Common Room (Closed)

119 Reviews

Taste

Decor

Service

Hygiene

Value

4337

Central

$201-400

Wagyu Foie Gras Burgers

2 Recommended

Kan Lee

Level4

1.6K

423

Common Room 是我一直欲嘗試的餐廳，無論是對其所提供的雞尾酒、食物與及環境，都有著相當的憧憬，於是預早幾天訂檯，選在 Happy Friday 的日子裡，讓自己好好體驗一番。步上樓梯，Common Room 大致將室內分割成左右兩邊，左邊是酒吧，而右邊就是用餐區，最末端同屬於用餐區的範圍。就裝潢而論，沒多大的特別之處，與一般中環的餐廳無異。抵達時才晚上7時多，酒吧不算太熱鬧，但大概一小時後，人潮開始擁至，大多是外籍人士與用英語交談的香港人。老公和我也是愛熱鬧的人，可是酒吧與我們的細小餐檯只相隔一條通道，站在酒吧的客人基本是佔據了該通道，這樣的用餐環境未免過於親密了吧，相信設計較體貼的餐廳，會讓酒吧與用餐區有適當的分隔距離。我們餐檯後的區域明顯較為適合，可惜全被設成容納大伙兒的餐檯。老公不用多考慮，便選擇了 Guiness Draught。我則對於 Common Room 的雞尾酒帶有期盼，而餐牌上雞尾酒的款式不但繁多，亦有一系列 Mixology 的選擇，可是當我逐一篩選時，外藉女侍應已不下兩次催促，當然我不予理會，只是禮貌地打發她，但最後一次她還將我的 Mixology 餐

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Common Room 是我一直欲嘗試的餐廳，無論是對其所提供的雞尾酒、食物與及環境，都有著相當的憧憬，於是預早幾天訂檯，選在 Happy Friday 的日子裡，讓自己好好體驗一番。

步上樓梯，Common Room 大致將室內分割成左右兩邊，左邊是酒吧，而右邊就是用餐區，最末端同屬於用餐區的範圍。就裝潢而論，沒多大的特別之處，與一般中環的餐廳無異。抵達時才晚上7時多，酒吧不算太熱鬧，但大概一小時後，人潮開始擁至，大多是外籍人士與用英語交談的香港人。

老公和我也是愛熱鬧的人，可是酒吧與我們的細小餐檯只相隔一條通道，站在酒吧的客人基本是佔據了該通道，這樣的用餐環境未免過於親密了吧，相信設計較體貼的餐廳，會讓酒吧與用餐區有適當的分隔距離。我們餐檯後的區域明顯較為適合，可惜全被設成容納大伙兒的餐檯。

老公不用多考慮，便選擇了 Guiness Draught。

我則對於 Common Room 的雞尾酒帶有期盼，而餐牌上雞尾酒的款式不但繁多，亦有一系列 Mixology 的選擇，可是當我逐一篩選時，外藉女侍應已不下兩次催促，當然我不予理會，只是禮貌地打發她，但最後一次她還將我的 Mixology 餐牌收去，難道我遲遲未作出選擇會影響她的工作進度？這樣的待客態度，連最基本的禮儀也達不到，跟她討論也於事無補，只會浪費我的心神！

最終我選了名為 It's Peachy 的雞尾酒，淺黃的色澤是混合了 Vodka、Peach Liqueur、Fresh Lemon Juice 和 Homemade Peach Syrup，面層配上白色的蛋白泡沫，中間四方形透明的是一冰塊，再襯上橙黃色的桃肉裝飾，感覺還不錯。

細嚐了幾口，酒的份量還可以，甜度恰好，但 Peach 的味道則不夠明顯，與主題有著落差，味道只屬一般！

Tandoori Chicken 吃得多，尤愛它烤得焦香與獨特印度香料的風韻，那 Tandoori Octopus 味道又會如何？

這道 Tandoori Octopus 底層由一塊薯片承托，跟著放上鮮芒果片，中層是 Tandoori Octopus，頂層則放上由 Yoghurt 和香料製成的醬汁。入口醬汁的酸味尤為突出，其次是 Octopus 柔軟、彈性十足的肉質。可是無論如何，我們兩人均感受不到絲毫 Tandoori 的韻味。由賣點轉化成了弱點，令人失望！

Wagyu Foie Gras Burgers

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老公對 Common Room 的 Wagyu Foie Gras Burgers 產生興趣，端來時兩個 Mini Burgers 香氣確是相當的誘人。

Wagyu Foie Gras Burgers

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一咬，肉汁隨即飛濺，露出粉紅的牛肉，擁有這樣澎湃肉汁的才算得上是令人回味的漢堡。牛肉雖好，但 Foie Gras 彷彿只聞其味，未能嚐到其質。其實除了香氣，Foie Gras 最引人入勝的就是外脆肉軟、入口即溶的口感，可惜 Foie Gras 彷彿自然流失了，此乃至關重要，且未能達至完美的敗筆。

試過兩款小食後，不如嘗試主菜的味道。老公選了 Chef's Pasta Duo。

一個 Pasta 擁有兩款口味，一邊是 Arrabiatta Penne。

另一邊是 Porcini Mushroom Farfalle。

Arrabiatta Penne 夠煙韌，不過醬汁卻不夠惹味。

而 Porcini Mushroom Farfalle 醬汁很暢滑，牛肝菌香氣亦甚豐濃，加上 Farfalle 嚼勁恰好，整體要比 Arrabiatta Penne 出色多，可是此食味一般意大利餐廳亦能及上，不見其獨突之處。

經過是次的嘗試，Common Room 在心目中與真實的印象有著相當大距離的差別，原來一向認定極為特別的Common Room，其實只是平平無奇.............只好慨嘆一句，It's truly Common！

Other Info. : 老公的同事也曾到過 Common Room，原來他跟我一樣也不喜歡其 Service，相信 Common Room 有必要要就女侍應的服務態度重新評估。

(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)

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DETAILED RATING

Taste

Decor

Service

Hygiene

Value

Date of Visit

2013-10-11

Dining Method

Dine In

Spending Per Head

$275 (Dinner)

ood(g+f)

Level2

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*******************Environment / Surrounding********************

I've been here many times for after dinner drinks, and I've always felt comfortable at Common Room. Make no mistake, there is nothing common about its design that makes it comfortable, but rather the deco has a lot of wood with a mixture of black and glass design. This place is 4,000 square feet with a rustic industrial chic gastrobar featureing a 31 feet long mixology glass and cast iron liquor library.

Coming here for dinner was slightly different. The lighting is much brighter and you really get to feel comfortable the moment you step in. It's neither extremely fancy or too casual and it gives a feeling that this is a place that people where people would enjoy sitting around. Kind of like a 'common room' in the school days.

The area is quite big with a very long bar table on the left of the restaurant, and communual wooden tables that fill out the rest of the area.

Rating: 8/10
**************************Food******************************
Rating Scale from 1-5
I realise I am quite harsh on these, but for something to reach a 5 it has to be absolutely perfect. A 5 means la crème de la crème of its type and category; my point of view is that there is no such thing as perfect in texture, taste, presentation, smell etc and a 5 is virtually impossible.
0-1: Horrific, inedible
1-2: Will not order it again, and it's below average
2-3: Average joe food. Many places can replicate or make this.
3-4: Quite good and tasty. The higher end of 3 represents that the dish is identifiable to the restaurant and has its own distinctive taste and I will consider ordering again.
4-4.9: Very very tasty and the flavours of the dish is unique to the restaurant. In particular in the mid to higher ends to the 4, the food is almost proprietor-level good.
5: Pure bliss and so perfect that it's inexpressible.

Dinner Menu

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As one can see, its a scrumptious world-inspired menu that will be served tapas style. There are all sorts of classic food with their own added flavour. Menus marked with the Common room Logo 'CR', are labeled as Common Room Favs.

The drink menu is also comprehensive with many classic and contemporary cocktails. This iron liquor library also has a good list of wine (we had 2011 Cloudy bay Pinot Noir which isn't very common in HK) and whiskey (with whiskey from all over the world including Chivas 38 years, Yoishi 15 years etc.)

On with the food!

Tapas 1: Chicken Liver and Foie Gras Pate (3.9/5)

Chicken Liver and Foie Gras Pate

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The pate, spiked with peppercorn and brandy, topped off with a fruity layer of jam was fabulous. The jar filled with pate was way more than enough for 4 people. The pate really delivered in that it was full of rich flavors and it was the perfect texture to spread on the homemade crostinis, which was also well made.

The jar of pate is quite large, so expect to be very full from this.

Tapas 2: Classic Mac + Cheese (3.9/5)

Mac and cheese is so common and made easily, yet there is such a huge variation in the quality of a true mac and cheese. To me, mac and cheese doesn't neccessarily have to be fancy; it just has to really really good.

The mac and cheese served here used several types of cheese: Gruyere, Parmesan, and Gouda, topping it off with a large Buffalo Mozerlla cheese in the middle. The mixture of cheese gave a rich, and not overly thick flavour and texture of cheese that will make your tongue wanting for more. Especially if you're a Buffalo mozerlla lover, the chunk in the middle balances out the heavy flavours of the mixture with a light spongy touch.
Another wonderful addition are the bread crumbs on top of the dish which gives a crunch and texture to the smooth creamy dish. I wouldn't exactly call this 'classic' way of making mac and cheese given the cheese choices, but it isn't overly fancy and they made it just right.

This is a dish I would order again, without a doubt.

Tapas 3: Steak Tartare served on homemade crisps (3.6/5)

Steak Tartare served on housemade crisps

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The steak tartare was seasoned with mustard, vinegar, pepper, and topped with a raw egg on top which came with hommade crisps shaped like waffles. The presentation was simple but striking due to the combination of colours on the plate.

The steak was very flavourful with an oozing amount of mustard and a touch of vinegar to cover enhance (and cover) the raw taste of the steak. It was a good mixture of flavours because the vinegar really brought out the flavours of the meat. There was nothing extraodinary about the steak tartare and some parts of the meat was too chewy to the point I couldn't swallow them.

The homemade crisps were very thin almost like the waffle chips you can buy in the supermarket. They also don't make you feel like you're eating a drench of oil which was fantastic. However, after eating a few more of these, you will feel the 'heat' or 'fire' (热气) in the mouth.

The combination of the two together is both a hit and a miss, in my opinion. In terms of adding texture, I find the crisp to be the perfect complement, but it also misses in the flavour department. When I ate the dish, I wasn't quite sure if I should be eating them together or not.

Tapas 4&5: Lobster Risotto, Lobster Linguini (3.4/5)

The lobster risotto dominated its presentation with the big lobster head served on top its risotto. The dish was served with lobster chunks, cream, garlic and white wine as the basis of the sauce. The al dente risotto and the lobster chunks were quite good. However, aside from the lobster chunks, there wasn't too much lobster flavour anywhere else.

I also tried the lobster linguini which was served with spicy vegetables in a tomato based sauce. Turns out, the linguini was much spicier than we expected. The linguini was also al dente and the lobster was separately served unlike the risotto which had the lobster chunks mixed in the pasta.

Unless you are craving for lobster dishes, I wouldn't order these specifically as there are many many more delectable dishes on the menu.

Tapas 6: Grilled Shrimp Poutine (4/5)

Grilled Shrimp Poutine

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The grliled shrimp poutine is one to be remembered at Common Room. Forget about the cocktails, and the vast iron cast library. The shrimp poutine is gook looking, mouth watering and irresistable.

Before I tasted the dish, I had assumed that only the top layer will have cheese and I would have to spread out the shrimp in small pieces so that I will have flavour to get through the stack of fries. Turns out, the phrase 'don't judge the book by its cover' applies.

The shrimp is sauteed to perfection, and it was marinated very simply.The shrimp tasted extremely fresh and the meat remained crisp.
Layered beneath the shrimp lies melted cheddar cheese and truffle sauce and stacks of french fries. This wonderful poutine was full of shrimp flavour through all of the fries because the sauce itself tasted like shrimp! Mixed in with cheddar cheese and a hint of truffle the sauce was made to perfection. As the sauce was thick, the fries remained crisp even after some time (well, it's also possible that we finished it so quickly that there was no chance for the fries to get soggy).

This dish is unique and when I revisit this restaurant, it would be the first thing I would order even before I get seated.

Tapas 7: Wagyu Foie Gras Burgers (3.7/5)

Wagyu Foie Gras Burgers

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The Wagyu foie gras burger also comes with carmelised onions, arugula and balsamic reduction (on the foie gras).

The flavours were blissfully sweet (from the foie gras balsamic glazing and the carmelised onions), and guilty oily (from the wagyu fat and the foie gras oil). It tasted like I expected, and it's executed very well.

There are other places that serves this as well, hence the slight knock on the ratings. I would respectfully order this again nonetheless!

**************************Service******************************

The overall service varies from waiter to waiter. We were seated immediately upon arrival, and we were served with drinks quickly. Most of the staff was friendly but not extremely informative in terms of their food offerings. They knew what the food entails but not all staffs were clear on how it was cooked.

However, there was one particular staff that was extremely rude, even to the point of insulting the dinner guests. To give an abridged anecdote, one of the dinner guests asked whether if it was a good idea to add the Wagyu Foie Gras Burger, with which the staff replied you're too fat for it (in a condescending tone). Throughout, this staff served us several times during the dinner and each time she came in with an attitude.

In the end, this is not a fine-dine restaurant, and perhaps I was expecting too much because the food was excellent. Yet, the one particular staff made the meal quite unpleasant.

***************************Conclusion**************************
This is not only a great hang out place at night, but it is also a great place to have delectable favorite classic foods that's done right. Things are in small portions which allows you to eat a variety of things.

From the wonderful mac and cheese to the memorable shrimp poutine, this is a place to remember. However, for the noisy environment and the non-fine dining set up, you're really only paying for the food and the selection of cocktails.

I would recommend this restaurant for anyone, in particular for those who plan to have drinks after a good meal!

(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)

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DETAILED RATING

Taste

Decor

Service

Hygiene

Value

Date of Visit

2013-08-10

Dining Method

Dine In

Spending Per Head

$500

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