Caustic
Da Ping Huo – Food is good, but is it Caustic or Candy?
Review: Now that I have rediscovered my hearty, homely, more informal Sichuan favourite San Xi Lou (I lost it for two years, when it closed as Man Jiang Hong in CWB and became San Xi Lou in Central), I no longer have to brave Madame Wong’s end-of-service party trick quite so often – which is [...]
Hunan Garden, Central: A 60′s Psychedelic Torture Chamber
Review: Continuing in my quest to find a good Sichuan restaurant in Hong Kong I have widened the scope to also include Hunanese establishments. I took myself to Hunan Garden in Exchange Square last week, and having made the connection only now that it’s a Maxim’s restaurant, I’m even more baffled by the decor and [...]
Yun Fu, Wyndham St – Hypothermic and Disappointed of Hong Kong
Review: I have been to Yun Fu twice now, once as a couple, and more recently as a table of eight. Both times I have been disappointed with the overall experience, and have now lost interest in going back, which is a shame. Food: Northern and Western Chinese food (read that as more Sichuan/Yunnan than [...]
Nobu Hong Kong review: all skirt, no knickers
Review: I’ve eaten at Nobu in London way back in 2003 when it was the hottest ticket in town, and frankly don’t remember much about the food – notwithstanding the lychee martinis my friend and I were piling down, but we were so busy gossiping about our latest TV-land exploits (or more importantly the exploits [...]
L16 Cafe & Bar – Like dining in a public toilet.
Review: L16 has an enviable location bang in the middle of Hong Kong Park. You’d have thought that if someone could work out how to keep the mozzies at bay, this would be THE prime location in Admiralty/Central for a proper pukka restaurant/bar – sadly not. I recently went for a late lunch here on [...]
Code Sharing Disaster – Worst Airline Meal?
Now I have to make plain from the outset that this post is not about a recent airplane meal. It was over a year ago that this occurred, but as I was going through some photos this made me howl with laughter again, so thought I’d share. The pictures were taken on a Cathay Pacific [...]
Peking Garden – good for non-Canto Chinese food
13 March 2012 Due to a decision to rate any restaurant that serves sharks fin as caustic from now on, Peking Garden changes from SuperCandy to Caustic. Review: Since my favourite Sichuan restaurant closed in Causeway Bay -and it took me two years to find that it had just moved to Central (San Xi Lou) [...]
Lan Na Thai and Face, Bangkok – too farang by far
Review: Disappointing juxtaposition here. Great bar, crap restaurant. The venue that houses Face, Lan Na Thai and Hazara it stunning. Beautiful teak housing complex, fishponds, palms, soaring ceilings, nooks, crannies and separate buildings. It’s well hidden behind big gates and a high white wall, so it’s a lovely feeling to discover it and leave bustling [...]
Eddie’s Tong Fuk – Doomed to fail?
Review I don’t like to be mean about restaurants that are so obviously struggling to stay afloat - but Eddie’s is a lesson in eateries doomed to fail. The litany of mistakes/complaints in no particular order. 1) Not opening when you say you are going to be open. We have tried to frequent your restaurant [...]
The Stoep, Lantau – In need of a menu and attitude overhaul
Review Right, so The Stoep used to be a another stalwart of the Lantau dining scene, a real gem, but over the last few years it’s gone really down hill. They never have any specials, and they haven’t changed the menu in the 9 years I’ve been in Hong Kong. How lazy is that? Perhaps [...]