Video
Read full review
2012-09-13
1656 views
Bloom was, at one time, my favourite brunch place in Hong Kong. It is a New York-style supper club, which is connected to Lily, a speakeasy-inspired bar, by a large staircase at one end. Opened by Buzz Concepts, Lily & Bloom is a large and sophisticated venue with lounge seating, dark colours and an enormous metal chandelier. Offering a humble collection of classic dishes with a touch of their own class, Bloom was the perfect place for decent, affordable American fare. Complete with a magnificen
My friends and I came on Sunday and the restaurant offered a Three Course Brunch at $400 (4yrs - 11yrs $200), with an appetiser buffet, a main course and a dessert; unfortunately, we found that the standard of Bloom has significantly dropped.
(1) It is always nice to see oysters at an appetiser buffet, and I happily delved into these Coffin Bay oysters. The fact that each person was limited to 12 pieces of oysters could be forgiven if the oysters tasted good, but they were tasteless and unexciting; at least there was some hearty ham and cheese that I could stuff myself with!
(2) The Seattle Benedict ($140), with home cured smoked salmon, was perhaps the best option at brunch. The foccaccia was lightly toasted and delicious, and the smoked salmon had clear, delicious flavours and was smothered in satisfying, thick brown butter hollandaise sauce. The Classic Benedict ($140) was a failsafe option too!
(3) The Mexican food-fiend in me made me go for the Steak Burrito ($140), which was stuffed with beef, scrambled egg, cheese, and beans. The taste of the burrito was rather nondescript – the beef was bland, and the scrambled egg was insufficiently seasoned. It could also have been spicier. The burrito, sadly, was an unequal partner to an outstanding guacamole, which was rich, creamy and delicious.
(4) Tired and groggy, a few of us ordered this Orange Juice ($40) to go with our morning coffee. With our bodies desperately calling for Vitamin C, we deliberately asked the waitress if the juice was freshly squeezed, and the answer was in the affirmative; but when our juices arrived, it was in an artificial tangerine colour, tasted way too sweet and most importantly was definitely not “freshly squeezed”! We couldn’t be bothered to argue with the waitress on this point, and decided to ask for some ice cubes so that it could dilute the juice a bit.
(5) In light of the previous disappointments, it was a good thing that the latte was creamy and aromatic, and managed to refresh us just a little!
Post
