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2019-03-04
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I've actually been to 'Fang Fang' before for dinner and although it seems like an over-glorified Chinese restaurant, it was actually quite good. At the time I remember the service was excellent where staff were attentive and could offer insights and recommendations as to which dishes we would like but without it feeling like an aggressive or pushy sale. The food itself was fresh and full of flavour as well as being beautifully presented, so I did have good thoughts about this place; until my exp
My boss booked a table of 8 for the desk due to hearing so many rave reviews and we were all quite eager to try it out for lunch. We were guided to the private room, which was a pleasant surprise and the member of staff was very courteous. We found out that they had a lunch set menu only and no à la carte, which was a little disappointing but acceptable as I guess we couldn't expect every item to be offered if it was to be cooked fresh and with so many diners that needing serving. For a modest $198 HKD we were in a clean, suavely decorated establishment, right in the heart of Central. We certainly didn't have any qualms about that!
From the set menu I ordered:
*Starters*
-Dim sum (1 x Signature shrimp dumpling & 1 x Truffle mushroom dumpling)
-Hot and Sour Soup
*Main*
-Sweet & sour Iberico pork with pomelo and strawberry
*Dessert*
-Fried custard dumpling
There weren't too many issues with the starters to be fair. I am not a fan of mushrooms, so I have no idea what possessed me to order the hot and sour soup, but I did and I found it too be a quite soothing. The mushrooms had a slight crunch with a subtle flavour that complemented the acidity and spice of the soup. The soup itself was thick and smooth and felt satisfying and hearty with each and every mouthful.
The dim sum was so-so as the filling was prepared very well and enriched with all the fresh ingredients cooked just right, but the outer casings were sticky and fell apart quite easily, which made the combination rather laboured when taking a bite. The dumplings were also extremely hot when they were served, so it appears as though they were a little too eager to get the dishes out to the customers rather than let them cool down for just a little while to overcome the issues.
The main was a disappointment for me, not that I couldn't eat it, but just the concept behind it. I figured that as you had to pay extra and since Iberico pork is regarded as quite the delicacy, I would be served thick, succulent slices of pork lightly glazed with an invigorating sweet sauce. However, I received sweet and sour pork, as common as you would find anywhere else in HK. It tasted fine if you accepted it as that quintessential takeaway favourite, but why waste the meat by battering it and masking the flavour? Would you consider using A5 Kobe beef for a spaghetti bolognese as well?
With regards to the mains, we were served our rice first and then the main dishes came at different times ranging from 20-40 minutes later. This was poor planning and service as we either had to wait for everyone to be served and then our food would go cold or eat straight away and finish at different times, while the last few to start feel pressure to wolf down their main without taking a moment to enjoy their meal. Some of my colleagues ordered the fish (which came in 3 meagre pieces) and even then they barely touched it as they didn't expect something 'grilled' to be battered.
I thought that they might redeem themselves with the dessert, the 'fried custard dumpling', but it was hardly the case. What I received was a single 'jin dui' (fried glutinous rice ball) with ice cream. It was hard to break into and got tightly wedged on my spoon as I was trying to take a piece. I expected custard to drip out but it seemed like there was just lotus paste lining the inside.
The member of staff was courteous enough to try and make amends by offering us all coffee on the house, which was a nice gesture, but couldn't really make up for the experience itself.
I am not actually greatly critical of many places and can enjoy very simple meals, but this was a really disappointing experience for me and I have said all the above with pure sincerity and no malicious intent whatsoever.
FINAL VERDICT:
A GREAT PLACE MARRED BY A PURELY UNINSPIRING LUNCH
張貼
