208 Duecento Otto
First off, I’m not a chicken lover. That’s not to say I don’t like chicken, nor to deny that I probably account for a good bird or three in any given month. What I mean is that, like most foodies I know, when presented with a menu as well thought out and enticingly described as that at 208 Duecento Otto, you can pretty much bet your shirt that the last thing I’m going to order is the chicken.
However, a bit of casual research among friends who’d been regulars at this dapper joint since day one yielded a unanimous verdict of “Dude, you have to try the roast chicken.” And so it was that we found the citrus-oregano-marinated chicken ($218) presented before us, looking humbly alluring but bearing a greater weight of expectation than could be reasonably expected of an expired fowl, our forks poised and pointed almost accusingly in its direction.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The new venture from Yenn Wong, founder of stylish Causeway Bay boutique hotel JIA and the attached Drawing Room restaurant, 208 is a full-blooded attempt to bring New York-style Italian panache to Hong Kong. Downstairs is a relaxed bar/casual diner area with a real buzz about it, ideal for knocking back a few glasses of wine (there’s 20 by the glass) over a chewy-crusted, topping-laden pizza or two. Upstairs is the restaurant proper, which manages to retain the convivial spirit, but with a more intimate feel.
With a kitchen helmed by Vinny Lauria, from NYC’s much-lauded Babbo, and featuring a two-storey interior that’s all decorative tiles and hard woods kitted out by celebrated Turkish design house Autobahn, it certainly has the necessary credentials. The menu, too, has the air of the real deal about it, from the discerning selection of imported salumi (cured meats) and varied antipasti – including testa and pork tongue – to pizzas wood-fired in a Napoletana oven imported and hand-assembled for the purpose. A cracking cocktail menu that would hold its own in the Big Apple is a further plus point.
Following a recommendation from our perky server, we started off with the uovo e pomodoro ($128), which comprised a poached Japanese egg on a bed of tomato and garlic topped with ‘nduja (a spicy pork sausage from Calabria, Southern Italy) and flakes of pecorino Romano. The egg was the perfect consistency – yolk just runny enough, white firm but yielding – and the ‘nduja gave the dish a welcome zing. The quality of the tomatoes used really shone through too; mopped up with the accompanying garlic fett’unta (think of it as the king of garlic breads), this was comfort food nirvana.
The Bolognese tagliatelle and ricotto fresco ($168) didn’t hit quite such lofty heights, but got a solid thumbs up for the texture of the beef (not overcooked to within an inch of its life as is frequently the case elsewhere) and the calibre of the hand-made pasta.
Now, one thing that is often overlooked but which contributes greatly to the enjoyment of a meal is pacing, and credit where credit’s due to this place for getting it spot on. There’s nothing worse than feeling rushed when you’re in the mood to take your time, or having your entrée arrive before (or 30 minutes after) your appetiser plate has made it to the kitchen, so we appreciated our server checking with us between courses and having a sagacious sense of timing. Indeed, the service in general (both on this occasion and subsequent visits) was more New York than Hong Kong, the staff augmenting a confident knowledge of dishes and ingredients with a savviness and a sense of humour that’s all too rare in this town.
Back to the food, the dry rubbed ribeye ($308) was difficult to fault if not especially memorable, and was possibly outshone by the lip-smackin’ crispy potatoes with garlic and anchovy aioli served alongside. A decent shout if you’re feeling particularly carnivorous, but there are more interesting dishes to try here. Tempted as we were by the cheeseboard of real Italian artisanal formaggios ($108), we plumped for a dessert of roasted figs in saba ($88), the fact that it came with gorgonzola dolce seeming like the best of both worlds. The combination of the sticky caramelised figs, creamy gorgonzola and almond cookie crumble prompted a food-endorphin rush that bordered on narcotic. I don’t think we actually drooled all over the table, but it’s possible I’m wrong.
All of which brings me un-chronologically back to the chicken. Served with balsamic onions, broccolini and heirloom tomato salsa, it was quite simply the juiciest and most succulent piece of roast chicken we’d ever tasted. The texture and flavour of the meat and citrus-oregano-infused skin ensured that we gnawed every last morsel off the bone and were still left wanting more. This sort of thing could turn a guy’s head.
Paul Kay
208 Hollywood Rd, Sheung Wan, 2549 0208; www.208.com.hk. Tue-Sun, 6pm-midnight. (Daily noon-midnight from July 26.)
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18 Comments Add your comment
Shame on you for giving this place a 5 star review. In the magazine when you flip the page from this review there's a full page ad of 208. How much does a restaurant have to pay for a glowing review Time Out? How stupid do you think your readers are?
Interesting comment rgil. Presumably you tried the restaurant in question for yourself before jumping to this facile conclusion? As for the question of how stupid Time Out readers are, I think you've set the idiocy standard pretty high (or should that be low?)
I noticed the full-page ad as well. Not sure about this one.
Not sure I would say this place is 5 Stars. 3 stars maybe. but definitely not 5.............
I'm going to this restaurant tonight - can't wait to find out for myself what rating I will give after dinner.
I agree with the last comment. We should all judge for ourselves which resturants we like and stop reading reviews like this one to tell us where to go.
had english breakfast a recently and it was horrible; im not kidding, i wasn't feeling well afterward... the bacon was too basically only fryed fat, sausages bad, had half out of 2...egg was cooked only half with too white still liquid... staff not quite polite and experienced... i was asking for some personalization and they said firmly no (!!!???) even if i insisted... totally not recommended for breakfast.... the space in itself is not bad overall
I've been a few times for pizza/antipasti and always had a great experience. The place just opened a few months ago so seems as though they're still working out the kinks, but the food will definitely bring me back.
I went for dinner a few weeks ago and we were kept waiting a horrendously long time for our food with no explanation or apology. It was pretty good when it came, but not good enough to justify the wait! I wouldn't rush back.
waiting staff like most new restaurants in hk is slow and awkward, menu is been over thought with the food average at best, for the same kind of crowd bloom is better by far
SLOOOOW. We waited for almost 40 minutes for our food, the bread sarrived on the tasble after our mains, we had to ask for our drinks twice after dying of thirst. The food itself was OK - not so fabulous we could excuse the rest of the experiencve, or the bill, which for such simple fare was over priced. The spacve itself was beautifully decorated, but I won't rush to get back.
ANOTHER OVERRATED OVERPRICED "SEE? WE ARE JUST LIKE NEW YORK" RESTO. CRAP SERVICE. AND CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL THESE GUYS HOW TO TAKE A RESERVATON? HINT - TREATING CUSTOMERS LIKE THEY ARE LUCKY TO BE SPOKEN TO IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT.
I went there for a friends birthday last week, I'd agree its only 3 stars which goes mainly for the decor. Whilst there is prob no doubt of the quality of the food in general, execution and use of them still leaves a lot to be desired based on their prices. Service level acceptable, food in general just too salty...couldnt taste the real/ natural flavours of the food despite quality ingredients.
I went on the basis of this review. And I found that this place was terrible. Aside from the decor, which other people have mentioned, the food was abysmal. It was worth about 1/3 the price we paid. I don't mind paying that amount, but at that cost, the food better have some quality to it. Shame on you Time Out Magazine, for giving a stellar review just because they advertised. In fact, Mr. Editor, I'm never going to read your magazine again, and I hope you guys go bankrupt or change your management. You guys have zero integrity.
Contrary to what John seems to have convinced himself of, Time Out restaurant reviews are always 100% independent, and NEVER swayed by advertisers. On the night I went to 208 (in June 2010) I had a fantastic meal. If this isn't representative of your experience of this restaurant then I would suggest it's because the quality has slipped. Reviews are a snapshot of an experience - they are not meant to last forever.
Not very convincing, Mr Kay. If you gave it four stars, I might be more convinced by your “it slipped” explanation. You gave it five. Five stars in a gastronomically-obsessed city like Hong Kong is saying that 208’s food was comparable to the offerings at a world-beater like Amber. The discrepancy between the alleged quality of your experience and ours is too big to be accounted for by simply saying that quality has gone down. There hasn’t been change in management, staff or the menu. Here are some facts. 1. 208's food is at best 3-stars according to the consensus of the above comments. I would rate it 2 stars given its price to quality ratio. 2. Your review gave it 5 stars. 3. 208 splashed out on a big ad. If you can explain that 2 to 3 star disconnect in an alternate, logical manner, I invite you to do so. Until then, the working hypothesis from the above analysis is that what you write can't be trusted. In addition, having struggled to type this up in a tiny input box, I would like to add that it’s quite suspect that the input box for comments is so damn small. Are you trying to make it hard for us to come up with something critical? Fanboy one-liners supporting your review wouldn’t wreck your day as much as longer, more critical comments for which you now have to waste the better part of an hour to formulate a response to, wouldn’t you agree Mr Kay?
John -- I laughed. Take it easy on him, you probably made him feel pretty bad. But seriously Paul, just saying things like "100% independent" and capitalizing the word "never" aren't going to convince us. Save the salesman talk for your advertisers. You probably talk that way cuz you spend most of your time selling ads. It might work with them, but for us, it sounds too juvenile coming from a journalist, let alone an editor-in-chief.
Dry cheese, fluffy pizza, not crusty at all, burned bred, wrong knife. A big dissapointment.
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