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Make a ReviewUnion J (Closed)
(Central)
- 1/F California Tower, Lan Kwai Fong, Central
- 中環蘭桂坊加州大廈1/F
- District: Central
- Cuisine: American
- Website: View
- Email: union.j@elite-concepts.com
- Phone: 2537-2368
Ratings & Information
We asked voters to bear in mind the following when rating restaurants:
Food (& Drinks)
taste, quality and presentation, plus selection of menu
Service
courtesy, friendliness, and knowledge
Ambience
décor and atmosphere
Food (& Drinks), service and ambiance are rated on the scale of 1 to 10.
1-2
Don't bother
3-4
Below expectations
5-6
Decent to good
7-8
Very good to amazing
9-10
Extraordinary to perfection
Price:
Estimated price for dinner per person including one drink
Price is rated on the scale of 1 to 5.
1
< $100
2
$100 - $200
3
$201 - $400
4
$401 - $600
5
> $600
Review:
Honest and witty comments from our voters paraphrased by our editors
Corkage:
Corkage fee is by the bottle, where $0 means no corkage charged. “No” means that no outside wine is allowed
Restaurant Details
-
Credit Cards:
- Visa
- Mastercard
- American Express
- Diners Club
- China Union
-
Opening Hours:
M-F 12:00-15:00, 18:00-22:30, Sa 18:00-22:30 - Nearby Parking: Yes
- Valet Parking: Yes
- Reservations Accepted: Yes
- Delivery: No
- Takeaway: Yes
- Corkage Fee: 300
- Can accomodate large group: Yes
- Children friendly: Yes
- Pet friendly: No
- Private room available: Yes
- Dress Code: Smart Casual
- Post 11pm order: No
- Al Fresco: No
Restaurant Information
Signature Dishes
Signature Drinks
Restaurant Ambiance
Restaurant Promotions
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Restaurant Events
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Read moreRestaurant Reviews
Add ReviewPlease log in to submit a review.
good food and good service
A couple of days ago I received an email from someone at WOM Guide (Fergus and Samanta are really nice people), informing me that I had won the weekly competition for submitting reviews. I think I posted a few of them in a row. Anyway, the prize was a free meal worth up to $500 - compliments of WOM - and the requirement was to dine somewhere within a week and post a review. So...I promptly decided to go somewhere and stuff myself...at someone else's expense.
So after pondering about how I would spend WOM's money on a solo dining experience, I decided to pay Union J a visit. This place has been around for a while, and a couple of my friends are friends with the chefs. But somehow I have never found myself stepping into the space, until now.
I was gonna make a simple meal out of it, not wanting to eat too much, but ultimately I got suckered into getting the 3-course set dinner. That would already be more than enough for me, except that I really wanted to try one of the side dishes...so yes, I ended up having 3 and a half courses.
I started with crispy boneless chicken wings: ginger caramel, shrimp stuffing, citrus slaw. The smell of ginger, caramelized sugar and Asian spices like lemongrass hit me as soon as the plate arrived. It was obviously gonna be a fusion dish...with that pink sauce at the bottom reminding me of a very, very weak Thai red curry. The portion was pretty big, actually. But I thought the ginger caramel was just too sweet, almost like having molasses on top.
Red wine beef cheek: cooked overnight, celery root purée is one of the chef's recomended dishes, according to the menu. It came looking like a well-charred hamburger patty, which yielded to the knife as if it were butter. It was that soft. There was enough fat, but the texture of the meat itself - plus the slow-cooking process - produced something that just about melted in my mouth. There's a little bit of cracked black pepper on the outside, which was nice. The celery purée was pretty nice, and there were some cooked celery stalks topped with a "salsa" of carrot, onion and pancetta. Slurp... I can see why they keep recommending this dish.
I couldn't resist ordering some duck fat fries, even though I knew I could never finish them. These were good, even though I normally don't like fat fries. The steak sauce that came with it was also interesting, tasting of sour plum and Asian spices like star anise.
Finally there was the cheese cake: blueberry snow, candied grapefruit. The nice manager who recommended it to me didn't know what I meant by New York cheesecake, which I guess is tough for people who haven't spent much (or any) time in the States. All she could say was that it was creamy. Well, that it was. The flavor was what I wanted out of my cheesecake. But the consistency was like parfait - it melted under the temperature of my mouth. I prefer my cheesecake to be solid and packed - a chunk of which I can toss around inside my mouth with my tongue, needing some pressure to work it over before it finally gives way and starts thinning. But nevermind...as long as it's rich enough. And the blueberry "snow" was interesting.
I do have to mention the excellent service I got, which was a pleasant surprise. I stumbled in as a solo diner without a reservation, and I was led to a table by the window, away from the rest of the crowd in the dining room that was half full. As I waited for my food to arrive, the manager brought me two magazines so I had something to do other than twiddling my thumbs. And my waiter seemed to understand that I wanted to pace myself a little, not wanting to just stuff myself with food and leave in a hurry. For once in a Hong Kong restaurant, the waiter did not feel the need to swoop in and clear the dishes mere seconds after I put down my cutlery. Kudos to the management.
Thank you, WOM!
How much did you spend?
$400
Overall Rating
Good
Chinese takeaway box???!
The ABC ice cream in a US-style Chinese takeaway box is very good. I also like their sourdough bread. Good casual atmosphere, with a big black chalkboard featuring the daily specials. Very pleasant.
How much did you spend?
400
Re-Union J
Many would agree that Happy Hour on a Friday evening is a wonderful way to end the week; but I think it is equally wonderful to start the week off doing Happy Hour on a Monday evening. Actually it would be wonderful to end everyday with a Happy Hour session in celebration of the long day of work! My previous visit to Union J was during lunch hour and tonight, with my friend's invitation, it was time for Happy Hour. The layout of the restaurant remains clean and spacious; and with the dimmed lights plus candles, the atmosphere was very cozy indeed. The music was Jazzy and most importantly, the volume of the music was just right as a background music (unlike many lounges and bars nearby which play their music so loud that you would have mistaken the day of the week as Sat!) Thumbs up on the music and its volume control, well done! Great Ambiance!
(1) Litchi & Lychee Champagne
One of the main reasons for coming here was for this drink, which a friend recommended to my friend. It was wonderful! I was not sure about the brand of Champagne being used but it was bubbly enough and not too acidic, likely due to the mixture of lychee juice. From just a single sip, you can taste a strong lychee flavor, but it was not overly strong to a point that would affect the Champagne flavors. Nicely done! In my opinion, the highlight of this drink was the lychee sitting at the bottom of the glass. You have to eat that at the end! Tiny bubbles seem to be exploding on very bite with both residue Champagne and lychee fruit juice watering your mouth. What a great UNION!
(2) Duck Fat Fries
How can we not have snacks along with our drinks !! Before today, I usually categorize fries into 2 distinct types, one is normal thinly sliced fries and the other would be wedges. However, I think I am going to create a new category of my own, big fat fries which lies in between the two. The name of this dish was duck fat fries and it literally means Duck Fat + really Fat fries. In other words, deep-fried with duck fat / oil and sliced fatter than normal. From the pattern of the potato skins and the size of the fries, I think all the pieces came from one single potato. You can actually carefully piece them back into one single piece! The fries were freshly prepared and it came with some steak sauce. I was happy with just the fries which has a crisp and thin layer with soft and mash-y interior. Due to the fact that they are FAT fries, it was hard to compared with those from Press Room or even MacDonald's, but I did enjoyed it and ended up ordering another one later into the evening. Well done! Thumbs up!
(3) Sourdough
To my surprise, the sourdough here was not free of charge. If they dare to charge me for bread even during dinner and lunch, it better be good. Well, it was! It was fresh and still hot so it must be right out from the oven not too long ago. The crust was crisp and firm while the inside was soft and warm. Also, the bread was served with butter and some sea salt. Sometimes it is as simple as butter, salt and bread which would make your day! Thumbs up! If it were free of charge, two thumbs up!
(4) Hamachi, Cucumbers and Wasabi Ice
Now this one was definitely an interesting creation. It consisted of diced hamachi and cucumbers with wasabi flavored shaved ice. The wasabi ice allow you to get the wasabi flavor needed for the fish while giving you a very refreshing sensation. Very interesting concept indeed. However, because it was shaved ice, it melt pretty fast and you have to eat it fairly quick. It was cook to serve it in a glass but with the shaved ice on top, it did not look appealing to me. Maybe placing the ice at the bottom would look better?
(5) Cherry Crumbles
I had my fair share of apple crumbles but it was my first attempt at cherry crumbles this evening. To my surprise it was alright. The cherry filling was not too sweet and the crust was crisp. The crumbles on top was flaky enough but a bit too sweet especially with the icing sparkled over the top.
(6) Banana Split
When I ordered it, I had an image of how the dish was going to look with two bananas on the side and a few scoops of ice cream in between. That is how a classic Hong Kong style banana split would look like. Of course the way how they prepare here would be different and it certainly surprised me in a delightful way. There were two bananas alright but not just two piece of sliced banana. The surface of the sliced banana was caramelized resulted in a thin and crisp layer on top. The combination was very nice in terms of flavors and textures, especially with the ice cream as well. (P.S. - I was not sure what the thing on top of the ice cream was but it was too chewy and too sweet, not my cup of tea)
Likes:
* Atmosphere + Music (of the right volume and Jazz as well)
* Litchi & Lychee Champagne - make sure you eat the litchi !
* Sourdough - simple and wonderful ...
Dislikes:
* the shaved wasabi ice melt too fast and somehow diluted the strength of the wasabi as well
* Cherry Crumbles - crumbles slightly too sweet(too much icing as well in my opinion)
Avg Spending: HKD 300 - 400 per person
Original Blog with Pictures: http://jason-bonvivant.blogspot.com/2009/09/union-j-re-union.html
How much did you spend?
HKD 300 - 400 per person
Union J
I really liked the name of this restaurant, maybe because my name starts with a J or it is because one of my dreams is to open a restaurant of my own, hopefully with my name somewhere in it. Apparently there is a little history behind the establishment of Union J. The two main chefs here, Eric Johnson and Jason Casey, both are veterans at Jean-Georges Shanghai and together they head to Hong Kong to open a restaurant, hence the union of the Johnson and Jason. Union J it is! Humm ... what should I name my restaurant if my dream can come true someday ... humm ... ...
It was lunch time during a busy weekday but the place seemed less crowded than I expected. KC did a review on this place before with and took a picture of the blackboard which I found to be very interesting, so I got to take a picture of it as well. (I think I got the same table as KC from the picture taking angle ... haha) I really enjoy the environment especially with the flooding sun lights, it is certainly a rare to see such great sun shines in Hong Kong.
While waiting for my friend to arrive, the staff recommended me to try their house soda. I ordered the grapefruit one and not bad at all but I would recommend to have it without the ice or just straight from the bottle would be good enough because the fruit flavor is not very strong and the ice would dilute it even further. For lunch, they offer a variation and combination of set lunches but I am very surprised that they charge EXTRA for the BREAD ! Okay, it is Home Made Sourdough which is rare in Hong Kong but still not a justifiable reason to charge extra at such an Establishment in my opinion.
(1) Steak tartar with Cherry olive tapenade
Presentation was very nice and the steak tartar was well prepared. However, the dressing used was a bit too strong in my opinion and covered the true taste of the steak tartar. I did not try the cherry olive tapenade with the steak tartar but I like the egg yolk which complimented the steak tartar very well! A great combination in terms of flavors and texture. Try to eat with the toast as well for a different experience as well.
(2) Miso Roasted pork belly with salad and picked vegetables
Not exactly what I expected in terms of presentation but it looked nice anyhow. The roasted pork belly was not served in pieces but in slices. It is very difficult to describe its texture because one would expect it to be tender and chewy maybe but it turns out to be VERY soft to the point that it simply melt in your mouth. Whether it was the right way /texture for such an item, you can be the judge for yourself. I personally prefer such slices of roasted pork to be a bit more chewy instead of melt-in-your-mouth sensation.
(3) Fresh shrimp burger with spicy mayo
I love shrimps so it was an easy choice for me. I was expecting the shrimp patty to consist of diced or mince shrimps but to my surprise it was actually of little whole shrimps. Very nice indeed and with the spicy mayo it was a good match. Since the patty was rather loose, it was best to eat with fork and knife in my opinion. The fries were nice but still not up to the standard of The Press Room in my opinion. On a negative note: the flat green beans were COLD ! Maybe it was meant to be served cold but I dun like it cold the way it was because a few of them were still warm so I assumed they should bot be served COLD ! (Maybe I was wrong, but I prefer it WARM)
(4) overnight red wine beef cheek
Honestly, I prefer the red wine beef cheek here than The Press Room's. It was very soft and melt in you mouth just like the one from The Press Room but here, it has a very strong beef flavors to the meat which I loved. The sauce was thick and rich, and together with the pomelo bits it created a good contrast with the sauce and the meat. Nicely done!
(5) 70% Chocolate cake with Sichuan pepper ice cream
This was an interesting dessert for sure. The reference to Sichuan Pepper ice cream was the key factor that made us order this dessert. (Of course the 70% Chocolate cake as well ... haha) The chocolate cake was very rich not not too sweet. It seemed like a molten chocolate cake because the center of the cake was slightly melted and soft but not to the point with chocolate sauce flowing out. As for the ice cream, if I did not know it was of Sichuan pepper flavor, it tasted just like any other ice cream but just a bit "herb-y." But in any case, it was a wonderful dessert to end the meal with and certainly put a smile on your face on the way back to work. (the smile did not last long though but long enough until afternoon tea time when I had some more chocolates.)
Argh ... Jackson and Jason were checking the bookings near the entrance when we were about to leave and we greeted briefly BUT I FORGOT TO ASK THEM TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH US ... how stupid was I !! ARGH !!! ....
Likes:
* Decor / Environment / Atmosphere
* Overnight Red Wine Beef Cheek - soft with strong beef flavor!
* 70% Chocolate Cake - dark, rich and soft !
Dislikes:
* Cold flat green beans
* Miso Roasted pork belly - the texture was too soft for my liking
Original Blog with Pictures: http://jason-bonvivant.blogspot.com/2009/08/union-j.htm
Visit Day 2009-08-21
getting worse
thought i should give it another try, wish I hadn't. The food was worse than last time, the service was terrible...again the desserts were good. it was my friend's third visit and he also felt that the food had got less impressive with each visit, and we were charged for bread!
A king
For dinner we went straight for mains; my lamb was in a delicious jus, and cooked to perfection with a pleasant-if somewhat random- side dish of lentils. It felt like a fine start to a meal but was left feeling hungry and overcharged.
The solitary vegetarian option was a mean portion of, unimaginatively, lasagna. The presentation on an oversized dish served to emphasise the meagre portion size, which was exacerbated by the complete lack of side dish or vegetables. Never have I seen such a literal interpretation of the phrase "a square meal".
Desert was a tasty, if minute portion of cheesecake. Intricate, geometric designs with cut fruit and sauce were appealing to the eye, but could not distract from the fact there was very little for the tongue to savour.
Disappointing
Had been hearing good things about Union J, but after m experience I would only go back for dessert. My salad was uninspiring and could have been made by a 5 year old, not a professional, with the key ingredients just placed on top of each other. My scallop main consisted of three small scallops - while well cooked it is too small a portion to be called a main and the flavours were boring. My companion thought his soup was just OK, while his fish main was served with a strange apple and coconut salad that did nothing for the dish.
The menu only has six starters and six mains so you think every dish would be something amazing...but they were not.
Desserts were excellent.
Consistently, surprisingly good
Love the homemade sodas and green apple martinis to start. Savory favorites: a very generous foie gras with strawberries and lamb shoulder that just falls off the bone. But my favorite is the chicken breast dish with crispy skin and one very special egg. All the desserts are incredibly powerful in their own way. Look forward to tasting the different menus as they evolve.
Excellent new restaurant
The food at Union J is excellent. The restaurant is charging a reasonable price ($200 mains) for top quality meals. The menu is limited (6 entrees, mains and desserts), but there are a number of dishes in each group that we wanted to try. We did not have a weak dish. The staff were very keen to make the dinner an enjoyable experience and the chefs came out to talk about their new place. Altogether, an excellent new restaurant in Central and we hope it does well.