Gold By Harlan Goldstein (Closed)

中環食肆，大都離不開一個「貴」字，動輒消費幾百至過千不等。是日與摯友相約午饍，選擇了Gold By Harlan Goldstein，午餐以半自助形式，包前菜、主菜、甜品和餐茶，定價為HKD288+10%，可謂十分化算。這裏的頭盤貴精不貴多，但勝在用料精美，每款食物逐一品嚐，足以令我半飽。冷盤海鮮有海蝦、青口和翡翠螺。青口每隻體型不大，但尚算肥美，味道較為清淡。蝦肉只屬爽口而不鮮，但作為前菜兼無限量供應，這個質素也可以接受的。翡翠螺水準則不俗，爽口鮮甜，蘸以泰式醬汁更為惹味！Parma Ham雖然不屬油潤之作，但入口鹹度適中帶回甘，只略嫌哈蜜瓜甜度不足，影響了整體口感！這裏供應的沙律菜皆嫩綠爽口，配料亦很多，配以不同風格的沙律醬，很不錯！鬆脆的多士上面鋪上磨菇，清新得來又不見單調，一口氣鯨吞了七、八件呢！搓成小圓球的肉丸，質感不太死實，番茄醬汁味濃，特別醒胃！反觀海鮮沙律的醬汁不夠惹味，蝦肉爽口而沒有味道，較為遜色！44 Degree-Cooked Salmon, Fish Roe Croquette, Spicy Tomato Salsa & Red Bell Pepper Coulis以44度慢煮出來的三文魚，魚身晶瑩剔透，但入口即溶的質感本人不太喜歡，感覺很流質，在我而言，我喜愛普通三文魚肉的實在口感。甜品種類不多，賣相精緻，味道也不賴！押尾以一杯泡沫豐盈細膩的cuppuccino作結，為這餐劃上了句號。 continue reading

黎過尼到好多次，以前每一次都食得好開懷，尤其最愛佢個slow cooked Salmon ,加上環境坐得舒服，係indoor 食完飯可以坐去outdoor 飲野。 不過佢而家已經轉左menu ，冇左我個最愛不特止，見到佢個set dinner menu 係steak or lobster , 仲要特別指出 ，unlimited fries and salad ... 我真心想問問，黎得尼到，我會五會貪你個unlimited refill ? 我既要求，只係食物的水準，和quantity 沒有關係。 所以，我見到個menu , 已經有小小失望。講返野食, 我們叫左個ham and melon with honey truffle dressing . 個dressing 有驚喜，平時叫尼個starter 都五會有咩expectation , ham n melon 都係咁既者，不過估五到，加左個honey melon dressing 之後，都好夾。refreshing dish !Main course : lobster dinner set . Salad 同fries 五想講，平平無奇。個fries 仲要係一早炸定果種，五熱又五脆... Disappointed .個lobster tail 我只能說佢地marinated 幾好，但個texture 麻麻，五夠彈牙爽口 。I think it's not very fresh one . However,   幾sweet 既係，佢地會幫你切好個lobster放上面 ,五洗自己切咁麻煩。尼間餐廳俾我的感覺係，佢改行比較平民路線，價錢平左係好，但我希望佢地可以keep 返以前的食物水準，勿將貨就價，影響聲譽。小倩回頭率：60%  ( will be back unless  they change the menu ) continue reading

This place is an absolute disaster.I consider myself a very generous person, one that tips waiters/waitresses generously even when my service isn't that good, since everyone has their good days and bad. The one waiter that actually tried to help me, he deserved the big fat tip I gave. He was good.My girlfriend and I went to GOLD for our 2 year anniversary and it was truly disappointing. From the reviews we had high expectations and we were promptly greeted and seated. We ordered the beef and scallop carpaccio appetizers, two glasses of wine, and the shrimp pasta for my girlfriend whilst I picked the 10oz rib eye rare.The waiter was helpful, our appetizers and wine came quickly and was delicious. Then everything started to fall apart. After the appetizer service, we notice for the first time the floor manager walking by, and he immediately passes us without ever asking how our dinner is to flirt with the girls on the next table. The music takes a turn from bad to worse as most of the tracks are ranting about *fucking bitches* and *killing n*ggers* (actual lyrics that we heard) when I'm trying to enjoy a romantic night out, this isn't a club. Later on the floor manager goes out to the balcony with the girls for moments up to 30 minutes long to continue his flirting. Great job providing service to some clients but not others. Not once did he come to our table to check how our dinner was until it went even further downhill.Pretty much everyone knows that a rib eye steak already packs lots of flavor, and all it needs is not to be overworked so that it could retain its taste. This place did exactly the opposite. Lots of show at the sacrifice of taste. The entrees had arrived, and my 700 dollar steak, that I ordered rare came back completely well-done, cut into ribbons, and was drowning in very salty teriyaki sauce. The quality of the steak was nothing close to a ribeye and closer to a strip. The steak had no marbling whatsoever and was lacking the eye of fat that sits between the muscle groups which is the defining quality of a good rib eye. It was extremely chewy and grainy from being a poor quality steak and overcooked, and very salty for being drowned in sauce. Even the arugula salad on the side, which is supposed to act as a nice, crisp, refreshing taste to contrast the mat was heavily salted. I'm not trying to be particularly picky, but even McDonald's tastes better.My girlfriend's shrimp pasta came as well. The shrimp were damn near perfect, but the pasta and sauce tasted closer to microwave dinner. It was overcooked instead of al-dente, making it lose some of it's texture, and the sauce had a slight tinge of canned tomatoes.I calmly explained to my waiter when he came by (the one I tipped) that my steak was not alright, and he very politely took the plate telling me a new one would be prepared. I told him I was on my anniversary and he asked the manager if he could bring us two glasses of champagne as an apology.The second steak came back. This time, it wasn't cut to ribbons, and there was no more sauce to be seen! Horray! Or so I thought. The black grill marks were very deep and charred, which reminded me of a Pittsburgh rare (Black and Blue), I grabbed my knife and cut it straight through the center. The steak was still well-done instead rare. I picked my fork up with the bit of steak and showed it to the waiter. I told him to get the manager.Finally the floor manager appears out from the balcony. By this point I am infuriated and just want to eat a dinner that's reasonably acceptable. I ask to see the floor manage who has now been goofing off from his job for an hour to flirt. I tell him exactly what has transpired and he offers me a third steak.This time the chef comes out along with the manager. Still the steak is over grilled in a Pittsburgh style that produces a charred taste (despite no mention of this), its about a medium on the rarity. I'm tired, so I don't bother anymore, and I take two bites before settling the bill. The chef tries to correct me and says that what he cooked was blue rare. Congratulations on cooking a medium steak when I asked for rare and attempting to correct my terminology like an asshole.I tip the waiter and commend his excellent service. I tell him how truly disappointed I am at the ignorance of the management and the arrogance of the head chef and leave. continue reading

同一個集團, 同一個價錢嘅weekend brunch $338, 唔知點解水準差咁遠, 食過銅鑼灣Penthouse個間比較之下, Gold呢間真令人失望~首先, 環境Penthouse好光猛開揚, 令人好有weekend relax嘅感覺; 呢間就非常暗~望一望前菜食物, 有凍盤海鮮(蝦, 螺, 青口), 但唔啱我~ 之後發現無甜品區, 極之+非常+超級失望!!!!!頭盤d沙律, pama ham, cheese etc無乜特別, 特別一提我喜愛嘅芝麻百爪魚, 係個兜到好難搵, 原本已經細粒, 但佢地竟然再將佢切片細到嘔, 師傅真好刀工比魚生更難切~ 反而個炸鷄意外地好味~Middle course個湯少辣, pasta普通可以話送到黎唔熱~Main course加$98個牛扒普通唔香乾無肉汁; 三文魚還ok; Burger普通反而個薯條好味~甜品個香蕉gelato可以講係怪, 試完一啖唔想食; 個蛋糕好普通~食過銅鑼灣Penthouse個間比較之下, Gold真係差好遠令人失望, 因為Penthouse個次前菜同甜品全部都好好味狂出去拎食唔停搞到飽到食唔哂main course, Penthouse d main courses又好味好多, 之後依然回味想再去; 但Gold就完全令我當場無意欲再出去拎野食, 所以唔會再encore~ continue reading

We have discovered that dining in Hong Kong is slightly different to Australia, in that it is more difficult to just walk in to a restaurant and ask for a table without a reservation, even if the restaurant is mostly empty. With this in mind I had decided to make a reservation for dinner at Gold by Harlan Goldstein on a Friday night. Unfortunately on the night in question FMUS was still suffering from a stomach bug, so we had to reschedule to the following week. Finally that night was here, and we headed in for what we hoped to be a good meal at the flagship restaurant of one of Hong Kong's more prolific restauranteurs.Harlan Goldstein is a New Yorker who worked under 3-Michelin starred chef Jean Banchet in Chicago, before travelling to Asia and working at some of the top hotel restaurants in the region. He moved to Hong Kong and, after working at the Aberdeen Marina Club, has now opened his own stable of restaurants in Hong Kong. We had eaten at one of his other restaurants very early in our Hong Kong experience (Penthouse) and were impressed with the simple yet tasty dishes served. We were hoping that with a Michelin star, Gold would top our experience at Penthouse. The first thing we noticed when arriving at Gold was, you guessed it, the gold interior. Spandau Ballet playing in my head, we were seated by very friendly wait staff and given the menus. Spandau Ballet changed to Austin Powers references though, when we saw that even the menu was covered in gold lamé! Joking aside, the menu looked interesting, with an option of a 5 course tasting menu designed by Harlan but no hints were given as to the courses you would be provided. There was also a three course tasting menu, with some of the options on that menu quite appealing, however there were other dishes on the al a carte menu which appealed more. Feeling a lack of a sense of adventure this evening, I preferred to choose from the al a carte menu, and FMUS reluctantly agreed. I was intrigued by the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, with a micro green herb salad and lobster cajun sauce. This certainly was a jumbo crab cake, and superbly done to boot. I was pleased not to discover any cartilage in the crab cake, which made a nice change from other crab dishes I have tried in Hong Kong. The micro green herb salad didn't seem to have any herbs in it, but was fresh nonetheless. I enjoyed this starter, although I must admit for a Michelin starred restaurant, for my tastes, it was a little too rustic. FMUS spied a couple of his favourite ingredients in the one dish, and had to try it. The 63 degree octopus with chorizo bolognese and smoked paprika potatoes was again a rustic looking dish, but the flavour combination was anything but rustic. The slow cooked octopus was tender and an excellent example of how to prepare the delicacy. Interestingly, the chorizo bolognese was unlike anything we'd seen before and paired beautifully with the octopus, with just enough heat to be interesting by the time the dish was over. A couple of crispy potato chips were included and while not strictly necessary, gave some additional texture.For the main, after much deliberation, FMUS decided to go for meat - a nice piece of 12 oz New York strip-loin. It was served with roasted garlic and a bernaise sauce on the side. He had also ordered some giant steak fries with truffle mayo (which of course I had to also try!). The strip loin was recommended to come medium but unfortunately came medium rare, which made the steak a little tough. There was good flavour in the meat, but it really could have been spectacular if it was cooked as described.The menu proclaims that Harlan is the 'king of slow cooking', so with that kind of description, I had to try something from the 'slow cooked' section of the menu. My dish of "melted in your mouth" salmon with Italian red prawn, chorizo, romesco and wild rocket certainly lived up to its name for the main protein, in that the buttery salmon really did melt in your mouth, however I found the salmon was completely overpowered by the other components of the dish. The chorizo was probably unnecessary (and in fact I only ate one piece) and, for my palate and I found the sauce to be intense, which threw the balance of the dish out. My other main issue with the dish was that one of the large prawns had an overly fishy taste, which can sometimes indicate a lack of freshness. It really detracted from the salmon. To be honest, I was expecting the salmon to be the star of the show, particularly given it was called 'melt in your mouth salmon' but instead, it was completely hidden from view! It was a mystery to me.After that main I didn't really feel like a whole dessert, but of course FMUS could not finish the meal without something sweet. After placing his order for Harlan Goldstein's Nitrogen Creation, we were invited to check out the deck area while waiting for the dessert to be prepared. The deck area is at the rear of the restaurant, and looked out over Lan Kwai Fong and the highrises of Central. While the night we were there it was cold and miserable (thanks Hong Kong), I could imagine that the deck would be a great place to enjoy a few cocktails on a hot summer's night. Back at the table, the dessert presented was simply beautiful. The refreshing mango flavours were complemented by yoghurt and a coconut mousse. Fortunately for me the waitress had brought an extra spoon, and while I had declared I was not really able to eat much else after the main, I did have to stop myself from stealing all of the dessert (Much to FMUS's chagrin)! This was definitely a great way to finish the meal, and I was wishing I had ordered one of these for myself! (Note from FMUS - Me too!!)We were surprised that, for a Friday night, the restaurant was mostly empty. While I may have made some tactical errors with my food choices, Gold is still a Michelin starred restaurant, with service to match. I must admit that I enjoyed the food at Penthouse more than Gold, but am interested in checking out the other restaurants in the Goldstein stable as, on the whole, the menus at all of the venues appeal to me. continue reading