I've seen its ads in HK Magazine so many times I decided to give it a try. I had been to Jumbo when I was little, and remember it being Chinese. This time I went with high expectation with the belief that it's gone through a facelift. I was also expecting good food given it is in the name of Yugamama.
Well, surely I was disappointed. After going through the Chinese-style boatride (inhaled quite some polluted exhaustion from the boats), we arrived at the Chinese-looking Jumbo and took the elevator to third floor when Top Deck is. The deck has all Thai-style furniture, something I'll them credit for. But everything else has left undone. Gold dragons w/ red background frames are hung everywhere, with Chinese vases sitting on the sides, red ledges... I suppose they didn't have the finance to do a total revamp. As a customer, I don't think it achieves the Thai-fusion style that it aims for. And it makes me feel like they've done a half-ass job and wish customers just buy that look (apologies, but we're a little more sophisticated than that).
It would be OK if the food compensated for the decor. However it was only disappointing at best. I ordered pasta with mushroom in cream sauce. The pasta was overcooked, and they seemed to have forgotten to put salt in it. I tried the creme brulee cake w/ crunchy chocoate. It was very average.
The overall experience was a let down, not only because I went with expectation. I'm upset to see how such a good idea fails at bad execution. Going to Top Deck could be a hassle - it's at inconvenient location and you need to take a boatride. However, I went because supposedly it represents lifestyle - a leisure dining experience with an open view, fusion decor, palatable food... It could have been such a pleasant time and it could have been a hot-spot that I frequent with friends. And it turned out that the restaurant was so misrepresented by the ads.
Basically, a good idea that doesn't carry itself any further. Mind you - last time I went to Jumbo was at least 20 years ago. I'm sad to say it may be another 10 years before I go back again.
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