Reviews

• 

  Perfect Dinner

  Pan | May 20 2010

  The moment we sat down at our romantic table on the balcony of The Parlour, we knew that this had been a good choice. After a day filled with noise and elbow nudges from people rushing by, this was finally the much needed respite. Far away from the madness that permeates everything at street level, yet close enough to still enjoy the city’s proximity with all the attractive lights, we enjoyed the balmy evening breeze and the aroma of the fresh bread basket put before us. One look at the menu made it quite clear to me that I wanted to try more than my usual 1-starter, 1-main, so I persuaded my dining partner that we “share” everything. The staff was very accommodating and agreed to split everything we ordered. We decided to begin the evening with a nice Pinot Noir from New Zealand, which was very nice while being affordable. Our first appetizer was the Prime Steak Tartar under crispy eggs alongside a Bloody Mary. In spite of my being a blood-thirsty carnivore, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the tartar had been very lightly steamed and thus, was more of a timid pink hue than the deep red angry mass that usually stares up from my plate when I order a tartar. The condiments of egg and spices were perfectly blended and the fresh mixed leaves and crisp toast with black olive tapenade balanced the dish well, while the Bloody Mary added another cheer to the dish. Next we had the Wild Mushroom Soup with White Truffle Foam. Though I had already indulged in Philippe Orrico’s fabulous mushroom soup in the St. George some weeks before, I didn’t really expect the same spectacular treat again. But my dining partner and I both agreed that this soup must be one of the best mushroom soups ever to pass our lips. The soup with its aromatic white truffle foam was velvety creamy, yet light, and the mushrooms were of such intense flavour, you could almost smell the forest.
  For our main courses, we had the Roasted Atlantic Scallops and the Black Cod Filet. The scallops were big, plump and tender, seared to lock in the precious juices and cooked to absolute perfection, so the white flesh melted in our mouths. Served with creamy butternut squash and hazelnut milk, it was a light yet filling meal. The black cod had been marinated in Sayko Miso Paste, which was just salty enough to take an edge to this deliciously rich and fatty fish. While firm enough to transfer whole pieces to our plates, the cod was so tender that it delicately flaked apart. The black squid ink gnocchi were a fun novelty act and well matched by the exotic fresh mango sauce.
  After this delightful dinner it wasn’t difficult to be tempted to order some sweets. We had strawberry and rhubarb dessert as well as passion fruit cheesecake, which was surprisingly light and fruity. Double espressos rounded off the perfect dinner.

  • How much did you spend?
    Can
  • Overall Rating
    Good
  • Food 10
  • Service 9
  • Ambiance 8
  • Price 4

• 

  Not as good as we

  Richard | May 19 2010

  Great location, great building, interesting menu. Dreadful, loud music (eat and head-bang?), not at all relaxing. Mediocre food. Lot of service people standing around, but not serving (pairing wines were not delivered with the items they were pairing, 20 minutes to get some bread). Maybe it is too soon to go, but this was not good.

  • How much did you spend?
    about HKD3,000 for three
  • Overall Rating
    Bad
  • Food 4
  • Service 2
  • Ambiance 4
  • Price 1

• 

  Come in to their parlour

  Didi Chen | Nov 23 2009

  This is a beautiful restaurant with a real colonial feel to it (avoid the annoying tables that are too low to put your legs under).
  
  It's an all-day dining restaurant, with only one menu. Kind of weird to be looking at breakfast and afternoon tea options when ordering dinner, but I guess it saves on the printing costs.
  
  The food is good, portions reasonable. It's a European themed menu with oysters, steaks, salads, and some pasta. Nothing too adventurous or 'out there' but all of it very well done.
  
  The accoustics are a bit echo-y so it's not really a good choice for a romantic dinner for two, but good for a small group of people.

  • How much did you spend?
    $600 a head with two glasses of wine
  • Food 7
  • Service 8
  • Ambiance 9
  • Price 3