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2020-05-30
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Summary: Not convinced it's worth visiting at the moment. They're running pretty intense app discounts, but the food quality has declined (as a result of Covid likely). I think the meal is worth at best 75% of the list price, and probably less. Some decent dishes, including their incredible whole roast chicken, but overall, pretty forgettableAfter eating a weekend lunch here about a year ago, i was so on the fence about Nhau that I decided to hold off on writing a review. Fortunately we found a
After eating a weekend lunch here about a year ago, i was so on the fence about Nhau that I decided to hold off on writing a review. Fortunately we found a massive 50% app discount for a Sunday lunch, so had the chance to try it again. Located in one of the worst locations for a mid-upscale restaurant in HK; hidden off a small side street in Sheung wan (near Blue Supreme), next to an old repair shop, it's a testament to its popularity that Nhau has seemingly survived this first phase of the pandemic.
However, while nothing has changed physically, the menu is simpler, and compared to the last time we visited, some of the more unusual dishes have been removed. Hopefully, they reinstate them after business picks back up after Covid-19 and the protests.Here's the new menu:
and the old one for comparison:
This was their amusing rice mochi dish with tobiko from last time
Anyway, on this most recent visit, here's what we had:
Grilled Squid Salad
Cold Jelly Fish Salad
While they are described quite differently on the menu, in reality these two dishes are 85% identical. From the shredded veg to their extremely oily salty/sour salad dressing; it was like when you go to the buffet table 2x for a salad, but add something different as a topping. Totally bizarre and more than a bit lazy, especially as the server didn't mention anything when we ordered both. The salads themselves are ruined by the overly oily dressing - every bite feels coated in oil, but taste-wise they are okay for a light starter; just make sure you get the dressing on the side. There's very little to recommend one over the other, so choose whichever topping you prefer. Banh Mi Tacos
These are pretty tasty: strongly but not excessively marinated pork, given some real pop from the Sriracha mayo. They're tasty but the three bite-size tacos are expensive for $120. You'll want two each, but a single order (3 tacos) doesn't cut it for 2 people, so be ready to split themSauteed Tiger Prawns
Excessively deep-fried and another dish that comes out overly heavy. The sauce itself was also oily, and frankly not very interesting. Truly giant prawns though. Not worth it.Grilled Lemongrass Spring Chicken
A dish that will always keep Nhau relevant - an entire roast spring chicken with vermicelli and lettuce to wrap it with. The chicken is perfectly roasted, so it remains juicy while the skin is flavorful and crunchy . I love the marinade they use - some kind of lemongrass-herb blend, giving the bird a salty/herby/roasted flavor all around. The green herb sauce is phenomenal as well (reminds me of Indian mint chutney), and i polished off three dishes of it in finishing the chicken. An absolute must-order and solid at $200With the app discount, our lunch was less than $500, a value for the amount of food we had, even if some of the dishes weren't great. However, at full price (just under 1k), it's completely not worth it.
The first time we went, there was more innovation and excitement in the menu, with a certain standard of execution, even if some were hit and miss. Now, even the boring dishes they can't really get right - squid/jellyfish salads and deepfried prawns are no-brainers, but turned out quite mediocre. The chicken is reliably amazing, and at a discount, the banh mi tacos are pretty tasty. A solid meal on an app discount would actually be the chicken and tacos alone. That combo doesn't make a real restaurant though, so no choice but to give this place an OK (on the low side) for now. Hope the quality and menu pick up in the future.
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