Little Bao is anything but little when it comes to its popularity and buzz around the city right now. I can't say I went into the restaurant with high hopes since I was never a big fan of "Baos" (Chinese steamed buns), so not to mention the little ones. But after hearing many positive reviews raving about it, we decided to go with our friend, Tee, last weekend. Unfortunately I was spot on: I hoped to at least get an enjoyable dinner at a cool and hip restaurant with my friends, but ended up feeling quite uncomfortable and unsatisfied after our "little" meal.
Little Bao is the most-obsessed new restaurant in SoHo devoting itself to feature tiny Chinese steamed buns with creative ingredients fillings. When we arrived at Little Bao a little before 7:30 p.m. on Friday, we were greeted by a cheerful waitress at the entrance who informed us the wait would be for at least an hour (!) and asked us politely whether we wanted to put our names on the wait-list so that she would call us once our seats were ready.
After wandering in the Sheung Wan neighbourhood for nearly 45 minutes, we finally received a call from the restaurant and by that time we were just happy to be able to sit down and eat. The restaurant was also little, intimate and cramped with an open-bar area on one side, and the other side facing the wall. The music was incredibly loud that made dinner conversation extremely difficult and you would feel like you were in a bar instead of a diner. The menu was simple and the choices of Baos were less than we expected (only 4 in total). They also offered a few daily specials on the board. The price was expensive for its portion and dinner was priced at around $250 to $300 per person.
(1) We started with Short-Rib Pan-Fried Dumpling ($128) which was served with slow-braised organic OBE beef short rib, celeriac coleslaw. There were only 4 pieces when the dish was served and we wouldn't complain if it was able to blow our minds with the expensive price tags. But, it didn't. The dumplings were outright disappointing, with the beef tasting bland and dry. The dish was in need of some brilliant seasoning to redeem its poor execution.
(2) For the Baos, we ordered the Bao with Pork Belly ($78) which was a combination of slow-braised pork belly, leek & shiso red onion salad, sesame dressing, hoisin ketchup. We were stunned when we saw the actual size of the bao (see below) and it was wrong for customers to feel happy just because there were 2 (instead of 1) pieces of pork belly! The flavours weren't bad but the Bao wasn't as spectacular and Tee thought that this dish definitely did not worth its price.
(3) The Bao with Fish Tempura ($78), made of fresh market fish, tamarind palm sugar glaze, pickled lemongrass dennel salad, was a symphony of crunchy, was quite good with its alluring textures and tastes. The gorgeously deep fried fish tempura, sandwiched between the steamed buns completely made for a rich and sweet taste! We just wish the portion could be larger as there was only 1 piece of fish tempura for this dish.
(4) The LB Ice Cream Sandwich ($48) and the Ice Cream Bao ($48) both looked extremely adorable and colourful with green tea ice cream and caramel ice cream respectively. These beautiful and petit desserts, however, did not taste as delightful as they appeared as the ice cream proved to be too cold and tasteless while the deep-fried bun was too hot and too salty. And after a few bites, we realized that the desserts were only daring in conception but lacking in execution as when the ice cream started melting, and quickly becoming messy and you would just want to finish it as quickly as possible.
Overall remarks: With such expensive price tags, we expected the signature Baos to be little yet delicate and refined, but the dishes were still stuck at the beginner's stage: the clever, inventive and ridiculous variations Little Bao promises seemed to be impossible for its own chefs to realise. Little Bao is certainly an example of exceptional marketing and how to run an business with ordinary food solely fueled on hype! Filled with gimmicks, words-of-mouths and promises, I would like to say that you might enjoy it if you just try and go for what it is, but it's hard because the food was too unbalanced, too unmemorable and too expensive. If those buns could have at least made us more than a little "Bao" ("full" in Chinese), Little Bao might be getting somewhere by now.
Food: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Ambience: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
Service: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
INFO
Little Bao
G/F, 66 Staunton Street, Central 中環士丹頓街66號地下
Telephone: 2194 0202
We woke up to a new sensation the next morning - extremely hot and very, very sunny! The good weather made us want to go out and dive into a swimming pool right away (and we did so literally at Jas' place). After Jas went to her Saturday pilate class, we headed out for lunch at the Potato Head Beach Club. Jas recommended us to try the Asian restaurant, Lilin, there, and we made a reservation accordingly.
Once we arrived at the Potato Head Beach Club (it was a very short drive from Jas' place) in Seminyak at 11:30 a.m., our first expression was "WTF!" when we saw that the day-beds near the infinity pool were all occupied already! These people definitely woke up early! Without the day-beds, it would be quite inconvenient to go swimming. Not only were we frustrated about not being able to get a bed, the poor service further infuriated us! The girl at the reception was absolutely horrendous at conveying useful information and for example, we didn't know we needed to wait-list for the day-bed and we didn't know that there would be a HK$500 minimum spending for the day-bed. And after being wait-listed we didn't know how they were going to inform us because we would be sitting in the restaurant... Since the Potato Head Beach Club restaurant was closer to the swimming pool, and there was practically no one at the Asian restaurant, we decided to settle down at the Potato Head Beach Club restaurant for lunch instead.
The Potato Head Beach Club restaurant had both indoor and outdoor sections, with its cool modern and stylish decoration with lots and lots of colourful wooden teak shutters and natural lighting that looked like a villa of paradise and we definitely felt comfortable and relaxed despite our frustration. We chose the outdoor section which faced the beach. The menu was quite limited and heavily focused on the typical American casual food with American prices. Guess Uncle Sam rules here! Lunch was priced at around HK$150 to HK$200 per person.
(1) We were fairly parched when we got there so we immediately ordered some Fresh Coconut and it was disappointing. The Coconut juice tasted very sour and was not cold at all!
(2) The Wagyu Beef Burger (HK$155) was served with PH Burger Sauce, Romaine Lettuce, Tomatoes, Dill Pickles and Fries and it was simply the perfect brunch food! The lightly toasted buns were crispy, and the beef was lean and juicy with the right amount of PH Burger Sauce that left us with an intense taste (although we couldn't tell it's Wagyu Beef, it didn't matter!) D also noted that the steaming fries were excellently fried and very delicious!
(2) The Grilled Chicken with Herbed Mustard (HK$140) came with the Roasted Pumpkin, Feta, Spinach, Tomato, Balsamic Jus and had a fabulously tender and moist texture. The chicken was wonderfully grilled and the roasted pumpkin was delicious. The balsamic sauce was also unmissable. This dish would not disappoint.
During our lunch, we saw that many more people were constantly arriving (mostly tourists) and were all waiting for the day-beds as well. After we finished our food, we were quickly informed that our day-bed was finally available, so we happily moved to our day-bed and were ready for a swim. Once we settled down at our bed, we were amazed by the view which was magical in every way- the infinity pool was fantastically gorgeous! It was definitely worth waiting for! (I would suggest bringing an extra towel though).
Overall remarks: Many beach resorts had a fantastic pool and beach, but Potato Head Beach Club was even more magical and beautiful because of its impeccable infinity pool and that made this a very special and exclusive experience if you are able to ignore the glaring problems with the service. Although the dishes were simple, they were good enough for its price Do come here earlier to get a day-bed (as there were not many) to avoid the long wait or else prepare yourself for the possibility of experiencing some of the worst service!
Food: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Ambience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Service: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
INFO
Potato Head Beach Club (website)
Jln. Petitenget, Seminyak, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Telephone: 62 361 475 7979
來自上海的Beef & Liberty，在金鐘星街開了於香港的首間分店，標榜專做用草飼牛肉的高質素漢堡飽。餐廳在Pizza Express樓上，要進去用Pizza Express的升降機才能到達，比較難找。主菜如Cheese Burger ($92) 和Bacon Cheese Burger ($108)都不錯，但比預期中小份，而我們也吃不出牛肉有甚麼與別不同。反而前菜Crispy Chicken Wings ($62/4 pieces) 頗出色，雞皮香脆，雞肉嫩滑，加上韓式辣醬，互相配合得很美味。相比之下，Beef & Liberty的招牌漢堡包比較遜色，缺乏獨特魅力，而價錢也較貴，午餐大概每人＄200 到＄250。
If only J has made her hatred for Chinese food less explicit, we wouldn't have the chance to go to the recently opened Beef & Liberty for her sort-of farewell lunch last weekend. Nestled on top of the Pizza Express on Star Street in Admiralty, most of us are misled by its name and thought it's a burger joint run by the Liberty Exchange group, but Beef & Liberty is actually a Shanghainese brand which is known for using 100% Australian grass-fed cattle for its high quality burgers, or so it claims.
The weather was rather cool and gloomy that day. Yves and Brown Sugar, being their sporty-selves, suggested we walk from Causeway Bay to the restaurant which seemed far at first, but it only took us around 20 minutes to get there in the end. When we arrived at the building, we saw T standing at the entrance for Pizza Express, looking clueless by himself. It turned out that to be able to get up to Beef & Liberty on 3/F, we needed to use the elevator at Pizza Express, and this was confusing.
Once the elevator opened to 3/F, a friendly waitress greeted us with a smile and led us to our booth next to the window. Although the restaurant wasn't a big place, its high ceilings and decoration rendered a casual and hip vibe. The booth was however quite small for 6 people. When we saw that there was a very reasonably priced "All Day Set" on the menu, we were quite excited until C drew our attention to the smaller print underneath which stated that "All Day Set" was not available on weekends, which was a total bummer! As J and Julie were "fashionably/excusably/absolutely" late again, we decided to order some drinks first. The price tags of this place were on the hefty side and lunch was priced at around $200 to $250 per person.
(1) The drinks we ordered failed on multiple levels and it was definitely not the best way to start our meal. The Liberty Iced Peppermint Tea ($32) Brown Sugar ordered looked good but tasted like normal iced tea soaked in peppermint leafs with too much ice.
(2) We knew we wouldn't be getting freshly squeezed lemonades for the Liberty Fresh Lemonade ($32) but this un-fresh drink could use a more suiting name: iced lemon water. It was so tasteless and bland, and we were disappointed to tears to have to pay for this.
(3) Our table of 6 decided to order some starters to share. The Crispy Chicken Wings ($62/4 pieces) with Korean spicy sauce were intensely satisfying. The size for each chicken wing was big enough. Although the use of Korean spicy sauce was perhaps inspired by the widely popular Korean TV show, we were certainly blown away by the alluring spiciness and the delightfully crispy skin. Speaking as a lover for wings, this dish was absolutely enticing for my tastebuds and was easily one of the most memorable dishes!
(4) The Sticky Rib Fingers ($68) were slow roasted US pork ribs covered in honey bbq marinade and spring onions. But there was just simply much more bone than meat for this dish with an overwhelming taste of honey sauce which made my fingers fairly sticky.
(5) Julie, being just back in town, went for the classic Cheese Burger ($92) with beef, cheddar cheese, butter lettuce, pickles, and house BBQ sauce. You can tell the waitress how cooked you want your beef to be and Julie opted for Medium Rare. The burger was accomplished where the beef was exquisitely juicy and tender, while melted cheddar cheese and the house BBQ sauce composed a complex and fine taste! Though we couldn't tell the difference between their grass-fed beef and the other ones (i.e. the grain-fed ones), we were satisfied but we just wish the portion could be bigger!
(6) Yves and J ordered the same Cheese Burger but they added extra $20 for it to be served in a bowl. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this concept, it is a more healthy option for those counting carbs, and the Cheese Burger would come with a tender leaf salad without the buns! But we couldn't help but wish the salad could use more salad dressing or some more citrus elements to help balance the fattiness of the beef and they could also keep the house BBQ sauce too!
(7) The Bacon Cheese Burger ($108) T and C ordered was delicious. The beef was tender and moist, and the bacon had a fabulously crispy and chewy texture, and they were always a fantastic match to me! The cheese and house bbq sauce further accentuated the indulgent flavours!
(8) The Green Chili Burger ($98) ordered by Brown Sugar was marvellously prepared with green chili sauce and jalapeno relish. The mayo and the beef complemented the spicy flavors well but stronger flavouring was needed.
Overall remarks: Burgers at Beef & Liberty were delicious but they were not particularly outstanding. We don't need to be having top quality beef burgers to enjoy a meal- most meals I have are far from good or healthy but I like them and I enjoy them. Beef & Liberty's biggest disappointment is wasting a perfectly good opportunity to become the next hit burger joint in Hong Kong and being unable to live up to its expensive price tags and our high expectations it set up. If only the dishes were worthy of the restaurant, it does just about everything right -- the decoration, the service and the goodwill idea. For a farewell party, we were happy with its ambience. For a burger place, it is just a blank void as vacuous as the brand itself.
Food: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Ambience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Service: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
INFO
Beef & Liberty
2/F, 23 Wing Fung St., Admiralty 金鐘永豐街23號2樓
Telephone: 3460 4900
