I have to say, Commissary was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting it to be generic chain or Hong Kong-ified American cuisine, but what I got instead was a somewhat authentic dining experience.
The chips and guac were good (it's hard to mess up on that), and while I admittedly did over-order with my friend, having had the ribs, Po Boy, and cornitas tacos with a milkshake and dessert to top it off, it was all pretty good. The ribs were tender and came off the bone easily, and the Fries that came with the Po Boy were well seasoned. That being said, it would've been nice to have more shrimp on the Po Boy, though an obvious restriction is the cost of shrimp in this town. As for the cornitas tacos, they felt a bit on the dry side. Perhaps they could've added a mild sauce or drizzle to it to improve the texture and complement the flavour profile.
Moving on to desserts, I've never had a hummingbird cake before, so I can't say if it was a faithful rendition, but it sure was tasty. I liked the mix of textures, from the crunchy flakiness of the nuts and coconut, to the density of the cake and cream cheese glaze which is so hard to come by in this city. The baked cookie dough is a dish that is often done well in Hong Kong and this was no exception. The outer layer was crunchy, while the inner laver was soft and gooey. It went fantastically with the ice cream they served it with.
The shakes were also nice and mild, not overly sweet as is the fashion back in the states, and that's a welcome transgression to the norm. The ambience of the place is pretty cute, and It's nice that it's impressive it turned out like this considering how it used to be a really cramped Starbucks. read more