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2012-12-30
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For starters I LOVE this place. I LOVE IT. It's set in an open kitchen with glass windows peering out to the Hong Kong skyline. (okay it may not be the usual harbour view, but it was still charming in its own way)I have so much praise for this place, I dont even know where to begin!Initially, I did see LPW as one of those du jour establishments that eventually fade out or take a slip on quality or service but I'm pleased to say I was wrong.We were sat at the edge of the bar table which was extre
I have so much praise for this place, I dont even know where to begin!
Initially, I did see LPW as one of those du jour establishments that eventually fade out or take a slip on quality or service but I'm pleased to say I was wrong.
We were sat at the edge of the bar table which was extremely close to the stoves, and it was very hot, I'm talking serious heat waves here. So I kindly asked one of the waiters who served us for the night if he could possibly grant us a change of seats. Unfortunately, the tables were all packed, so there wasn't anywhere we could really move to- which was understandable. What impressed me the most was halfway through the night the very same waiter came back to me promising that he hadn't forgotten my earlier request and that there was a group of people leaving soon and that he'd move us to their side of the bar table asap. This scored envious glares from diners sitting next to us who were undoubtedly plagued by the heat wave as well.
Another tiny thing I was a bit more appreciative of was that most of the staff here really had heart, they (the staff that stood within the open kitchen) took the time to really explain what every dish was and I actually understood! Its very common in Hong Kong even with the extortionate priced restaurants you get waiters who just mumble out a bunch of obviously pre-learned menus (a) I never hear them properly (b) they never look at me politely, it's like they all wanna get it over and done with (c) I barely understand them...
So it's always a bonus to have staff that speak good english or at least properly make an effort to introduce every dish.
On to the food:
I'm not gonna lie, I can't recall every single detail of the dish and at LPW none of their dishes are simple!
On the right of the dish was an alcohol drenched long-an or something along those lines (sloppy I know! maybe I'll take notes next time lol.) I loved the fish! I'm not usually a fan of fried food but I relished every bite. The fish was well seasoned with its juices and tenderness retained perfectly. I remember I had something similar at BCN and I was not as impressed... As one of the signature dishes of LPW, one will be graced by the awesomeness of this giant ravioli! It was in a pool of rich parmesan sauce and as soon as I broke into the ravioli, the egg yolk came oozing out with the tantalising aroma of truffle. This was among my favourites throughout the night, the pigeon was prepared in a couple of ways all very delectable The veal was rather bland, merit to its quality, but the sauce balanced it out rather well. On the left was deep fried sweetbreads if memory serves me well ( the mentioning of 'sweetbreads' brought me straight to Hannibal Lector in the opening scene of the Red Dragon, if you haven't seen it check it out!) I must admit it didn't really taste of anything to me? Didn't know what Hannibal Lecter was raving on about. Desserts! My favourite part of the meal! I was a happy bunny as we got served two desserts! Something all restaurants should do more often.it was a joy watching the chef prepare our desserts. On the far left those crumbles were pina colada tasting crumbs, the chef skillfully made use of liquid nitrogen and from whatever he yielded from his little potion trick, broke them into crumbs. Viola!
The thin round disc was actually a deep fried slice of pineapple.
My deepest apologies, I cannot recall what the rest was, but I can say, everything on the dish collectively seemed to produce a huge pina colada this was a delectable combination of coca crumbs, some sort of biscuit crumbs with a rich chocolate dome and honeycomb. I must say dining at LPW was an extremely enjoyable culinary experience. I appreciated the detailed service, the lovely food and most importantly, the heart and sincerity the chef and his team put into serving all diners. We were among the last diners of the night and I managed to catch a glimpse of the chef and his team high fiving and cheering and hugging each other at the end of the night. My thoughts flashed back to earlier on when they were preparing our food, they did work extremely well as a team, audible 'Yes Chefs' were heard and even in the face of goldfish eyed diners like myself gaping at the chef as he prepared everything, not for a split second did he get distracted. I was impressed. (compared to restaurants where I caught a peek of the chef's team who lacked energy and spirit.. bumming around the kitchen floor- tsk tsk). It should be noted that to prepare food for a party of around 30 people all night with them watching your every move, is not easy task to accomplish.
So I have the highest regards for LPW.
On top of all of that, the price was ever so reasonable, it was around $9xx per person, for that amount of food and quality, I was more than happy to pay the bill. I think a lot of times I dine at restaurant with average food and outrageous price tags attached which weighs on the dining experience. There's nothing that pleases me more to find a place, serving good food, at a good price. I highly recommend this place. And as you've noticed, I don't generously dish compliments out to everybody. It honestly deserves much more credit than it has received!
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