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2015-02-03
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Making reservations by phone while in town just a few days prior was not a difficult task. Finding this place took a little perserverance however.I am quite aware of the public relations disaster/fiasco that occured sometime late last year, an incident between restaurants and some bloggers. There may have been some miscommunication from the restaurant's part, but from a paying customer's standpoint, the restaurant and chef owner did not seem to handle things appropriately and set the wrong tone.
I am quite aware of the public relations disaster/fiasco that occured sometime late last year, an incident between restaurants and some bloggers. There may have been some miscommunication from the restaurant's part, but from a paying customer's standpoint, the restaurant and chef owner did not seem to handle things appropriately and set the wrong tone. Despite that, the bloggers still thought that the food was great, just that the service had issues.
In spite of that I was really curious and decided to try this place out myself, along with a large party that included family members and dear friends.
We had the largest table that night, hitting the 11 to 12 person mark.
In short, the food was definitely above average, and while this was no 8 1/2 3 Michelin star, it was still very pleasing depending on what was ordered. The breadsticks in a pouch was very nicely presented. Waitstaff should have picked up and given us olive oil and balsamic vinegar sooner (mis step #1). We ordered two bottles of mineral water, and asked the waitstaff specifically to use it. However it was either miscommuncation or misunderstanding, that waitstaff started to pour regular tap for our guests, until we corrected them (politely without being rude), and we started getting a sense of coldness from the staff.
Some of us ordered a mixture of meat and seafood entrees, and then pastas and pizzas. We even had a whole bottle of Barrolo 2009 wine that everyone enjoyed.
The Magherita pizza was pretty good, although not a fan of the crust since it was too much like a cracker texture.
I had the sea urchin pasta with bottarga (gonads and eggs) which was definitely on the mark...perfect al dente. So kudos to the chef for this one.
The burrata appetizer dish was nice for Hong Kong, although it is hard to top the likes of Delifina (San Francisco) or A16 (San Francisco).
We asked waitstaff for parmesean/grated cheese for the table, and instead of bringing us chunks to shave, they brought over pre-grated powdered kind. We wanted some chili flakes for the table, and they put down two small servings, which was not enough for those who wanted to add more to their pizza (and the way they were placed down was rather atrocious).
At one point the chef owner came over to the table next to us, much smaller in size, and chatted with one of the customers who I assumed was a regular. The chef himself even shaved cheese and cured meats tableside for that table. I was at least expecting the chef to come over to check up on us, and my friends and I would have gladly told him we really enjoyed the food, and that a few of us came overseas just to try his restaurant. Pretty sure the chef and I exchanged some eye contact but he chose to walk back into the kitchen.
I think this is the first western restaurant (at least in a long long time for me) where quite a few of us thought there was an air of snobbery from the staff, as well as an air of coldness from the chef owner, who is setting an improper tone for his staff. I really wish for this restaurant to be successful, they have a solid base for food, but the management really has to step up and train their staff better. I am not asking for preferential treatment, but really please do not make it so blatantly obvious and within plain sight that regular customers (presumably local Italianos) get better treatment. Some of us are well traveled and understand the importance of service especially in these surroundings, and that can definitely make or break the experience.
Conclusion: the food is actually good here, but there needs to be a change for the better in the service. The rating would be between OK and a yellow dude in tears, but since I could only choose one, I'll slot the "OK" based on future potential and this one experience.
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