After a fun yet grueling morning workout on the Repulse Bay beach, my friends and I were ravenous for lunch. As all the other restaurants along The Pulse were too full to accommodate a large group of 12, a few of our group members made their way down to the end to Hotshot. "The restaurant was quite empty when we arrived...if that's any indication?" someone said, when I showed him the Hotshot listing on Yelp. And we're talking prime Sunday lunch hour here...
We placed our orders in a hurry. The quinoa salad with seared tuna arrived first and looked amazing, so much that those of us who ordered burgers wanted to change our orders. We immediately jumped out of our seats and walked to the counter, only to see our burgers already plated and ready to be served. Whoops! On the other hand, the fried chicken burger also looked good, with that huge chunk of melted cheese on top.
I will have to comment about service: they didn't bring out any cutlery at the beginning. My friend looked confused when they brought out her salad without a fork & knife - how was she to eat? When my friend placed an order for his milkshake and I for a glass of water, his milkshake arrived within 5 mins, but my water didn't. I called the waiter over again to remind him and they finally brought over 6 glasses of water. (Short-term memory much? The restaurant wasn't even THAT full.) The same friend that ordered a milkshake also ordered a medium rare hamburger with all the toppings (add HK$20 for a slice of cheese, HK$20 for crispy bacon), but it was in fact, well-done. We then asked for more water, and they returned with only two glasses. If we were in California, I would understand their concern for not bringing out water for everyone. But Hong Kong is not in a state-of-emergency drought!
I am fine with paying more for food, if I can expect high quality and good value in return. As a economist, it's about getting bang for our buck, right? It was an OK hamburger, but for a dear price - HK$95. Probably the barest burger I've ever seen... The beef patty was at least 1cm smaller than the bread bun. Some chopped iceberg lettuce (like the kind you get at McDonalds in your Big Mac), one slice of tomato, a slice of pickle, chopped onion (probably barely one onion ring), and a thin drizzle of mustard and ketchup on the bun. It didn't come with any fries. You had to add extra for cheese and bacon. C'mon! Oh but wait, we're in HK, where almost everything is overpriced and expensive...
On my way to the bathroom (through the "Sliding Door" and up the stairs to the mall, I noticed a more formal dining area - with actual seated tables - behind the detox juice bar. No big deal, we still had a pleasant time lounging near the front, watching dogs pass by. read more