St. George
Shopping, eating and fucking seem to be the major preoccupations of Hong Kong’s wealthy elite, if the just-opened 1881 Heritage development is anything to judge by. You can idle your time in the Mont Blanc or Piaget stores, eat in the cafés and restaurants of the fabulous Hullett House, which overlooks this upmarket shopping development, or even slip upstairs to one of the hotel’s 11 bedrooms for some afternoon delight if you’re able to afford its shamelessly high prices.
There’s nothing else in Hong Kong quite like Hullett House, the new name for the old Marine Police Headquarters at the tip of Tsim Sha Tsui. It’s one of the best examples of restored British colonial architecture in this former colony. Restaurateur David Yeo and his team at the Aqua Group are behind the sympathetic decor which enhances the Victorian building’s grandeur. Among the several options are a cocktail bar kitted out in chinoiserie, a British-style pub, a café with terrace, a top-whack Chinese restaurant, and a tapestry-lined restaurant serving Modern European food curiously called St. George, which is where we planted ourselves for the evening. Starters at St. George range from $120 up to $240; main courses from $190 up to $680 (for wagyu beef); desserts all $140. This is a lot of money by any standard; in London you could eat at Gordon Ramsay’s flagship, three-Michelin-starred restaurant for this much.
The menu’s written in the English lexicon of international food snobbery, name-dropping – and misspelling – trendy ingredients such as ‘boncoccini’ (bocconcini cheese) and ‘vadovan’ (vadouvan spice mix). As such it gives you little clue as to what your dishes might actually be like. ‘Crispy 63° Eggs’ ($180) is a reference to the fading fad for slowly poaching eggs below boiling point, which should result in an unusual, almost glutinous texture. Ours was not one of the best versions, much closer to the texture of a normal poached egg and liquid in the centre. It sat on top of a mash of sweet potato and wild mushroom, surrounded by a moat of seafood sauce they describe as ‘crab meat velouté’; a good flavour combination. Complimentary appetisers and pre-desserts punctuate the menu, such as a foam of strawberry over a gazpacho-like tomato liquid, or tiny, thumbnail-sized macaroons after the main course.
Beautiful presentation is to be expected in a fine dining restaurant, but off-piste forays include the brutal-looking diced beef bone marrow, simply served on toast like bruschetta (starter portion: $120). This brown food was jollied up by addition of a bowl of microgreens with bright flower petals; a nice touch.
The least successful dish was the ‘leek and potato soup’ ($180). This looked like brown porridge, and was served with a slice of toast topped with partially melted lardo di Colonnata, a sliver of aged lard which is a delicacy in its native Tuscany. Neither lard nor soup was well-received by our group, mainly because the appearance of both was off-putting, and the gloopy broth didn’t resemble any leek and potato soup we’ve had before. ‘Black cod land & sea’ ($320) was a far better dish, though the white beer foam obscured the appealing aroma of this firm fish, and the tiny gratings of black truffle added little aroma of their own. It summed up the cooking here: showy, good craftsmanship, but also overworked and missing the point somewhat of what makes good food a pleasure to eat.
In a recent interview for The Times of London, David Yeo said that business generally in Hong Kong is down more than 20 per cent in the current recession, but that his Aqua Group restaurants were doing very nicely, thank you. Hullett House may also prove recession-proof, because with such a magnificent setting, the big spenders from the mall below are bound to be lured upstairs. But this St. George is no dragon-slayer, and I doubt the Michelin inspectors will be wasting too much time on it over the coming year.
Guy Dimond, Food Editor for Time Out London.
2 Canton Rd, Tsim Tsa Tsui, 3988 0000. Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm.
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Is the opening phrase of Mr. Dimond's review supposed to be "TimeOut's expert opinion"? Souds more like some vented personal issues - or perhaps a sign of the green eyed monster rearing its ugly head..? (Not getting any yourself isn't a valid reason to slag off Hong Kongers who work hard to indulge in a little luxury. Rest assured that Hong Kongers have a lot of other things on their mind; only they don't feel the need to blurt it out for everyone to read.)
this review is fantastic. displays exactly the balls hong kong is missing.
Whoooaaa! I'm not often a prude, but the F word in the opening like of a review by a hitherto well respected magazine? With an opening like that, I question the truthfulness and integrity of the rest of his writing. TimeOut - get this reviewer laid off immediately. Pun intended.
I find the language used in this review completely off putting and offensive to Hong Kong people. Besides, if the reviewer knew what he was talking about he'd know that, according to recent surveys, Hong Kong people are a lot less active in the sack than their Asian neighbours, probably because they are too busy working and making money to afford places like 1881 Heritage development and Hullett House. Shame on you, Guy, for reducing a restaurant review to what seems like a personal attack that is completely out of place in a magazine like yours. You are not displaying balls, but simply anger and "possibly" envy.
It's a RESTAURANT review, not a piece of insightful social commentary. What's with all the criticism? So, it starts with a facetious comment and uses the f-word. So what? The review itself was written by someone who knew what he's talking about. He went to the restaurant, ate there and it wasn't up to scratch and wrote about it. Isn't that the point of a review? Well done Time Out for having the guts to write what you really think.
And to me the food was great. Especially the leek and potato soup. But then I am not an expert or food editor, just a simple tourist easily lured in to a nicely decorated place...However I did have a good time:-) PS. using the f..- word is a bit "cheap". I believe there are lot's of nicer, more romantic words also in English for it?
Finally, a decent restaurant review in Time Out Hong Kong. Agreed, this is exactly the kind of chutzpah, insight and candor TOHK is so utterly lacking when it comes to local dining.
Even if you enjoy the 'balls' of the writer using the 'F' bomb in his opening sentence, it still has absolutely nothing to do with the restaurant review. It is an UNNECESSARY and unsubstantiated judgement, and Mr. Dimond took advantage of his FOOD forum to inappropriately drop a crude personal view. This isn't Paper or Vice; as a mainstream publication don't you editors realize that readers don't come here for this kind of attitude?
I would never have expected such a stupid attention-grabber of an opening in a Time Out food review. Is Hullet House really the only hotel in the world with shops and restaurants? HUH?! This leap of logic alone made me lose my trust in the rest of the writing. And as a writer myself, it just makes me think he must be a terribly insecure little man to believe he has to resort to needlessly provocative statements for attention!
Juvenile and unprofessional writing has drastically lowered the credibility of this review and does nothing to enhance TO London's reputation. Pathetic!
As with the rest of the Aqua Group offerings, expect absolute mediocrity in the quality and taste of the food, and ridiculously inflated prices. I went here on the recommendation of a friend for an anniversary meal, and whilst the settings and general décor of the St George were impeccable, the food, and service, was far from it. Forget this place, and the rest of Aqua's overpriced and underwhelming offerings, and go somewhere that gives a shit, like Cafe Grey in the Upper House. I'm fucking serious.
To be quite honest, I will discontinue visiting the Time Out website. The most recent comment is highly offensive. I come here to read (and write) objective reviews about restaurants that I either have visited, or that I intend to visit. This used to be real fun, but not anymore :-(. Anyway, lucky for me that I dined with a few international gourmets who recognize and appreciate fine cuisine when they are presented with it! I give the St. George gets the highest rating. We enjoyed a superb meal in elegant surroundings and the service was impeccable. We ate the most delicous mushroom soup with Beaufort cheese. It was comforting and creamy, yet not heavy, and the thought of it still makes me salivate. The atlantic scallops were just perfectly juicy, and with the addition of truffles (one of my favourites!) they were absolutely to die for. I take my hat off to the charming chef Philippe Orrico, who we were lucky enough to meet :-)). Just keep doing what you're doing, we'll be back for more delights!
B. Sturdy, we're very sorry about the previous comment. However we can't control how others choose to express their feelings on the site. Please know that Time Out does have a policy of removing and editing comments deemed defamatory or offensive. Hopefully you would reconsider and continue to visit our site. Thank you.
I almost went on google to look up Mr. Dimond's picture so I'd beat him with a cactus or something if I ever saw him in the street after seeing the first sentence. But after reading the whole thing, I must say I really enjoyed this review. Apart from the initial turn-off of seeing the f word, Mr. Dimond's choice of language was quite refreshing. Just by calling one of the restaurants top-whack made my day. In one word, it encapsulates the retardness of how serious the entire haute cuisine scene takes itself. I went to St Georgeypants too, and it wasn't that great, although the beaufort-cheese-topped little toast points in the 63 degree egg with truffles were pretty good. Mr. Dimond don't listen to the overly-negative comments, but also please don't say the f word unless you're driving; it diminishes the effectiveness of the word for all of us, and sometimes we really need to be potent.
On New Year's Eve, we dined at the St. George and were treated to a truly splendid and memorable experience orchestrated by Michelin star chef Philippe Oricco (the protege of the world-renowned Pierre Gagnaire de Paris). This restaurant is a "must visit" for every true connoisseur of fine cuisine and its elegant ambiance makes for a very special enjoyment. Our culinary extravaganza started with a lobster jelly in cauliflower cream with colourful drops of salmon roe and Ossetra caviar. The delicate composition was perfectly balanced and satisfied the eyes as well as the palate. Next, we had a Gillardeau Oyster soup with Bellotta ham and seaweed knoedel. The oyster was plump and fresh and the ham was flavourful by itself, but without overpowering the oyster, while the seaweed knoedel were a truly innovative creation and added wonderful texture to the dish. After this followed the most amazing roasted US scallop, which was so tender, its soft and smooth texture reminded me of a Garoupa’s cheek. The golden apple and Agria potato with cinnamon added a festive note and the grilled baby squids were accompanied by delicate slices of aromatic black truffles. The next course was an excellent fatty tuna with Palamos prawns and was served with sea snails, razor clams, sea almonds that were gently alleviated by a Bouillabaisse foam and accompanied by precious morels cooked in champagne and confit orange. Then we had blue lobster with homemade mushroom pasta, cuttlefish and yellow wine sauce, which was equally delightful. The main course was an excellent marble score eight Wagyu beef, cooked to our individual preference and served with a delicate and festive red cabbage with black currant as well as the most delicious bone marrow with "burned" flower shortbread. The cheeses were a decadent spread of Brie de Meaux stuffed with precious black truffle and aged Comte and Endive salad. Last but definitely not least, the "Desserts du Saint George" rounded off this feast of the culinary senses. The wild strawberries with raspberry sauce ignited some happy childhood memories of picking these intensely flavoured fruit in the forest; I all could do was gasp in delight. This was one of the most memorable meals I have had in a very long time and yet another triumph for the celebrated Michelin star chef Philippe Oricco – bravo et encore, encore!
The F word in the beginning will not increase your credibility. The opinions are also not well supported by good evidence and examples. Bad article.
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