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2008-08-31
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I was walking from Times Square for Gelano's Cafe...looking for set lunch. I was walking on Gloucester Street, when I happened to pass by the refurbished Towngas Avenue.The roadside restaurant was gone, replaced by the Towngas store. I looked at the Paterson Street side of the shop where the store used to be and to my surprise, found the restaurant relocated to that side.Noticing the menu hung up on a stand near the Paterson Street door, I looked at it. I saw a set menu of Greens and Tomato, Len
The roadside restaurant was gone, replaced by the Towngas store. I looked at the Paterson Street side of the shop where the store used to be and to my surprise, found the restaurant relocated to that side.
Noticing the menu hung up on a stand near the Paterson Street door, I looked at it. I saw a set menu of Greens and Tomato, Lentil Soup, choice of Spring Chicken, Beef Fillet, Salmon and Sichuan Noodles (or was it Stir-Fried Noodles?) and unspecified dessert. All these options look airline-inspired but then again I've been fond of airline food since young. Although I badly wanted a Gelano's lunch, my curiosity got the better of me and asked if the lunch menu was still available. It still was so in I went.
If impressions are formed in the first minutes (or 10 seconds) in job interviews, it's roughly the same with restaurants. In the first minute, they did two things right:
1. They sat me on a big windowside table where I have a view of Paterson Street and can read a magazine when I've shoveling my food. I don't get why Outback Steakhouse (the one at Causeway Bay in particular) insists on putting me at the bar or in one of the inner corners.
2. When I sat down and ordered water (I was half expecting to be asked sparkling or still – after all they was a big bottle of fancy Italian mineral water on the table), the waitress turned around to a nearby iced water jug and poured me a big tumbler of water. Given the 30+C road temperature outside, that's exactly the thing I need. It felt so good I couldn't resist photoing it (hence start of this review).
Okay after my thirst is quenched I started ordering. I ordered the set menu with Spring Chicken and started typing some Facebook notes.
First up is the Greens and Tomato. The Greens were unremarkable and I finished them in one go. The Tomato was fun – it came with this nutty sauce (can't remember what it's called) and it went very well with the Tomato.
Then came the soup. It’s meant to be Lentils and Ham I think. Both flavours were present and complemented each other. It was a good soup even though there wasn't much of it.
Then came the main dish (alternate photo here: http://gourmet.esdlife.com/uploads/2008/08/signature-dish2-lo.jpg). The Spring Chicken was tender, well seasoned, appetising and easy to eat. There was a nice surprise with the green shoots in the bottom, it complemented the chicken well.
Finally the dessert, which turned out to be Vanilla ice cream with dried orange slice and grass jelly (I have a photo but I can only put four photos up...and I wanted to show the water tumbler). The coffee was unremarkable ground coffee but the dried orange (mandarin ) slice was enjoyable chewing into when I dug into the Vanilla ice cream.
And there was a further surprise in the end – HSBC, BoC and Hang Seng had 10% discount. I first thought it was 15%, and the manager (who brought me the bill) looked hesitant in giving it, but still 10% did come off my bill (since for four dishes it was $158 + 10% - all bills >$150 were eligible for discount).
Overall a great experience in detail and as the sum of the parts. I arranged dinners there before and I'll continue to do so with this new refurbished place.
张贴
