I walked by one day last November when I was in HKG and staying at our usual Shatin Hotel, and I noticed their special - set lunch with giant prawns and lamb for $88 (HKD, of course, which is just shy of $12 USD). So of course we had to give it a try! It's not cheap by HKG standard, but considering the venue (in a major mall) and the fare, it certainly seemed like a bargain - and who am I to say 'no' to a bargain!
Tables are at a premium at lunch. We ended up sitting at a the counter, facing the kitchen, and we didn't regret it - fed me and my curiosity with insights on how this particular production chain worked. After you miso soup and salad, lunch comes in a pre-heated cast iron plate, sort of sizzling. Since we saw the food being cooked (the ULTIMATE open kitchen), it was neat to see how this goes to another station where the plates are heated up and served. Almost a little sad to see the hard-working cooks slaving away, not appearing to enjoy what they're doing (but almost funny watching the one guy NOT having a particularly good day, seasoning his convo with a few cuss words). Well whether their hearts were into it or not, the food came out pretty delicious (is it possible to mess up teppanyaki?) Prawns, especially, were reasonably fresh, and served the way I like it: with the head on. There's something magical about crustacean shell on an open flame or hot surface that magically transforms it into this indescribable heavenly aroma. Hmmm-hmmm good!
I also admired the staff: like a lot of hard-working men and women in the F&B business, they're just SO on top of things.
I read some complaints about pricing being a little high. Perhaps at dinner, and with some other items. Food was an 8.5 or 9 out of ten, and we felt we got our money's worth. read more