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2014-10-16
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It's the opening day of The Continental at the Pacific Place today. Replacing Domani on the ground level of the iconic landmark in Admiralty, The Continental becomes the third new restaurant brought to us by the Swire Group in 2014, with the first two being Ground Public and Public both located in Taikoo Place.The Continental will serve as a café, bar and tea salon throughout the day offering a wide variety of classic and modern European dishes. The food menu is designed by Chef Rowley Leigh, on
The Continental will serve as a café, bar and tea salon throughout the day offering a wide variety of classic and modern European dishes. The food menu is designed by Chef Rowley Leigh, one of UK’s brightest chefs who used to helm a number of popular restaurants in London including Le Café Anglais and Kensington Place.
The interior design of The Continental was put in the capable hands of David Collins Studio, the team behind the design of my favorite café in London - The Wolseley (and one of the most popular grand cafés in the city).From what I have seen today, there are still traces of Domani remaining here although they have added a whole lot of "green" to the mix. It's also nice to see Domani's signature "rippling waves" ceilings are still intact.
At lunch, the restaurant offers an a la carte menu, a 2-course set ($225) and 3-course set ($265). I was trying to decide between the 2-course and 3-course but finally told my server that I would make up my mind on my dessert a little later.First up, a basket of very high-quality bread.
Butterhead lettuce salad with spring onion, radishes and lemon - I liked the refreshing taste of the lemon zest complementing the salad nicely but the lettuce was not crisp like we thought it would be (2/5).
We started things off on a sour note and the trend continued - roasted snapper with citrus fruits and olive oil. The snapper was roasted nicely but the citrus oil was a little too sour for my liking (2.5/5).
I wasn't in the mood for an apple tart (as part of the 3-course lunch set) so instead I got myself a Paris-brest from the dessert menu. To my surprise, the portion was huge and it could easily feed 2 people ($90).The Paris-brest definitely saved the day for me. The choux pastry was excellent but the delicate cream could have a little stronger praline flavor to it. Still the best out of my three dishes (4/5).
A bit of mixed feelings from this luncheon experience. Thought the service and ambiance were both excellent but the food wasn't nearly as impressive.I am a little curious about this a la carte menu though. Perhaps this restaurant deserves another chance at dinner.
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