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2010-07-18
I tried this restaurant with friends last night and came away with a really good feeling. My first impression was of the art -- they have all these old black and white photos and old cinema art (old Alfred Hitchcock movies, etc.), which is my style and gave the bar area a nice traditional appeal. The atmosphere was cool and relaxed and the crowd was quite mixed, some good looking locals , some Europeans in a large-ish group, a couple of Americans, and several couples out for a romantic evenin
My first impression was of the art -- they have all these old black and white photos and old cinema art (old Alfred Hitchcock movies, etc.), which is my style and gave the bar area a nice traditional appeal. The atmosphere was cool and relaxed and the crowd was quite mixed, some good looking locals , some Europeans in a large-ish group, a couple of Americans, and several couples out for a romantic evening. I also liked the music--hip and not too generic like in a lot of places.
The bartender was very polite and friendly and well-spoken and made some excellent cocktails for me and my girlfriends...I like a place where the bartender is skilled enough to handle anything you throw at him and you don't have to order from the menu. They were also running a special on oysters and we had some just to "warm up" -- very fresh, creamy oysters, Australian I think, as these are in season.
Moving on to dinner, we ordered a bunch of starters to share & my favorite was the crab cake, which was nice and fresh, almost 100% crabmeat and not fried, but fresh, which was original.
Then came a palate-cleansing sorbet made from Sauternes wine. A very subtle flavor, but also memorable. Unfortunately you can't buy this anywhere, because they make it themselves, guess I'll just have to go back again!
For steaks, 3 of us ordered the US beef and 1 had the Australian Wagyu - I had an 8oz filet as I was getting a bit full by then, but I had a taste of the "Bryan Flannery NY Strip" and I must say that the flavor was outstanding - very rich without being fatty - the steak had flavor that came from the meat itself, not just the outer crust. The flavor also stayed in your mouth after you finished chewing. The filet was also very good, but that NY steak was truly excellent. The Wagyu rib eye was very nice, too, but a bit rich for me.
For sides, we couldn't resist the Truffle Mac n cheese, such a comfort food classic and had a great toasted cheese crust. Delicious and sinful.
For dessert we ordered a sampling of everything and my favorite was, I think it was called the orange chocolate truffle tart, which had a nice texture and a slightly crunchy crust.
When we finished our meal, it was raining hard outside, so we decided to hang out and have an after dinner drink. The bartender suggested we have a nice old Armagnac, which I hadn't tried before & expected it to be harsh and strong, but he had an old one (1967 I think) that was actually very smooth and the perfect finish to the meal.
The place was quite busy, so service was not the speediest, but the quality was definitely there and the staff seemed very passionate and knowledgeable about what they were serving. A real pleasure to find this in a Hong Kong restaurant.
Great food, great vibe, and a great night!!
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