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2012-07-20
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I first came to this restaurant because I heard from a friend that it was really good and that she came here on a regular basis. I had since been 2 more times and so far, it has had some inconsistencies that leave me ambivalent about how good it really is and how much I actually like it.In my first visit, I ordered the beef burger and my friends ordered a carbonara and another pasta which was not memorable enough for either of us to remember what it was. I am not a burger fan but this burger def
In my first visit, I ordered the beef burger and my friends ordered a carbonara and another pasta which was not memorable enough for either of us to remember what it was.
I am not a burger fan but this burger definitely opened my mind. The patty was really juicy and cooked exactly to my requested medium. I am also not quite a bacon-eater, so I don't have much to compare it to, but It seemed dry and overcooked for me and I could have done without it. The fries were dull, I didn't care for it. In fact, I did not even finish it.
I tasted my friend's carbonara which looked and tasted of nothing special, definitely overrated for its bloated reputation.
My other friend's pasta looked really dry (undersauced) and tasted that way too, also overrated.
The service was above average for Hong Kong. They seemed to be very diligent in filling your water really quickly. Makes me wonder if they had many previous complaints of it. Perhaps they should replace these small-volume glasses to larger ones.
In my second visit, we were given the chef's table which I did not mind trying out. I understand and did not mind the raised temperature, greased atmosphere and noises while I watched the operation of the kitchen brigade. However, it seemed a little forced that they placed a table there, It seemed awkwardly tight and the staff kept walking all around us squishing into tight gaps behind our seats throughout. Good thing they are moving to a much larger restaurant later this summer.
I was so impressed by the burger I had ordered before, I ordered it again. Nothing much was different, except that the beef patty was more medium-well than the medium that I requested. My friend ordered a seafood risotto which looked fantastic. The risotto was thick in its consistency and bland but the wait staff seemed so busy and never came around often enough for us to make any comments or to send it back, so my friend simply added the table salt and pepper and continued to eat it.
By my third visit, I was ambivalent about whether I wanted to come back or not, but my friend seemed excited to eat here so I went along. This time, I decided to order something different. I got the rib eye steak with rosemary butter and balsamic roasted vegetables. The rosemary butter was delightful, as I expected. The roasted vegetables were also very good. I ordered the steak at medium, which it was near the center, but was well done on one end, and raw on the other end (which my body quickly disliked and wanted to expel). My friend ordered a fresh crab meat salad. It looked very under-dressed. However, I was happy about the abundance of real crab meat to veggies ratio in the salad.
Something in this service horrified me. Bad enough it prompted me to come on here to write a review for the first time. My friend was eating at a quicker pace than I did and politely slowed down for me. He inadvertently placed his cutlery at the position to indicate he was finished, to which the waitress came to ask if she could take it away (understandably, because of the long lines outside). He politely replied that he was not yet finished. The waitress then proceeded to intrude into his personal space and 'fixed' his cutlery to a position to indicate that he was not ready for it to be taken away. I was horrified by this, I literally dropped my jaw and picked it up off the table. I found that to be so horrendously condescending and demeaning and that I was startled and so upset by her audacity. Need I mention, I did not leave a big tip.
At this moment I do not have strong feelings to return on my own will in the near future. I will visit again in their newer and larger store perhaps, if my friends suggested it. I don't dislike it enough to fight them over it because some of their food items makes up for it.
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