Decided to give Sumac a try last night as we had a craving for mediterranean/lebanese food and had had enough of Olive and the other usual places. After reading a positive review of Sumac in HK Magazine and having liked this spot when it was Mozart Stub'n, I had high hopes. The restaurant itself is very pretty and unique in Hong Kong in that it utilizes the outdoors; the entire back half of the restaurant is open to the night sky, making it perfect for a relaxed evening of smoking sheesha with friends and having a few drinks. And indeed that is all I would come back for as the food itself was very mediocre. In fact, my friends who ordered cocktails (lychee martinis and mojitos) said they were bad and we all promptly switched to wine. The wine list itself is good enough and, strangely, arranged in order or increasing price. We went through a bottle of Moroccon red, a rose and a Sauvignon Blanc, all of which were well received. Since there were 7 of us, we decided to have the set menu at $365HKDpp + 10% service. We also ordered one additional dish of grilled prawns for $190HKD. The wine and food ended up at $610HKDpp, which we all agreed was too much, considering the quality and quantity of the food itself. Starters on the set menu included hummus, babaganoush, yoghurt, and one additional dip I can't remember the name of (all served with pita bread triangles). Falafel was also included, but it was very oily from the deep-frying and you really couldn't taste the falafel. There was then a one-hour break between serving the appetizers and the mains. We didn't really complain as we had a lively group and we were drinking wine and relaxing. Perhaps this is just the way service is supposed to be at mediterranean/lebanese places that are more laid-back. But some of us were hungry! Mains consisted of grilled meats: chicken, beef and lamb, rice, fries/chips (random in my opinion) and some sort of green bean in a tomato sauce. Meats were tender but nothing outstanding. The rice, chips and veg were all passable but nothing I would recommend. The set menu concluded with baklava, which arrived in tiny bite-size portions on a large serving tray. Not really what I was expecting and everyone complained they are too sweet. Lastly, the service was also nothing special. We had a few forgotten drink orders, the servers didn't seem to know much about the menu, when they set dishes on the table they didn't bother to tell us what they were, etc. All in all, I likely won't go back to Sumac, unless I have a desire for a quiet evening of sheesha and moroccan wine. Too bad as it's a lovely little spot. They just need to get the food & service sorted out...
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