you'll get.

The Britishness didn't end there.  On the back side of this little salt box, it actually says "sea salt flakes" instead of "Fleur de Sel"!

Anyway, the herbed bread was decent and warmed when served.  However, I did find the cold, hard butter which wouldn't spread to be somewhat annoying.  It would be much better if they warmed it up to room temperature.  But then again, the (unsalted) butter itself was quite bland and lacks the creaminess and richness one would expect of a good dollop of butter...

Marinated Tomatoes & Goat’s Cheese served with garlic toast & basil and rosemary oil

This starter was very nice.  The marinated tomatoes were packed full of flavour, with a distinct swetness and tanginess and is very juicy, which balanced quite well against the crunchy toast, which somehow managed to remain dry despite sitting underneath the tomatoes.  I couldn't really tell the "garlic" bit of the toast but with the fragrance of the basil and the oil it soaked and the creaminess of the cheese, every mouthful was a well balanced treat.  Personally I would prefer to have the tomatoes skinned though, removing the annoyance of having to chew through it and enhancing the contrast between the juicy tomato and the crunchy toast.

Coal-Grilled U.S. Nebraska Flat Iron Steak Rubbed with mustard & garlic served with spring onion mash & Port and Stilton Sauce

Whilst the staff didn't ask how I wanted the steak done, it came medium-rare, just how I'd like it.  The photo taken under strong sunlight here is rather deciving since it was actually quite pink / red in the core.  The steak itself could be better since the end bits were a bit dry, but otherwise as a whole it was moist and flavoursome.

I do feel, however, that the star is the mash.  The spring onion is a very nice touch, adding freshness which balanced the normally heavy mash.  Also, personally I'd prefer more butter in my mash (make it 50%!  haha), and maybe a bit more salty.  But then, that's where the sea salt flakes came in handy!  With that added, it was just soooo nice...

Honey Sponge & Ginger Ice Cream

The dessert was decent and the ginger flavour was there but not overpowering.  The sponge was on the dry side though.  Would not be my favourite dessert but couldn't really complain either...

The service here should be commended.  I have almost never seen a wait-staff standing around during lunch but somehow, whenever I finished the dish, somebody appear out of nowhere to pick it up and to serve the next.  I really like the way how you do feel undisturbed and at the same time the service doesn't drop.  The staff, from the lady calling to confirm the table to the girls greeting at the door to the bloke who told me I should go to the second floor instead of wandering on the first to the guy to the waiter who served me throughout my lunch, were all very courteous and friendly.  I do hope more restaurants have staff like theirs!

Now, as a side note, I suspect they've forgotten to charge me for the water...?  Should have added that back had I noticed...

Anyway, it was a really pleasant lunch and I'm sure I will be back to try their other dishes.

Summary (rated 1-5):
Food:  (4/5)  Very nice.  Well worth the money.
Service:  (4.5/5)  Very friendly staff who are actually ninjas and can conceal themselves.
Environment:  (4.5/5)  Might actually have been a 4, but loved the table I got!
Big Locust's Recommendation:  (4.5/5)  Worth visiting, and revisiting, and revisiting.  It's really quite good.

Wooloomooloo Steahouse: Wooleimacha steak...

Shop Info:
Wooloomooloo Steakhouse
31/F, the Hennessy,
256 Hennessy Road,
Wan Chai


3 May 2011, Lunch
$163 per head


I have (rather unfortunately) stumbled upon this place when going for lunch with a friend Mr. PL.  I've heard from my locust friend about the Wooloomooloo steakhouse in Central and its bargain lunch but never realised that it has a branch here on the 31st floor of the Hennessy.  So when I discovered this Wooloomooloo when wandering in Wan Chai waiting for Mr. PL I decided to drag him along to try this place.


Trying to get to this restaurant was a bit of a challenge.  The lift which took us up to 31/F had two doors, and apparently the door which opens depend on the buttons on which side of the lift you pressed.  Unfortunate for us, those in the lift pressed the button on the wrong side and it took us minutes of going up and down before finally getting to the restaurant.


The view from such a height was amazing.  At 31/F this restaurant was located easily higher than the roof of a lot of buildings in Wan Chai and from where we sat we had an almost unobstructed view of Kowloon Bay.  Not the most gorgeous view in Hong Kong but not bad at all.


"Executive" Lunch set was for $148 + 10% so of course choices were limited.  There was a choice of appetizer or clam chowder, then a choice of three mains -- steak (sirloin), fish (salmon) or pasta (spaghetti bolognaise).  We both chose the clam chowder (the appetizer didn't sound tempting at all) and this being a steakhouse, we both chose the sirloin.  As usual (and as expected), the waiter tried to sell us bottled still / sparkling but we went for tap.

Before the chowder arrived we were served this HUGE bread which looked the same as the one in the Central Wooloomooloo.  Bread was hot when served and was soft inside.  Herb butter was served soft.  Thumbs up for the bread.

The plain-looking clam chowder was served in a small metal pot and looked rather uninspiring.  However, the chowder was full of flavour and was rather nice.  Hidden at the bottom of the pot were the (meat from) half a dozen (probably frozen) clams.  Not bad!

The steak, however, was a big disappointment.  This being a steakhouse I definitely would expect them to do better.  Unlike the clam chowder, presentation was lacking to begin with, and from its looks alone one could tell that the chef wasn't paying his full attention to making a good dish.  The sauce was all over the place and the steak was lazily slapped onto the mesh.  There was a choice of 4 mustard which was fair, but one would at least expect it to look a bit more refined.


All that would have been fine if the steak was good.  And it wasn't.  We asked for the steak to be made medium-rare and as shown in the photo above it was pink throughout -- closer to medium-welldone I'd say.  And I hate welldone steak.  Looking back I probably should have sent it back to the kitchen.  So from the rather nice bread and good clam chowder, the meal took a big plunge here.  The cut probably wasn't that good either, and when combined with it being overcooked, I found it tough to cut even with the steak knife.  The sauce (mushroom something... couldn't be asked to properly taste it by then... was too disappointed by the steak) did not add to the already weak flavour of the steak and instead almost covered it up.  The only explanation was that the chef was well aware that the steak wasn't any good and was trying to cover up the lack of quality and flavour with this rather strong sauce.  The mesh wasn't much better either.  It could have been smoother and better seasoned (its flavour was weak) but was by far the better part of this main course.  

For drinks I asked for hot coffee (Mr. PL ordered iced coffee, as can be seen in the background).  At the beginning it looked promising but the first sip revealed the truth -- it wasn't much good either.  Now I'm no expert in coffee, having just started drinking it a few months ago, but even I can tell this coffee was either cheap or poorly made -- even my daily breakfast coffee from DELIFRANCE taste much better.  It was strongly sour and bitter and devoid of the aroma I'd relate with coffee (sorry, no idea re. notes / aftertaste / texture etc...)


The biscuit that come with the coffee was an annoyance, to say the least.  I was trying to break it in half when moaning about the poor quality of the coffee, and before I knew it, I've showered myself in crumbs of the biscuit.  It was so powdery and dry that I broke it in to the many pieces shown in the photo above, in one go.  A bite of the remaining pieces confirmed that the biscuit was dry, powdery and mostly tasteless.  Frankly, if you can't be asked to make the coffee and biscuit properly as a part of the "executive lunch", don't bother to include it.  I'd rather have to pay for a cup of coffee instead of being served something like this.


At this price and environment, and had it not for such a poorly made steak, this would have been a bargin.  Obviously those working in Wan Chai are aware of the quality of food here -- the place was never completely full when we had lunch.  Mind you, we ate from 12:30 to 13:40 which should cross the lunch hour of most office workers here and the restaurant was almost empty at the beginning and around 1/3 full when we left.  It is quite a shame because given the bargain steak lunch price, good location, comfy environment and a lack of steakhouses in the area, this could easily be a restaurant fully booked for every lunch service.


What I can say is, if you really, desperately want to eat in a Wooloomooloo steakhouse, go to the one in Central.


Summary (Rated 1-5)
Food:   (2) would have been 1 had it not been for the bread and chowder
Service:  (4) efficient and courteous.  The waiter didn't even stutter introducing the mustards to us.  Good front of house team.
Environment:  (4) comfy, good view
Big Locust's Recommendation:  (2) let down by the food...