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2012-03-18
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My wife had her eyes on this restaurant since she spotted it from the Michelin last year. But since I'm not a big fan of European cuisine (staying in the UK for an extended period of time might have been why ) , I've been stalling it until the dead-line, i.e. 14th March, also known as the White Valentines day. Luckily, as opposed to the other Valentines day, seats are usually easily available. It is conveniently located at the Hyatt Recency at Tsim Sha Tsui. It's at the hotel lobby level. It's
It is conveniently located at the Hyatt Recency at Tsim Sha Tsui. It's at the hotel lobby level. It's hard to miss Herr. Hugo's not so shining but impressive looking armor at the entrance, next to the large oak wooden doors, welcoming you.
The restaurant was dimly lit and very European. After walking through a spacious corridor filled with silverware, desserts and fruits, we were shown to our table. The sofa was comfortable and there was a lot of space between tables. Some parts of the restaurant were separated by chain-mail like partitions. Even if our table was nearest to the entrance, you still feel being very much part of the restaurant.
The menus were handed to us almost immediately, ladies first - that's a small detail but very important! We were given plenty of time to read the menu, which I required as it is always an agonizing experience for me to order Middle/Northern European cuisines, other than German and perhaps Scandinavian food - there isn't an awful lot to choose from . One could always order something else in a Yakitori restaurant or Chinese Yum Cha if a dish tasted less than perfect. However, in restaurants like this, you only got one shot and you'll be stuck with it for the rest of the evening.
After we've placed our orders, the waiter recommended a bottle of red to us - the name now escapes me. But I think it was the house red and it was not bad. The bread basket arrived shortly afterwards. The breads were warm. The garlic bread in particular was nice and crispy. The garlic butter was spread evenly and generously on the bread. The garlic butter was sufficiently aromatic but not overwhelming.
My wife ordered the French Onion Soup:
I could smell the fragrance of the onion and the beef consomme. The large piece of mozzarella cheese was baked just right. According to her, it was very good.Then came Herr. Hugo's magician with the iron cauldron which contained the Great Red Sea Wurm's essence!
(a.k.a. the chef with the lobster soup
There was a bit of sour cream and some chives placed on my soup, as well as some pieces of chopped lobster meat. The soup itself was quite nice. A seafood soup with a strong lobster taste and a rather thick texture. Some might find it slightly salty but I think it's fine. The flaming cauldron was an interesting gimmick (flamed dishes are stated on the menu).Then came our starters:
The scallop and calamari salad,
and the Scottish salmon:
I didn't think there was anything special about the salmon. It's not chilled enough for my liking and the quality was standard stuff you could get in most hotel buffets. It wasn't smoked enough too. But it was very nicely arranged and had about ten pieces of salmon. The white object at the 11 o'clock of the photo was a piece of lemon. The white piece of gauze was a good idea as it won't dirty your hands after you use it. The other garnishing in clock-wise order were egg yoke, chopped egg white, capers, shallots and hollandaise sauce. Unless you really have to, I'd suggest you order other starters.The scallop and squid salad were quite nice. I believe the scallop was from Hokkaido (!?). Two scallops and about 4-5 calamari rings on a bed of greens and some red wine sauce I believe. The scallops were pan seared and were of decent size and freshness. The calamari rings were tasted a bit Italian, probably marinated in some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The textures of those calamaris were very soft and easy to eat. I would have preferred them to add a little bit more of calamari though. A nice starter for those who don't eat a lot.
Then came the main course:
This beef steak arrived initially without even the sauce. The sauce arrived separately. I can't really say that this piece of meat was aesthetically pleasing. It was medium rare. It seemed soft and could be easily sliced apart. The timing looked right. However, the fried whole garlic was very good. Surprisingly, it's not too oily and very easy to eat. Not a single piece of garlic was overcooked or burnt. It was extremely mouthwatering (since aromatic doesn't seem to be the right word for garlic). My wife liked it.
Having witnesses the size and the look of my wife's piece of steak, I was slightly worried about my lamb chops. I specified my lamb chops to be 60% cooked, whatever that means. It arrived and I was relieved. It looked and tasted just right. In fact, I liked it a lot. I'd say it's similar to the result of a slow cook method, such as those publicized in Harlan's - only that it arrived 2 hours faster (*1). Three pieces of decent size which also came with the very good fried garlic. I can recommend this as an alternative to beef. As a dramatic finish to the dinner, the famous and complimentary chocolate bon bons arrived on a bed of dry ice:
This came slightly after the bill, which came down to HK$2,600 for the meal plus four glasses of house red, and no doubt also acted as the "sweeteners" to sooth the pain in your wallet - a very good idea. The bon bons were very nice. There weren't too sweet but had a firm cocoa taste.
The kind guitarist sang two songs for us at the end of the evening and my wife thoroughly enjoyed it ( but which I always find embarrassing and stressful.) I offered one of the bon bons before he sang to which he politely refused.
The staff were very attentive, sometimes a bit too attentive for my liking, and energetic. Everyone seemed pretty efficient. They seemed well trained but I suggest that they slow down a notch when they are placing the eating utensils on the table. On the whole good service.
What strike me the most was the interior of Hugo's. It was really excellent.
I felt like dining in a medieval hall, with good air-conditioning installed, or inside a theater with Sir Laurence Olivier ready to jump out any minute. Perfect for someone who would enjoy a sense of drama.
Other Info. :
*1) I've tried Harlan's and have written a review about it as well. It was really slow cooking - literally.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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