Hearty fare fresh lobster with all the fixins'
Wilbur’s, part of Castelo Concepts, known for venues that specialise in comfort food, is yet another to jump on the American cuisine bandwagon that seems to be trending again in Hong Kong, with a ‘burgers, lobster and Mexican’ focus.
We decide to skip the decadent sounding starters such as the ‘Ooey Gooey’ camambert or ‘Fat Boys’ chips with gravy, and opt instead for a healthy Greek salad with avocado ($135). The salad is crisp and fresh but a tad underwhelming. Perhaps it’s the slightly too salty dressing or the fact that the avocado is just half of the fruit unimaginatively slapped on – but either way, we are left unimpressed. We follow the salad with the chicken with avocado burger ($138), which proves to be surprisingly good. Grilled chicken burgers are normally either fragrant but dry, or juicy but bland. Wilburs’ version is both fragrant and juicy with rich slices of avocado that slowly melt with every bite. Definitely a winner. The burger comes with a small side of salad that is all too similar to our Greek salad and a basket of amazingly crisp and moreish French fries. The French fries – cut thin with the skin on – are crispy yet fluffy without being too oily. We’re told that the lobster and wild ribs are not to be missed, so, being greedy, we decide to put in half an order of each. True enough, the half lobster ($148) is very fresh, succulent and juicy. Before too long we cleaned it out from claw to flipper. Yet while it’s good, it isn’t spectacular. We quickly move on to the finger-licking good half wild ribs ($145). The barbecue sauce on the ribs is so good, we ask for – and generously receive – a whole bottle extra. The ribs themselves are succulent but lacks a depth of flavour and could do with being properly charred.
Wilbur’s is an easy choice if you're looking for reliable comfort food away from noisy Lan Kwai Fong but still within reasonable walking distance. However, when the best item on the restaurant’s menu is the French fries and barbecue sauce, you know some tweaking is in order. Val Chan
Verdict: Standard comfort food in Central
Wilbur’s 34 Wyndham St, Central, 2525 1439; casteloconcepts.com. Dinner for two: $700.