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2011-04-29
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I'd heard so much about this place since I moved to Hong Kong 2 months ago, that I figured I needed to give it a shot. Being a huge fan of Sichuanese cuisine I was all the more tempted.We booked a table for 8 people in the freshly renovated restaurant, which basically meant we booked out half the place. The decoration is done with a lot of taste, and the small, dimly lit room does something to awaken the senses.The well presented menu is printed with a poor color contrast, making it hard to read
We booked a table for 8 people in the freshly renovated restaurant, which basically meant we booked out half the place. The decoration is done with a lot of taste, and the small, dimly lit room does something to awaken the senses.The well presented menu is printed with a poor color contrast, making it hard to read unless you capture just the right light angle. It starts off by explaining the suggested order of dishes - Tang, Ma, La - increasing the spice levels as you go. For some strange reason though the menu dishes are ordered as Ma, La, Tang. Having strong gustatory differences amongst us, we ordered a wide array of dishes - something for everyone. From minced pork in lettuce leaves to chili jumbo prawns, and mapo tofu to dan dan mian.
Now it might be that I have spent the better part of the past 15 years in the mainland (with several visits to SiChuan), but I can't say I was blown away by the food. It was good - definitely good, but not amazing, not even very good. And when a place limits itself to 20 customers per sitting and charges what they do I expect more. With wines and beer, we ended up paying almost 500$ a head which - possibly remnants from my mainland habits - seems very excessive for what we got.
This establishment in my opinion does not deserve the fanfare it is getting, if only because it's not fair value. The service is substandard and the dishes overpriced. The food and ambiance will surely keep this restaurant going although I'm sure if it's authentic SiChuanese you're after there must be something better around.
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