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2018-10-19
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Quick Squiz: Visited for a weekday lunch on recommendation of a friend who visited earlier. Impressive entrance and front desk service, welcoming bar staff as we walked past, exciting (and delicious) menu. Staff were still "running-in" with some unfamiliarity with menu and service protocol, but perhaps holding it back the most would be its price.More about the restaurant: Set in the newly opened Tai Kwun in Central, its address on the first floor of the former Police Headquarters instantly give
Visited for a weekday lunch on recommendation of a friend who visited earlier. Impressive entrance and front desk service, welcoming bar staff as we walked past, exciting (and delicious) menu. Staff were still "running-in" with some unfamiliarity with menu and service protocol, but perhaps holding it back the most would be its price.
More about the restaurant:
Set in the newly opened Tai Kwun in Central, its address on the first floor of the former Police Headquarters instantly gives the place a special aura (I take issue with the official address on their name card reading "Police Headquarters". Either Tai Kwun needs to change the official name or Chinese Library needs to change theirs). Signage to the restaurant was lacking probably because it's still so new (it is not listed under restaurants at the Tai Kwun physical directory). Staff at the entrance (door, if you may, as it was an impressively imposing one) greeted us with confidence and offered to keep our umbrellas. Walking through the bar area to the restaurant involved being greeted with multiple friendly smiles and welcomes. Very inviting.
The dining hall had an aura on entering, with furniture colour not unlike my cup of cappuccino. Perhaps the table right at the entrance was a little too close and open to everyone walking past though (still remember the two ladies looking up at us - and perhaps every other table of guests - entering the restaurant). Anyway, I digress.
As a party of four, we were seated at one of their half-moon bench tables. Cushions rightfully plush with appropriate depth and height. Tableware design is welcomingly minimalistic with two sets of chopsticks per person. Table was a little small to fit a lot on it, but their staff kept tabs of our progress so the food wouldn't pile on at once. Admirably done.
On to the food - we were provided with multiple versions of menus (too many - really) - a standard a la carte menu, a dim sum menu and a lunch menu (which includes a selection of a la carte and dim sum menu items). We ordered from the a la carte menu and dim sum menu as they provided better choice. If I recall correctly, there were two lunch sets available, with one being at around HK$380 (same price as our a la carte). The lunch menu was otherwise too basic to provide real selection or to really appreciate their offerings.
We ordered the following (unfortunately forgot to take a few photos):
Chrysanthemum "thousand cut" silken tofu in chicken broth ($108 pp)
Garoupa fillet with spring onion and ginger Cheung Fun Rice Rolls ($118)
Taro puff with aubergine and salted fish ($58)
Hokkaido king crab & sea urchin spring rolls ($118)
Poached Chinese loofah & matsutake mushrooms ($148)
Sweet & sour Iberico pork with dragon fruit & caramelised cashews ($208)
Golden seafood fried rice & salted duck yolk ($188)
Foie gras & wagyu beef stone pot fried rice ($235)
Jasmine tea ($48 per pot)
It was welcoming there were not other add-ons you'd often get at Chinese restaurants (e.g. "peanuts" appetisers).
Chrysanthemum "thousand cut" silken tofu in chicken broth - stunning to look at and just as great in taste. Only gripe is the shape of the bowl made it hard to finish the last sip of the soup and to scoop up the last bits of tofu.
Hokkaido king crab & sea urchin spring rolls - a unique take on the good old spring roll. This was probably my favourite of all dishes - filled with crab meat and a refreshing sea urchin on top. With dishes like this, there is sometimes the dreaded contrast in temperature between cool filling (or topping) and hot pastry. No issues with this one. Nor did it feel oily at all.
The Garoupa Cheung Fun was certainly a unique take on this Cantonese classic. Large thick pieces of fish wrapped in an overall well-made Cheung Fun. Two quintessential cantonese offerings (steamed fish and cheung fun) fused into one. Perfect. Two birds with one stone?
Taro balls were also delish! The taste of aubergine (aka eggplant) in the taro puff went well with only the slightest hint of salted fish (which is great, in my books, as salted fish could easily overwhelm other flavours). Again, didn't feel oily at all.
Sweet and sour pork is a staple of my Chinese cuisine - have always liked the general flavour. This one had a very controlled flavouring - one which does not scream acidic (vinegar) nor overly sweet (or sticky). The meat was on the lean side with a bit more bite than your usual offering, which I relate to the Iberico pork. Might I suggest a few more dragonfruit "flowers" to carry its name? Portion of the meat was generous and something I would be keen to order again.
This is the foie gras and wagyu beef fried rice. As with the other fried rice we ordered, portions equate to four of these small bowls - on the small side really (I'd have expected the equivalent of five as a standard portion). Flavour was great though, with the Golden seafood fried rice & salted duck yolk being the universal favourite. It was evident throughout the meal they were striving for five star service (which one would expect given the price) - wait staff kept control of the tea pot and refilled our cups whenever appropriate. My cup was empty for a good 10 minutes toward end of meal though, and the restaurant was far from busy, so it would be interesting to see if they would keep up when there is a full house (which I understand there has been, in the evenings). They should also check on the tea pots as tea always leaked onto the table when the staff were pouring (kudos that they came back to wipe the table dry after). Staff were polite, willing to help and visibly careful in what they were doing. As mentioned above, they kept great tab of our dining progress to keep the food coming at good intervals. However, if it was not because it is still 'new', I would have given this 3 stars for the above handful of things which I would not otherwise expect at this price point. Hygiene was generally good except for a plate I received with water marks (you could see it in the photo above).
Overall, it was a positive experience, with quite a number of items on the menu I would definitely and unreservedly recommend. Seating was comfortable and the ambiance suitable for the food. Air conditioning was weak (to the extent I felt there was none towards the end of meal). But the greatest disconnect would be its price (especially taking into account its location, for a weekday lunch) and service (which needs warming up). Cheaper and more convenient alternatives could be had for a similar price and impression in central Central (Clipper Lounge would be cheaper and Cafe Causette would be similar).
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