I'm not sure where to start with Under Bridge (橋底辣蟹), it is one of Wanchai's most famous restaurants to the western world, and easily one of Hong Kong's most touristy. Yet it fails to reach the local crowd with its hefty price tag and as of late, mediocre food. Was the fall from grace too high or was the hype too much from the get go? Maybe it was a little bit of both.
A couple of decades ago, they started off as a food stall during the last era before the outdoor (i.e. open air) food stalls (大牌檔), when the menu was vastly similar serving their version of spicy crab. When their menu expanded and more "Typhoon shelter" (避風塘) dishes were introduced to the masses, the more famous this stall eventually became. Soon they became a brick and motor and sport several locations throughout the city. There was a lot of support from HK A-list celebs and of course, the blessing of Anthony Bourdain really certified their popularity on a global scale.
On any given night, there might be a full house of tourists, some booking months out in advance. They even have a VIP card for frequent guests, but beyond a small discount only weekdays, I'm still not entirely sure what purpose it has. The tourist crowd does bring some positives to the mix: they accept all major credit cards and the wait staff is quite proficient in English.
The menu has remained fairly simple throughout the whole time. Price wise, we're probably looking at $600+ a head, depending on the dishes ordered. Their seafood reach is now international, with fresh imports of various countries including Australia, Malaysia, and other parts of SE Asia. It is pretty much a guarantee one will get crab, it's just a matter of finding the right country.
Their signature dish, the Under Bridge Crab (橋底辣蟹) has its stellar moments and its wishful ones as well. Of all the locations in Wanchai / Causeway Bay, I think this one on Lockhart does this dish the best. The crab has that recognizable kick in spice and serious wok hei (鑊氣) for a job well done. Also impressive are their fried mantis shrimp dubbed "特大瀨尿蝦皇" in Chinese, which come with three medium sized (not as large as indicated) fried pissing shrimps bathing in a bath of fried shallots, garlic bits, with some chili and salt. It's good, but it's not worth nearly $800HKD.
The disappointments are with a number of other dishes, which I suppose I can't fault completely as it's not really their specialty, but are nevertheless advertised by the staff as quality dishes. Their steamed scallops (粉絲蒜蓉蒸聖子皇) are a bit heavy on the garlic and their deep fried squid (椒鹽吊片) in chili, garlic, salt are not as impressive as they sound. Even less impressive is the steamed black bean mussels (豉汁炒青口), where similarly to the poached conch (白灼花螺), to which both oddly need some work.
I would have given them less than 3 stars, but their overall vibe is tolerable as long as one has the cash to front it all. Many places that are high on the $ typically provide an authentic experience to really wow their guests. Under Bridge just fails to impress at this point; I'm not sure if I can really say the glory days are over, or if they were ever truly there. read more