Video
Read full review
2019-03-06
807 views
James Kitchen is a place I've walked by whenever I'm in this area of Tsim Sha Tsui. There is always someone outside passing out flyers to entice people in but nothing really enticed me to give it a try. It just felt like your usual Hong Kong style Western food. Food that is good but the selections are usually geared to what Hong Kongers like. Such as truffle pasta, steak and lava cake.I was here for dinner as it was a coworker gathering. A couple of coworkers had a promotion and we were here to
I was here for dinner as it was a coworker gathering. A couple of coworkers had a promotion and we were here to celebrate. There were 20 of us and included coworkers who have left as well. We were really here to celebrate. A coworker arranged everything but choosing the tasting menu and bargained with staff to include all you can drink white wine.
We started with a huge plate of oysters where each person had three each. They informed us to start from the smallest to the largest. Oysters were fresh though I preferred the taste of the one in the middle. It had an extra bit of sweetness.
Next was the sashimi plate: razer back clams, prawn and sea urchin. Quite fresh though the sea urchin oddly didn't have much flavor.
Starter was a porcini mushroom stuffed with avocado, a slice of proscuitto and laid on a bed of rocket lettuce. Mushroom was juicy but I wasn't too keen on the avocado. I thought it was a bit too much.
The next appetizer was herbed ricotta cheese wrapped in filo pastry. This was good but wow ... a bit too rich. Especially after the avocado stuffed mushroom. There was a drizzle of mustard sauce that didn't quite work.
The next starter was a seared scallop in a spinach cream sauce. The sauce, though nice, was a bit too much. It really didn't need to be drowning in it. The scallop was nicely cooked though the sear could have been done a bit more.
Soup was a mushroom soup. The thing I'm glad about this soup is that it wasn't drizzled in dreadful truffle oil. And there was no addition of truffle paste. They just used plain mushroom, letting it shine through. So rare now a days as these types of Hong Kong style "fine dining" places tend to over use truffle oil. Kudos for them for not using this.
It came with slice of foccacia. It was nice and dotted with red peppers to give it a kick.
The main finally came and that was in the form of a roast pig. As we had a big group, they didn't divide up the mains but just let us help ourselves on one big plate. Unsure if that is lazy or they ran of plates? A bit lighter than other places I've been to. The skin was not as crispy as most places but at least it wasn't chewy. However, the meat was moist and tender. It was also seasoned perfectly so it was packed with flavor.
The other main was a steak (I believe it was a hanger steak). Very tender and cooked to a nice medium rare. It had a strong beefy taste. The sauce was ok. Not too memorable so I ended up not touching it much.
The pasta was also not divided up. A bit lazy I felt but I guess in the end, I was glad. A mushroom pasta with truffle paste. The pasta was al dente but they also drowned it in too much truffle paste. The amount used was way too much and I almost gagged from it. A common mistake in Hong Kong style "fine dining" restaurants. They over use the truffle oil.
Dessert was also shared. This was: (from left to right) creme brulee, baked cheesecake, sesame ice cream, molten lava cake, unbaked cheese cake, a raspberry panna cotta. Dessert was ok. Nothing spectacular about them. Nothing really stood out. Though the creme brulee caramelized sugar topping was a too thick so hard as a rock. The molten lava cake didn't really flow. It did bit but not a lot. Panna cotta was too jelly-like in consistency.
Food was ok. Oddly, better than expected but not that great. It was typical of many Hong Kong run "fine dining" establishments. Offering food that is pleasing to the local palate but not really doing much else. Price wasn't expensive for what was provided so that is positive. Service was good. Utensils were replaced each time. And despite the ruckus my coworkers made, they still strived on to serve us and didn't kick us out. Kudos for that. Overall, ok. But not sure if I'd be back on my own.
Post
