Sevva
The latest project by Hong Kong socialite Bonnie Gokson, Sevva has garnered a lot of fanfare lately, and with apparent good reason. The space itself is incredible: a 360-degree balcony offers stunning views of the skyscrapers of Central and Admiralty, the harbour, and the Kowloon skyline – perfect for sunset drinks and impressing visiting friends or clients. The furnishings, meanwhile, are straight out of Elle Decor and demand appreciation for their style and easy elegance. If only the food and service matched up to their surroundings.
So often in this town, it seems many of us settle for lush and glitzy settings in lieu of high-quality dishes and decent service. The question must be asked: is dining at the newest, shiniest spot in town suitable compensation for average food and below-par service?
Things got off to a bad start when we asked for tap water, rather than the suggested mineral kind, and were promptly refused. Sure, offer us the still or sparkling varieties – it’s a waiter’s duty to maximise sales – but refusal to serve normal tap water leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
Matters did not improve as we began to peruse the menu: our waiter cautioned us against ordering the oysters, saying they had had a bad batch the previous day, but that he would check if fresher ones had been delivered. They had indeed, so, throwing caution to the wind, we each ordered the selection. More fool us. The oysters themselves were good (five, not the customary half-dozen, to a plate, $360), but the warm Kilpatrick and Rockerfeller toppings overpowered their delicate taste, while the Asian-inspired taro-crusted with saffron and curry sauce was, well, uninspiring.
Mains didn’t fare any better. We ordered a burger – perhaps not the most original choice, but you would expect that for $320 you are going to get a bloody good burger. Sadly, we didn’t. Call me a traditionalist, but a burger should have onions, salad, tomato and relish somewhere in the mix. Add cheese, bacon or even foie gras if you want to go all out, but don’t just give us a patty on mash (you’ll have to request a bun if you want one) – it’s an insult to every burger ever grilled. As for the fish bento box ($380), two of the four selections (deep-fried fish) were the same, along with prawn and mock tofu scallops. When questioned, the waiter said it was strange to get two identical items, and he would check with the chef. He never returned, and by that stage of the lunch, we didn’t care. We wanted the bill, and we wanted out.
Don’t take our experience as blind ravings about over-priced hype, for this place does have huge potential. But it really must try harder.
25/F, Prince’s Bldg, Central, 2537 1388. Mon-Thu noon-3pm, 6pm-midnight, Fri-Sat noon-3pm, 6pm- 2am, Sun closed.
John Baker
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You would be doing us all a great service if you would continue to highlight places which refuse to serve tap water. It is simply not the mark of a civilised establishment. I've started listing some I know over on my blog: http://smogsblog.wordpress.com/
Frankly I'm quite fed up with the power of hype in this city already. Call me old-fashioned, but when I eat out I always expect good food - it doesn't have to be expensive, but it's got to be cooked with heart and respect. The focus should always be the food before anything else. And yes, charging over $320 for a lousy bun-less "burger" is simply taking the piss. But perhaps I'm the only one in the city who finds the idea of lining the pocket of some "socialite" while being fed crap food insulting and repulsive - otherwise why would this place have survived for more than a week?
i find a never returned waiter most insulting. try a trick next time: ask any waiter what's the Soup of the Day, 9 out of 10 times they cannot answer straight away. on the rare occasion, do tip them well
Responding to an invitation to the latest 'in' place to go. I went on a Saturday with 8 friends to Sevva and experienced excellent service for afternoon tea with tea and coffee refills, ($380 for two).Impressed, I returned with a visiting friend during the week. We were asked to sit outside in the heat. As there were plenty of seats available we refused. And continued to refuse as we were continually asked to sit outside. The staff insisted that a 'photoshoot' was about to happen, so we needed to be outside. (Why were other people sitting inside ?) We were eventually given one of the many available tables. After one cup of coffee we asked for more...and also had to ask for a napkin. When the bill came, my friend noticed that the bill wasn't the $360 we were expecting. It was over $500. We had been charged for the extra coffees but this had not been done on the previous visit. Hurried and bungled explanations from the staff followed. The manager insisted that the 'new'staff had made a mistake....even though they were the same staff who had served me earlier!! And what had happened to the photoshoot I wanted to know? No answer. Bonnie Gokson, who had been very obviously present on my first visit, had not been apparent on my second and staff behaviour was noticeably different. The restaurant wasn't busy on the second visit and the copious staff roamed around with nothing to do.Neither could they seat us, refill our cups, or get the bill correct.Far from impressing my guest, I was extremely embarrassed and apologetic. I MUST BE IN HONG KONG!
Thank you, Time Out, for these great dining reviews. Until you came along there really wasn't a decent place to turn to to get good feedback about restaurants and food. Why must we pay through the nose to simply have a glass of water that comes out free from a tap? Not to mention the carbon miles and ridiculous packaging chocked up by bottled, designer water. One thing I don't get here in Hong Kong regarding service, is the lack of common sense, when common sense pervades all other facets of life here. Almost without fail, when dining out, you will be served by a different waiter during the course of one meal. And since they don't communicate with each other, mistakes occur on a regular basis. Someone should set up a decent hospitality training school, it is much needed here.
SEVVA is a mess. Three months it has been open and it is impossible to get the service right. For $100 a beer, they should at least want to sell it to you, and not ignore customers when they want to order with comments like "I've only got two hands, wait."
I enjoy reading Time Out and glad that it is in HK. Just came about comments on Sevva and think it's too mean as I have friends in the service industry and I quite understand the frustration for any newly set up place. My friends and I think it is absolutely great that there's such a beautiful enviroment created for this town. My husband and I have been going there quite often and have found the service improved tremendously since it's started. We are very conscious of food quality and the well being and find the qualtity excellent. What place can attend to hundreds to keep the beers floating anyway during teething periods. Must say it's unfair to attack the prime meat burger dish as it's my husbands' favourite...no yeasty carbs. Has that person gone out to buy prime or Wagu cuts ever?? Obviously, if you're used to sleazy burger joints, you would'nt know the difference. Give it a break guys, Sevva deserves more and we hear that the owner is not what is termed the socialite as she's quite a career person.
Hey Time out, i am an avid reader of your publications and many others that cast light on places that can be clouded in darkness behind the flashy lights of a big city. I have to say that i had a completely different experience at Sevva.i had heard so much about it as in any town, people talk about the newest places and are so quick to criticise even if there is nothing to complain about..... Greeted by Bonnie Gokson personally at the bar( i had no idea who she was)and i was promptly shown to my table, dragging my jaw at the beautiful decor, flowers and uniformed staff along the way- every aspect of my meal was memorable.....i didnt have the burger, but perhaps i chose well and my stars were aligned so much so, i lingered outside on the terrace afterwards and more guests joined me for high Tea - a 3 levelled tray of the best HK can offer ( i have tried many in this town and this tops the list) by the time we left at 8, the place was cruising with cool and i felt that i had experienced a true HK afternoon, all that was missing was a massuer and foot spa overlooking the harbour. i suggest to all readers that a second visit is always worth it...thanks Sevva- you should have a terrace restaurant in every city !!
Only in Hong Kong could a place like SEVVA survive. Yes, the interiors and the view are fantastic..and worth paying the premium for...BUT the horrendous 'service' doled out by the staff makes me sick. Bonnie Gokson, you may have taste and style, but you certainly don't have any class - the people who work in SEVVA represent YOU and trust me, they don't have any class either.
we made a booking for 10pm dinner for 3 on a sat night. we were asked to sit outside, which was hot and humid. we waited and waited and every time we asked, the waiters said 5mins. finally we were not seated until 11pm! if you cannot seat a reservation within 5mins when you are supposedly a high class establishement charging ridiculous prices, you have completely FAILED. no excuses can be made for making your customers wait 1hour with a reservation. if you cannot seat us, then say so, we can go somewhere else, rather than lie repeatedly saying it will only be 5mins. and the waiters were not even apologetic and when we complained to the manager, all he could say was it was "out of his control" the previous diners took a long time. no apology, no complementary drink/dessert, nothing, but just kept rushing us to order as the kitchen was closing in 15mins. oh and when we were seated we find half the tables in the section were empty and looked deserted for a long time. they seemed short handed probably because half the waiters were off duty by that time so they could not clear the tables fast enough nor serve us. i've dined in the hottest newest hyped places in New York, London and Paris, dining amongst the trumps or celebrities like de niro and NEVER have i experienced such appalling treatment. i'd rather stay home and make my own mac'n cheese and douse it with a bottle of white truffle oil from citysuper. much cheaper and much more enjoyable experience.
Dear Christine of RB, >>Has that person gone out to buy prime or Wagu cuts ever?? Obviously, if you're used to sleazy burger joints, you would'nt know the difference. Oh wow. So what you're saying is that just because I (and others) found Sevva to be a pretentious waste of space (yes the decor's lovely. But we're talking about a restaurant here, not an art gallery or a furniture shop. I pay good money in resturants for the FOOD), I fall into the group of "plebs" who only frequent "sleazy burger joints"? Like super BAD above, I've been to plenty of "swanky" places all over the world - I know my food, I love my food (I also know how to spell "Wagyu" correctly), and I never hesitate to spend good money on food that is cooked with heart and honesty. To brand us all "people who don't know the difference" just cos we manage to see what Sevva for what it is is beyond childish and smacks of ignorant elitism. >> and we hear that the owner is not what is termed the socialite as she's quite a career person. Christine my friend, do you happen to be one of those "career people" then, I wonder?
Sevva is representative of many "fine dining establsihments" in Hong Kong. Beautiful space, poor service, mediocore food, extraordinary prices. I have been there a couple of times for drinks and it's utter chaos. Once I waited 10 minutes for my bill at the bar in which time I had killed half my beer. Maybe this is just a ploy to sell more alcohol? But then again, trying to get the bartender's attention to order another drink would take 20 minutes, by which time I would be ready to leave out of sheer frustration. Agree with all the comments about tap water in this town. Water is free and tap water should always be a choice. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. In addtion to adding substantially to your bill, it is environmentally destructive. It should be illegal not to offer free water in a restaurant. How can we make this happen?
When I arrived to buy a cake, there was no one to help me. When I came to check out the outdoor seating area I reserved in advance for a birthday celebration and wanted to change it, they said to check with my boss -- assuming that I was my secretary who called earlier that day to book the space when I had already introduced myself upon arrival. Whenever I asked for anything, they were so lacking in information and not willing to assist despite the fact that I'm paying a lot of money for all of this. The constant disrespect by the staff really irked me. I think the front of house staff need a customer service lesson, especially since they are targetting customers who expect good service considering the price and the location.
We went to the bar about a month ago and the waiters hadn't a clue about drinks when we ordered in English. Service was incredibly slow when it wasn't even crowded. Drinks were good though.
I wanted to have drinks here on a Saturday night after dinner for a group of 20. They wouldn't take a reservation w/o a $7500 deposit and $15000 total bill. While other similar bars require 1/3 of that or no deposit/req... Good Luck!
I went on a Friday afternoon with a friend, ordered the high tea set with coffee... we asked to seat outside but was refused, then 2 ppl came in and was directed to the seats that we wanted. I asked the waitress, once she heard my question, she told me to wait... for what?? then i requested again to be seated outside, again i was refused, all while the other 2 ppl are seating and smoking outside... what the hell is wrong with this place? average food, super high prices, horrible service...... for $500, i could of gone elsewhere and save $300 bucks.... the owner should be ashamed .
Why would you WANT to drink the tap water in HK??
I haven't tried the food at Sevva but as experiences have told us, the quality of food at fancy decor restaurants usually do not live up to their expectations. Which is why I didnot find your criticism surprising. However, my visit there for drinks were appalling too-and you think they should at least do this right and make the best use of their fabulous terrace and spectacular city view. Well I have ordered a simple G+T and it just tasted disgusting. It did not taste anything like Gin nor simple tonic. It was so bad i could not even finish it. And you think how wrong can it get for such a simple drink that costs more than $100? It is probably the worse and yet most expensive G&T I have ever tried! My friend also ordered the same drink and his was just as bad, so it's hardly an isolated mistake. My other friend ordered a hot non alcoholic drink which i dont quite remember what it was but she said it tasted really bad as well. It was LUKEWARM temperature! At the end none of us could finish our drinks and we lost our trust to order more drinks in that place we decided to leave. Those horrific drinks were an insult to those comfy sofas and the fabulous city view.
I know all the critique, but if anyone has tried the restaurant lately they will have discovered the substantial improvement in the service level and the food. I am a fan of the dosa and the crunch cake, and the level of care and attention is now very respectable. The price is still high, but then when restaurant is sitting on the penthouse of one of the most expensive buildings in Central, that has to be accepted.
service is horrible and extremely disappointing. it was supposed to be closed at 2am but the staff would force you to leave at 1:30.
Bonnie Gokson has opened a new shop at 39 gough street, central - Ms B's Cakery. I have my review of the cake I bought, "Madame Butterfly", here: http://effli.wordpress.com/2011/05/07/a-happy-mothers-day-along-with-ms-bs-cakery/
I struggle to find words to describe how awful this dining experience was. Had a couple of free hours and decided to check out Sevva's afternoon tea based on an article in Where magazine. They had a vegetarian specialty which was supposed to be very nice. I arrived to find amazing views from the terrace, and that's where the nice part of the experience ended. I was told to seat myself on the terrace as it is "free seating" but as soon as I sat down, I was informed that particular seat was reserved (no sign indicating this). Unable to find another seat, I wandered back inside, and failing to get the attention of any of the staff, I looked around for a place to sit until one staff member rudely asked what I was doing. Then someone showed me to a seat directly underneath the air conditioning unit, where it was completely freezing. I waited and waited for someone to take my order, and when they finally came, I ordered the vegetarian tea for one person. Strangely, I was told that Sevva doesn't serve green tea - only Earl Grey or Darjeeling. After noticing that I was freezing, they finally arranged for a seat outside on the terrace. I mistakenly thought things were improving. But when the food arrived, I was a bit disappointed. The sandwiches and snacks were soggy and had clearly been sitting around for hours. The taste was mostly bland. The cakes were forgettable. The bill was not. When it arrived, I noticed I had been charged for two people. I pointed this out to the waiter and he said the vegetarian tea was only available for two people, therefore I was charged for two people. I did notice that two ladies at a table nearby had also ordered the vegetarian tea, but they were served two trays of sandwiches and cakes, while I was served only one tray. Yet I was charged the same price, for two people at HKD$572, the equivalent of $73 in US dollars (including a ludicrous 10% service charge). For a cup of tea, soggy sandwiches and bland cakes. I complained to the manager, but he told me in a very snooty & condescending voice "This is the price of Sevva." I won't be back.
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